MEDIAWATCH: What Thomas Coughlan misses in National Party Leadership speculation

The week the National coup rumour went into overdrive – Thomas Coughlan

Bored MPs, trapped at Parliament with nothing but a whiskey bottle to keep them company, are liable to talk. This talking is even more dangerous because the Parliament bar, Pint of Order (now better known by the sick-making acronym Poo – did no one think of that?) is not required to stay open when Parliament is sitting, a change made some years ago, but which continues to rankle MPs and journalists.

MPs go back to their offices and talk. There’s only one thing National MPs are talking about this week, and it’s the challenged position of the Government: behind in some polls, and no longer trusted on the economy.

Commentary has shifted negatively, giving MPs plenty to talk about. Conversation inevitably shifts to one topic: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s leadership.

Actually it was The Daily Blog who started the rumours last week…

The leadership whispers against Luxon have begun

…one of the most important rules in NZ Political Journalism is to never admit you read The Daily Blog (we can see you ISP addresses) and never admitting we were the source of anything.

We know backbench National MPs are doing the phone calls.

The struggle is that it can’t just be Luxon, it has to be Nicola as well because it’s her economic pathway that is destroying them.

Much of this plotting was done at Jim Bolger’s funeral ironically.

REMEMBER Luxon was appointed as the final curse from Judith Collins telling her followers to back Luxon over Bridges as a final FU to Simon.

Luxon was appointed leader by the worst elements of National.

Here are the issues for a leadership spill.

It can’t be Erica because of her skeletons.

30 seconds after her first speech as leader there would be questions form the floor using Parliamentary privilege the would immediately cause a political nuclear detonation.

Bishop has to be Finance Minister (those claiming Willis and Bish have a deep friendship don’t appreciate how little that means for a power hungry former tobacco lobbyist), and the leader will be a compromise candidate, Louise Upston.

The redirection would be to a big spending Jim Bolger type of decent society twist while building more houses on urban transit zones.

The danger for the spiller’s is would ACT and NZF take that as a reason to quit the Coalition and go to the polls early.

This final issue is the only thing holding up the challenge.

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