National Party imploding

Judith Collins - National Party leader

You could almost guarantee that the National Party was going to become even more fractured under the leadership of Judith Collins. She is perhaps the most divisive and toxic politician currently in Parliament, and has been involved in some of the nastiest political hit jobs New Zealand has ever seen.

So it’s little wonder the wheels are coming off. What is surprising however is that National are disintegrating this close to the election. One can only assume that the resentment felt towards Crusher is overriding any sense of duty National MPs feel towards their own party.

The current leader certainly isn’t doing herself any favours by failing to quell dissent. In fact Crusher’s arrogance and grating style, along with the realisation that they’re going to badly lose the election, has likely stoked the fires of rebellion, which couldn’t have come at a worse time for the beleaguered blue “team”.

Today, Newshub reported:

Leak: Some in National say the writing is on the wall - they'll lose the election

ANALYSIS: Newshub has been told by some in the National Party there’s a sense the writing is on the wall; that National is going to lose this election. 

Newshub was told if that happens, Judith Collins being rolled is a case of when, not if. So although she says she wants to stay on, some in National feel very differently.

There’s growing frustration in the caucus. There’s a degree of pre-positioning for the next leadership contest, but the fact it’s happening now - so close to an election rather than afterwards - is about as bad as it gets.

Contrast Collins’ shambles of a campaign with the Labour Party leader's excellent electioneering. On the back of some well executed policy announcements and the lifting of Auckland’s COVID lockdown to alert level one, Jacinda Ardern has made a comprehensive argument for reelection at the Press Leaders’ Debate. By my count this makes it two debate draws and a win to Ardern, who is clearly now taking things in her stride.

In my opinion, there’s simply no contest to decide who should lead New Zealand for the next three years. The National Party under the jackboot of Judith Collins is anything but a team, while the cohesive Labour Party is continuing to build on their previous successes through competent leadership.