The Labour Party have decided to take no further action on the Waitakere electorate result, conceding that Paula Bennett won the seat.
I think that Labour need to take the battle to National this term, but in this specific instance I think Labour have made the correct decision, though I am not sure whether this is through good judgement, or by accident.
Waitakere is now a very marginal seat, as are Christchurch Central and Auckland Central. Once the results of the 2011 General Election are declared official, the National MPs in these seats become both powerful, in terms of what they can demand from the National-lead government, and at the same time vulnerable. To avoid the latter they need to be above reproach. A by-election in any of these electorates would be fascinating.
Waitakere is perhaps the most interesting of the three. It is held by little more than a handful of votes, by a senior minister who has shown questionable judgement in the past - she is a polarising figure. Anything event that arises and casts doubt upon her suitability to remain as an MP could trigger a by-election, a by-election that National could never hope to win.
What ever happened to the privacy breach complaint, I wonder? I must have missed it being resolved, and the resolution must have happened very quietly.
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