Luxon keeps contradicting himself

What is it about right wing leaders thinking they can fit their narrative to whatever audience is in front of them? It’s almost like they aren’t aware of how modern day reporting works. Or perhaps they think they can simply bluff their way out of any given sticky situation they’ve created for themselves.

A prime example of this was on display last Monday when newbie National Party leader Christopher Luxon told a predominantly right wing audience that he would get tough on people he described as bottom feeders, namely beneficiaries who’re living in state houses. I’m sure this beneficiary bashing went down well amongst Newstalk ZB listeners, but if Twitter and Facebook are anything to go by the majority of people who keep an eye on politics these days certainly didn’t think his comments were appropriate.

Luxon then did a backflip during an interview with John Campbell where he attempted to explain away his divisive comments. He even claimed that he was all for increasing benefits to ensure people reach their potential. However, after listening to Luxon’s initial interview and considering his previous fervour while attacking impoverished Kiwi’s, Luxon’s claim that he now cared about “bottom feeders” clearly needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

On Wednesday, 1 News reported:

Christopher Luxon explains his 'bottom feeding' comments

Breakfast's John Campbell questioned Luxon about his comments in the bulk of their interview - nine minutes to be exact - on Wednesday.

In part of his interview with Kerre McIvor on Monday, Luxon had said: "I've got to be honest to all of your listeners. This is a fantastic country. This is the best country on planet Earth, but we have to determine we want to realise our maximum potential economically, socially and environmentally, and we want to be a place everyone can flourish. And if you want to have a go and you want to make something of yourself, we don't just do bottom feeding and just focus on the bottom, we focus on people who want to be positive and ambitious and aspirational and confident, right?"

The comments made it to Twitter and Reddit.

Asked first off who he has aspiration for and who he wants to lift up, Luxon responded: "My general theme is look I think we've been playing quite a small, negative, inward, fearful game and I think New Zealand is a place that's about confidence, ambition, aspiration, going forward. I'm ambitious for every New Zealander. I want all New Zealanders to be able to flourish in this country. I want everybody to realise their potential and that's what we're here to do."

Replaying Luxon his Newstalk ZB comments, Campbell then asked him what he meant by "bottom feeding".

"My general theme there, John, was exactly what I just talked about before which was saying - look we want to have confidence, ambition, aspiration for all New Zealanders and we've got to celebrate that. It's important we celebrate that. What I was meaning there was the fact that the reality is we actually believe and want to help everybody who's doing it tough in this country as well and so we've got to care deeply about everybody."

The problem for Luxon and the National Party is that he’s obviously losing his credibility by explaining. Lux Flakes might be getting a bit of media attention, but he’s also offending both right and left wing voters with such mealy-mouthed indecisive statements. Instead he should stick to one statement concerning what the National Party would stand for under his leadership and not attempt to back track all the time.

We witnessed Luxon doing exactly the same thing in regards to his comments about wanting women who require abortions to be jailed and treated like murderers. After a backlash, he then miraculously changed his fundamentalist belief system. It would therefore appear that the new blue “team” leader is attempting to play both sides of the field and failing miserably! Similarly, John Key would often score own goals by using this dishonest tactic while trying to illicit public support. In fact this questionable method was a major component leading up to Key’s resignation and National losing the 2017 election.

So instead of making contentious claims or aspirational statements that he later sweeps into the bin, Luxon should come up with some actual budgeted policy ideas that don’t simply copy policy the Labour Government has already, or intends to, announce. We need to see a plan of how the National Party proposes to govern New Zealand for them to be considered a viable alternative. Because at the moment all we’re hearing are the unreliable words of someone who appears to be a complete political novice.

Remembering SiBri

It probably won’t even register with most Kiwis that Simon Bridges, who was once leader of the National Party, has resigned. Even with a biased mainstream media promoting him above his station and numerous scandals besmirching his career, Bridges was a largely nondescript and forgettable MP. I mean what exactly did this guy achieve while in power or opposition? Anything? He certainly failed to build anywhere near enough bridges, both figuratively and metaphorically speaking. That’s why it would be beneficial to remind readers about who exactly Simon Bridges was and what he truly stood for.

Bridges, who has cited family reasons and commercial opportunities for taking the wind out of National’s sail by quitting Luxon’s inner circle, is perhaps best known for his role in a donations scandal of biblical proportions. It was one thing to deny his involvement, but a recording of him giving instructions to former National Party MP Jamie-Lee Ross in order to hide very large bribes from Chinese businessmen who were trying to buy influence in New Zealand is undeniably compelling evidence. The High Court hasn’t as yet laid down exactly when the next hearing is to take place, but it’s likely that Bridges is leaving politics precisely because of his involvement in that blatant attempt to hide large sums of foreign money from public and official scrutiny.

However you can kinda understand why he would leave anyway, even without the high court hearing likely to tarnish his career even further and again thrust National into the limelight for all the wrong reasons. Bridges recently lost a leadership challenge to the very unpopular Judith Collins, who predictably sunk National with her very nasty temperament. He also came up short after Crusher had to bow out because of National’s disastrous polling. Despite his right wing credentials, Bridges was forced to capitulate to the untested Christopher Luxon, obviously because he wouldn’t be accepted by National’s mainly white middle class (read overtly and covertly racist) voters. Being that Bridges has way more political experience, this must have been a bitter pill for him to swallow on both a personal and professional level.

