So much for the handmaid party

Its official: Alfred Ngaro has decided to stay with National, so the handmaid party will not be happening. I guess they figured out that entering the crowded religious loon market with a vehicle fundamentally compromised from the outset was unlikely to be successful, and more likely to result in a net loss of voters to our unfair MMP threshold. But also, the entrance of Destiny Church into that same market both threatened the success of the handmaids and made them redundant. Why take the risk and expense of establishing a spinoff party to be a coalition partner when someone else is willing to do it for you? Sure, Destiny may be more difficult to work with if elected, but that's a big "if", and National can cross that bridge if they come to it.