The National Party is forming the rules of a new game Prime Minister Helen Clark is only too happy to play.
The game, "Hide the policy", has been active for all of this year and it is likely to be played with increased intensity between now and whenever the election is called.
The rules are simple. National criticises everything the Government says.
National takes credit for every measure the Government adopts and the voters seem to like.
National MPs wave their arms a lot and worry about the failing economy and blame the Government.
When contacted for comment, National says it's policy is under development and will not be released until the election campaign.
Recently, the Otago Daily Times contacted a senior National Party MP for comment on a suggestion the excise tax on fuel be removed temporarily to give some relief to households struggling to meet rising costs.
The MP said he was just off a flight and would phone back.
A follow-up call resulted in more fobbing off.
Later, the senior communications adviser phoned back to say National would not be making any comment.
As the press releases flow daily into the in-box from the same MP, one wonders how credible it has become to offer once-over-lightly criticism without substantial alternatives.
Miss Clark and National leader John Key were in Dunedin in the same week, albeit on separate days.
Asked whether she was hampered by National's refusal to release detailed policy, Miss Clark said she was enjoying the challenge.
"We will write the policy for them and fill the vacuum."
Labour would outline how it believed National would attack such institutions as ACC (privatise), employment law (draconian laws in favour of the employer), private schools (increased funding), KiwiSaver employer contributions (voluntary), personal tax (cut at the expense of social spending).
The prime minister intends being in Wellington only Monday to Wednesday between now and the election.
She is in campaign mode, and voters can expect to hear her in a town near them soon, repeating the message she gave the ODT.
Mr Key says National has already released 14 policies and more will follow.
But for him, when people asked about policy, they were really saying, "Show us the size of your tax cuts."
Policy would be rolled out over the next two or three months, he said.
However, Labour has its own rules for an older but not-so-popular game.
When things turn bad, look for someone else to blame.
That usually is a former National-led government dating back to 1990.
Forgetting that Sir Roger Douglas, and others, transformed the economy as part of a Labour government.
Asking for National to support legislation needed "urgently" to fix a problem then crying foul when National refuses.
But back to the latest game.
National is gambling that voters are so sick of Labour that they want a change of government, regardless of what that alternative government might offer.
The gamble is underwritten by the huge lead National has in the opinion polls.
But it is a risky strategy in that Labour will continue to "write" National's policies for it, happily filling the void.
In doing so, it will paint a picture of a party that - far from being a Labour-lite alternative - is in fact a hard-Right wolf in centrist sheep's clothing.
Labour is gambling that by filling a policy vacuum, it can expose a hidden side of The Right.
Dene Mackenzie is the political editor of the Otago Daily Times.
