Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Would a move to the centre really help the National Party?

Well, it seems it's the season to line up and take shots at the National Party, particularly if you're a past or current member.

The latest, after Vanessa, Gerry, Don and Simon, is Sue Wood, a former National Party president. She's written an open letter to MPs, published in The Post in Wellington, calling on them essentially to revolt behind closed doors against the party powers.

She tells them that, for the first time under MMP, they're not in their jobs because of Chris Luxon and the National Party board because none of them are list MPs. List MPs, as you know, get dragged in by the leader's popularity but electorate MPs have won their seats themselves.

That's broadly her argument. And for that reason, she says they have more power, can dictate terms and need to push back against the likes of Chris Luxon, the board and the kitchen cabinet around Luxon, and drag the party in a different direction.

Now, she doesn't say what that direction is but if you read between the lines, it sounds like she wants a move to the centre.

That's easier said than done, obviously, because the coalition parties will drag them right back to the right.

There's also some context you need here. Sue Wood is the mother-in-law of Matthew Hooton and has published this letter in his newspaper. He is well known for loving to cause trouble for the National Party so Sue will wear a little guilt by association here.

Now, she probably has the best of intentions but I'd say this is going to come to nothing.

Have a look at the National Party caucus that's left now. Too many of the MPs who were senior enough to push back against Luxon and the group around him, people like Simeon Brown, have been kicked out of Parliament. And too many of the MPs who remain are so new that they don't know any version of National other than this centrally controlled one.

Some will be overwhelmed simply by making it into Parliament. Some will be overwhelmed by the fact the party has managed to stay out of opposition. And many will be using all their energy right now to get to grips with new jobs and new portfolios.

The election is over, which means the threat to them is over as well. So I suspect the chances are that things will return to the status quo in the National Party rather than descend into revolt.

Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.