I listened to the first parliamentary question that Christopher Luxon asked of Jacinda Ardern today. Parliamentary questions are a really good test of people’s ability to be agile and intelligent. Basically, a questioner can ask as many questions as they like, to try and make the point. Luxon asked many. The exchange went as follows (summarised and abridged by me):
CL: Why did it take so long (21 months/since the beginning of the pandemic, etc) for the government to announce funding for a whole lot of new ICU beds?
JA: Well unlike other countries our strategy always focused on minimising and eliminating the Covid so that extra ICU beds would not be needed. Lowest rate of Covid in OECD, lowest hospitalisation rates, lowest death rates etc.
CL: Yes but you could have done it sooner…
JA: Well there is little point in putting new beds in place until you have trained staff – you need five nurses for every one ICU bed. That is what we have been doing. And the new beds have not been needed yet. Oh yes and hopefully they won’t be in the future because we also have the highest vaccination rates in the OECD, so there.
CL: You’d rather fund a cull of wallabies than ICU beds
JA: We are a full service government. We have not needed the new ICU beds to date and I hope we never do.
CL: Yes, but why did it take 21 long months…. 21… months…
JA: (yawn)
And so on. In short, there was nothing in his first question as leader to indicate the confident, aspirational and prosperous future he signalled as National leader. On the other hand, he was very nervous and stuck extremely closely to his script (which he mislaid at one point). He may improve.
In terms of a score out of ten, it was a one. It simply became another showcase for Jacinda to outline the success of her government’s Covid policies in world terms. His repetitive questions failed to acknowledge her responses at all. It was as if she hadn’t answered. Jacinda on the other hand was undoubtedly a ten.
National under Luxon is going to have to do a lot better than this. The tactic of repeating and repeating a question is not a bright one – it is a stupid one, unless the question is being deflected or not answered. It came across as bullying, frankly.
There is also a gender politics here. I expect that Christopher Luxon is more used to dealing with men than with women. Ignoring answers she (clearly) provides opens him up to criticism that he does not listen to women. His blokishness (my dictionary says this is another neologism – that’s two for two!) would not matter so much if he was up against a bloke (the more familiar “mine is bigger than yours” approach), but he needs to adjust his style when dealing with Jacinda. (Sorry, too many brackets) (again).
His team would have sat down in the morning and planned out his first question. It would be fair to say their inexperience showed. Asking a set-piece question about a potential shortage of beds, when a policy to mitigate the risk had already been announced, was pretty dim.
He should probably have asked about the likely increase of Covid numbers throughout the country in early 2022, and predictions for Covid-related deaths. Not sure – some researcher would be onto that. But something that worries and concerns people and has real resonance for the future.
Bomber has let us know that we can “keep writing, comrades” for a little while yet, so I will attempt an end-of-year retrospective soon.
Dr Liz Gordon is a researcher and a barrister, with interests in destroying neo-liberalism in all its forms and moving towards a socially just society. She usually blogs on justice, social welfare and education topics.
It appears uncle Fester has borrowed Bridges’ advisors. 1/10 is harsh – it was a 4/10 must try harder effort. Forget covid – target the indefensible such as housing, crime and the Treaty.
Its not covid that will lose the next election it’s everything else.
Agreed, I think they need new strategists. Leave Covid alone for a bit, ignore the Pm in question time and start trying to pick holes in the more vulnerable places, The ministers for Homelessness, Housing, Police and Immigration would be good places to start.
Much to my amusement, Luxon is trying to target the competence of the Ministry for Everything – which is a bit rich since it was others of his ilk that created that bugger’s muddle (the failed zoologist of Novapay fame and his sidekick Coleman). Having said that though, big shame Labour didn’t do anything about it from the get go
I am wondering how much glue is actually needed to stick things broken since Shipley & co…(I.T. glue that is)
Cricklewood Agree, but this is politics, not philanthropy, and he has to get Auckland (and NZ) on side, and politically exploiting the Covid is the way to go for Auckland; there’s been no great number of deaths, so he does the “what if’s”; Aucklanders are vulnerable at the moment after all their lockdowns, and the money-focused would accommodate dyings in lieu of lockdowns, so there’s a bit of cunning here.
Housing and child poverty eg would have been a more socially responsible way to go, but trickier when both were exacerbated by the National Party itself, and both affect only the expendables.
Does Luxon get two points for arranging for a limo to get to Parliament from his apartment, one for finding out where the Chamber is and the last one for remembering why he was there?
