SIMON BRIDGES may be right. He’s clearly betting everything National has on the New Zealand electorate being neither outraged nor offended by his behaviour. If the polls are to be believed, it’s a wager he and his party appear to be winning. National is only a few percentage points away from winning the 2020 General Election outright. So what if he comes across on radio and television as ever-so-slightly bonkers. Venture out into the “heartland” and it will soon become apparent that he’s not alone.
Time was when the boundaries of political acceptability were pretty tightly defined – and enforced. Back in the days of newspapers and a strictly limited choice of radio stations and television channels. It was a time when editors wielded enormous power. People with complaints about fluoridation might get the occasional letter-to-the-editor published, but unless the editor himself (it was almost always a him) was anti-fluoride that was about it. The same applied across the entire range of social, economic and political issues. There were ideas that it was acceptable to hold and, hence, to read about; and ideas that most emphatically were not.
These boundaries corralled not only ordinary citizens, but their leaders as well. Step outside them and the retribution could be swift and savage. People who look back wistfully to the days when “consensus” reigned, tend to forget the level of exclusion required to give it effect. The state had no need to maintain a strict censorship regime (excepting, of course, in relation to matters sexual) when the finely honed “journalistic instincts” of newspaper proprietors, news and current affairs editors, and television network bosses made state intervention unnecessary. Which is not to say that the occasional maverick wasn’t allowed to make it through the barbed-wire – if only to demonstrate the system’s willingness to tolerate unorthodox opinions. These honourable exceptions, however, served only to prove the rule.
To step outside the agreed boundaries of political orthodoxy required special courage. In the 1950s and 60s politicians enjoyed considerable public respect, which they were careful to maintain by ensuring that their conduct measured-up to the voters’ expectations. Members of Parliament were serious people: much happier to be considered ponderous than over-excited. A performance akin to Simon Bridges’ on today’s (16/10/19) Morning Report would have been career-ending – even in the 1970s and 80s. So, why does he feel so safe in coming across as ever-so-slightly bonkers?
The answer is very simple. Bridges and the National Party’s strategists have discovered that the ideas and attitudes considered acceptable by today’s editors and journalists are no longer enforceable. The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that the average voter is no longer dependent on newspapers, radio and television for guidance about right-thinking and wrong-thinking. Indeed, what social media has revealed to those average voters is just how vast the gulf has grown that separates their own values from those of the “elites”. What’s more, those same average voters are now free to communicate with one another directly. They no longer have to run the gauntlet of their local newspaper editor’s prejudices – or rely upon the news bulletins and documentaries broadcast over “mainstream” radio and television. Today they have their own sources of information – their own news.
This ability of readers, listeners and viewers to go around the “mainstream” has brought about an historic reversal of dependency in the consumption of information. Now it is the editors of newspapers, radio stations and television networks who must absorb the prejudices of their audiences. The advertisers that still pay the bills can no longer be told to take it or leave it when it comes to getting their messages across. When advertising revenue is dependent upon the number of people who “click” an on-line story, editors are required to go after every click they can possibly get. Media content has been democratised in ways not seen since the early years of the printing press. It is no longer a case of the “improving” the great unwashed by feeding them the ideas of their betters. Today, it is the great unwashed who call the cultural shots. Not an altogether pretty picture. As the great impresario and showman, P. T. Barnum, put it: “Nobody ever lost a dollar by underestimating the taste of the American public!”
Nor is it likely, judging by the behaviour of Simon Bridges, and his small army of social media creatives, that any politician is ever going to lose votes by underestimating the wit of the New Zealand electorate. He – and they – know that roughly 50 percent (and probably a lot more!) of New Zealanders are not well-off, well-educated and “woke” urban sophisticates. Hell! They’re anything but! Which is why Simon keeps his messages short, simple and brutal, with endlessly repeated stock phrases. “Keys to the Kingdom” anyone?
Ever-so-slightly bonkers? You betcha! Just like his electoral base.
Bonkers, narcissistic,divisive and vile.
