Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott did a lot less a couple of weeks back and has got nothing but a free ride out of his Budget.
His personal as well as party popularity have gone up in every poll post Budget.
Don't get me wrong , they've got a long way to go and a world of pain to live through and I am sure they'd rather be us any day of the week.
But it was a smart document and they've got the rewards for it. Here? Nothing.
It was as equally smart, if not smarter.
The increase in benefits above and beyond inflation was little short of political genius.
National wandered right into Labour's heartland territory and pulled the rug right out from under them.
As regards John Key's foray into hair, this poll backs up the TV3 poll that said exactly the same thing. No one cares. It's a story around the water cooler. It's a bit of chat.
It's a few jokes, but once again the huge disconnect between what the media thinks matters and what the rest of us think does is huge, and was on embarrassing display.
Despite what so many in the media will tell you about balance and objectivity, it's bollocks.
John Key and ponytails was too good to be true for too many who let all objectivity fall by the wayside, and their personal grievances run rampant at the chance to humiliate a Prime Minister they have a great deal of difficulty accepting as popular and successful.
Then we come to poor old Andrew, who now on 9 per cent is equal with Winston.
Being equal to Winston is never good.
It leads to comparisons, the comparisons this time being how come the leader of the so-called Opposition can't get a bigger number than that old bloke who keeps causing trouble.
To be a serious contender you need a serious number. When you're on nine and your party is on 31, you look like the weak link.
Little has time, but not huge amounts. He, like his predecessors, has made no impact whatsoever. I like the way he looks, I like his performance in the House, I like the way he deals with the media.
I think most of us would conclude that of recent leaders since Helen Clark, he is far and away the best.
But once the platitudes are done with, you actually need traction and he doesn't have any.
This is a Government with a surplus that was missed, a housing issue in Auckland a lot of people argue is a crisis, they've got milk prices round their ankles - there is a lot there to work on if you're looking for weak links, and yet he's seemingly unable to make a dent.
Which finally leads to James Shaw, who wasn't part of the poll, but is worth a mention anyway. I am glad he won. I picked him. Not because I know the Greens inside out, but maybe because I don't and an outside set of eyes often sees things those immersed don't.
Shaw is from the real world, and that almost always is a bonus.
He has commercial experience, he's worked internationally.
He handles himself, like Little, well in the House.
He's urbane, he doesn't look like a nutter who grows dope, wants to control how much food colouring you consume and wants to have you arrested if you smack your kids.
In other words he doesn't seem a social engineer of the ilk that held the party back for so long.
The work Russel Norman has done dragging them towards the centre needs to be carried on and I get the sense Shaw knows this.
The Greens, like Little, are under-performers. That was a party with real noise and momentum leading up to October 20 and yet on the night they bombed. They are better than 10 per cent. Well, they are in their current guise. They can build on that by showing the world normality.
Green doesn't mean left, it can mean centre and the centre of the political game is where the gold is.
Unlike Labour and Little, Shaw has a much easier run. He's not expected to be the Prime Minister, so he has a greater grace period.
But here's the frightening bit for the Labour leader. If Shaw proves good, Little will be getting it from all directions.
From Winston, who's never looked more vibrant and troublesome. From Shaw, who's all full of newness and vigour, and of course from Key, who if he lasts this term and travels well into 2017, will be knocking on the door of history as one of our greatest leaders ever.
