Disappointed and Let Down

When the Left Turn On Their Own It's Never Pretty

Duncan Garner
Stuff

OPINION: This wasn't how the charm offensive was meant to end. No way.

The script had been written for the prime minister: Smile, wave to the trainspotters who need a selfie to prove they were there, then remind everyone in business of the real economic stats that show things are largely tracking OK despite the slump in confidence from the guys driving the latest fancy cars.

So far so good.

The PM's detail would then serve up the smoked salmon between the whining and endless wish lists from business while the PM was reminding herself NOT to mention the evil little tax working group if asked.

That group is likely to target money or success, whichever come first. Please don't tell business of their intentions as it may actually affect confidence levels again. Oh, too late, it's slumped again.

Why? I'll come to that shortly but prepare yourselves to blame Labour. What a debacle of their own making.


The aim of this week was to effectively arrest the narrative back into the positive, to draw a line under, through, around, whichever way works, this winter of concern if not discontent.

How did that go? Disastrous. What a bloody mess  By the end of the week, Labour was further behind than when they'd started out.  I put this down to a few crucial things.

Labour's ministers are struggling. Not all of them. They have a handful who get it. The rest are pretenders and threaten the stability of the Government itself.   They are not match-fit and simply lack the experience or smarts to be players in the big dance.

Meka Whaitiri's career is in tatters. What minister even in their worst moment thinks it might be OK  to allegedly shove a staff member when all is not well. We haven't heard the last of what happened either, remembering these are only allegations at this stage.

Jacinda Ardern acted swiftly to stand Whaitiri down. She had no choice. But her lax treatment of Clare Curran was weak and makes her look like a prime minister who is afraid to be too tough on her own.  Helen Clark was never afraid to bare her teeth especially if it meant eating alive one of her own. Ardern is far less hungry and confident on that front.

Curran is lucky to still be a minister, albeit outside Cabinet.  Her sneaky approach to being the Minister of Open Government reeks of entitlement and arrogance. She should be on the backbench. She has failed the transparency test and kept information from the public, Parliament and the prime minister. How on earth can she be trusted or believed as broadcasting minister?

Almost a year into this Government I don't see a plan, I see pockets of progress and hordes of committees.

The Pike River re-entry is a model in how to respect the dead and treat their families with dignity.  On the flip side, leaving gravely ill Abby Hartley in Bali to battle her insurer to get home looks cold and callous, not compassionate and caring. When did the dollar trump common sense and concern for people so ill.

Ardern needs to give her team the talk of their life. Again. And she needs to use her powerful warrant. If one of her people must be sacrificed, so be it. Off with their head.

All this is such a distraction to the real progress. Did you know the first KiwiBuild home hits the market this weekend? Only 99,999 to go.