So far January has proven to be mercifully quiet for Helen Clark and the Labour Party, who, in 2007, were pilloried and derided from many different quarters as New Zealand's third-term Government had another year to forget.
National Party Smells Victory
Their main challenge comes from a National Party that smells victory and is looking hungry for power.
They have not rested over the holiday season and have taken advantage of the availability of newspaper space to release a series of press releases that would otherwise be lost if they came out during the hurly-burly of the political year.
But National's strategy is about keeping themselves at the forefront of voters' minds.
Electoral Finance Bill Confusion
The main problem for the government, more specifically the Labour Party, has been the unheralded opposition to the Electoral Finance Bill.
Unheralded is probably the wrong word as the New Zealand Herald has led the anti-electoral finance act coverage with a series of editorials warning of the death of democracy as we know it.
While proponents of the Electoral Finance Act say it is not limiting free-speech, but rather the purchasing of it, the Act fails to address seriously the issues of anonymous donations to political parties and is at least perceived to be limiting the rights of ordinary citizens to say what they want in election year.
The Act's provisions begin on January 1 of each election year, so around a third of the electoral cycle is covered by the Act.
Even those who support the Act would be hard pressed to defend the extra bureaucracy that has been put in place through provisions requiring financial agents and the like to be appointed by each 'third party'.
A 'third party' by the way is what the Act's architects have deemed to call ordinary non-MPs or political party members who wish to have a say. Just like being a third-wheel really!
Minister's Mishaps and Reshuffling
The outcry against the Electoral Finance Act stopped in its tracks a slight resurgence in the rejuvenated Labour Party, which, after the ministerial reshuffle in October, looked to have turned a slight corner, putting the controversies of David Benson-Pope's truth economies behind them.
Incidentally, Benson-Pope provided one of the moments of year with his 'I'm sorry, you're breaking up' response when the Dominion Post phoned him for comment on the Madeleine Setchell affair.
That affair, which turned into the Erin-Leigh – Trevor Mallard – Will he apologise? – affair, not to mention Mallard's set-to with Tau Henare, put Labour firmly back in the metaphorical dock, or in Mallard's case, the Wellington District Court dock.
National's Big Polls
National had a year to remember, with the polls heavily favouring them throughout.
There were some minor setbacks, such as their terribly embarrassing set of policy gaffes in September over the 'will-we-or-won't-we' and by how much debate on privatisation in the health and education sectors.
Super slick John Key even managed to stir up some debate about New Zealand's all too-oft forgotten 'underclass'. Of course no solutions were offered about how to help these people apart from musing about giving 'disadvantaged' children a free breakfast at school. A meal ticket perhaps?
Minor Parties Overshadowed, Greens Hold Firm
Most minor parties had a year to forget. The Greens made headlines earlier in the year about the Crimes Act Section 59 repeal, which was highjacked by the god-squad in a series of vaguely amusing rallies on the steps of parliament.
The "anti-smacking" issue was ended with an agreement between Key and Clark that gave police considerable powers of discretion when deciding whether or not to prosecute. So far the world does not seem to have caved in because of the Section 59 repeal.
The Greens were also overshadowed by Labour's pragmatic and generally well-accepted suggestions to curb carbon emissions as New Zealand strives to be the world's first carbon-neutral country.
While it is likely they will get over the 5% threshold at the next election, the other minor parties will most-likely have to rely on their leaders picking up constituency sets.
So 2008 is set to be one of the most spiteful years yet in New Zealand politics as National believes Labour has changed the law to quash dissent in election year and Labour remains grievously indignant by the covert actions of National and the Exclusive Brethren in 2005, which they believe has gone unpunished, all the while National calls the current government the most corrupt in New Zealand's history.
It will be fascinating to see how many people openly flout the Electoral Finance Act's provisions and equally fascinating to see the aftermath of the election and whether, as in 2005, knowledge of the Auditor-General's findings and rulings on election spending become known to certain political parties before others. Oh, and expect a tax cut.
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