New Prime Minister Christopher Luxon takes pride in his work. Isn’t it great to have someone who is proud of something back in the Beehive? Although, what else can he say? What about, ‘sorry folks, this wasn’t how it was meant to be’? No, that would mean being too honest.
So, he is proud - but what exactly is he proud of? The government hasn’t achieved anything yet so perhaps it is the elite working group of three he has formed - Christopher, Winston and David in that order – or that fact that all three men are talking.
No wonder Peters couldn’t stop chuckling at the trio’s first media conference; the wily “King Maker” was part of the last Government and now he’s in the same role in the new one. What did Peters compromise on? Zip.
Seymour has had to take a few for the team and Finance Minister, Nicola Willis, took the first one by standing aside from the deputy role.
So, what do we get in this Huey, Dewey and Louie situation? A high-powered committee of three running the country. A committee! It’s an odd arrangement, possibly slightly childish, but then some would say that suits them.
Luxon, the smiling and eager to please guy from marketing, has the big promotion and can call himself New Zealand’s 42nd Prime Minister but it actually feels like Peters holds the key to final decisions. Seymour has recovered from being rattled by Winnie’s return and now appears to somewhat admire him through gritted teeth and a shake of the head.
How did Luxon allow this to happen?
Simple: he wasn’t popular enough and not good enough to get to 44%. People had their doubts and he bunny-hopped all year on a decision to rule out Peters. Ultimately, he judged it wrong. He didn’t have broad enough appeal. Peters shamelessly capitalised on it and his return is Luxon’s three-year sentence. This is the price of falling short.
Again, Peters has pitched up, last minute, with $5 and turned it into $100 and counting. You can’t help but be impressed at his political skills and ability to put himself at the centre of everything. If he has looked like the boss these past few weeks, it’s because he has dictated terms. If you’re looking for bang for your buck, Kmart and Briscoes has competition in Peters.
Those who called National’s win a landslide were buried in “fantasy land”, unable to spot the truth and cold reality of the numbers. So now, from promise of a strong and stable government, we get a committee of continual compromise, until the compromise collapses.
Now let me reach for my glass of scepticism please. This arrangement will work for as long as these three men want it to. To call this relationship strong and stable is a stretch. The higher the number of partners, the weaker and more difficult it gets.
The battle behind closed doors to get to this point was said to be tense. My understanding is that neither Act nor NZ First would concede to the other party and both came in with coalition “wish lists” vastly different to the “lowball” offer Luxon initially lobbed at his support partners.
He will find government is littered with surprises that can derail the entire thing in a few short moments. No documents can deal with that, and the hard work is now to come, with the compromises to continue to be felt.
National has conceded on one of its most crucial policies, the foreign buyer ban that was to fund tax cuts. By keeping the foreign buyer ban, how exactly will National raise the money to fund the tax cuts? It’s back to the drawing board with the vague promise that we will still get them funded from other sources. I’d say there’s lots of water to go under that bridge so don’t start spending just yet.
But Luxon is “action man” and will waste no time; no one disputes he is a hard worker. So, announcement done; cabinet line-up checked off; logistics in place over the weekend and feet under the desk Monday complete with a family portrait on the office wall by the afternoon.
And what about the new work programme and the policies? They’re not transformative. Solid but a little unspectacular.
Nevertheless, the real fun of the threesome starts now. Luxon will find, despite the speed he is determined to work at, the problems won’t disappear by late January.
Can someone pass me the popcorn?
