In September Jamie Whyte was going to Parliament, Act brayed … and then he was poll-axed

So Jamie Whyte has thrown in the towel. For now, anyway.

He has resigned as  leader of the Act Party after failing to secure a seat in last month’s election.

According to this report in the Herald:

“Today I announce that I have tendered, and the board has accepted, my resignation as Leader of Act New Zealand,” Mr Whyte said in a statement.

“Clearly I make this announcement with regret, however the election result is clear, and I must now turn to my career and my family.

“I stood to lead Act because I believe in the party’s ideas. I will continue to advance these ideas both inside and outside the Party. I do not rule out returning to a substantial role with Act in the future.”

Less than a month ago Act regarded Jamie is a sitter for an MP’s job. Moreover it regarded itself as the party that would hold the balance of power.

A press statement brayed: Jamie Whyte is going to Parliament.

The statement was based on a wonderful misreading of poll trends.

Friday night’s TVNZ Colmar Brunton poll puts Jamie Whyte in Parliament. TVNZ rounded down the poll result (ACT was on 1.2%).

With the high wasted Conservative vote, just 1.2% makes Jamie an MP. It is ACT, not NZ First that result (ACT was on 1.2%). With the high wasted Conservative vote, just 1.2% makes Jamie an MP.

It is ACT, not NZ First that will hold the balance of power. ACT is rising in all the polls taken last week.

Act explained that a Party Vote for his bunch was worth on average four times a Party Vote for National.

The number of Party list MPs a party is awarded is reduced by the number of electorates it wins. National wins many electorates so last election it took 63 thousand votes to elect a National list MP.

On average it takes just 16 thousand to elect an ACT MP. 4 times the power. The way to game MMP would be to have a party that just won electorates and another that just won Party Votes. This is what Labour and the Greens now are.

This is how the left could steal the election. Centre/right voters need to smarten up. Matthew Hooton in this week’s NBR explains why Epsom voters by double ticking ACT can decide the election.

Jamie had best get back to the philosophy business.

Reading the tealeaves is not his strong suit.