Christopher Luxon’s Address in Reply Debate last Wednesday, in what was effectively his first speech as PM in the House, was a disgraceful display of arrogance, hypocrisy, and personal attacks. He showed no respect for the democratic process, the previous government, or the people of New Zealand. He also betrayed his own Christian values by lying, vilifying, and boasting. Below are some of the lowlights of his speech.
Luxon singled out Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson, Ginny Andersen, and Ayesha Verrall for scathing criticism, accusing them of incompetence, wastefulness, and failure. He used mocking and demeaning language, such as calling Hipkins an “arsonist” and Andersen lacking self-reflection. Worse, even, Robertson and Verrall should have, or suffer rather, “survivors’ guilt”, according to Luxon. In my opinion, he’s trying to gaslight them using negative emotions, or he’s for real, as I don’t know how Luxon’s conscience and moral compass work. He showed no appreciation for the hard work and achievements of these MPs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic nor for other major challenges that Labour had faced in the past six years, such as the Christchurch mosque shootings and the Whakaari/White Island eruption. Luxon’s mockery implied that they had been incompetent, dishonest, or uncaring. If the ABs come second in the RWC in 2027, will Luxon taint them with the same brush with survivors’ guilt? This is purely hypothetical, of course, since it’s unlikely that he’ll still be PM then.
Luxon’s personal and inflammatory remarks seem to contradict Christian values that he claims to uphold. He showed no humility, compassion, or honesty in his speech. He lied about Labour’s record, exaggerated his own achievements, and attacked his political opponents personally. He showed no concern for the poor, the vulnerable, or the marginalised. He’s a wealthy man only showing concern for the wealthy, the powerful, and the privileged. He only respects his own agenda, ideology, and ambition. Is Luxon showing his true colours, finally, or just another side of her personality? If so, why now? Or is this a cynical ploy to show some mongrel to impress or intimidate others who may be standing behind him sharpening their knives and leaking confidential documents?
In a continuation of the election campaign, Luxon blamed Labour for high inflation, interest rates, and food prices, while ignoring the global factors that have affected just about every country in the World. He promised to cut taxes, spending, and red tape, but offered no details on how he would fund public services, infrastructure, and renewable energy. Luxon’s comments were a clear attempt to distract from the real issues at hand and the fact that his Government has no ideas and no solutions. Least of all, Luxon’s rhetoric didn’t provide any indication how he would balance the competing demands and trade-offs involved.
Luxon claimed to be tough on crime and gangs, but ignored the fact that National has opposed many of the reforms that Labour has introduced to reduce reoffending, improve rehabilitation, and address the root causes of crime. He also failed to acknowledge the social and economic factors that contribute to youth offending and gang membership. Clearly, he’s not interested in facts or evidence.
Luxon is acting like a CEO who doesn’t show respect for the democratic process, the opposition, and the people of New Zealand. Luxon claimed to have a big mandate from voters to get New Zealand back on track, but his NACTF coalition government relies on the support of two smaller parties, ACT and NZ First, and clearly, they have different priorities and concerns. It remains to be seen how Luxon will balance the interests and demands of his coalition partners, regardless of how many times he exclaims ‘strong and stable’, and how he will deal with the scrutiny and criticism from the opposition parties. The opposition got 41.6% of the Party Vote (i.e. 1,186,291 votes) and Labour still is the second-largest party in Parliament with 34 seats, despite Luxon’s false claim that that New Zealanders had voted for anyone but Labour. I think that under his suit jacket Luxon is sweating so profusely that not even his men’s soap and body spray can hide it for much longer – the man’s not hot, he’s scared.
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