Simon Bridges loses National Leadership to Loaf of White Bread

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Excuse me Sir, do you know when Todd Muller is coming?

Simon Bridges, plucky little battler from provincial aspiration street, has been replaced by alpha CEO aspiration in the form of Todd Somebody.

The desperate National Party MPs, frightened that they might have to give up the perks of power via unemployment have turned on their leader in an orgy of self interest to try and preserve their jobs.

And Todd Who? is that desperate straw at which these drowning MPs are clutching at.

Todd Somethingorother has a lot of Alpha CEO aspiration, and probably bikes in lycra.

I’m thinking of how Todd Whatshisface goes up against Jacinda in the debates.

It doesn’t look pretty.

The psychology of the electorate has changed, they feel grateful to Jacinda for her leadership and that’s caused a genuine sea change that has resulted in a new political loyalty.

I think under Simon, National could have at least held onto the low 30s, under this shadow of a nobody, it could free fall into the 20s.

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I think there’s a herd mentality that sinks in once a Party gets an outright majority where people just want to side with the winner.

If the Simon Bridges who gave that final speech had turned up before today, he’d still be Leader.

We are on a road to nowhere. 

 

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95 COMMENTS

  1. Much better chance of winning with those two than they had with Bridges/Bennett, but at the end of the day the Nats are still a bunch of despicable bastards.

    • Exactly and the fact Hooten said Muller was the only option for leader and then to find out Hooten has a job lined up under his mate Muller, just shows you how unscrupulous National really are.

    • agreed; bert,
      New leader = same policy again.

      Keep down the poor, elders, and disabled.

      Keep the ‘rich and corporations’ propped up with subsidies.

  2. Nope. Even though Todd Muller will be a flash in the pan he is still a really good backbencher and deserves that level of respect.

  3. I guess the National caucus is hoping he turns out to be fresh and high fibre and not one of those pale stale (l)oafs.
    After all wasn’t prime minister Adern “just a pretty communist.
    Or are they just going to count anything over 30% as a victory.
    Question. If they are looking at a vote in the low 30% range will they still do a deal with ACT

    • Peter Hitch, do you think that Jacinda Adern has changed in her thinking? If we had not had the Mosque shootings, White Island and Coronavirus so that she can display her ‘kindness’ would she still be as popular as she appears to be now? Have you forgotten how popular John Key was at the time of the GFC?

      • Fact is they DID happen and Adern’s govt showed their metal.

        Do you really think a divided National would have been the choice to guide us through under even the latest one of these crisis’s?

        And citing John Key and his corrupt govt at the time of the GFC was a mistake, – it was his govt that led to the degradation of our infrastructure – including our health system. All in his and his deputy’s mad pursuit of neo liberalism and the privatization of everything that wasn’t nailed down.

        Must we be reminded of the medical reports to his govt of the people ‘who died in damp, moldy homes from preventable third world diseases’ , – or the warnings by the IMF about the setting up of a tax haven in NZ under his ( Keys ) corrupt watch?

        And then there was the lies he told about the mass surveillance of New Zealanders ( XKEYSCORE ) and our Pacific Island friends, the fiasco over and illegal arrest of Kim Dotcom, the toadying to Warner Brothers and the rewriting of our union laws to brown nose to the same, and of course, – last but not least, – DIRTY POLITICS.

        If anything, he should be serving time.

  4. Looks like National have just elected a new leader, Nikki Kaye. But they’ve got some other chap keeping the seat warm for her for a short while.

    • Yeah – that’s what I thought too – the Jacinda vs Nicki battle of the babes replay. Not sure it will play the same way this time though.

    • Isn’t that the plan?
      St. John Key has already anointed Christopher Luxon as the PM-elect, so Luxon now only needs to get into Parliament and that’s why Muller is the ‘short-term place-holder’.
      Today Muller only got the votes because so many Nat MP’s were desperate not to lose the seats and having to go on the dole. They think Muller can change that (good luck on that score).
      It confirms that Nats are, almost to a person, self-centred, greedy people who will do anything to save their own skin. To hell with the country’s needs.
      What a dumb strategy – and they call themselves ‘business savvy people’!? It would have been far better to let Bridges lose the election (as Muller will almost certainly do) and, after about 6 months of the next Parliament, Luxon can become Leader and then you don’t have a merry-go-round of leaders.
      I thought the Nats were more politically intelligent and principled than the circus they’ve indulged in today.

