This is edition 2024/125 of the Ten@10 newsletter.
Welcome to the Ten@10, where I collate and summarise ten news items you generally won't see in the mainstream media.
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Enjoy!
1. National’s conference illustrated hollowing out of politics
Bryce Edwards
- 💼 Political party conferences in NZ used to be pivotal, but now they're PR events.
- 📅 Since the 1980s, professionals replaced activists in running parties.
- 🎩 National Party's recent conference was tame, dominated by managers.
- 📉 Decline in conference debates shows reduced party influence on government.
- 📣 Focus groups and PR firms now drive National Party policy and strategy.
- 💬 Luxon's leadership emphasizes pragmatism over traditional party values.
- 🏫 Education policy shift highlighted Luxon's proactive approach.
- 🌐 National Party increasingly resembles a corporate entity under Luxon.
- 👥 Recruitment drive aims to modernize party, attract younger members.
- 💰 Fundraising and professionalization are now core to National's strategy.
