I’m not sure the sloganeers of the National Party got it completely right with “Local Water Done Well”. Expect that line to get savaged in social media memes, but then again: who cares? As long as people are discussing National’s alternative arrangement and with it the absence of mega-authorities and with co-governance demolished, then it’s a good thing.
Claire Trevett in the NZ Herald comments:
“After years of criticising Labour for its Three Waters reforms and promising to repeal it, National has finally shown what it would do instead. Leader Christopher Luxon prefaced it by saying the status quo was not an option. The policy he then announced was the status quo with belts and braces added – and some very large questions marks dangling off it.”
But the question for Claire is: was any more than ‘status quo with belts and braces added’ ever needed? As for policy with ‘question marks dangling off it’, jeez, Labour’s idiot plans have more dangles than a flailing piupiu during a particularly vigorous haka performance, and deliberately so.
Trevett surmises for clever-clogs Chris
“It is now back in the workshop as Hipkins tries to work out a more politically palatable option which still delivers the financial savings without the political cost. That revamp is expected in the next few weeks – so far all that Hipkins has done in that regard is to stop using the words “Three Waters” about the reforms…If he can indeed achieve that, National’s offering has left it wide open for Labour to regain the high ground on this.”
Ha! Let’s be perfectly clear Claire: Hipkins has no chance whatsoever of walking back the unpalatable ‘co-governance’ Trojan Horse. The Labour Maori Caucus are invested and embedded inside the charade, can see the prize just out of their reach, and will do no deals with Hipkins beyond putting it on simmer.
That’s why Hipkins’s only option is to stay schtum. National know that, they know the ‘3 Waters’ Trojan Horse is actually Labour’s Achilles Heel and, like Paris all those centuries ago, they need to keep aiming for it. It’s ultimately a winning strategy. It will bring Labour, deservedly, down.
