Chris Bishop says he’s not plotting to roll Christopher Luxon
Senior National MP and minister Chris Bishop has categorically denied plotting a leadership challenge, insisting that Christopher Luxon remains the best person to be prime minister.
Speculation surrounding the prospect of a coup has intensified in the past week given dissatisfaction within the National caucus after a series of worrying polls.
Addressing reporters at Parliament on Tuesday, Bishop said he was “definitely not” planning to roll Luxon as leader and dismissed the commentary as people “interviewing their typewriters”.
Asked if he could give a firm commitment that Luxon would remain prime minister through to the election, Bishop responded simply: “yes”.
Rumours are swirling that if there is a leadership spill that Chris Bishop will replace Finance Minister Nicola Willis. Chris Bishop says he’s best friends with Nicola Willis but do Tobacco Lobbyists ever know what friendship is?
E Tu Bish?
The Prime Minister has stated that Nicola Willis is the best finance minister New Zealand’s ever going to have.
Not, the best right now, not the top 5 from the last 20 years, but the best of all time including all future space time until the second coming of Christ.
According to the Prime minister, Jesus Christ himself wouldn’t be a better Finance Minister.
The Finance Minister Nicola Willis says that the $14 billion in tax cuts were not borrowed, yet this Government is projected to borrow $120billion. Add to that the $2.9billion for landlords, $300million for tobacco, $200million for Gas and Oil and the extra billion for cancelling the IREX Ferry contract and core Crown net debt is reported at about NZ$180 billion (which is already well above $120 billion previously budgeted for).
If that is the harvest from the best finance minister New Zealand’s ever going to have, what would bad look like?
If National crash as hard as they look like they might, they will lose 20% of their Caucus, that’s a lot of Backbench MPs scrambling and TDB knows those phone calls are happening.
The way this game is played is the usurpers are never part of the process, the ringleaders do the numbers and present it. Bish can honestly say he’s got nothing to do with anything, and that will be true to a point, because it’s the agitators who are driving this fission now.
If the Economy suddenly turns the corner and life is measurably better in the next 3months, Luxon will hold on, but if it stagnates or God forbid fall backwards, there will be a realisation that they are doomed and have nothing to lose.
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Sir Bill English says that Luxon will be leading into the election although given the past English election results that sounds more like the kiss of death to me. While it would be great to get rid of the current government I’m not convinced on any of the alternatives yet. Hoping that they are not as bad is not really a ringing endorsement.
Loyalty doesn’t come into it. Of course no one wants the position of PM when Luxon is rolled – they are all running for cover! I also couldn’t believe the article ’30 with Guyon Espiner: Sir Bill English believes Christopher Luxon will lead National to election victory!’ What the hell was Espiner thinking, supporting this garbage? Does he not wish to protect this already declining media status? Following the National “Lying leaflet” AKA the “BS blue brochure”, jam packed with misinformation and wishful thinking, why would Espiner stick his neck out? This ‘head in sand’ RW attitude is already their undoing so if they continue down this fated path they will massively implode. Bring it on NOW!
Of course, Bill English will endorse Luxon he will have government contracts his daughter’s social investment business would have got millions (to experiment with the poor) and he got a big cheque for crapping on Kainga Ora with his almost half a million-dollar bullshit report using emergency housing money for the poor so what do you expect Bill to say.