It appears that Christopher Luxon is going to sell us all out to Maori radicals and agitators. It is very hard not to come to that conclusion, after his dancing on the head of a pin over support for David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill. It would seem that he has now wedgied himself:
Finally it came without any implicit ifs, buts and maybes attached: a firm statement from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon that National will not support Act’s controversial Treaty Principles Bill into law.
The one line in Act’s coalition agreement committing National to allow it to get to select committee has caused Luxon headaches ever since it was signed and he has finally made it clear that National will not support it beyond that point – even if there is a massive groundswell of public support for it.
He even set his expected date of death for the fraught bill which has not even yet been born: he hopes it will be done and dusted by the end of the year.
While Luxon has consistently said he does not support a referendum, he has repeatedly, and perhaps inadvertently, left a small question mark hanging about whether he might be persuaded to support the bill beyond that point.
He has clearly now decided that avoiding pre-emptively ruling out supporting the bill to spare himself any angst from Act leader David Seymour is simply not worth it. The angst on display at Waitangi as Luxon is trying to build trust among iwi was evidence of that.
So when he was asked if National would consider supporting it if there was overwhelming public support for it in submissions or the select committee, he again said a firm no. Asked if National would consider it if the referendum element was removed, again, a firm no.
NZ Herald
Christopher Luxon is wetter than an otter’s pocket, and it appears that he is going to sell us all out to Maori radicals and agitators.
He’s now wedged himself rather badly, stuck between NZ First and Act, who are going to squeeze his nuts on this issue, especially when polls start coming out showing that this policy initiative is popular.
I can imagine Don Brash and Hobson’s Pledge are salivating about running a Citizens Initiated Referendum on this issue in the lead-up to the next election. Don Brash told me as much in my interview with him on RCR yesterday. Imagine a billboard on the way to Auckland Airport on the route Luxon takes explaining to all and sundry that it looks like Luxon will sell us all out.
If Luxon keeps on being squishy on this issue then he is ensuring that Act and NZ First are going to profit from that, especially Act.
Imagine the outrage amongst his MPs where a robust campaign on this issue may cost some MPs their seats. Act has already shown a willingness to do this, both in Epsom and in Tamaki. They will identify electorates that look like Epsom and Tamaki, older, wealthier and with a decent-sized Asian population. Seats like Upper Harbour, East Coast Bays, North Shore, Pakuranga, and the Prime Minister’s own electorate of Botany.
Labour are crewed in campaigning on this and if Luxon continues to oppose it then he will rightly be labelled as Labour-Lite.
You do have to wonder though just precisely what sort of game Luxon is playing here, allowing something to only get as far as the first stage is kind of pointless, and in the process he insults his coalition partner.
Is Luxon going to sell us out? It sure looks like it.
Help Keep The BFD Alive
Expenses are growing, ad revenue is shrinking. Things have to change otherwise we will need to cut services. We don’t want to have to do that. It’s really up to you.
- For security reasons, credit card donations require Javascript. Please enable Javascript in your browser before continuing.
Your Donation
Your Recurring Donation
Donation Period *
Your One-Time Donation
Details First Name * Last Name * Email * Address Address 2 City State Postcode Country Afghanistan Åland Islands Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belau Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Congo (Brazzaville) Congo (Kinshasa) Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba CuraÇao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Republic of Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Korea North Macedonia Norway Oman Pakistan Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Qatar Reunion Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin (French part) Saint Martin (Dutch part) Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino São Tomé and Príncipe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia/Sandwich Islands South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom (UK) United States (US) Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican Venezuela Vietnam Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Western Samoa Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Phone Number Payment Name on Card * .StripeElement { border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 1em; } #charitable_stripe_card_errors { color: #eb1c26; font-size: .8em; margin: .5em 0 0 0; } Credit/Debit Card Donate
Please share this article so others can discover The BFD.