The problem is their leader: the person they have decided is best for the job. That doesn’t say a lot about other potential candidates that might have been on offer. It seems Luxon’s self-imposed ‘vote of confidence’ was no such thing. It was an attempt by the political wing of the party to hoodwink the public into thinking all is now well within the party. But the obvious truth is IT IS NOT. I’m not buying it, the majority of voters are not buying it (as upcoming polls will probably show) and, most importantly, the amateur ratbags in the media, who are delusional to the point they regard themselves as journalists, won’t be buying it either.
It is my view National is still in the same place. Their MPs are not addressing the problems that voters want addressed. There have been some good articles on this topic on the Good Oil recently. There was an excellent piece from Danny Bright: a letter to Luxon outlining the steps he needed to take, policy wise, to change his polling numbers overnight. The policies Danny listed are exactly the ones Luxon is refusing to move on. This is exactly the reason National is down in the polls.
If the majority of the caucus realise this but still think Luxon is the best choice to lead them, then his continuing in the job should have come with some caveats like ‘start implementing what the voters want which is what we campaigned on’ and ‘stop looking in the mirror when it comes to seeking advice’. I doubt this happened because none of the MPs have the wherewithal to speak up. If this is the case it tells you something about Luxon’s leadership style.
Should this modus operandi continue, then National’s election prospects are not good. Instead of being the dominant party in the coalition ensuring the smaller ones are in a position to form a government it looks increasingly likely it could be the other way around, with NZ First and ACT providing the leverage. This puts National in an extremely difficult position when it comes to post election negotiations. Mind you, that situation could benefit voters on the right. Seymour and Peters will have a better chance to get their policies enacted.
Watch the journalists in parliament when either Seymour, Peters or Jones condescend to waste part of their day by stopping to indulge these halfwits. The questions are all about point scoring. Having asked their silly question they look totally disinterested in the answer, dying to get the next inane one out. The other day it was Luxon (obviously) and buttered chicken, a term Shane Jones had used in criticism of the immigration clauses in the India FTA. It was a pathetic watch: these idiots are children dressed up to look like adults. BUT, National must be wary of them. They are not looking for insightful copy, rather they are snooping around for anything that might suit their narrative promoting a change of government in November.
Luxon is the equivalent of a CEO of, say, a supermarket. The party is his business. The MPs are his staff. The voters are his customers. It is the job of a CEO to keep both the staff and the customers happy so as to ensure the profitability of the company. In National’s case (political) profitability is measured in the number of votes cast on election day. At the moment the company is not likely to have to apply for bankruptcy but what is needed to increase profitability are some ‘specials’ on the shelves. These are the policies Danny Bright listed in his article.
National’s political ship needs to sail with the winds (voters), not against them. There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the election, but the implementation of voters’ wishes will ensure smoother sailing in calmer waters. This has to be the direction to which the captain sets the compass in order to guarantee a safe homecoming. But will he?
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
It is my view National is still in the same place. Their MPs are not addressing the problems that voters want addressed. There have been some good articles on this topic on the Good Oil recently. There was an excellent piece from Danny Bright: a letter to Luxon outlining the steps he needed to take, policy wise, to change his polling numbers overnight. The policies Danny listed are exactly the ones Luxon is refusing to move on. This is exactly the reason National is down in the polls.
If the majority of the caucus realise this but still think Luxon is the best choice to lead them, then his continuing in the job should have come with some caveats like ‘start implementing what the voters want which is what we campaigned on’ and ‘stop looking in the mirror when it comes to seeking advice’. I doubt this happened because none of the MPs have the wherewithal to speak up. If this is the case it tells you something about Luxon’s leadership style.
Should this modus operandi continue, then National’s election prospects are not good. Instead of being the dominant party in the coalition ensuring the smaller ones are in a position to form a government it looks increasingly likely it could be the other way around, with NZ First and ACT providing the leverage. This puts National in an extremely difficult position when it comes to post election negotiations. Mind you, that situation could benefit voters on the right. Seymour and Peters will have a better chance to get their policies enacted.
Watch the journalists in parliament when either Seymour, Peters or Jones condescend to waste part of their day by stopping to indulge these halfwits. The questions are all about point scoring. Having asked their silly question they look totally disinterested in the answer, dying to get the next inane one out. The other day it was Luxon (obviously) and buttered chicken, a term Shane Jones had used in criticism of the immigration clauses in the India FTA. It was a pathetic watch: these idiots are children dressed up to look like adults. BUT, National must be wary of them. They are not looking for insightful copy, rather they are snooping around for anything that might suit their narrative promoting a change of government in November.
Luxon is the equivalent of a CEO of, say, a supermarket. The party is his business. The MPs are his staff. The voters are his customers. It is the job of a CEO to keep both the staff and the customers happy so as to ensure the profitability of the company. In National’s case (political) profitability is measured in the number of votes cast on election day. At the moment the company is not likely to have to apply for bankruptcy but what is needed to increase profitability are some ‘specials’ on the shelves. These are the policies Danny Bright listed in his article.
National’s political ship needs to sail with the winds (voters), not against them. There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the election, but the implementation of voters’ wishes will ensure smoother sailing in calmer waters. This has to be the direction to which the captain sets the compass in order to guarantee a safe homecoming. But will he?
JC is a right-wing crusader. Reached an age that embodies the dictum only the good die young. This article was first published HERE
5 comments:
"But will he?" His compass is broken!
The problem isn’t Luxon, it the picture the media have painted, Luxon as I have mentioned before, Luxons intent was to lead New Zealand under National , not lead with two other parties, so I think he’s done well considering the handicaps he’s had to operate under, to many voters wearing rose coloured glasses
Not so sure that Luxon has really led? More than a few of us think he has been leading by being rather mindful of the iwi chairs bidding.
Hard to turn the ship when you’re anchored on opposite hulls by weaksauce coalition partners. MMP is failing us.
I like JC's comment about our Prime Minister "looking in the mirror when seeking advice" For some-one who is still new to politics, you would think he would be open to advice from others. But because he was a successful company CEO, his arrogance lets him believe that he doesn't need to take political advice from others because his way is best. I'm sure he will find out in November how wrong he is, and he will be gobsmacked
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