Wordsworth

Readers were invited to propose an unusual new political party and slogan for the 2017 election. Auckland’s Barbara Harwood suggests the ominous Search Party: You can’t hide anything from us. Dunedin’s Alan

Beck: The Bill English Party: We’ll bill the Prime Minister directly. David Flaws of Whangarei: The New Consolidated Conservatives: No Craig, No Capill, No Copulation.

Picton’s Nozz Fletcher: The Left, Right, Left Party: Introducing a compulsory year of service for all 18-year-olds. Daphne Tobin of Porirua: The Undecided Party: Come and join us if you like. Or perhaps not. David Kernohan of Carterton: The New Zealand Second Party: Looking out for No 1.

From Charles Kidd of Motueka:

The Atypical Party: Actually delivering on promises. Paul Kelly of Palmerston North: the New Zealand Punctuation Party: Putting the apostrophe in its rightful place.

Peter Hill of Mosgiel: Contraspin: The first spinless political party. Helensville’s Anne Martin: The Liven Up Sessions in the House party (Lush). The Speaker will be appointed on their ability to lead the chamber in rousing choruses.

Another entry by Paul Kelly: The Mixed Message Party (MMP): Bringing maximum confusion to New Zealanders.

This week’s winner is Philip Lynch of Upper Hutt: The Party Party party: We’ve got the bottle to fix things.

For the next contest, send us a brief poem in any form continuing this line from Faery Songs by John Keats: Shed no tear! oh, shed no tear! Entries, for the prize below, close at noon on Thursday, January 26.