      • I think he needs to be taken seriously. It’s early days of course but my initial impression is that he has he makings of a good leader. Much though will depend on whether he can weld National into a coherent team.

        • He looks that way to me too. He’s made an impressively competent start, both with the small business and aspiration focus and,by the sounds of it, with the managing of the unexpected turn of the coup.

          I don’t fall into the “loaf of white bread” category, but Martyn does and I’d bet a good chunk of the commenters in this thread do to. I think it’s mean to write people off on the basis of their appearance.

  5. They must surely be a more compassionate leadership team surely?
    Bennett was just plain nasty.
    Now time for a.damn good cleanout

  6. Well I don’t know about calling him things like Todd Who? Todd Somethingorother, or Todd Somebody just yet awhile, – he may turn out to project the image of the slow stable guy of sound reason , which of course , concerning the last part about being sensible would stretch anyone’s imagination…

    As far as I’m concerned you can call any MP of the National party late for breakfast, and constantly do so. Soggy cornflakes, a cold cup of tea and even more cold bacon and eggs will serve as a tiny reminder to them of the sort impoverished lifestyles they’ve imposed over the people of this land for decades with their grubby little Rodgernomics,… but lets not forget that it was Labours Roger Douglas who started it all in the first place…

    Heres an interesting perspective from RNZ that seems to back up what the author of this articles is saying , however…

    ——————————-

    MPs talk about acting in the best interests of the party but what will be motivating many – namely list MPs and those in marginal seats – is self interest; with these poll numbers many would be out of Parliament. Even if the polls tighten in the next few months many are still eyeing an abrupt end to their political career and today’s vote will in part be aimed at staunching any further loss of support.

    ——————————-

  7. This is the same sort of madness that saw Mike Moore take over the Labour party for 2 months.
    Adern will lose a LOT of voters over the coming 4 months due to the economic collapse but not enough to lose the election.

  8. For all his faults, I think Bridges at least had some feeling for ordinary Kiwis, unlike most of his party.

    So this Ted Miller guy – fair to say he’s from the same stable as Key and Luxon?

  9. Simon Bridges, plucky little battler?
    C’mon Martyn! I think you’ve started a bit early on a Friday afternoon!

  10. Man they are making it so easy for Jacinda et al.
    However to quote a Yorkshire expression….’many a slip, twix cup and lip’. In other words, keep the Labour MP’s and cabinet on a VERY short reins, lest they steal defeat from the wide open jaw of victory.

  11. If they had not changed it would have shown the power brokers in National had not listened to the public after the last 2 polls. I liked Simon but it was a lonely opinion There is a whole new world now . Hopefully the medical emergency is behind us and the economy is in need of fixing up. The last 2 years of Labours management has not filled me with confidence and while they are spending a truck load of money will it be spent wisely.
    I have often heard Nike speak and like her style but do not know of Todd in this role but his business background was very successful and has more commercial knowledge to bring to the table than most in Labour.
    The next poll will see how it was received with the public as the economic state will be shaping people’s thoughts. Churchill was thrown out after winning the war so Labour cannot depend on a good will vote

  12. With a scary name like ‘Muller’as well and could very easily fit as a military Commandant.
    ‘Heil fuhrer.’

    Yes he is now ‘leader'(fuher) of ‘National’

    He does look like a “grim reaper”.and sent death to Simon Bridges alright in a day.

    Perhaps he needs to use Nikki Kaye’s soft looks to front his press to get by that hard look he has.

    If I was national that’s what I would do.

    I never want to be a National supporter ever.

      • Nope. Just like Bridges, Muller will be a tough competitor Yknow these too guys are some of the best backbenchers National has ever produced and but Jacinda will just make them look average.