What a sad indictment on so many in NZ that this latrine rodent is able to get any traction. How ironic that looking after everyone especially the disadvantaged is seen as a weakness to be ridiculed yet selfish greed is embraced like warm mothers milk. This is not the NZ I grew up in. We cared about each other and all joined in Telethons etc to help each other. That’s been lost by the Me Me Me Latrine Rodent Party. Jacinda Ardern represents the NZ I want for all of us and to leave behind for our children and grandchildren etc.
Yes
Let us see Bridges for who he really is. He calls Andrew Little arrogant and then blackmails Labour over policy to protect us from expat terrorists. Yet Simon can’t see the hypocrisy of how arrogant he is. Narcissists can’t, they just can’t see it.
Goodness, go see a doctor
Good thing his base includes hundreds of thousand of non-citizen voters, eh! Allowing foreign residents to vote, and foreign spies to become MPs… now THAT”S bonkers… and not ever-so-slighty… in fact, it’s outright fucking treason…
Its win at any cost but that horrible short term thinking is exactly how we have got to the situation in the US today and that is simply bad all around. It’s like detonating an atomic bomb on your troublesome neighbours in that it fixes that problem but creates an even bigger one.
However, I think Bridges strategy would be a failure were it not for the leadership of this government, especially Labour because they are letting National back into the game. I am hoping and praying that they awake from their stupor and realise in 12 months or less they are going to have to justify (impossibly) to a very cynical electorate why they have failed so miserably to honour so many promises and most especially the big-ticket ones.
I suspect yesterday this very predicament finally dawned on Jacinda, with her terrible fudging of the police number promise.
A nice way of saying he is a fucken idiot and not suitable for being our PM when spin and lies flows out of his mouth like a river and our media cannot be trusted and what do you expect when our newspapers are owned by a billionaire NZers were warned about monopolies
Me too Jacindafan.
I love Jacinda as she does read my blogs on TDB and Scoop also.
Some regional newspaper editors are still engaging in selective withholding some letters to the editor sadly.
We find this especially in the HB Today local paper which is a branch of the NZ Herald conglomerate as most others are sadly today.
Chris said correctly :”The rise and rise of the Internet and the social media platforms it spawned means that the average voter is no longer dependent on newspapers, radio and television for guidance about right-thinking and wrong-thinking”.
Here’s our latest letter to Scoop and TDB.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1910/S00165/ceac-supports-government-policy-to-lower-truck-speed.htm
“’CEAC supports Government policy to lower truck speed”
16th October 2019.
Press Release: Citizens Environmental Advocacy Centre.
Subject; – CEAC supports Government policy to lower truck speed
Yes we fully support Minister of transport plan to use special speed cameras finally catching all speeding trucks, and other vehicles on our narrow single lane roads that are not fit to use as a speedway by any vehicle.
Our associated members have reported to have witnessed trucks speeding much faster than the mandatory 90kms many times while travelling on roads.
• We personally have caught a heavy freight truck travelling at 116kms after passing us on a trip from Wairoa to Gisborne on Highway two as we were only travelling at 90kms at the time a truck appeared to be going past us much faster, so we ‘sped up’ to see how fast the truck was going, and our speedometer clocked the truck traveling at 116kms and the dash camera and my partner’s cell phone picture of our car speedometer confirmed the speed on our car speedometer was at 116kms while the picture .also catch the full view of the truck ahead with the licence plate details and the truck company logo.
Fact;
• We recall the last National Government had advocated for bigger, heavier, longer HPHV freight trucks from 2010 through 2017, and finally in press statements suggesting some roads may allow speeds to be increased to 110kms for all road users.
1. We were horrified when this was suggested by the last National Government, while all our roads were falling apart during the 2008/2017 National Government regime to advocate for increased size/weight/speed of freight trucks during that time.
Fact; increasing the speed of heavy freight trucks would cause further destruction of our public roads as they would suffer from further “rutting – pitting and surface damage” from increased speeds, according to roading engineers reports.
https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/04/19/heavy-truck-damage-michigan-roads/3474156002/
QUOTE;
“Experts weigh in on how much Michigan’s heavy trucks damage the state’s roads. Paul Egan, Detroit Free Press Published 6:30 a.m. ET April 19, 2019 | Updated 10:11 p.m. ET April 19, 2019
LANSING — Michigan’s highest-in-the-nation gross truck weights are responsible for significant damage to state roads and bridges, experts say, despite years of denials from the Michigan Department of Transportation.
