Jacinda Ardern’s resignation was not the shock that the world’s media screams, nor really a surprise – more of a surprise would have been her continuing her “kind” (will she EVER give that lie a rest?) control until the now-announced election. This is her John Key moment. The polls were showing her that she had already gone. She can’t go out in public because Kiwis have had enough of her lies and rhetoric and let her know it. Grant Robertson is frightened of attacks by lamington.
Whether she was pushed or fell on her sword will in time come out. It is the now that is even more frightening. Frying pan and fire come to mind. With a lack of political talent, ability or track record in achievement, the incoming PM will likely be more of the same: an ideologue who will continue down the same path that Jacinda Ardern has taken. One lucky person is going to be as Bill English was to John Key. Doomed.
Is one of the lacklustre line-up going to have the balls to listen to the chatter, to read the comments on social media and to turn back some of the more odious and divisive policies we now suffer under? If Nanaia Mahuta is able to stir up enough tribal coercion, will we see her in the top job? Chipkins? The chap who has to get his Mum to bring him a shirt. His association with the Covid-19 cover-up may have tainted him too much. May have. Kiri Allan? Another Jacinda. Strident. But better qualified – a lawyer – way better than a comms degree. But too soon? Whoever wants this job now must not want a long-term career as PM as this is the election that Labour has likely already lost.
They will not have lost it because of Jacinda Ardern’s resignation. Nor because of Grant Robertson’s preference to catch and eat baked goods. They will have lost it because the NZ public is fed up to the back teeth with lies and obfuscation, and secret agendas; with parlous outcomes across whichever metric you look at. They have lost it because the Labour Party is incompetent.
Jacinda knew she was on the way to a landslide loss, and either she was too cowardly to face that music or she was rolled. Either way she can enjoy the time with her family, which is an excuse usually trotted out when someone has been put out to pasture. It is a euphemism for saying, “I was forced out; I was rolled” or “I’m waiting for something better to come along.” Any of those fit. And surely it should have been more correct for her to claim ‘no more charge in the battery’ rather than “no more gas in the tank”. That was surely a very non-PC climate change statement.
And Mr Luxon with his kind text to the teary Jacinda? If kindness does go a long way to resolving all the ills of the country, as we have been told ad nauseam, then Christopher Luxon was right to be, in turn, kind to Jacinda. And why not? Leader to leader loyalty and all that. But the leader of the National Party is not looking match fit right now. There is just something about the man that does not ring true. He is not a leader. He has been a follower. Of Jacinda. And that leaves the voting public with a big problem come October.
Coffee with friends last week was interesting and will be even more interesting this week given the latest Labour pains, but there is considerable distress about the overall political scene and which party to vote for. These people were once staunch National voters, true blue, young Nats from when they were, well, young, and they are now in a quandary. They have repeatedly said they will not vote National and have accordingly resigned their party membership. Mr Luxon can count them out. Nothing, they say, will reverse that decision. So, then let’s look at ACT and David Seymour: another of the ‘I’m just going to hide behind the curtains in my office’ cowards. When it really counted. When a peaceful protest was made not so by the actions of the Duck of the Day and the police. Shameful. Shameful for every politician who failed every one of these lawful protesters and every one of us sitting at home. So, do we forgive and forget? Swallow the dead rat?
The ‘don’t vote for anyone else because it is just vote splitting’ brigade is out there. ‘You have to just take a deep breath and vote for the one that least offends.’ Really? Vote for people who let us down, who in one case is a Jacinda follower, in the other a slightly less unpalatable choice but his inACTion to talk to people still leaves a bad taste.
So, then we look at the incredibly reliable, committed, intelligent and caring Democracy Party and Matt King. In the time he was a National Party MP, he was loyal, hard-working, trustworthy and honest. Do we take a punt and cast our vote for a politician and his new party that embodies the characteristics that we should be able to rely on in our elected representatives. The qualities that Matt King’s Democracy has in spades. But untested as a party. Will they get five per cent? I certainly hope so and given the enormous effort and slog that Matt King has put into the last years they certainly deserve it.
And Winston. Predictably, given that it is election year, Winston is on the comeback trail. But what is very different this time is that he has ruled out working with Labour. Categorically ruled it out. His earlier announcement had an element of worrying ambiguity, but his latest statement is very clear. He will not work with Labour. He did talk to the people in Wellington. He did listen. He wasn’t an MP and he showed up in Wellington. As did Matt King.
Our friends remain very bitter that John Key ruled out working with Winston, leading to the result that Jacinda Ardern was effectively gifted the 2017 election. She did not win that election. The failure of the Bill English and Winston Peters negotiations to form a government gave the win to Jacinda. People have long memories, despite what politicians may like to think. Winston has been branded the baddie of the 2017 election result that saw him in bed with Jacinda – figuratively speaking. And he was a handbrake; he did prevent some of the more preposterous policies and his absence has been felt in this term as Ardern and her party have been able to just do exactly as they please, with no checks and balances. Winston is not perfect. But he is smart. Will he keep his promise to not again work with Labour?
Where do our friends cast their party vote? They want Labour gone. They don’t want to vote for Luxon. ACT – unsure. They are conscious of the vote-splitting mantra. They say they are floating voters for now, a position they never thought they would be in. Conscience vote? Coward vote? This is going to be an interesting time of transition as new brooms are bought and paid for and their sweeping clean may or may not be effective. The contentious issues may get swept under the rug or put to one side under the sideboard until after the election.
To end on a positive note and to say well done to Christopher Luxon, well done for bringing Judith back up the ranks. And well done to you Judith, for your honour, your grace under fire, your dedication, hard work and unfailing ability to get on with making the lemonade from the lemons.
