Prime Minister Christopher Luxon got quite prickly in his press conference yesterday when faced with questions about why the reinstatement of interest deductibility on investment properties had changed since the coalition agreement was signed with Act.
Of course it is not unusual for election promises to be diluted or changed in post-election negotiations with other parties. But once the deal is sealed, it is unusual to see a deviation so soon – the upshot of the changes is that the phasing-in has been changed to reduce the overall cost, but the overall cost is still $800 million beyond what National estimated in the election campaign.
The trouble with Luxon’s response to questions about changes to the sealed deal is not what he says but how he says it. He dismisses it as though it weren’t important enough to even ask about. It was something picked up this morning by Mike Hosking when Luxon appeared in his regular Tuesday spot on Newstalk ZB. It is reasonable to adjust a fixed plan as circumstances allow. But it should not be dismissed as something done lightly. And if it has to be changed now, when the ink on the coalition deal is barely dry, what else might change?
A lot of the 100-day plan was pushed through under urgency, but it has been two issues unconnected to it that have had a resounding impact: the plan to cut the school lunch programme by up to a half and the PM’s entitlement to the entitlement – his $52,000 housing allowance, since repaid. A poll last Friday (by his party’s own pollster) suggested Luxon has taken a big hit in popularity, but today he rejected the suggestion he has lost his political radar. “I think we’ve done a kick-arse job on the 100-day plan, to be brutally honest with you,” he told Hosking.
NZ Herald
Explaining is losing.
Here are the facts for you Christopher, plain and simple. You have reneged on a deal. You’ve changed the terms. That’s what most of us see.
But it’s not the only deal you’re reneging on is it? See there, I just used Rule Eight: Never ask a question if you don’t already know the answer.
Christopher Luxon has the same problem now as he had before the election: he appears insincere, inauthentic and overly rehearsed. To make matters worse, when challenged he quickly retreats. I’ve heard some French generals have heard about these quick reversals and are trying to get here to study more efficient ways of retreating in short order.
Then you add on his effeminate wrist flopping, his tiny girly hands and talking like a whoopsy, not to mention his bald head, and you can start to understand why National still have not cracked the 40 per cent mark. He really is fast gaining the nickname Prissy Chrissy.
Quite simply he is failing the blink test: he fails‘the ‘blink test’ because too few people can close their eyes and imagine him as Prime Minister. Alternatively, it is the first impression people have of you in the time it takes to blink.
Luxon may well be Prime Minister, but he is there because of David Seymour and Winston Peters. If he disrespects his coalition partners and changes the deal then he runs the risk of having his policy agenda put to the vote each and every time: never really sure if his partners are going to support them. Life starts becoming very difficult.
Then, when Labour wakes up and starts leaking polls that show terrible negative ratings consistently for Luxon then it is just a matter of time before he leaves ‘to spend more time with the family’.
It is actually quite simple. He’d best get schooled up on this quickly.
Cam Slater is a New Zealand-based blogger, best known for his role in Dirty Politics and publishing the Whale Oil Beef Hooked blog, which operated from 2005 until it closed in 2019. Cam blogs regularly on the BFD - where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
Well-known to many these days are the terms steel & tungsten as they relate to certain parts of the male anatomy. Those parts, and their makeup, are said to determine a male person's bravery and resolve in a role of authority.
A friend of mine has faithfully voted National for over 40 years, but changed to ACT last Oct because, as he put it in respect of Mr Luxon, whom he described as Strawb**ls, "he has demonstrated precious little of the metal type".
…plus, “happy clapper”…
A few people should get over analysing NZ politics as if we live in a presidential democracy and should remember our politicians actually work in an MMP system.
And that is a world of constant deal making and give and take between coalition partners. And constantly working on the relationship. A world of sharing power. And each not taking offence at coalition partners minor transgressions against them.
This is the first time were we have a functional MMP coalition of 3 strong partners. In our previous MMP coalition governments, junior partners were basically told, sit there ,touch nothing , say nothing. And that's about what they did. Apart from Winston.
And though many predicted Luxon, Peters and Seymour would be at each others throats from day one, the reality has been far from that. To cover the ground this government has so rapidly, their relationship has most definitely worked extremely well from the get go.
They have clearly functioned as a team of equals. And in politics, as in business, sports, families, success is based on teamwork. Perhaps Luxon's business skills transfer over to politics quite well, perhaps he has a bit more political acumen than he is given credit for.
Can you imagine Grandma Helen or the Queen of Kindness running a genuine 3 party MMP coalition as well as this ? Not in a thousand years ! They liked presenting the persona of President, that all power revolved around them. And that's how they ran things. And when they left the party failed immediately. The rats are still leaving the sinking wreck now.
And remember when they snuck the he pua pua document out from under the carpet soon as Winston was gone. That wasn't clever politics Cam, that was a gross totalitarian abuse of democracy.
But oh the two socialists had been so word perfect, so Machiavellian in their political cunning. But they were both useless. And the Queen of Kindness totally wrecked the place. They both failed. Two of the most loathed politicians in NZ Political history.
And who lost most face over the rental allowances . I noticed brain dead loud mouthed Willie kept his mouth shut for once.
Most of us don't mind if Luxon makes a few minor stumbles from time to time. We are interested in results. We are interested in success. And so far he has been delivering both in buckets full. And my bet is that he will continue to do so.
So you may wish to reconsider some of your rules of politics Cam. Perhaps rule number 1 can be, success really really counts. It really does.
And perhaps you can take solace in the words of Maynard Keynes.
"When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do Sir ?
Your constant obsession with Luxon’s appearence is pathetic. It is not his fault he is bald - it is not his fault and has zero effect on either what kind of a person he is or his performance as a politician. Lots of people are bald. Get over it.
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