OPINION: It is official: Labour has been swallowed up by a tax vortex of its own making.
The latest Newshub-Reid Research poll showing a rise by National shows its relentless attacks are beating Labour's relentless vagueness.
National's scare tactics are working.
Labour's vagueness on tax is not working.
- National could govern alone in latest Newshub poll
- Greens out of Parliament on latest Newshub poll
- Bill English NZ's preferred PM on latest Newshub poll
The politics of the campaign have recently been all about Jacinda Ardern and tax. Not about health, housing or water quality.
Steven Joyce's kamikaze attack may even have helped.
It has been attack politics at its worst - but it has let National set the agenda.
In this National has managed to get back to where it was on the Newshub-Reid Research poll in the glow of its cash-bribe Budget.
Part of Labour's problem is that it keeps ruling certain tax variations out during heavy interviews. That keeps the story going.
And the problem now is there is no way out for Labour - it cannot backtrack on this.
It has to take its vague tax policy all the way to the election - and National will hack at it every step of the way.
Labour must find a way out of the tax vortex. Suggestions on back of an envelope to J.Ardern of Mt Albert please.
Patrick Gower is Newshub's political editor.