  13. They want Nikki Kaye, get Muller in to loose, keep Nikki as leader post-election. Or the new duo gets booted. I love this sport.

  14. Dem crazy bal’heads…
    as another poster said-“Mr Muller looks like an insurance salesman from Edgecumbe fallen upon hard times…”

    But, hey, we all know chrome dome shaming, is as inappropriate as any other judging on a person’s appearance-it’s just he is a business clone like so many other Nats. A conservative Catholic to boot…21st Century women may not be fans.

  15. Loaf of bread? Well actually just another dreary Gen X politician, cant we just skip that tosser generation somehow?

    • As far as current leaders go, that’ll leave us with David Seymour and Winston.

      Ardern and James Shaw are GenX.

  16. How should I be feeling? Fuck I don’t know. Gosh it’s just such a bloody muddle isn’t it?

    I’d better tune into The Panel with Wallace and guest panelist Bridgit-Someneorother-Jane-come-lately and whichever other rent-a-voice is on. (Oh! it’s that voice of reason Tim Watkin)
    I’d better get off my guitar gently weeping so I can hear their words of wisdom. It’s going to change my life.

  17. Just two questions for the Todd fellow:
    Would his National government respect and implement the popular vote on
    * the Cannabis legalisation and control referendum?
    * the End of Life Choice referendum?

  18. You say the general public, of which I am one, feel ‘grateful to Jacinda for her leadership.’ Well sorry Buddy, but I don’t. I think she has almost single handedly trashed the economy of our country and caused massive grief. What is the damage estimate? Eighty thousand per household? Sorry, but Jacinda is just far too expensive. Jacinda has to go. Unfortunately Simon Bridges seemed to have little appeal for a lot of people. Personally, I thought he was okay. However if Todd Muller has more voter appeal and there’s more chance of voting Jacinda into the trees, then I am all for him. Jacinda’s policies looked like panic and created havoc. They were incredibly arbitrary and inconsistent. The local butcher can go broke, but Australian supermarkets are okay. Bars can have a hundred people, but not churches. (Us Socialists don’t like churches.) With new faces, National has a good chance of beating Labour and I for one, certainly hope they do.

    • Of course they have a chance. As long as some voters are in ‘Reds under the bed’ mode and think she has almost single handedly trashed the economy and caused massive grief they have a show. And if there’re alive because coronavirus didn’t kill them so they get to vote they have a chance.

      Ardern is a cunning little bugger though isn’t she. She was responsible for a Christchurch incident, a thing with a volcano and pandemic just to distract from the $11.7 billion hole she’d created. remember that?

      The weirdest thing is National pick a leader who seems grounded and normal and has his feet on the ground. The reaction though shows he appeals to all sorts who parrot, braindead, cliched partisan nonsense. I blame Ardern for that too. She said she was going to do something about mental health.

  19. This Muller guy simply represents back to the future. He is your typical older white male who thinks he knows better than anyone else what is good for them. He opposed the abortion reform – i.e. he opposes the idea that women can and should decide their own destiny with their bodies. Who is he and people of his ilk to decide for us.

    He is opposed to assisted dying, which is a very emotional topic, but the way I understand it, the bill proposes that a person can decide assisted dying if they are terminal and in the last six months of their life. Who is he to say they can’t? Oh that’s right – he knows better.

    He slagged off at Chloe Swarbrick hence her wonderful “ok boomer” retort. It goes to show that he cannot handle young intelligent women. OK, I get that Nikki Kaye is his deputy and she is young and intelligent but apart from supporting the abortion reform she will likely toe the party line under Muller.

    What does he represent? Tired old conservative views that support the corporates and big business and damn the poor and needy, that’s what. Lock them up he will cry from the rafters….kick them out of their state housing….cut their benefits and label them all no-hoper meth freaks. If he does all of this then Mike Hosking will have found his soul mate and will promote him and the national party as our saviour. But from what? From a leader who is being praised around the world; whose compassion includes trying to kick start the economy but who will continue to be damned by Muller and his cronies; and the tired old hacks who feel that they have had life breathed back into them with Muller’s success today. Ho hum, back to the future we go.