The limo. The reactions in the various groups:
1. Those who rightfully are astounded, appalled, or perplexed.
2. Those who think/thought, “Way to go, Christopher, you’re our boy!”
3. The vast majority who didn’t know, didn’t care or it simply didn’t cause a thought.
So Luxon fumbles and it is the lead news. Ardern lies about the inflation rate (claiming it is 2.2% when it is actually 4.5%) and not a sliver of a mention in any news item.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA2112/S00049/jacinda-wouldnt-know-inflation-if-it-blew-up-in-her-face.htm
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/inflation-highest-in-over-a-decade
The old gender bias card is played as often as the race card these days. Perhaps Dr Gorden could write a precis that sets out the rules for men to be able to talk to women? Does Ardern really need the defense of the gender card? Says more about her than Luxon.
The repetitive questions are asked as Ardern does not answer any of them. The perception outside the beltway is she wont and the repeated same questions reinforce that. I guess the beltway see repetitive questions and the non answers as a negative, wider NZL sees deflection, shyness for the truth, connivance and wokeness.
Yes Gerrit.
“opens him up to criticism that he does not listen to women. His blokishness would not matter so much if he was up against a bloke”
I suspect that he will inevitably be accused of being a misogynistic, sexist bully regardless. The accusations, the words, the incantations are the weapons of choice in the same way that “racist” is used to quell any genuine discussion in that area. Bill English, on their TV encounters, was quite deferential, quite the gentleman, to Jacinda Ardern. I don’t think it helped; better to treat JA like a man, go hard and go early, as they say.
I suspect most reasonably intelligent Kiwis can see through this manufactured weaponisation of words.
Gerrit. I agree, using the gender card is pushing things and unrealistic. This, alas , alas , alas, is part of the tiresome legacy of the Greens who see penises – or a lack thereof – wherever they go. Wise men always listen to men, and the guy’s not a lunatic – or a monk.
Correction : “ Wise men always listen to women”, not men.
Ardern is not the Reserve bank Governor or the Minister of Finance.
Luxon flopped…he doesn’t even know what the minimum wage is ,hasn’t done his homework.
Seymour is the one getting hits as per your inflation story.
Does Ardern really need … ? Does a rational analysis of Ardern and what she knows have to come from an ACT press release?
The latest quarterly inflation rate is…
2.2%.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/consumers-price-index-september-2021-quarter
Normally inflation rate is quantified as a yearly sum. Very “cute” to quote a quarter result that if extrapulated to a full year equals 8.8%.
This what I mean by Ardern shymess to tell the truth. Problem for her is those at the checkout counters kmow iflation is very much higher than the Ardern “cuteness” figures. Not a good look.
She is either being deliberately misleading, or she does not know that inflation figure are yearly ones. he reserve bank always quotes their KPI inflation figure as a yearly summary one. Quaterly figures are just running totals. A primarly KPI that a PM should have at their finger tips is the yearly inflation rate. No if, buts or maybe’s.
2.2% 4.5 and now 8.8% – where did that come from? Seems you are all over the shop with your statistics Gerrit. Not a good look when you are slagging off someone who obviously knew what she was talking about.
The “questions” of Luxon highlighted a list of 0/10 performances he delivered yesterday. Grant Robertson was asked earlier in the day by media about Bridges and Luxon. The response was as follows “Robertson, who had described National’s approach to managing the nation’s books as resembling the “Bermuda Triangle”.
“I’ve heard often from National Party members that they want to spend more money. I’ve also heard that they want to cut taxes, and I’ve also heard that they want to cut debt. Mr Luxon’s policy continues to be stuck in that fiscal Bermuda Triangle, and he will have to find his way out of that,” Robertson said on his way into the Labour Party caucus.
Robertson is always respectful but insightful in his comments. He also clearly has a very good understanding of finance. Any comments he makes in this all important area have earned respect.
Luxon dismissed Robertson’s criticism.
“Grant Robertson trying to lecture Simon Bridges or myself for that matter on the economy is something I won’t listen to,” he said.
That highlights a very high level of arrogance from Luxon, the very thing many believe epitomizes the man and a large window into what sort of National Party leader he will be.
His performance at question time was embarrassing. A boy in men’s underpants desperately grasping for traction but slipping further down the mountain every time he spoke. I recall a job interview I experienced some years ago. Before the preset questions were asked, I confirmed I had worked on my own for the previous 20 years. I had no work colleagues but felt I’d work well in a team environment.
The first preset question was about work colleagues and for me to explain how I reacted when a person disrespected a colleague. I explained again I had no work colleagues but what I would do.
Second question again related to what a work colleague had done and how I handled it. The next 5 questions all related to how I’d managed something a colleague had done. At no point did they factor in I had no work colleagues and had repeatedly told them that fact. They had a script and weren’t capable of varying from the script. I fed that back to them later.
