Honestly, the National Party is led by a clown. He seriously instructed an MP under attack by the media not only to do a stand-up but also to talk with all the media he can!
Talk about trying to put out a fire with petrol!
There are only two political options when the media are in a feeding frenzy.
- Starve them of oxygen. Make no statements at all. No comment. STFU. That kills the story. ( I should know as the media tried for months to get confirmation that my husband had had a stroke but I and the team said NOTHING so the media were unable to publish until three months later when I wrote an article about it.)
- Double down, do NOT apologise. This is a power move as if you show any sign of weakness at all it will be used against you. I cannot believe that Luxon thinks apologies will make it all go away. An apology puts Uffindell in a weak position and vulnerable to attack because he is publicly saying that he is in the wrong, which is exactly what the media want him to say. It is now open season on him.
Every media outlet is now lit up with article after article about the “bully” Sam Uffindell. Even a local rag has four articles about it. Luxon has been played by the media like a fiddle. Again.
He should fire his PR advisors and tell his new ones to read Cameron Slater’s rules of politics pronto! ( Especially number one!)
Rules of politics The rules as devised by Cameron Slater:
- If you are explaining, you are losing
- Utu is good, even necessary
- Never hug a corpse: it smells and you end up smelling like the corpse too
- Always know where the bodies are buried
- Don’t let mongrels get away with being mongrels
- Don’t mess with The Whale
- Never wrestle with pigs; two things are for certain if you do: you will get dirty and the pig will enjoy it
- Never ask a question if you don’t already know the answer
- Speak plain and speak simple
- Remember, I’m telling this story
- Never trust a politician if you aren’t close enough to them to hit them in the back of the head with a bit of 4 by 2
- Never trust a politician with a moustache or a hyphenated name
