But a couple of notable things happened in Tauranga that tell a story. The National and ACT votes went up significantly. Both parties gained.
And Labour not only lost, but lost badly. They lost badly because the tide generally has gone out on the Government and this merely confirmed it. They also gave up from the start, they never even tried. Not even trying is defeatist.
The gains they got last election have not been held onto, but Labour haven't even tried to hold onto them. David Seymour campaigned, Chris Luxon campaigned, but Jacinda Ardern never went near the place.
The mistake in making that decision will haunt the Prime Minister. It makes you look like you are in it for yourself. It makes you look like you don't like bad news or you can't face it. It makes you look like you only deal with the good days, and that is not leadership.
The trouble with that is Ardern already had that reputation. It's now in serious trouble. Her one trick, the love fest that was Covid, is now well past its used by date.
These days she presides over a government that is immersed in an economic mess and in an ideological battle they are not winning with the likes of Three Waters, Co-Governance, and Fair Pay Agreements.
With a lack of confidence among virtually every sector and business out there, with a talent pool so shallow that when the reshuffle came the only talent to get work was Chris Hipkins, who was overburdened anyway, National were always going to win Tauranga. But they won this well.
Yes, Labour was always going to lose, but they didn’t have to lose this badly. They lost as a result of not even trying.
That is an insult. If you can't be bothered, why did you want the job? If you can't be bothered, why would anyone bother to vote for you?
The mistake in making that decision will haunt the Prime Minister. It makes you look like you are in it for yourself. It makes you look like you don't like bad news or you can't face it. It makes you look like you only deal with the good days, and that is not leadership.
The trouble with that is Ardern already had that reputation. It's now in serious trouble. Her one trick, the love fest that was Covid, is now well past its used by date.
These days she presides over a government that is immersed in an economic mess and in an ideological battle they are not winning with the likes of Three Waters, Co-Governance, and Fair Pay Agreements.
With a lack of confidence among virtually every sector and business out there, with a talent pool so shallow that when the reshuffle came the only talent to get work was Chris Hipkins, who was overburdened anyway, National were always going to win Tauranga. But they won this well.
Yes, Labour was always going to lose, but they didn’t have to lose this badly. They lost as a result of not even trying.
That is an insult. If you can't be bothered, why did you want the job? If you can't be bothered, why would anyone bother to vote for you?
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings
1 comment:
Part of the problem is that Jan is safely esconced on the public teat. Win or lose, no difference to her, so why should she put any effort into it.
It would have been interesting if the candidate had been hungry and gave a shit about the results.
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