OPINION: The desperation and fear in the Greens of not being returned to Parliament is clear with the release of a made-up 'poll' in Nelson.
The Greens have released the results of some phone canvassing which they've referred to as an "internal poll" that claims to show them ahead in Nelson.
But it is not a poll just like there wasn't a fiscal hole.
It's a set of numbers Green volunteers have gathered, with no way of checking them and media should be ashamed of reporting them as a "poll".
It is not scientific, they have not released the raw data or methodology.
The Greens spin team have admitted this morning to me that it was in fact robo-calling rather than polling.
Robo-calling is that invasive and annoying method where an automated voice appears and there is no way of telling whether there is say, for instance, a child on the end of the line.
It is actually "fake news" from the Greens.
It is a blatant bid to get publicity and get Labour voters to vote tactically and try and get Lawrey over the line to give them a lifeline in case they don't make 5 percent.
Doing a deal with Labour and getting Nick Smith out of Parliament is not a bad idea from a Green perspective.
But a stunt releasing some dodgy numbers is not the way to do it.
Patrick Gower is Newshub's political editor.