    • The actual words were:

      CHLÖE SWARBRICK: In the year 2050 I will be 56 years old, yet right now, the average age of this 52nd Parliament is 49 years old.

      Hon Member: That’s impossible.

      CHLÖE SWARBRICK: OK boomer.

      In other words he was saying “we can’t possibly be that old!” – ie humour.

  20. Just watched his press conference (excellent) and checked his bio. Exactly what the country needs to get us out of the hole Labour is digging for us. Game on!

      • Was he working for Fonterra when they made the disastrous investments in China? – As for the National party being financial wizards – were they not the ones that failed to invest in the Cullen fund to the tune of 18 billion dollars during their tenure and miss out on a further 12 billions dollars profit from one of the longest bull runs in history following the GFC – were they not the ones to bankrupt the EQC through incompetence following the Christchurch earthquake – were they not the ones who sold the electricity companies so that they could balance the books and achieve a minuscule surplus – was John Key not the prime-minister who borrowed more money than all other prime-ministers put together so that he could offer the well heeled tax cuts – the list is endless

        • They were also the party who created a housing crisis, homeless crisis, public building infrastructure crisis, underpaid public servants for many years and underinvested in health. All this while they supposedly had a “rockstar” economy.
          Their self promotion of being economic managers, leaves National a laughing stock.

          • yes bert, we need to refresh the failures during National’s time.
            *inducing the vain expectations of Johnny Key who spent $40m to try and change our flag.
            +and gave $40m to Warner Bros after they threatened to leave NZ, so National was a waster.
            * another big cash payout to keep the aluminuim smelter in southland which was Johnny English’s back yard.

            *Talk about the “pork belly politics under national!!!!!!

            Expect plenty more of this with ex Fonterra Manager Heir Todd Muller. Remember Judith Collins is close to Muller and has ‘her company interests inside China’.
            *So National are already compromised with China here if they win in September.

        • Because borrowing money to “invest” in the sharemarket is such a winning move… Thanks for your input.

          • Yes mate, its called short selling – Shorting, or short-selling – when an investor borrows shares and immediately sells them – hoping he or she can scoop them up later at a lower price- return them to the lender and pocket the difference – shorting is much riskier than buying stocks – some of the high rollers make a lot of money out of this – the share market rose from 2571 on the 1st of April 2009 to 8120 on the 4th of November 2017 when they left office – that an increase of 315% – the Cullen fund missed all of these gains and was still one of the best performing funds in the world despite the National party starving it of fund – better to borrow for this than giving rich people tax cuts and running up a 50 billion dollar tab with nothing to show for it

            • Short sellers are people who not only want you to fail but they want other people to think you will fail as well so the whole market goes down.

              So we are winners brothers and sisters. We know a lot of companies are going to go to the wall but the ones that are left over become your Amazons, Facebooks, Googles, Apples. IT and tech companies are where it’s at right now in this great readjustment. The only question is will enough people take up the governments offer for assistance.

              It takes about 10 years for a company to mature and that’s a lot of jobs to keep on life support before new sectors emerge and all those failed entrepreneurs can either find a new niche market or switch to the jobs market but the government has given themselves unlimited spending so it’s just a matter of how many people can Yknow get there heads around it and unfuck themselves from Orangemanbad’s naive armchair economics.

  21. A puff of smoke was observed by Tova and the muller Todd was anointed leader. They should have gone with that other great white hope and mild mannered super hero, Ash Bloomfield, he’s already getting paid more than Jacinda

  22. Muller and Kaye well fine but it is the same pig but with more lipstick and eyeliner.
    These people have changed their bosses hoping that tis charade will prevent them losing their jobs in September.
    The more things change the more they stay the same.
    The Chinese and vested interests would have backed Todd some months ago and he will now be acting not for New Zealanders but for them and their profits.

    • I’m with you totally in spirit.
      But in mind it is Peter Goodfellow the National Party President who pulls the strings.
      I would love to get into a more in depth discussion about it but seems no one here wants to know the facts.

