I gotta say – it’s rather odd seeing Simon Bridges attempt to attack Jacinda Ardern for not attempting to press Donald J. Trump on climate change, at their meeting earlier this week.
A few weeks back, New Zealand National Party people were attacking Ardern for allegedly – I stress the *allegedly* – refusing to be open to meeting with Trump. Because, amongst other things, TRADE RELATIONS. So, you know, “she’s SELLING OUT our PRIMARY PRODUCERS by refusing to meet – because she wants to politically posture”, or something.
Now, this was obviously not factual; and this week’s meeting shows that those assertions were basically baseless.
So instead, now that an engagement on trade *has* happened – and one that appears to have been pretty successful [oddly enough, Trump’s … “personal” approach to international relations may actually serve NZ better in this narrow regard than his predecessors’ more systemic or otherwise agenda’d facings] – we instead have the leader of the National Party claiming that the Prime Minister should have pushed Trump on climate change.
You know, an issue that Trump is well known to be pretty uninterested and/or actively hostile about.
Rather than making good gains talking trade.
A situation that becomes even more curious when we consider that the National Party here in New Zealand has more usually *itself* been pretty lukewarm on climate change related matters, with a preference for trade and agriculture instead.
So what’s going on here?
National, apparently annoyed that something appears to be *working* under the Government, is criticizing the Government for not doing something *badly*; for not doing the STRAWMAN thing that their imaginary rhetorical bete-noir ‘might’ have done.
If the positions were reversed, and Simon Bridges was somehow Prime Minister … do we *really* believe that he’d have gone into a meeting with Trump, to push climate change action?
Of course he wouldn’t. He’d be gently mentioning trade, and then internally pondering which of the Peoples’ Republic of China or the United States he should attempt to sell out the national interest to, first, or endeavour to set up some form of bidding war over between the two.
There are – to my mind at least – legitimate areas to criticize this Government over. Ways to set out a principled and alternative vision, even, that provides voters and the country with a genuine sense of choice going forward. But it often seems that the National Party are less interested in doing that, than they are in simply throwing anything and everything at the proverbial Wall [no, not that one .. not the MP, either] in the vague hopes that *something*, *anything* sticks, no matter if it’s *exactly* the sort of stuff they’d vitriolically oppose, were Labour/NZF/(Greens) *actually doing* the thing National now claims it would want done.
The National Party has effectively said to the electorate “These are my principles! If you don’t like them … I’ve got others”
They have no “vision” – except of themselves in power.
And they shall say and/or do [mostly just “say”] anything and everything under the sun, in order to attempt to get there.
He’s just barking at cars again, the twin curse of being in opposition and not very bright.
Jacinda has been upstaged with her empty rhetoric, by a 16 year old.
Maybe the Prime Minister needs to add a dwarven scowl to her repertoire of grimacing and nodding.
Well what ever it is about the ISDS privatised Courthouse that got snuck into multilateral trade deals should be a bottom line to walk away from. No trade deal containing ISDS should be singed upto.
I have just seen Bridges defy the speaker and will ignore the ban the speaker imposed on using parliamentary video footage for political gain. All the evidence that you need, that Bridges and National believe they are above they law. Eminem, Winston’s overpayment, this and many more examples.
THIS PARTY SHOULD NEVER AGAIN BE GOVERNMENT. they are corrupt.
Undoubtedly.
This current government on the other hand forces through law without due respect for legal process, allowing 2 days for submissions on new law. It simply lied about the TPPA and housing solutions and controlling immigration.
Both main parties are owned by Chinese, fishing and other industries.
Sack the lot of them and all The Wellington Bureaucrats. Let’s start again.
“Sack the lot of them and all The Wellington Bureaucrats. Let’s start again.”
That’s the easy part but who do you replace them with?
Yes that’s the tricky bit.
As far as bureaucrats go, a full clean out and replacement with pretty much anyone who can type, would be more productive than currently, and we would do away with the toxic self interested ministerial culture across so many departments.
Doing away with donations could ensure our next crop of pollies aren’t bent from the start.
We can dream eh
Well said.
Simon Bridges is a gonna as he never understood being able to take the middle ground was the best way to win.
Even sillier than this dumb muckraking move from the right was today when ‘Newshub media Mark Mitchell the National Party trumpet’ offered today to give James Shaw a position in his ‘supposed new National Government’ if he leaves the Green Party.
Good if they keep using Mitchell – he’s generally not a good speaker, and often barely opens his mouth – which can look as if he’s hiding something. I wouldn’t buy a bike from him.
empty rhetoric is what comes out of soimons’ waha
Every time Bridges opens his mouth whether it be in the parliamentary debating chamber, to the media or anywhere else he is demeaning the NZ National Party in every comment. Lets encourage this Village Idiot(that is Bridges)to keep making a mockery of the NZ National Party as it ensures no-one would vote for him or for their respective National MP.
The obvious lack of a voice by the various National MPs in pulling Bridges up for his stupid comments shows how weak and gutless they truly are. It shows they, the National MPs, are just not worth voting for at the next General Election. As there is not ONE National MP who stands up to Simon Bridges and says ‘Please think before you speak(as it reflects badly upon National)for National and votes. Every time you speak you are sounding like a sanctimonious know-it-all and it is now obvious NZers don’t like that sort of attitude and approach..”
Perhaps we all live in hope that there are some humans left in the NZ National Party. Right now I doubt humans exist there because arrogance and the superiority complex with well entrenched in the NZ National Party even within their minions in the mainstream NZ media.
By the way there is Trump giving the “thumbs up” again. Just like that photo of him giving the thumbs up with his wife Melania is holding an orphan baby.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/aug/09/trump-el-paso-melania-orphan-baby-thumbs-up
It’s interesting to note the comparison between Jacinda’s recent trip to Japan and the USA(and United Nations)and Bridges’ trip to China and India.
Whereas Jacinda went to Japan for say talks about trade etc and the US(and UN)for of course other talks Jacinda’s trip was to try to make this world a better place.
In contradiction the Simon Bridges India and China junket was to promote the NZ National Party and Simon Bridges himself.
There would have been NOT ONE THOUGHT by Simon Bridges(or any of the other free-loading and self-serving National MPs that tagged along) because the NZ taxpayers would be paying the ENTIRE BILL that he would be doing anything for NZers i.e the working poor; let alone helping the rest of the world. It was all a money making racket/junket for the NZ National Party and that is ALL THEY(National)care about i.e money for themselves and to Hell with low income NZers and the world.
The China and India trip for Bridges would be all one big Money-Go-Round amongst the rich for Bridges and co. And we will ONLY see a NZ National Party leader mixing with the poor when there are votes needed i.e weeks out of say the next general election.
National need to forget about 2020 elections and spend the next 4 years getting their crap together and be ready for the 2023 election. Massive clear out of dead wood – Bridges, Bennett, Collins, Smith, Pugh, Dowie, Brownlee, Brown (lol – maybe most of them as I could go on). Spend 4 years developing policies, researching what NZers want and come up with some solid reasons for people to vote for them. Currently if National get back in, in 2020, we will be f**ked.
If you are saying these political parties are as bad as each other and simply want to score points I agree……
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