Pyrrhus and Hawke Have Words for Luxon
How many more of Luxon’s leadership victories can National afford?
Election 2026
Insights From the Polls
They say opposition parties don’t win elections, governments lose them, so, with only five more sitting weeks before the House rises on 24 September for the election, the coalition urgently needs some gamechangers.
National Has Fouled Its Nest Big Time
A reset is desperately needed. That now rests with Luxon. He must prove he is listening to the wider electorate, particularly those on the right. Like many others, I’m not holding my breath.
Opportunity Surges as National Stagnates and Luxon’s Personal Brand Hits New Lows
When it comes to preferred PM, voters increasingly look like they are being offered a choice between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich. I will leave it to readers to decide which is which.
Luxon Wins the Vote but He’s Really the Loser
He survives again. The immediate challenge is over. The tensions remain. The election is just over 12 weeks away. And the man who keeps winning these internal contests still looks very much like the loser.
The Greens Are Being Remarkably Honest
We should listen. The plan is for a very different New Zealand.
Looks like Luxon Wants to Stare Down the Backstabbers, Again
The backstabbers are not going away. They are just waiting to see if three votes are still enough.
National’s List and the Quirks of MMP
National needs more votes, not a new electoral system.
Hipkins Finally Rules Out Peters – Four Years Late and Full of Hypocrisy
Labour will lecture the country about racism while keeping the door open to the most racially focused party in parliament. Some principles, it seems, only apply to the other side.
The Opportunity Party’s Radical Policies
Karl Marx would find much to admire in aspects of TOP’s policy manifesto.
Really
If he’s back as prime minister after 7 November he’ll just have to put up with yahoos and numpties around the cabinet table. In fact he’s likely to have more of them.
Luxon’s Foot-in-Mouth Disease Hits Terminal Stage
Someone needs to act like the adult in the room. Right now that person is nowhere to be found.
Labour’s Trojan Horse Backfires as TOP Surges and Coalition Hangs On by a Whisker
Ninety days out from the election the race remains tight. The coalition clings to a one-seat majority on paper. Labour has lost ground to a party it hoped would quietly help it.
Ruled Out, Schools Out
Where are the heavyweight political leaders of yesteryear, or is this really what NZ politics has now become: infants squabbling in the playground while the school burns down around them?