I can tell you for a fact that senior National Party ministers believe Luxon can’t continue in the job. MPs are actively discussing whether to pull the pin and replace him. If they do, the most likely successor is Chris Bishop. But—and this is crucial—they haven’t decided to do it yet.
Why? Because it’s risky. Rolling a sitting Prime Minister has only happened once before, with Jim Bolger, and that didn’t end well. MPs know that sticking with Luxon might pay off if the economy improves next year. Better economic conditions could lift National’s polling and save seats currently at risk.
But there’s a flip side: if the polls don’t recover, Luxon’s unpopularity could drag National down further. Like it or not, modern elections are presidential in style—voters focus on who they want as Prime Minister. Jacinda Ardern boosted Labour’s vote in 2017. Luxon is part of why National’s vote has fallen.
Would Chris Bishop do better? Maybe. But it’s a guess. He could also do worse. And the instability of rolling a sitting PM could make things even worse for National.
So MPs face two high-risk options: stick with an unpopular leader or gamble on an unproven one. It’s a call I wouldn’t want to make—but they’re making it right now. It may never happen, but trust me: the talk is real.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show.
20 comments:
Bishop - certainly very competent - once told an electorate meeting that "noone is interested in Maorification issues " - though he had received many questions on this matter. Let us really hope he has woken up to the reality of voters' concern.
Luxon will never be forgotten for his amazing remark on the ACT TP Bill: " We will spike it. There is nothing in it that I like."
So clearly he is not committed to an equal citizenship.
NZ doesn't need or want Luxon as PM.
He has deliberately failed to follow through on his mandate to eliminate the Maorication of NZ.
He has to go, and sooner is not too late - before Christmas and a total reset in the New Year.
Then ask why he has so deliberately let down the people of NZ ?
What is it within him that will not / can not see the continuation of the racist Ardern disaster ?
Taking a hard line risks pushing away the important group of centre voters who might feel uneasy about such a strict approach to diversity, equity, inclusion, and race relations. Luxon could end up shifting National further right, competing for the same culture war voters that New Zealand First and Act are already fighting over, while leaving the middle ground voters feeling ignored.
I’m not going to get into the fact that te reo Māori is one of the official languages here, or how places like Wales and Ireland have easily adopted dual-language signage across their roads, which helps preserve their Indigenous languages. What’s clear though, is that if something isn’t seen as part of the government’s “core business” of making a profit for landlords, banks, grocery monopolies, fossil fuel companies, or tobacco companies, then it’s just not a priority.
Don’t care at all for Luxon but he’s probably a good guy.
Chris “get boosted” Bishop on the other hand - who advocated door-to-door vaccinations can get bucked.
The Maorification issue and the associated relentless indoctrination with all things Maori is the 'irritant' that undermines all else. In other words, if this is not addressed head on and quickly then we can all forget any form of economic recovery or decent future. In all things there are two sides to any equation. Focus on the result, the right hand side gets one nowhere because it is the stuff on the left hand side that determines that on the right. a+b+x+y=z. In this case, we have the racist, apartheid, insidious maorification factors at play and these undermine progress on anything else. The point is that He Puapua is very much in play and active in NZ, by ignoring this fact, as our PM has done thus far is having the inevitable result. Swapping him out may get us nowhere better unless the racial issue is dealt with and we are ALL treated as being equal.
Luxon does have some good qualities, but its right his biggest failure is to see how much we are sick to death of the maorification of NZ. Not only is it not right ie, everyone is equal, but its also costing the country millions and millions for no benefit, most of the money goes to line the pockets of a few. STOP it !!!!! and you will save not just the country but your job
National knows why the public voted them to government. National with Luxon has ignored the message. Luxon is very capable at dumping Ministers when it suits. He is capable and is doing exactly what he wants at the same time ignoring the voters. I have no idea what his mission is. The only thing saving National from a total wipeout is Labour. Bishop for PM?. No thanks
National have no future with Luxon at the helm. He has failed to deliver what he led the public his party would do and the concern over the racial division of NZ into a bi-cultural state is a very real part of it. He just deliberately fails (along with the woke neo-Marxist msm) to read the room and/or is listening too much to his mentor, John Key.
