This is a selection of some of the tweets about the results of the asset sales referendum. As usual, the tweets below are in (rough) reverse chronically order – the most recent tweets are first. [Read more below]
Great graph! Referendum results by electorate: http://imgur.com/a/qn7Pg#0
Referendum? More like referenDUMB.
I look forward to a future Lab/Green Govt axing the anti-smacking law & cutting MPs to 99, while they buy back our asset sale shares
From my new Werewolf column (http://werewolf.co.nz/2013/12/from-the-hood-that-referendum-thing-in-plain-english/ … ) pic.twitter.com/jKsWKdn5A3
Asset sales referendum complete nonsense says Collins, while Ardern suggests she can't read publicly-open Govt books http://www.3news.co.nz/Asset-sales-referendum-complete-nonsense---Collins/tabid/1607/articleID/325290/Default.aspx …
The "no" vote was 27.3% of the electorate. "Yes" vote was 13.2% of the electorate. This takes account of those not enrolled but eligible.
The referendum turnout was 40.7% (1,333,404 out of official electorate of 3,276,000). Other figure of 43.9% doesn't include unenrolled.
And - again, to state the bloody obvious - you don't need to privatise SOEs to be neoliberal. You just run them as private companies.
@johnkeypm couldn't even carry his own electorate in the asset sales referendum. #saysalot
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
Man, if I wanted to distract the left from almost all my policies in government,I would have this big flagship policy that made people rabid
1. Embarrassing http://polity.co.nz/content/least-225000-nats-said-no-asset-sales … Rob Salmand ties himself in knots to argue >225k of no-voters also voted National in 2011...
2. ... which may be true, though his reasoning is supernaturally unpersuasive. Here's the good part: by his own assumptions/calculations...
3. ... the no-voters are the most engaged and most passionate about asset sales. He then says the 225k he thinks *voted National anyway*...
4. ...are particularly likely to switch to Labour/Green in 2014. I simply can't think of a narrative where that makes any sense at all.
67% of 44% of voters said "No" to asset sales. Thus popular opposition to privatization has been turned into something entirely meaningless.
Aaron Hawkins @CrAaronHawkins
Those trumpeting low turnout as an invalidation of referendum result were awfully quiet about the invalidation of most local body elections
After hitting the iceberg of popular opposition and a disastrous asset sales process, Capt Key cries 'full steam ahead'! #TitanicThinking
PM Key carefully considered final results of referendum (not yet counted) and determined asset sales will continue.
If John Key is claiming non-votes as 'yes' votes, I'm claiming 'yes' votes as 'no' votes. Because#anarchy.
I mean if turnout was ~60% and every extra person had voted Yes, No would still have won.
My electorate had 4th lowest turnout of general electorates in the referendum. Botany people know a waste of money when they see it.
"Resounding", "emphatic", "decisive", "overwhelming" #AssetSales #referendumhttp://wp.me/pjIn6-jy
Loving the fallout from New Zealand's asset sales 'citizens initiated' referendum. Both sides claim victory. But clearly was a waste of time
Matthew Hooton @MatthewHootonNZ
Was the asset sales CIR the closest NZ CIR ever? #nzpol
> Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler14 Dec
@MatthewHootonNZ it was, first where the winning option didn't get at least 80% support, or even 70% support.
This whole referendum thing has been like those old optical illusions - do you see a vase or two faces? And old woman or a young girl?
Maybe if in future all Citizen Initiated Referenda had a "meh" option....
The turnout and support are irrelevant, as long as they're not embarrassing. It's mid-December and people are still thinking about it.
The asset sales referendum was an agenda-control play; to keep the issue top of the public mind. It's worked admirably for that purpose.
Most important statistic of the night: the #AssetSales referendum cost roughly $6.75 per vote collected.
Highest invalid vote was 34 in Wellington Central. Anarchists in the Aro Valley anyone?
Biggest support for asset sales in Epsom (54.6%); biggest opposition in Ikaroa-Rawhiti (94.7%).
Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
With such resounding support for keeping assets in state ownership, I assume Labour and the Greens have announced a buy-back policy?
Two electorates had more Yes votes than No votes in the #AssetSales referendum: Epsom and Tāmaki.
The referendum result is completely invalid because @DavidCunliffeMP tweeted about it today.
Great result in privatisation referendum. Two thirds opposed; great turnout at 44%. Democracy in action.
@RusselNorman Pathetic spin Russel. After all that hype u failed to get 30% of eligible voters to turn out and vote against mixed ownership
Tell you what, with 2/3 of the electorate opposed to the govt's main policy initiative, Labour is cruising to 60% of the 2014 election #easy
That's how it works, isn't it? Voters take all their cues about a govt from one issue and vote in lockstep? Gimme a PolSci PhD already.
Asset sales turnout beat the s59 referendum turnout in one electorate: Wellington Central.
From now on, a low turnout means the side that won actually lost. National won Chch East for example. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9518362/Asset-sales-programme-to-continue-Key …
Jordan McCluskey @JordanMcCluskey
The Greens: Subverting democratic outcomes they don't like by using democratic tools since ages ago mate.
Morgan Godfery @MorganGodfery
Meaningless platitude follows: partisans are going hard with their view on the referendum. I suspect the truth is somewhere in between etc
In today's edition of pointless politics data, #AssetSales vs. Anti-Smacking referendum by electorate #NZPol pic.twitter.com/HvhokGzRwV
Almost 350,000 more people voted in the anti-smacking referendum than #AssetSalesreferendum
If only this factoid was actually true. pic.twitter.com/UISfqk2blW
Turnout in South Akl looks to be abysmal too. That's your job next year right there Labour. Canvassing, dots on maps. GOTV
Nick Cross @NW_Cross Protected Tweets
Seriously the no vote is pathetic. People don't care all that much
South Island seems more anti-asset sales... 'seems' being the operative word. I'm just staring at the spreadsheet.
Patrick Leyland @ProgressReport
Preparing for a deluge of dodgy statistics and pointless conclusions, including a few of my own.
52% of voters in the PM's electorate voted No in the #AssetSales referendum
Rāwinia Thompson @rawiniathompson
Voter turnout in referendum dangerously low in electorates with - for want of better description - more poor, brown people. Democracy?
Rāwinia Thompson @rawiniathompson
Over 90% of voters in each Māori electorate do not support asset saleshttp://www.electionresults.govt.nz/2013_citizens_referendum/2013_preliminary_referendum_results.html …
"No" won every single electorate. Except Epsom. I guess that's where the mum and dad investors live, right?
Given the low number of kiwis who bought shares & the high number of negative stories re asset sales recently 432,950 pro-sell pretty high.
Graeme Edgeler @GraemeEdgeler
So the lowest share of votes a winning CIR has ever gotten: First less than 80%; First less than 70%.
By my quick calculation, this referendum cost taxpayers $6.75 for every valid vote.
@ShakingStick the number of 'yes' is pretty sizable given the recent negative stories re asset sales.
Very low referendum turnout in Maori electorates - about 32%. South Auckland about 30%.
Patrick Leyland @ProgressReport
More people voted against asset sales in the postal referenda than party voted for Labour and the Greens in 2011 (861k).
Has the anti-asset sales campaign failed to meet 2 unofficial targets? 1) turnout 43.9% vs 50%, 1) 895,322 No votes vs 1,058,638 Nat votes.
Bryce Edwards
Mon, 16 Dec 2013
Mon, 16 Dec 2013
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Top tweets about the asset sales referendum results
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