CEAC discussed this truck issue back in 24th June 2019 about roads not capable of carrying freight. “NZ roads are not coping with heavier trucks”.
Has our (RTF) ‘Road Transport Forum’ representative Nick Leggett ready now we hope to finally contact our CEAC Centre yet to work with us on this issue as we hope he has got our message now?
http://community.scoop.co.nz/2019/06/nz-roads-are-not-coping-with-heavier-trucks/
Fact; The increased speeds will cause more serious accidents and fatal deaths to occur if the National Party policy to advocate for truck increased speeds was to occur.
‘CEAC supports Government policy to lower truck speed’.
End.
What do reckon about breaking up the big fishing company’s, Fonterra and the and meat works etc to decentralise which would allow people to buy local meat, milk & fish. This I’m sure would take hundreds of trucks off the road with the added bonus of less carbon emissions.
Looking at soimons eyes is him and pulla benefit on the same power trip drug
I am on the same page Jacindafan and in my view she is the best and most decent caring and capable person we have had since aunty Helen she is bright and articulate she is still learning nothing wrong with that in the mean time we have the hyenas circling they smell blood and they are coming in for the kill as scavengers do. We have two loppies doing pukanas in soimon and his side kick pull the benefit such is there desire for power they will do and say anything even if it looks and smell like a big fat lie they simply don’t care cause they have no moral or principles.
agreed 100% there Michelle she Jacinda is (definitely) the best and most decent caring and capable person we have had since Aunty Helen as i miss her badly now.
In election year, Bridges will join Ardern in being under the microscope. Bridges will have to go from picking his issues to attack the government on, to actually having to present an alternative and defend it.
I have a feeling that the more the public see of Bridges, and the more that they can contrast him with Ardern, the more the vote may start to shift away from National. Not drastically, but enough to make forming a National government impossible in 2020.
Actually once they get to debate we will see a drastic shift against national we already know they don’t have much faith in soimon john showed us this by endorsing his world class man luxon perhaps that is why soimon is looking and acting bonkers he even said ‘morena’ this morning on RNZ and he never utters any Maori words my my what people will do for power
Agreed. Stick Bridges in front of a camera and his cringeworthy debates will lose thousands of votes . People think Arderns leadership is weak well they haven’t seen anything yet with bridges as an opponent. The guy looks and sounds like a muppet. He holds himself like the arrogant lawyer he is.
Hey DX5,
The leaders debates are good to watch but I’m not sure I’d put too much value on them if the current set up continues.
Those who respect their party leader will generally continue supporting them even if they fail to shine in the debate. Those who dislike another party leader will generally continue disliking them even if they do shine. Bwidges could go on TV and drown kittens and his few followers will still think he’s their new God.
I have two very strong memories from the leader debates prior to the 2017 election.
The first involved that disgusting excuse for a human being, Matthew Hooten.
Jacinda was superb in the debate but immediately after they gave piss ant Hooten the floor to give his perspective. He was scathing about anything and everything Jacinda had said. Accused her of being a liar and set the tone for the unprecedented and relentless misogynistic attacks that Ardern has had to endure since she became Labour’s leader. Much of the solid work Ardern did in that debate was virtually wiped out by the latrine rodent Hooten masquerading as a political commentator. The fact TV allowed that to unfold was a bias disgrace.
The other debate that stays with me was Ardern and English which was chaired by wanker of the year 2014,2015,2016,2017.2018 and hot fav for 2019 Mike Hosking. I’ve never seen such a one sided victory in a leaders debate as I witnessed in that debate. Ardern had English on toast. English the Dipton Double Dipper may be an ok sort of guy but he’s like boring wallpaper and light years from being an inspiring leader. He’s the quintessential bean counter best suited to being in the back room. He was brutally exposed by Ardern.
