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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Except that Penk will be reading here and has to know about —
Luxon, RESIGN
and
Arrest Peters Gunn Tekahika
and Penk has a conscience?
Collins is the bed maker, so it has to be her.
Yes, it has to be Collins.
Then if ‘you know what happens’ she would be there to help guide whoever is leading what we are presently doing, then.
We know she’s like that, I think. And it might be quite easy to discern good and bad from within close quarters.
I will try and listen to the whole Sean&Judith piece.
She can’t retire, unless I quit. That would be admitting she’s not in The Sisterhood with me (or even much much worse).
Is this the guy that’s about to bring us the sequel to ‘Leaky Buildings’……..’LEAKY BUILDINGS 2’..