Bridges emulates Trump
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- Date published:
9:56 am, August 12th, 2019 - 30 comments
Categories: boris johnson, Donald Trump, national, racism, same old national, Simon Bridges, uncategorized -
Tags: Ihumātao, nigel farage
It seems that throughout the world leaders of Right Wing parties are looking to Donald Trump for campaigning inspiration.
In the UK Boris Johnson is forging ahead with a hard Brexit and is even getting ready for an election based essentially on jingoistic slogans and underlying anti immigrant rhetoric. In Australia the Liberal Democrats successfully wedged Labor in the last election using a few coal miners and a mine the economic and environmental fundamentals of which makes no sense.
And here in New Zealand Simon Bridges has started to borrow Trump’s rhetoric even though it is hateful and divisive, not to mention jarringly inappropriate.
Trump has been saying that Immigrants of all types apart from the ones he has married should go home. And he set off a social media fire recently after he told four young female Democrat Representatives they should also go home, the only trouble being that three of them were born in the US of A.
Trump was universally pilloried by everyone throughout the world apart from Nigel Farage who thought that insulting young dedicated women of colour was a stroke of political genius.
So what does Simon do? He says the same thing about the protestors at Ihumātao which is pretty dumb really because there are competing claims concerning mana whenua status and I am not aware of there being any foreign persons at the protest.
His claim has had some coverage on Twitter and it is interesting the number of people jumping to Bridges defence and their reason for doing so.
In a situation that requires deft diplomacy and sensitivity to a complex history Simon Bridges has yet again shown that he does not have the skill or temperament to be Prime Minister. What scares me is that I had similar thoughts about Trump …
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This is a protest Bridges likes , indeed joined – a 4 lane highway
"The protesters had the support of National Party leader and Tauranga MP Simon Bridges, who attended the protest."
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107120536/protesters-close-bridge-near-tauranga
Oh wow, I live here so easily forgotten and forgettable, it is as basically as annoying as "fingernails on a blackboard" along with all the woke, fairy, free-speech jargon being spewed around it seems, if not just for the sake of it, by airheads.
Mr Bridges has been testing a “Trumpian” approach for several months now, and he certainly has the makings of a receptive crowd to aim that nonsense at…angry Nats of all ages will lap it up like dogs revisiting a regurgitated dinner.
Election 2020 will likely evoke fear and loathing not seen here since Muldoon and Key’s nastiest campaigns.
yes tiger, think you are correct. bridges has been instructed to concentrate on his core supporters. his owners realise that they need to bring winnies supporters back home for any hope of electoral success.
The real fear is that Winston will get up in the polls again by launching more surprise attacks against coalition partners and then choosing the next govt, again. Sigh.
Could be right Tiger Mountain.
Natiomal are now styling Trumpism and some aree responding to it.
Jacinda needs to pull out that "kinder gentler inclussive' -"giving us a voice to be heard by ' government" clarion call again, – as that will neutalise the 'nasty nats'.
I'm interested that you think Boris has changed his modus operandi to emulate Trump. Clearly we have read quite differing accounts of Boris's career.
Ditto National Party Leaders.
Oh, if only we could turn back the clock to pre Trumpian times when Conservatives and Right wing nincompoops were compassionate and inclusive.
Thank goodness for the bogey men, the figureheads we can blame for all meanness and spite in the world.
Yep – they have all quite independently arrived at the same place for the same reasons. Nobody is copying anybody – it is just the outcome of the inherent structure of right-wing thought.
National seem the think the Liberal's FPP election strategy in Australia of a culture war aimed at racist Queensland small business tyrants who drive SUV's and live in marginal seats is a recipe for success here.
The bad news for Simon Bridges is NZ has an MMP system.
its not that he is trying to be the orange shitshow, or that he is inspired by it. It simply is that the orange shitshow has made it ok to be publicly a shit flinger.
the no mates party has had this approach to anyone not them for the longest of times. People mean nothing to them unless they do as they are told.
however it would be nice if anyone where to tell the 'first maori prime minister' that these protesters are at home. This. is. their. home.
National, a party only for some, never one for all.
Lol Simon desperate now – he is unsuited for any office holding imo – I hope they audit his arse off when he slinks out of parliament.
+1
Poll respondents have been telling Soymin to go home for a long time, but he's taking no notice.
Bridges is like a man carrying an armful of hand grenades across a minefield. Every so often he fumbles one and BOOM, there goes another appendage of political credibility. At this rate he'll be little more than a babbling disembodied head before the next election.
This should play well for Simon – it's probably his best strategy now. Stoke anger against the two things that are most hated already in the Nat heartland – taxes and Maoris. That'll also wedge some working class votes from Labour. In addition, slander the greenies – this is now known as 'lightbulbing' in reference to the 2008 heist. Say the Greens want to kill all the cows, outlaw air travel and make you ride a bicycle. Simon is getting in touch with his inner Don Brash.
"Tell them to go home" is the extent of Simon's mediation ability.
The Twitter condemnation was almost universal.
Be careful what you wish, Jude is ready, willing and able to take over…so very able
jude might be able but is she wanted nah !
"Hold my beer"
https://gfycat.com/uncommondevotedalleycat
That's the power of the internet. It normalises and validates decidedly niche tastes, for good or ill.
That almost sounds like kink shaming 😉
Not at all. Your politics might be judged, but your kinks are your business. Shine on, you crazy diamond.
Of course Simon Bridges is unsuited to being PM. Contrary to inferences drawn and accusations made, as far as I know he has not told the Ihumātao people to go home.
No doubt acting on advice he has said that Jacinda Ardern should tell them to go home. No doubt it is the cunning stunt some strategist has worked out to put the focus on Ardern and smear her. It's not about what he thinks about Ihumātao.
What does he really think about Ihumātao? He thinks whatever the public might think is palatable is what he should think. Best in those circumstances is for the narrative to be about Ardern and attacking her in some way.
That shows the reason he is unsuited to be leader of the country. He is a gutless bastard afraid to be a real leader. Where is the inspiration, the imagination the perspicacity, some far-sightedness? Wisdom? What a sad joke.
Suddenly on the agenda at the moment are abortion, euthanasia and cannabis. Why discuss those, why face those? Couldn't we trade them in for some korero about the flag? National party leadership par excellence.
He follows well the style of his predecessors. His contribution to the Ihumātao debate suggests his slimy weaselness has already reached fine levels.
plus 100 Peter
Plus 100 Peter
Simon Bridges is like Aaron Gilmore without the self-confidence.
Aaron Gilmore definitely had bigger balls than Bridges.
Wonder if 'Simple Simon' can take over Whale oil from 'Loser Slater' now before Hooten does?
Asymmetric polarisation – when the right goes stark raving bonkers and it knows the sympathetic right wing MSM will give it a megaphone because of "balance."
Simon definitely being Trump like in his behaviour, maybe that is the new strategic plan for the Natzis 2020, it may backfire as we only have so many red necks here in NZ.