Welcome to Inside Politics. It has been a difficult week for Christopher Luxon because, contrary to suggestions, it is very unusual for leadership questions to be put openly and repeatedly to a Prime Minister, as they have been this week. But strong responses from Luxon, National deputy Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop have put a lid on them for the rest of the year.
There has been one important outcome, however, and that is that Bishop can be considered the principal alternative to Luxon, if it came to it.
There will be no coup. That would ensure a landslide defeat for the party.
But in the unlikely event that National’s polling hit the mid-20s next year, Luxon would be likely to step aside. And Bishop has become the most likely to succeed him in such circumstances.
When an establishment hack like Audrey Young is providing a clear exit for Luxon, it’s all over rover.
Her slavish devotion to National and its leader are well mocked…
…so the leadership question is now acknowledged and National dropping into the 20s is the catalyst.
The issue now is who the factions will support.
Remember, Luxon didn’t win because he was the best candidate, it was a last ditch revenge move by Judith to spite Simon Bridges for the role as she threw her votes behind Luxon.
So the factions are still bitter with each other on top of the 9 MPs about to be sacrificed for his economic incompetence.
It can’t just be Luxon, it also has to be Nicola because it’s her economic agenda that has crashed National as much as Luxon’s fecklessness.
So Nicola AND Luxon have to be removed.
Bishop will be Finance and meaning the Leader has to be Auckland based.
The leader can’t be Erica Stanford because she has too many skeletons that will be outed under Parliamentary Privilege.
It can’t be Simeon Brown because he’s a man child who isn’t taken seriously and who is loathed for destroying Public Health.
Louise Upston is the factional compromise with the argument being that she is from Taupo which is close enough to Auckland for South Island National Party conservatives.
If National really wanted to win, they would consider Chris Penk as leader.
He is Auckland based, he is funny, clever, has charisma and can actually get shit done.
With even Audrey is turning her back on Luxon, it’s only a matter of time now.
If National want to win the next election, they would make Chris Penk the leader
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No, they would give voting rights to non-citizens… oh, wait…
Jack Sisterhood. I quit. We know I think. It seems as if ‘Jack’ has two thoughts about everything and they are diverging. Split why don’t you. Are you bro/sis to Jacqueline and funzing?
Is this the guy that’s about to bring us the sequel to ‘Leaky Buildings’……..’LEAKY BUILDINGS 2’..
Yes…Tim Tam …it is… he’s a dumb as as they come. .no critical thinking available in that brain …a typical Lawyer.
What a disaster that is all going to turn out to be …Maurice Williamson mark 2…..and it just highlights the desperation playing out behind closed doors..
Idiocy …within the National Party …has no bounds.
You think the Nats would put an actual conservative in charge? Have you lost your mind, Martyn? They’re a neoliberal party, not a conservative party.
I don’t know much about him, but I don’t like his choice of friends.
Too many bad apples in that barrel.
National don’t want to win the election – their crap about Labour debt has lost resonance with voters, and they’ll lose, & fall back on the Dead Parrot defence of their economic failure.
“You stunned it, just as it were waking up!” They’ll squawk as the left Coalition rakes through the munted remnants of NZ’s economy, looking for anything salvageable.
Landslide assured for the Right with the economy improving at rapid speed and while Chippy leads Labour.