That farcical interview was relived yesterday watching Luxon. If you can gain forty four thousand dollars in equity from one investment property every week for the previous 52 weeks but be blissfully unaware of that fact, how can we expect him to be aware the PM had already chewed his feeble repetitive script questions up and spat them out?
Luxon was the obvious choice to become the new National Party leader but context is very important on that score. Look who they had to choose from. Luxon will never be the PM. He will perform better than Judith Collins but that’s hardly a glowing recommendation.
One reason for Luxon’s repeating himself could be that he was trying to goad or nag the PM into becoming angry – it sounds like the sort of whining which bratty children do. Drunks do it too – keep repeating themselves over and over.
A picture is building up of Mr Luxon. One that suggests he is superior for a variety of reasons, and also because he’s a man. Will be interesting to see how this pans out.
I kind of disagree,.. primarily that the left have always criticized the underfunding and damage to infrastructure, with the argument that neo liberalism has tried to privatize health care and with insufficient taxation to force the issue,…obviously I don’t think National gives two hoots about the system perse’, because if they did they wouldn’t have let it run down so badly. But its a valid question, and needs to be asked, – why were/are we so badly without staff and adequate ICU’s for say, an emergency?
White Island comes to mind, it could easily happen. The Christchurch earthquake, it could have been much, much worse. I also think its a little unfair to criticize Luxon as ‘more used to dealing with men than with women’, as I’m sure there were / are many women in high positions at say, Air NZ, and other organizations. Anyways, that’s my opinion as it appears for now, just a thought.
I disagree with you Liz.
I am not a fan of Luxon but for a first attempt at the helm yesterday, I thought he looked capable and sounded confident…far better than moaning Chucky Doll was.
Geez Labour might finally have some real competition in the debating chamber now.
Agree, Dr G!
The media today have gone all sycophantic over CL’s clumsy QT performance.
Luke Malpass in the DomPost wrote CL at QT was a “Success” and “Mostly assured” – really? Not at the QT that I watched yesterday. CL was like an over-excited, bumbling schoolboy asking naive, repetitive questions.
And National Radio (how well-named), got two right-wing commentators giving their predictable ‘opinions’ on CL at QT – Ben Thomas and Brigit Morten – who each gave him an overly-generous 7/10.
Where’s the balanced commentary, Nat Radio? Sadly, NATIONAL Radio is well-named.
That balance is vital in media now, especially as that the new CEO of Mediaworks, Cam Wallace, is ‘out’ as a known close friend of CL.
“ It came across as bullying frankly.” Wrong. This is not bullying. It is a standard parliamentary interaction. Describing it as bullying minimises what – often powerless – persons in bullying situations have to endure.
I think he could at least stop saying “you know” to preface his replies when he’s under pressure.
If he ever gets to be prime he’ll be a f$$%ing embarrassment when representing us overseas. Jacinda isn’t perfect but at least she can speak English.
Oh and “criteria ” is plural not singular Mr Luxon. “What is the criteria for opening up Auckland ” – it’s “What ARE the criteria “. Ok not a huge mistake but one assumes a certain amount of literacy in a future PM.
Reminds me of George Dubya Bush: “What is our children learning?”
Criteria and Media are both plural. But the word ‘Media’ is often put with ‘is’.
One criterion, two criteria.
One Medium, two media.
How many times can Ardern dodge scrutiny by simply saying “I refute that question” and sitting down?
To refute means you provide arguments; she doesn’t. And Mallard never pulls her up.
The transitive verb refute also means to deny or contradict (a statement or accusation) or say that a statement is not true or accurate without giving proof.
Thanks Kat – words are so plastic and often elastic.
Somewhere up ahead we are going to need more ICU beds and many more trained ICU and other nursing staff. And, better sooner than later.
It will be tragic if somewhere down the track our already overworked nurses have to start making the hard calls as to who to save and who to let go. We need to be better prepared for that, now.
See- more and Luxon said our hospitals aren’t being overwhelmed so why are they at red in Auckland. Yet they aren’t overwhelmed due to high vaccination rates and if they were we would never cope just like the UK, Australia and many of our other allies. Our hospital can barely cope now with daily functioning we are in the rebuilding process and like many other occupations we have two choices either train NZers which takes time or bring in thousands which also takes time. We need many houses and we must improve our infrastructure. Our government has saved many lives and soon they will lift their game to deliver in other much needed areas including but not limited to improving child poverty.
Doctor Shane has been delegated the task of reconstructive very plastic surgery after Jude’s attempt at circumcision. John Key will oversee the attempt and no expense will be spared.
Dickheads unite!
yawn – didn’t even have to watch it to know it would be dull and uninspiring. same old same old conservative what about me tripe.
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