Just consider the latest change to the Education Act, where their adopted legislation seeks 'equitable outcomes' for only one racially profiled student group. Nevermind such for all? (And, yes, "equitable outcomes" is a topic all in and of itself and like the undefined 'principles' should never have been legislated and provides just another potential Treaty claim in the offing?)
If there's one thing the majority of NZrs want, it's like what our Ocker friends from across the ditch used to say in their want for "... a fair suck on the sav." It encapsulates the aspiration of what life used to be 'down-under' and it is something Luxon clearly fails to grasp.
The sooner he's gone the better, and the Party might recover some votes.
Luxon deserves to be rolled but don’t believe there is any leadership substitution within the National team. David Seymour may not have all the policies but he certainly has the courage to slow the destructive Maorification creep.
In my memory NZ has never had a Prime Minister that the electorate was fully satisfied with. To me the only decent down to earth no frills PM was Bill Rowling. Luxon is quite a different kettle-of-fish. My thinking of Luxon is that he is actually scared of politics, doesn’t understand politics, and does not want to be involved. Luxon would rather carry on acting out the role of the gobbledegook text-book CEO. Can anyone show us when or where he has actually made a distinguishing mark of any kind on anything anywhere?
Disclosure: None of the words above should place me as a current Labour/Greens/Maori supporter.
People say Simeon Brown is too young, but he is intelligent - and brave.
Let's not pretend we have an option - Labour/Greens - even without TPM - is disastrous, but this country has too many non-thinkers, who will just tick the box they always have. National has at least 6 more capable than Luxon - he could well stay on with finance, but he's just too woke! for policy.
It was the female vote that gave Ardern the power she had.
National need to get that.
Irregardless, I think Stanford is the best answer right now.
If a change is to happen, it needs to happen now.
To delay until well into next year will crucify the party's chances.
How nuch Stanford's public opinions (some I strongly disagree with, at least, as reported) have been dictated by Luxon, I don't know, but Luxon's treatment of his mps who seriously questioned his beliefs (Hipango, Pugh for two), put me right off him.
]A real leader should encourage and welcome dissention and questioning - there should be no fear of that.
I cannot fathom why Seymour's party struggles to even match the fake, wierd greens in the polls.
Seymour is our best politician imho, and a fair, true Kiwi. As are Peters and Jones. And they all understand humour - few in the house do.
There ain't many left.
Well said Peter and, as for anonymous@8.33, what 'good qualities' does Luxon have?
Oh yeah Bishop great choice. Labour be hoping he doesn't get the PM role.
Mr Sloan @ 9:53: he certainly did not beat around the political bush when he declared there was “nothing” he liked in Seymour’s Treaty Principles bill. That’s the only declarative statement I recall at least…
Stanford, Brown deputy for mine. Luxford overseas stuff, and then you've got a whole bunch of competent people way , way better than anybody on the current opposition benches.
I listened to Luxon speak in Kerikeri just before the election when he was supporting our current incumbent MP. I turned to my wife and said, this guy does not and will not cut it. He has since done everything possible to prove me correct, even though I hoped against hope that I was wrong. Trouble is I have rarely been wrong with my 'crystal ball'. Years ago at a multinational, the moment I locked eyes with a new director, I knew he was there to close the place down. I was spot on then and sadly Luxon is not proving me wrong here. I do not see replacing him as a cure all, too much damage to repair and too little time to go back and fix the root cause. Where is a miracle when we need one? This tribalism and pathetic Maorification is buggering NZ big time.
Unfortunately, we are now past the era when voting made any difference. We now have a tweedle dum tweedle dumber situation where political parties are not the solution they are the problem. Where to from here? Read Glubb, on the collapse of empires.
Te Reo cannot be compared with the Irish and Welsh language situations - though people would welcome this to respectfully acknowledge Maori culture . Te Reo is part of a political movement and the Te Ao vision of the country under tribal rule. He Puapua does not have Irish or Welsh equivalents.
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