How National’s political brains trust missed this is baffling. It is straight out of the playbook. Remember Ronald Reagan’s killer line from 1980: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Swap in two years and it fits New Zealand like a glove.
When we forget that offence is taken, not given, we trade our emotional autonomy for a fragile comfort – and in doing so, we risk silencing not only those we disagree with, but ultimately, ourselves.