Every time Jacinda spoke she either looked straight at Blinglish or the camera. She spoke in a confident manner that reflected a genuine leader. Her intellect, message and personality were on show for all to see. It was hugely impressive. Blinglish on the other hand had nothing. Wouldn’t look at the camera and kept repeating the same narrative over and over “strong stable Government”. He produced nothing. Only when it came to closing statements to Blinglish wake up. He sat up and looked at the camera for the first time and repeated verbatim the exact same narrative he’d been hitting people over the head with all day every day. “strong stable Government”. It was easily the worst and least inspiring performance I’ve ever witnessed from any leader in any debate. If it had been a boxing match the ref would have stopped the fight very early. It’s difficult to imagine a more one sided victory than that debate.
Now comes the fascinating aspect. Later that night and the following day media commentators described the debate as very even and with Blinglish having a slight edge. I spat my coffee out when i first read their perspective. What planet were they on? What debate were they watching? Bottom line is that even if you win the debate hands down you still have to get past the bias and tidal wave of bullshit to claim your victory.
It’s interesting that in the early days of the printing press all manner of wild stuff was cranked out then too — some true and some not — in ways that remarkably prefigure the free-for-all of the present Internet age. Thus our modern word “libel” comes from “libelle,” a French word for the less reputable sort of pamphlet. The most famous libelles were the ones that accused Marie Antoinette of sexual impropriety but pamphlets of this kind were known from the 1500s on. The racier they were, the more they tended to sell. Of one Elizabethan pamphlet accusing the Earl of Leicester of sleeping with a married woman and her daughters at the same time, a scholar notes that “Numerous manuscript copies made from the printed text suggest that it was popular with readers.” (Joad Raymond, Pamphlets and Pamphleteering in Early Modern Britain, 2003, p. 23). After Leicester died, an even more lurid and perhaps even more oft-‘liked’ pamphlet speculated as to his torments in Hell, in Blackadder-ish terms: “he is to be tormented by a ‘naked feind in the form of a lady’, who is ‘so directly placed against him that the gate of her porticke conjunction should be full opposite to the gaze of his retoricke speculation, so that he could not chose but have a perfite aspect of the gull point of her bettelbroude urchin in the triumphant pride and gaping glory thereof’. This will so entice Leicester that he will continually assay her and thereby ‘drown the member of his virillitye in the bottomeless barrell of her virginnitye, through which runeth a felde of unquenchable fier.'” The more things change, as they say . . .
I wouldn’t call click bait a democratising force – far from it. Click bait isn’t actually want people want to read, it is (by definition) the thing that makes us click a button – or more precisely that produces an emotional response. We used to complain about how the media was too sensational but those were the good old days. Now they print stuff with the aim of making us so angry or fearful that we stop thinking rationally and just react, react, react.
I work in community media which means I can afford to have a conscience in deciding what to report – The stuff we do is so profoundly different to commercial media that I feel like I come from a different planet
What I am really anoyed about is the one sided reporting by some TV chanels of one party…I dont have to name which one. What happened to impartial reporting ? It is nort right. Simon can sling mud for whatever its worth, but a lot of New Zealanders have their eyes and ears open I hope. We have a decent PM who is doing or trying to do something for the people as a whole, not just the big wigs . NATIONAL had 9 years, what have they done ? helped the rich get richer, thats what.
I find it is intellectual superiority that is being told in this article.
It could be equally said that our children are being indoctrinated at school and at University with very leftist extremes, simply because the teachers have also been indoctrinated, rather than free thinking.
It is not only the realm of the right leaning people who Have access to the internet, and let’s face it, our newspapers (reporters) no longer give us FActs….they peddle their views and beliefs.
As for bridges playing to the masses, what did labour do with their promise of taking wages from hardworking kiwis, and redistributing it to the less fortunate? Or any other promises They sold?
Lumpjaw,
You pass off assumptions as fact and then attempt to justify doing so by claiming Labour did this and that when they were in Government previously. That is school playground logic which is best left where it belongs. We can all reach back and throw shit at what Muldoon, Bolger and Lange said and did but that does not advance anything here. It’s little more than a cop out.
