On July 30, 2005, I wrote the following at the new_zealand Yahoo! group:

Labour will probably win. [Prime Minister] Helen [Clark] will take the advantage of David Lange in the hospital, have him assassinated, and get sympathy votes in time for the General Election [on September 17] as we look misty to the 1980s and how good we had it then.

With Mr Lange’s passing today at age 63, I’m saddened I predicted his death, though I probably didn’t predict the cause as far as non-conspiracy theorists are concerned. But the reaction may well be the same for Prime Minister Clark’s government. Neither major party dares bring up the past, neither major party has a vision for the future, so the only way for them to brand (and they fail to differentiate in doing so) is to make hints. It’s a shameful state of affairs for the parties, and an example of meaningless, wasteful marketing that doesn’t sway a single soul.
   Mr Lange’s passing is a godsend in the realm of subtle branding for Labour, giving them a chance to say, ‘We’re not bringing up this PR. We have nothing to do with it.’
   Sometimes, you just can’t buy this sort of publicity. Call me a cynic. posted by Jack Yan, 1:31 AM  permalink