Trucking hell. That's what tomorrow morning's city streets will be like as truckies protest the overnight decision to raise RUCs. It's a televisual nightmare for Labour. Not that yesterday's Question Time was any better. Play with hand grenades, you might lose a hand.
The wheels are coming off the rail deal pretty quickly, with cost estimates yet to be finalised, management structure to be pencilled in, pricing structure to be invented. Labour admits the premium price was due to the risk of several provincial line closures, including:
The Maharey-Bolger Line (Palmy to Te Kuiti)
The Samuels Line (Northland)
The Duynhoven Line (Taranaki)
The Cullen-Mackey Line (Napier to Gisborne)
All in all, not the most compelling of reasons. But reason left Labour back in 2006. Now it's just sheer bloody-mindedness that keeps it heading for the finish line. The Enrolled Non Vote this year will be huge.