You may find this difficult to believe but there are people out there with totally closed minds who actually believe they are open minded. What makes that situation farcical is that if you don’t agree with their mindset they will accuse you of being closed minded. To paraphrase, if I agree with your stance I’m open minded. If I disagree then I’m closed minded. Sound familiar?
You sound like a person who see’s socialist leaning folk as the despised enemy worthy of only contempt. This type of divisive mindset is hurting NZ. Where is your evidence that teachers in NZ schools are indoctrinating children with their alleged very leftist extremes? That sounds like pure horse shit to me. I have five children. Two are at university, one is at high school and one is at intermediate. I can emphatically refute your allegation. People on both sides of the political spectrum are sharing their perspective more than ever but it’s those on the right that are entitled and spread their mindset more than anyone else. If you deny that I respectfully suggest you need to get out more.
We all have our own bias. I agree with news now being taken over by opinions and blatant bias yet being passed off as factual news. We’ve seen that all day every day for the last few years with Trump. No wonder he talks about fake news.
In NZ we have wanker of the year Mike Hosking being the poster boy for the Nats. We have that huge bucket of slime Duncan Garner undermining and misrepresenting virtually everything being done by the Government. Still not sure if he’s a full blown latrine rodent or he’s just trying to rope people into watching his snore fest breakfast show. There are left leaning media in NZ but they are outweighed on an epic scale by the right and their $$$$
You’re right Chris, the electorate will vote National whatever Simon does. What was that quote from Trump, “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes”? I get the same vibe from the NZ Tory supporters. No there must be a way to both spoil the party and upset the apple cart…
Social media is indeed the ideal forum for those that formerly would never have been publicly published or had their views noticed anywhere much apart from immediate circles. No need to research, triangulate, fact check, or have a glimmer of understanding of a subject–“reckons” are king–in Facebook, Twitter, and Insta land!
Add this free shot for online boofheadery and often abuse, to another social reality–long standing National Party networks*–and it is easy enough to realise why Simon Bridges’ Trump Junior style idiocy is acceptable to his supporters. Soymun, like Trump, is talking past the informed and engaged, he seeks to directly the push buttons of their political opposite. And it works in some quarters.
*As Chris wrote in a piece several years ago, the tory networks have some sway, particularly in the Provinces. The Lodges, Clubs, Business Associations, Police and Fire Stations and halls, Sports Clubs, school BOTs and Farmers organisations all amount to National Party–if not fronts–then definite Nat friendly. In small town New Zealand “we’re blue around here mate”, the subtext being “and you will be too or at least shut up” if you want that job, contract or social contact or credit etc.
The Auckland mayoralty race had me worried. Goff vs Tamihere …. A traditional politician and campaign vs a showman and Trump-style campaign….. personal attacks, outlandish claims and promises, distortions of truth.
My fear was that if Tamihere won, it would prove Trump politics can work in NZ and that next year, National would most certainly run a Trump campaign.
But Goff won, and by a huge margin. Whew !!!!
Maybe NZers are not as gullible and stupid as I feared they might be.
Maybe we are different to Americans.
I was disappointed in Tamihere I thought he went too far. And I thought he played the man and not the ball (policy) As we have seem lately only national can get away with being c….s like that and come out smiling like a Cheshire cat.
Yes, truth and honesty no longer matter, it is all about appearance, appeal and sensation attention, if you are good at it, you will win and become elected.
The Nazis were constrained by not having had access to something like the internet, Hitler and others would have got extremely excited about the opportunities that are available now.
Thus, voters, watchers, viewers, listeners and consumers beware, you will most likely be taken for a ride, just see that Trump ‘ride’ it out in Syria now, causing massive disaster, who cares.
Bridges is going to be a threat to true democracy, if he continues to carry on as he has recently, but then, so are others.
I went to the ‘Meh’ shop but couldn’t find a bigger one than this one.
So have the largest ‘MEH’ that can be found.
Relax. It’s ok. Some of you, perhaps most of you, should find comfort in the fact that national and labour are the same thing under a different facade.
