Clive Bibby: Leadership is about boldness and timing

Two recent excellent columns refer to the latest Roy Morgan poll which is the best indication to date of the problem National has leading up to next year’s general election.

It is a reflection of what happens when the leadership procrastinates to the point of becoming moribund at a time when the government is handing them the treasury benches on a plate. And ironically, the options available in order to secure a victory are not hard to identify. Yet all the signs suggest National (particularly its leader, Christopher Luxon) is preparing to lead his party in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

For the sake of the Nation’s future, this simply cannot be allowed to happen.

What needs to change in order to avoid such a calamity?

History provides the clues.

It clearly shows that military leaders who won famous victories on the battlefield (often against incredible odds), did so primarily by relying on their own assessment of where the opponent was weakest and developed plans to exploit them when, during the battle, the time was right.

It is also worth noting that In all examples, these results were achieved on the back of that most vital of ingredients - courage and belief.

In this category, we think of Drake against the Spanish Armada, Nelson at Trafalgar, Montgomery at El Alamein and Wellington at Waterloo- to name a few.

These men got it right because they believed in their own ability as strategists capable of doing what was necessary at critical points during the campaign.

At times they needed to be bold and use their antennae in the selection of (some would say) controversial tactics that would make the difference between defeat and victory.

None of them exhibited the calculated (at times feeble) responses we are seeing far too often from the current National leader.

If he continues to turn a blind eye to the public mood which is overwhelming in favour of promises to repeal not one but all of the legislation based on the modern day “Mein Kampf” - the He Puapua report, then he will surely lose.

Modern political history is also full of examples of politicians being bold enough to capture the public mood without fear of being called a racist by the racists themselves.

Don Brash’s Orewa speech as leader of the National Party was almost good enough and came within a whisker of defeating the formidable Helen Clark at the height of her powers. It is interesting to note that it was based on (at the time) government policies that gave preferential treatment to one race of people over another.

The similarities between that legislation and today’s draconian measures could not be more stark - although my guess is that had Don Brash been using the same technique if he was leader of today’s National party, he would win in a landslide.

National’s path to victory is within its grasp but it needs to convince its leader that he must demonstrate qualities that to date, have been missing from his armoury.

He needs to stop pussy footing around for fear of being labelled racist by the Woke press and left wing political activists and start to perform using all the tools he has at his disposal

Simply call the government out for what it really is - a rabble of incompetents fixated on achieving idealogical purity while destroying what is left of our democratic society and promise to do all the things that will need to be done when he is in government.

I am in no doubt that should we see Christopher Luxon emerge from his inertia, emboldened with a belief and courage, the public will respond by showing their preferences in the polls. It should be game over.

Clive Bibby is a commentator, consultant, farmer and community leader, who lives in Tolaga Bay.