      • Peter Goodfellow

        For he’s a jolly good fellow
        For he’s a jolly good fellow
        For he’s a jolly good fellow
        Which nobody can deny
        Which nobody can deny
        Which nobody can deny

      • From Jiachang Lulu: “Goodfellow, reported to have said that ‘the Chinese are more important than the farms – they don’t complain and they pay up’.”
        Nicky Hagar exposed the corruption bedevilling the Nuttional Party.
        Jamie-Lee Ross subsequently confimed it.

        This corruption in the Nuttional Party is screaming out for an in-depth investigation.

  23. Bridges/Muller. And the point of difference is …? Both staunchly religious conservatives.

    I can’t see anything fresh or original about Todd Muller. So yesterday’s man, so 20 Century, as are most of National MPs, with the exception of Nikki Kaye.

  24. Another one of those politicians who claims to speak for “most ordinary kiwis”, meaning middle aged affluent white male kiwis.

  25. Is this really a conspiracy to get Christopher Luxon anointed as Prime Minister as Verity above pointed too? Scary. If it is true- he needs to loose and be beaten down at every chance. His entire platform rests on New Zealand beneficiaries becoming test subjects for foreign big pharma. “No jab no pay” is his mantra. He has basically made deals with Pharma that injections would be made compulsory for all beneficiaries regardless of doctor’s advice, and regardless if children have been proven to be at risk. He has deemed foreign bio tech companies infallible Gods that we should bow down and worship too, and never question. The companies want our population because we are diverse and small.

  26. Oh, I forgot to mention that Luxon, like Bloomfield has scrubbed his Birthday from the internet, why?

  27. JF TS and OMB are my kind of posters, not because they most likely are from the right like myself, but don’t judge people by their age and ethnicity as well as their looks. Can see why many here readily accept JA who is pleasing to look at, female with children and says what they want to hear. I don’t know TM but his speech gave an idea how he thinks. He has good values, sees the environment as important and is acutely aware of the hideous future many of us face including our grandchildren. He doesn’t seem that bad to me. I’d give him a go before writing him off as yesterday’s news like many here.

    • Yeah but he hasn’t had to deal with a pandemic ,- so not only is it easy to waffle on in hindsight on the opposition benches, – its easy to come from a point of view where he has been a minor bit player in the rural sector business community and then paint that up large as some sort of wise financial wizard that’s going to rescue heaven and NZ from the coming economic disaster.

      And when that happens?- what then ? – more neo liberal crap?

      L0L0L !!!

      He is the VERY DEFINITION of yesterdays news !!!

    • Re: Crony my crony.
      Mary Shelley may have taken inspiration from Muller, he hath been assembled from the corpses of politicians past and endowed with life force from the breath of Boag-Hooton. Four months of relentless ridicule, humiliation and despair await this poor creature until, on polling day, he will choose to throw his rotten body into the rusting gears of the National Party machinery to end his anguish and punish his creators.

  28. I have to laugh at all the cocksure comments here. None more cocksure than Bradbury himself.
    I’ll laugh even louder when you get your arses kicked by National…teaming up with Winston.
    Betcha the next poll will already have National over 40%.
    BTW…who is Jacinda again? Oh yes…she’s that Speech Reader and Facial Contortionist who heads up a ‘Buzzword Government’ which was bequeathed to her by…I think it was Winston! She did not even win a majority. She won jack all really.
    See why I’ll be laughing loudly!

    • Only place you’ll be laughing is up your own pair of shorts bud. Where no one else wants to know about.

      We cant help it if you cant do the math’s, buddy. And if that’s your example,- and symptomatic of the bogus notion of National being better economic managers than Labour , – then no wonder National are in opposition and going to be there for a very, very long time… so crawl back under your bedsheets in Remuera / Epsom and go back to sleep and dream your watery dreams while those in South Auckland shiver, wont you?

    • Probably why Jacinda is so popular. because people like you under estimate her. Your personal click bait attacks on Jacindaare probably why she is so popular now.
      And what exactly has National done to increase their vote from 29 % other than change their leader. Their staid ideas haven’t changed. Their total disrespect other than anything business and roads hasn’t changed. They are going to have to do better than change their leader to become relevant again. You don’t change 40 years of punitive neoliberal National party overnight.