So, if you were comfortable with the brain dead malaise that was the natzo’s in the preceding years prior to labour and now in almost post-labour the same can be said then you’ll be fine and dandy for 2020. Just fire up the ugly, chrome plated Herpi Nermal plasti-barbi, pop on a snout sausage and down a 48 pack of Cast Iron Kidney pure hops lager from that woke left millenial boutique brewer that doubles as a Woke Left millennial beard factory ( Girls? They also do arm pits. ) and you’ll be sweet-as mates.
Discussing the nuances of natzo versus In-labour here is like rioting with candy floss clubs while having dainty tea breaks between bouts of bottled water throwing by fluro vest wearing doilly knitters wearing sensible shoes.
Careful Chris, calling those who just don’t see this govt through your eyes “slightly bonkers” is one step away from calling them ‘deplorable’.
Ignore and ridicule then at your peril.
He is just playing politics and reaching out to a sector of potential constituents.
Somebody has to be relevant to those with low IQs and the slightly unhinged
Your argument is sound as to populism, but the conclusion is wrong.
National notes that the woke urban liberal and the poor are both minorities, and so they can safely ignore both (as they did the same sex people until the parliamentary legislative change) as they have taken control of the property owning aging middle class vote – those with the health to continue to work when they take up super.
The baby boomers who do not give a damn about the have nots and the next generation – with the oldest and most conservative man of his age leading National, as their young as Ardern dog of war.
I am a baby boomer and I care about our next generation we aren’t all selfish you know SPC
This article has certainly stired up the Labour supporters who see Jacinda as a Saint who can lead the country to the promised land . On the other hand I see someone who while sincere is totally out of her depth with a team that is I’ll prepared and taking us to nowhere . Any attempts to make meaningful change is hampered by their two partners pulling in sifferent directions. When Labour took over the country was in good shape financially and with Bill as leader were set to fix many of the social problems without destroying the business sector on the way. Now Grant is too scared to spend. No roads are planned businesses are losing faith promises are being broken and the poverty grows. The Maori have every right to feel let down as they have made few gains despite throwing their lot in with Labour.Roll on next year the battle will be interesting and may the best party win.
Trevor,
Your communications looks strikingly similar to another chap named Trevor who spends all day every day trolling the Trade Me message board making misogynistic comments about Ardern. Can’t possibly be one and the same as that guy makes it very clear how bitter he is that the Magnificent National Party are no longer in power and that other parties have the absolute audacity to Govern in NZ.
Interesting that you should ridicule Ardern supporters who you say see her as a Saint. That wording is slightly different to what the other Trevor described them as. Sycophants and members of the Cult of Jacinda among other things. The name “Jacinda” is not the most common name she is called. Her name is butchered more by National Party supporters than any other politician I’ve seen in my 50+ years. The same people also make routine abusive comments about her appearance and her teeth etc. This has been a new low in NZ Politics. What a shock that it would come from entitled but bitter National Party supporters who bought Dirty Politics into the NZ vernacular. What sort of human being attacks a woman after her cherished grandmother passed away 3 days before the election and then accuses her on mass as being the sort of lowlife who will try and get votes from it? What sort of human being attacks, scoffs and ridicules a female PM when her pet cat was run over and killed outside her family home? This is not the divisive sort of hatred I want to leave behind in our beautiful country for future generations. She’s been attacked, misrepresented and ridiculed all day every day by bitter National Party supporters since the day she became Labour leader. The bigger threat she became to the entitled Nats the more abuse was thrown at her. No area has been spared. Her partner has been targeted as has her baby daughter which apparently she only had to gain votes. Her marital status has been attacked and ridiculed. If she attends an event she is seeking a photo opportunity. If she doesn’t attend then she doesn’t care etc etc etc etc bla bla bla.
Your message needs to be dissected as it’s fairly typical mindset of the National Party and their cheerleaders .
I and many others admire Ardern on many levels. She’s clearly very intelligent, an excellent communicator, thoughtful, measured, kind, hard working, compassionate, caring, a wonderful leader and a magnificent reflection of our country. She very clearly puts people before $$. That is hugely significant but sadly totally lost on so many Blue Cheerleaders.
