Tracy Watkins

Well that came around quickly. Suddenly, we are in an election year. One of Jacinda Ardern’s first announcements when Parliament returns in a few weeks time will presumably be naming the date.

Deciding when the country goes to the polls is the prerogative of the prime minister (within a certain prescribed time period). But it is a relatively recent tradition to name the date after one of the first Cabinet meetings of the election year.

It used be thought that giving the date away too soon would lose you the advantage of incumbency. While the objective of waiting until the last possible minute was to keep opponents in the dark, it also had the effect of turning the election date into a bit of a game.

The press gallery would run sweepstakes and there would be animated discussion about which dates could be ruled out because of rugby fixtures, weather or school holidays.

And of course the rest of the country, particularly business owners, found it tiresome and childish and difficult to plan for, because people don’t like spending when there’s uncertainty and a possible change in economic direction.

When John Key decided to break with tradition and get the date out of the way early it won him more kudos than any imagined benefit of having the answer teased out of him over weeks or months.

So what’s the moral of the story? That so much of the political discourse these days is seen to be more focused on the game playing and the sport of politics, rather than the substance. And that is contributing to the sense that politicians are increasingly out of touch with voters.

We in the media can cop some of the blame. In our drive to explain the why and how of politics it can look like we’re focusing on personalities rather than policies.

It’s also no secret that there is a voracious appetite for personality driven political coverage, while the appetite for policy driven stories is more niche.

I don’t condemn that; to an extent, I’ve always believed that we vote for our politicians as much on character or judgment as the policies they hawk. Their credibility is central to whether we believe in their promises.

But in the hothouse of Parliament it’s all too easy to lose perspective.

It’s also a chicken and egg thing. Politicians pay spin doctors to churn out policy soundbites, and the leaders spend hours being coached by media minders on how to answer questions.

If this was all about enabling a substantive policy debate, or holding their opponents to account, fair enough. But it’s mostly about framing the narrative and staying on message. It’s about winning the game.

The stakes are high so it’s not surprising politicians play the game this way. But that’s also why we deserve much better. So once Ardern names the date, let’s pledge to strip this election back to its essentials and focus on the story behind the personalities and soundbites.

Let’s pledge to strip this election back to its essentials.