The big winner out of last night’s One News Kantar poll is David Seymour.
While the two main parties both went down two points, Act went up by four.
And the good thing for them about that is, that while the Nats dropped two, they're still on 37 which means add in Act's 11 percent support, and the right block on those numbers, would have enough to govern.
And that's the bit that'll have Labour starting to feel the heat. The message here - if you take into consideration their number last night is the lowest they've polled at since 2017, is that the country is sick of them.
This is a government officially on notice. People are sick of their failures, and sick of the leadership. If you look at the preferred PM stakes, Jacinda’s dropped to 30, which is her lowest rating yet as PM. And I'm not surprised, their schtick is getting tired and arrogant and people are over it. It's all too predictable.
The PM rejects the premise of all questions; she outright refuses to answer ones that look too hard. When she does speak, it's largely in riddles.
The Finance Minister just stoops to nasty nitpicky comments, the Health Minister makes it up as he goes along, and most other Ministers just give a ‘nothing to see here’ generic dismissal to most issues.
In fact funnily enough, just before I had Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni on the show yesterday, I got a text saying, 'why have you got her on, she always says the same thing, she'll say 'it's complex'. And sure enough, "it's complex" were the first words out of her mouth.
While Jacinda dropped in preferred PM rankings though, so did Luxon, by two points.
Which leads me back to Seymour.
He was up to 5 as preferred PM, and here's where I think he's gaining ground.
He says what he thinks. It's pithy and to the point, He seizes on the issues New Zealanders care about and he knows what they care about, because he's out on the street, and in town halls, and in communities, and on the road.
He hasn't been travelling overseas for chunks of time, he appears omnipresent.
He shows up for the 5am shows in a way no other politician does - he's not arrogant enough to assume he doesn't need to be everywhere. You can't say he doesn't work hard, no matter what you make of his politics, he's a trooper.
He also has a way of not getting himself entangled with the press gallery in a way that makes him look like he's on the back foot.
He's got good zingers and pithy one liners, he stays on message, he knows his stuff, and he seems to have come up with great sound bites by the time a camera gets to him, every time.
His comments get used a lot on the news because they're funny, or clever, or delivered with a droll sense of irony or sarcasm, he talks like a real person. He doesn't talk down to us or at us or across us, he just talks.
His social media team is slick too - memes go up within minutes of news breaking, they're onto it.
So I feel like he deserves to be top of the pops this poll, he's well and truly earning his place at the table if and when 2023 rolls around and a right block government's voted in.
Kate Hawkesby is a political broadcaster on Newstalk ZB - her articles can be seen HERE.
7 comments:
He's the only Party Leader who speaks any sense. Comrade Ardern is full of it, Luxon's not committing to anything that matters, Shaw is an absolute parasite and Maori are blatantly racist with no policies to mention. Moreover, Seymour's hit the nail on the head wit his "Real Change" mantra.
I'd like to see a poll across Auckland right now. Ardern is despised by almost everybody you talk to as people are waking up to the facts and realizing what a complete shitshow this ostensible Government really is.
And me - a life-long Labour voter who shudders at the legacy of Roger Douglas, will vote ACT as soon as I get the chance, because Seymour is the only politician who will tell the truth about co-governance, which I am convinced is an appalling mistake for all NZers. It is not only dangerously divisive it is just plain stupid, cobbled together out of the blue by sadly ignorant but starry-eyed young people of minor Maori descent to meet the needs of egotistic and status - conscious iwi - leaving the rank and file to experience poverty and take meth and ram-raid for something to do. I am not at all confident Luxon has what it needs to restore order after this corrupt government who will manipulate anything they can in the limited time they know they have left.
My only gripe about Seymour is that he, like Luxon, appears gutless when it comes to confronting the truly big issues. Had he had the guts to tell Mallard to “get stuffed” during the Wellington freedom protest and gone out and engaged with the protestors, he would, hands-down, now be preferred PM
Excellent summation MC
The only party in parliament that opposes co-governance and the racist pro-Maori agenda, and the only one certain of getting in at the next election, is ACT.
As Luxon said in his speech at the recent conference, National will honour their Treaty obligations.
I doubt he knows what these really are.
They're very simple - treat everyone the same, give them the same rights and privileges, and make each vote carry the same weight as all the others.
Chris has bought into the whole partnership fantasy and so will most definitely be Labour Lite when it comes to co-governance.
And that is why a strong ACT voice is needed to bring a reality check. Ideally ACT would be the senior partner in this arrangement but we've got a long way to go yet, and a lot of misinformation to discredit, before we get there.
If we get a National/ACT government in 2023 that is just the beginning. National need to be knocked into shape if they have any future as a real centre-right party.
The first priority is to ensure that New Zealanders get a media that is fit for purpose and not the propaganda arm of the Left.
State funding must end and they need to cater to their audience for survival. I look forward to seeing some of them go under.
Yes, you're absolutely right DeeM. Anyone who thinks National will put things right is deluded. Act are the only ones saying it as it is, or how it should be. This Govt's patently racist policies need to be repealed. There is no such thing as a 'partnership' with the Crown, or indeed even a 'special relationship.' We should be all equal in the eyes of the law - and just to be clear, that is equal in terms of opportunity, not necessarily outcome.
I do wish Luxon would learn from David Seymour how to be an effective Opposition. How long do we have to wait until he learns these skills. At this stage he is still behaving as a Corporate CEO.
Post a Comment