You mention her being “out of her depth”. You simply couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, I appreciate she had the audacity to work in a takeaway as a teenage girl which is something pointed out every day by Nat supporters. How dare she have a strong work ethic and want to earn money by hard work as a young girl. She was thrust into being Labours leader some 9 weeks out from election day. Prior to that point Labour were 500-1 and drifting to win the election. She immediately became virtual spokesperson for everything to do with Labour taking on the role of Minister for Everything. To do this effectively enough to win an election would require a super human herculean effort and an enormous amount of intelligence. That situation is very obviously unprecedented in NZ Politics. Not only did she have a diabolical task but she had to undertake the task while being attacked and misrepresented every step of the way by the National Party machine desperate to hold onto power at all costs. If that’s not enough she has to get past her treasured grandmother dying three days prior to the election. Any person who could succeed under those circumstances is light years away from being “out of her depth”. To state otherwise would require blatant bias and considerable ignorance. If not for Steven Joyce dirty politics dead cat on the table farcical fiscal hole, Labour would very likely have had a decisive victory on election day. Instead they went from leading at the polls to defence defence defence and lost the lead. This did not go unseen by Winston Peters and many lessons learned.
National did not lose Government just because of Winston Peters which is the narrative they choose to believe and spout. United Future and The Maori Party propped National up and were sent packing for doing so. Supporting National is the kiss of death for smaller parties. This is one of the reasons National still have no friends. Obviously for many reasons that is not the case with Labour.
The country was most definitely “not in good shape when Labour took over”. The investment portfolios of many National Party supporters were obviously in good shape. Investing in multiple residential properties became hugely popular as did land banking etc etc etc. Meanwhile, a housing crisis worsened considerably. National looked the other way and even denied there was a housing crisis despite more and more kiwi families being hugely disadvantaged. The gap between the rich and the poor reached a new record level under National. Once again they looked the other way. Bill English only discovered child poverty in the days leading up to the election. I’m sure that had nothing whatsoever to do with him seeing how popular Ardern was and her quest to deal with child poverty. Self preservation the obvious motivator for National. Our health system was a mess. Overworked nurses working in unsafe conditions. They wouldn’t strike because they knew National couldn’t possibly care less and any strike would only hurt them and their patients even more. Jonathan Coleman was by far the worst health minister NZ ever had to endure. What a shock that he forced a costly by-election to seek high paying private health sector “significant opportunity a few months after the general election. I’m sure that also was not connected with him failing in his attempt against Bridges to become Nationals leader. His actions epitomize the Me Me Me Party.
Infrastructure in NZ especially in Auckland was neglected in order to give the books the impression of a rock star economy. False economy on an epic scale.
Have your home burgled and wait a week if you were lucky to get Police attendance. More chance of winning a lottery than the crime being solved.
NZ was being turned into a divisive them and us. Anyone who is not a National Party supporter is the feral enemy worthy only of contempt. I’ve personally never seen so many people in NZ that are angry and give the impression they live in a country that couldn’t possibly care less about them.
Bill English set to solve social problems? You have got to be having a laugh. In order for that to occur you need to be in a party that does not create social problems and then deny such problems are out there and growing. This was another enormous fail for National.
Yes, roll on next year. The Government know exactly what to expect from the desperate Me Me Me Party. Latrine Rodents Bridges and Bennett will have their Dirty Politics campaign in full swing. As I’ve stated previously, National Party supporters will stay with National even if Bridges and his “team” were all filmed drowning kittens. They will however not have enough friends to get them over the line. That won’t be bothering them as they will still arrogant enough to believe they will Govern alone.
Labour have 12 months to make more progress on the housing front. This is an enormous task but 9 years of epic neglect will always take time to put right. How about the Nats worst nightmare? Pike River. If bodies are retrieved, not only will that give great comfort to the victims families and most of NZ but it will guarantee even more that National stay in opposition for years to come. Their style of divisive and selfish politics is in NZ’s rear view mirror long may that remain the status quo. Happy days. Enjoy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h_GChgSv_A
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