Quick Hit: National to Campaign on Raising Super Age
Luxon delivers Winston Peters a ready-made wedge and stick.
Luxon delivers Winston Peters a ready-made wedge and stick.
National should focus on governing instead of this tired old vendetta. But old habits die hard. The attacks will continue and NZ First will respond in kind.
National’s political ship needs to sail with the winds (voters), not against them. There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the election but the implementation of voters’ wishes will ensure smoother sailing in calmer waters.
National can keep ignoring the polls and the voters if they wish. They will reap what they sow.
If National keeps this up, the only winners will be the opposition parties watching from the sidelines.
Will Luxon double down on the attack against Winston, or will he be forced into a humiliating retreat to save the government?
Christopher Luxon’s press conference and parliament performance reveals how explaining is losing in politics.
The move of National voters towards New Zealand First is following the same trend that’s underway in the UK and now Australia, where major parties are losing disillusioned supporters to parties that are promising to address their concerns.
If National’s polling doesn’t improve by mid-year, the leadership question resurfaces – and Bishop will be perfectly positioned with his big policy portfolios and nothing to lose
The aim should be not to win reliant on other factors but to win big yourself with policies that appeal to the majority of voters. In this regard National has some work to do.
Luxon is trying to steady the ship before the election year proper begins. Whether this mix of promotions, sideways moves and quiet exits delivers the discipline and focus National needs remains to be seen.
The next few months will be critical. If the economy does not improve and the coalition keeps stumbling, the whispers in the National caucus will grow into open discontent.
National needs to lift its game fast if it wants to avoid becoming a one-term government. So far the signs are not encouraging. The Easter poll will tell us more, but voters have seen enough half-arsed fixes to be sceptical.
The cabinet reshuffle on Thursday will be spun as business as usual. Do not believe it for one second. The meetings, the leaks, the grumpiness in Auckland and the raw numbers in caucus tell their own story.