In politics, things are often not what they seem. That’s why an opinion piece published in the Herald last week by the Minister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins, defending the expansion of the public service, raises some interesting questions.
Since it is unusual for Cabinet Ministers to publish newspaper articles at this stage in an election cycle, one has to wonder whether Labour’s internal polling shows opposition criticism is too damaging to be left unanswered - or whether this is the start of a positioning campaign ahead of a leadership pitch?
Is Chris Hipkins anticipating that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is planning to step down – and perhaps move onto higher office at the United Nations? If so, is he now signalling he’s a serious challenger for the top job?