    • Who is Jacinda? She’s the Prime Minister, the nothing nobody Facial Contortionist who has many very satisfied by the way she’s doing her job.

      And she’s so much a nobody and so good a Facial Contortionist she has a few bitter and twisted and irrational because she got to be Prime Minister.

      She’s most likely another, like Todd Muller, who won’t have to try to team up with Winston Peters after the election because he won’t be there. Peters crowd will lose so many voters to National now that NZ First won’t be in Parliament. Which is good. Why?

      You’re not telling us that National supporters who went berserk when Peters went the right way, stuck pins in effigies of him and said prayers that he would be doomed and destroyed would suddenly want to take him into their bosom? Surely that would be like eating their own two day old vomit for breakfast.

  29. http://norightturn.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-new-leader-of-national-party.html

    And if any of ’em lose their seat, there’ll always be a place at the local Harcourts Real Estate franchise.

    It really is time for the gNatz to reinvent themselves. Matty Hooter is running out of excuses and spin, and even the old trad Nats like Spud and McKinnon and others could conduct a better jumble sale than the current crop (plus I think they’ve all still got their hair – which might turn out to be just as good a way of selecting Nat Party candidates).
    If Todd Muller is their answer, they’ve been asking the wrong questions – but that’s to be expected. Slight improvement but not really a future you’d wish on your kids unless you were a fundy god botherer into sacrifice in the name of the Lord.

    I hope we’re not expected to feel any sympathy for Bridges and Bennett are we? I mean Paula can always reinvent herself as a reality TV or talk show host doing celebrity endorsements for the Caci Clinic on the side and Soimon is a little street fighter with all the street creds to match. And even if all that turns to shit there’s always the Destiny Church

    • At least if National members lose they can get another well paid job as all are business people with a lot to give any firm. What job would Twyford and his mates be up for .

      • Erm , a lot of Labour , Green and NZ First members and including caucus were/ are successful business people so,…kinda circular argument there…

        • yes – jobs with their Chinese benefactors they have helped enrich at the expense of ordinary New Zealanders – Jenny Shipley – Don Brash – Ruth Richardson – Tremaine – Judith Collins – even your old mate John Key has a directorship of some Chinese owned company – What are Todd Barclay and Aaron Gilmore up to ?- top talent there – would have been snapped up

      • @Trevor Sennitt, you say …
        “At least if National members lose they can get another well paid job as all are business people with a lot to give any firm.”

        Err … not quite true. There’s Paula Bennett, virtually a life long state dependent, including right now!

  30. I don’t think we are “diverse and small”. IMO, the greater majority of NZers are dense & small(minded). One just needs to look at the majority response to all the COVID-19 BS (NZRN writing) to confirm this truth. Self-contaminated, non-needed masks; gloves (for whose “protection”?) For some light on the issues, read: Russel Blaylock: Face Masks Pose Serious Risks to the Healthy

    • You’ve gone down a rabbit hole there unfortunately. Russell Blaylock makes his money out of conspiracy theories.

      “Blaylock has retired from neurosurgery and has taken up a career opposing science-based medicine and promoting pseudoscience-based medicine and supplements that he sells under the label Brain Repair Formula. He suggests that his supplements can treat and prevent such diseases as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. He asserts that his formula “will maximize your brain’s ability to heal and reduce inflammation.” The rest of the scientific community seems oblivious to these claims, which are not based on large-scale clinical trials. Blaylock also sells hope to cancer patients by encouraging them to believe he has found the secret to prevention and cure”

      I have a real bugbear about people who make their money selling snakeoil-type cures to people in a most horrifically vulnerable position.

  31. Reading your high suit poetical prose, Martyn, I think all that will be left of us is the haze of delightful words. Sorry I didn’t work it 3 x a day like you.

    This is 1939 x 100. Flumping stomachs don’t mean. Distinctly NOT you, nor me for that matter. Despite both of us … Just the prosperous’s view of their right to carry on in comfort.

    Hope you’re getting out — it’s always my sovereign cure.

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