But it’s not just the fact that Bridges has been tripped up by his own party. The mainstream media had great expectations that he would one day be able to challenge Jacinda Ardern in the countries most important popularity contest. However, sadly for National, even though he’s clearly a true believer in the right wing’s modus operandi, namely benefiting the rich at other people’s expense, Bridges has fallen well short of the hurdle. This is despite the MSM giving him ample opportunity to try and promote himself as a respectable and upstanding family man. Despite media bias, Bridges has often been his own worst enemy when it comes to public attention. Journalists gave him more than enough rope and he invariably used it to choke his own political career.

What Bridges fails to understand is that even many so-called mum and dad investors will frown upon his blatant greed. We witnessed Bridges’ greed first hand when it was revealed that he wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars throwing elaborate parties for his oil and gas industry mates. We again witnessed his greed when he heavily invested public money into polluting industries at the environments expense. Bridges also opposed the now successful clean car subsidy, because he was in the pocket of the oil barons. Then there were the substantial bribes from Chinese businessmen that Bridges blatantly tried to cover up. All this paints a very compelling picture of a not to be trusted politician, a picture that not even the most talented National Party propagandist could erase from the public’s consciousness.

We were also enlightened to the extent of Bridges’ dishonesty when he claimed to have witnessed a gang fight at Tauranga hospital; something that both the Police and CCTV footage categorically proved was completely untrue. It was a marvel to watch him keep digging like there was no tomorrow. Likewise, we couldn’t believe the bogus arguments Bridges came up with while trying to defend his opposition to a ban on conversion therapy. Despite his youngish age, the out-dated and washed up politician has absolutely no viable justification for such a backwards viewpoint. In fact to call his harmful belief system prehistoric is an insult to dinosaurs.

So after 14 years of obfuscation and legislative blunders in Parliament, Simon Bridges has worn out his credibility as both a politician and religious leader. Everybody knows that God loves all creations, including those that don’t fit the conservative and idealistic viewpoint of ignorant fundamentalists like Simon Bridges. It’s therefore unlikely that we will hear much if anything more from the former MP for Tauranga, apart from a wee High Court reminder of his treasonous bribe taking that is...which is something all free thinking and honest Kiwis should be quietly chuffed about.

The poo protest is over

It really does surprise me that nobody died in the Wellington riot yesterday. There were of course some significant injuries, but it’s testament to the New Zealand Police force’s tactical ability and professionalism plus a good amount of sheer luck that nobody needs to be laid to rest.

The riots have of course brought into question what many people believed in. Not only have long time freedom fighters on the left, some of whom protested during the Springbok Tour where actual Police brutality was dished out, been in support of dismantling the “freedom” encampment, many right wing journalists have now seen the result of their biased reporting against the Labour Government writ large across Parliaments lawn.

Let’s hope it’s a wake up call that they actually listen to.

Today, the NZ Herald reported:

Covid 19 Wellington protest: Riots, fire and violence as police end occupation

Andrew Coster told Mike Hosking police had tried to work with protest organisers but a lack of leadership and cohesion made this impossible.

"We were left with no option to do what we did yesterday to restore the site."

"I'm pleased that we've got to here. I never wanted it to end like that, but we did what we had to do."

Government politicians will also be doing some soul searching over the next few days, not least of all the Prime Minister. What many people don’t realise is that Jacinda Ardern truly believes in her ‘be kind’ moto. It’s not just a nice catch phrase for her.

So when the rabble first started gathering and then turned to serious acts of violence outside of Parliament, she would have been mortified that there were so many disaffected people braying at her door, some with literal pitchforks.

Because of the way the protest was conducted and concluded, other Politicians should now be questioning their actions as well, not least of all David Seymour and Winston Peters. They both knew that what the “freedom” convoy stood for was bogus, but decided to raise their profiles anyway and in so doing legitimised the anarchists. They then took to social media to regurgitate some of the propaganda they’d seen that they thought would sit well with their voter base.

Looking over at the mess left behind at Parliament grounds, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson let out a heavy sigh.

"It's been an incredibly distressing time for Wellingtonians over the last three weeks - not only have they been harassed and spat at and bullied, but they've also seen the city that they love be trashed."

Robertson said we can never excuse what happened yesterday.

"It was appalling," he told Breakfast.

Most Kiwis who once agreed with the numerous causes the protesters apparently stood for will now be questioning that support. Nobody, apart from those who want to see Aotearoa destroyed, will be rejoicing at the chaos and mayhem that erupted in Wellington yesterday. The vast majority will be shocked and dismayed at the level of violence that was on display.

Clearly there are people with malignant intent towards this great country. Many have pointed out that much of the propaganda targeting the disaffected rioters has come from overseas. However it’s people operating within New Zealand that have propagated most of the propaganda...disinformation that has now resulted in widespread carnage.

Some have pointed at social media algorithms, but the truth of the matter is that brainwashing such a large number of Kiwis has only occurred because of a concerted and extensive campaign by a dedicated and large group of people, an operation that is ultimately designed to undermine our democracy.

But as a society, Robertson acknowledged more needed to be done to stop misinformation being spread in relation to Covid-19 and vaccines.

That included the Government working closely with some of the world's big social media sites to remind them of their responsibilities around such issues.

The information war is real and our intelligence systems have largely failed to curtail its more destructive effects. For instance, it’s terribly concerning (particularly after the Christchurch Mosque shootings) that white supremacists have been allowed to operate in plain site for such a long period of time against New Zealand’s best interests.

Some of these fanatics were even attempting to identify Police officers with the use of high-powered cameras during the Parliament riot. There is obviously only one reason they would want to gather such information, and it’s not good.

I would therefore urge anybody who might be targeted by such extremists to be extra careful about their security. The Parliament riot isn’t the end of their campaign against New Zealand. In fact it could just be the beginning.