If you're a townie, fomer high flying corporate lawyer and member of parliament.... the last thing you want to do after buying a 2027 hectare 'pig hunting' block is to infer that your neighbours are a pack of 'theiving dope smokers'...Law and Order spokesperson or otherwise, it's just not the done thing.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2939790a10,00.html

Also.... this sort of stuff just screams of desperation...

If you did not get ballot papers, or receive this message after its too late to vote I would like to hear from you.  Let me know at doreen.leacock@parliament.govt.nz.  I will get an idea of the numbers from your responses.  It would not be consistent with a secret ballot but if you joined on 3 or 4 June, and you did not get ballot papers back in time, and have not voted by fax, and wish to indicate how you would have voted I will report those numbers to the caucus during its deliberations over the weekend.

...

Stephen Franks