GUEST BLOG: Ross Meurant – NATIONAL’S PROBLEM? FISH ROTS FOM THE HEAD.
“We did not just lose, we got hammered,” Smith told the National Party faithful in Nelson. “It was our worst result since 2002.”
A drop-in support nationally from 44.4 per cent in 2017 to 25.6 per cent in 2020 was “a reminder of how poorly we have done”.
Astonishing sagacity enunciated by former Nelson MP, Nic Smith – a member of the once renowned Brat Pack of National, when I was a National MP.
What Nic Smith omits to mention is that he was dumped by his electorate.
Dumped big time.
Labour’s Rachel Boyack cruised in with over 3,500 vote majority.
That electorate vote, by any measure, delivered a clear signal to the incumbent.
In his critique of the election results via Stuff, Mr Smith focuses on his view of where ‘the Party’ failed. Mr Smith does not focus on why – he failed.
There may however, be a hidden message in his statement:
“My view is also the retirements that we had also contributed to a lack of confidence in the ability for National to go forward.”
That hidden message being: “The Party needs me back in the House because I am one of the few remaining dinosaurs who have defied Darwin’s theory of evolution?”
Unfortunately, I am drawn to conclude that Mr Smith considers that he is indispensable.
What I consider to be most disturbing for the National party; is that Mr Smith has availed himself to the protection of a higher List placing and will return to parliament in spite of his former Electorate’s assessment of his performance and acceptability to remain as their representative. (The party vote also deserted National.)
As a former National MP of 9 years and former supporter (however this past election I voted Labour – along with a host of other Natz- according to the Statz); it is my view that National must rebuild.
I considered that there was nothing in National – from policy to politicians – which appealed. Blind fealty is not my cuppa.
National must Rebuild.
Rebuild from the top down – for as the saying goes: Fish rots from the head.
A new Board – devoid of pressures from Michelle Boag and her fraternity.
A new president.
That Board must focus on a candidate selection process which gives power back to Electorates over the Party making up the delegate voter numbers which (invariably – in my assessment) ensures the Prime Minister or Board, install their preferred electorate candidate – which undermined the democratic process.
Afterall! The Board have carte blanche when it comes to the List selections.
Oh!
And retaining Nic Smith as a List MP when his retirement would begin the process of bringing in new blood on the List?
You make your own assessment of where lies Mr Smith’s loyalty.
Ross Meurant, graduate in politics both at university and as Member of Parliament; formerly police inspector in charge of Auckland police spies; currently Honorary consul for an African state and is an international businessman.
I’m starting to wonder if the ACT party is about to replace the nationalists as the repository for the defenders of the colonial power structure, with all the privilages and blanket protection the last bunch of self serving Jackals were given by NZ’s poor excuse for a fourth estate…
I don’t believe that either party has the answers to any of what ails NZ, as It was them who drove the final nail into the coffin of NZ’s egalitarian “experiment”.. That “experiment” was responsible for NZ evolving into a genuine first world country, with genuine opportunity for anyone, regardless of their origins, to achieve their full potential… The nats, and the ACTors, did nothing but farm out the profits to their sponsors, and put financial barriers in place that have made it almost impossible to get out of the poverty traps they laid for those on the bottom rungs of the social ladder… Indeed, we are only now starting to roll back some of the worst aspects of the treachery of the natiionalists.. It will be years of battle before we get back some sort of balance…
Excellent Ross. Smith also seems to be saying that the National Party not only needs him but also all his other old self-entitled cronies who appeal to National’s older self-entitled ignorant supporters for his misconceived idea that he and these others will provide stability and progress for National and for the country. What he doesn’t realise in his blinkered arrogance is that New Zealand said loudly and clearly that they have had enough of National with its archaic and dinosaurus attitudes. National will go nowhere as long as it has Smith and his cronies., including the divisive Collins, imposing their will on the party and on the country.
In announcing the new deputy leader, Collins said that she was re-elected as leader and will stay on in that position. Her statement about herself simply shows what a complete shambles National is in. I would have thought that if the election result was not enough to unseat her, the loss of two further seats after the counting of the special votes should have seen her gone almost immediately but no, Brownlee is shoved forward to take “some” responsibility for the loss and she spouts on about rebuilding the party and now they plan to to on a road-show around the country asking their supporters for their ideas as to where they went wrong and what they can do to re-build.
Reminds me of the child’s poem about Humpty-Dumpty where all the kings horses and all the kings men couldn’t put Humpty together again. Talking of which, this should also apply to Humpty Dumpty Trumpty (Trump) – but that is another story.
You forgot to say they need a new leader.
Andrew Bayly to number 3!
And that’s going to fix the rot?
A next door neighbour (to Crusher) MP for those who never heard of him.
Birds of a feather?
Goldsmith made a blunder but the National back room research team are the cause.
Yet, she dumps one of the few who can read a balance sheet?
If ability to read a balance sheet is not a pre-requisite, next thing you know Jenny Shipley and Doug Graham will be back on the List (That’s Jenny of Mainzeal infamy and Doug of Lombard catastrophe)
Plus de change, plus de meme choses….I hear a lot of people voted for Labour thinking their non binding referenda would be honoured in spirit, which they are obviously not going to be, and now Democracy lies dying at the gates of the new Technocracy which few people seem to have noticed has taken the world in it’s teeth and has only just begun shaking it. Feet on the ground will need to be strong and steady as she goes, Cap’n.