Right wing activists are not happy Bridges is leader

Written By: - Date published: 4:35 pm, February 27th, 2018 - 49 comments
Categories: national, Politics, same old national, Simon Bridges, spin, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

With a certain amount of schadenfreude I am watching the right’s response to the decision to elevate Simon Bridges to the leadership.  Having been involved in the Labour Party during a time of turmoil it is satisfying knowing that it is now National’s turn to go through the same thing.

Cameron Slater was first off.  His instantaneous response was not pretty.

National’s caucus has made their first big error: they’ve selected Simon Bridges as leader.

We can all look forward to him referring to himself in the third person for the foreseeable future.

And, from National’s twitter account, it looks like Paula Bennett is deputy:

National certainly look like they have abandoned their base. Already there are poor attendances at AGMs and reports are that last night one Auckland seat had to abandon their meeting because it lacked a quorum.

The members will rebel now. You ignore your base at your peril. When the polls start dropping, and they will, then National are going to find themselves in a dark hole.

One thing is certain: there will be another leadership vote before the next election.

David Farrar was much more circumspect. But his commentators were not.

Some highlights:

From DifferentPerspective

Nothing says “STOOPID” like making Soimon Bridges leader.

Or eandlbufe:

Nats Kiss my assssss first and my vote next. No more subscriptions or memberships from me. If ACT were not so inept I would go for them leaving me now in a quandary.

Or bigbruv, the one who welches on bets:

Right, lets all start work to get rid of this fuckwit as leader.

Or Kimbo

Meanwhile, over on Whale Oil, Cam Slater is ignoring your petty partisan approach, and instead advocates a magnanimous generosity-of-spirit response. Nah, just kidding. 😂

Or Wangas Feral

He always struck me, right from when he was first elected, as being all mouth and no trousers. I have not heard a single hitting speech from him his entire time in Parliament and I listen to parliament all the time. While he is not as dull as Adams, he is about as inspiring as overcooked mushy peas.

Or Southern Raider

Simon Bridges: Leader of the party formally known as National

Check them out. Intentionally or unintentionally some of them are very funny.

And it seems there may be a hole in his boy from Te Atatu statement.  Because he has in the past also claimed to be a boy from Tauranga when replying to an allegation that his pants were on fire.

https://twitter.com/bootstheory/status/968320258091167744

Back in 2013 he was accused by Greenpeace of misleading Parliament over his dealings with the oil industry.  Greenpeace claimed he had met Shell Oil representatives to discuss the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill the aim of which was to criminalise various protest action at sea.

He denied the claim.  The billboard was the response from Greenpeace.  From the Dominion Post:

In a statement, Mr Bridges said he was not lobbied by Shell or anyone else to make changes to the legislation.

“I met with Shell, but the issue was not discussed. Ministers regularly meet with business. However, decisions are made by Cabinet.”

He also claimed to be “chuffed” with the billboard.

“As a boy from Tauranga, I’ve always wanted my name up in lights in the big city.  Now it’s happened and I managed to get Greenpeace to pay for it.”

This Standard post analysed the claim at the time and concluded that his pants were actually on fire.

So an interesting start to Bridges’s leadership.  National will be hoping that tomorrow works out better than today did.

49 comments on “Right wing activists are not happy Bridges is leader ”

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  1. One Anonymous Bloke 1
    27 February 2018 at 4:45 pm

    “All mouth and trousers”, damnit! Right wing nut-jobs: butchering good insults since forever.

  2. Stuart Munro 2
    27 February 2018 at 4:46 pm

    I blame the Gnat ABCs.

    • Anne 2.1
      27 February 2018 at 6:00 pm

      Brilliant! The new ABC club. If they follow the same path as Labour we will see Collins as leader for the 2020 election or maybe 2023. 😀

      • Stuart Munro 2.1.1
        27 February 2018 at 7:48 pm

        I’m sure she’s counting on it.

      • Enough is Enough 2.1.2
        28 February 2018 at 11:09 am

        Collins was the choice of the Nats activist base. Just look at Slater’s ranting and Farrar’s Kiwiblog poll to see that.

        However I think there is good sense in ignoring your base sometimes as that is where the lunatics (who are out of touch with what the electorate wants) usually reside.

  3. weka 3
    27 February 2018 at 4:52 pm

    White Man Behind a Desk on Slater’s commentary on the announcement (commentary in link),

    Robbie Nicol‏ @ManWithDesk

    Whale Oil Style Guide: “Even if it ruins the grammar of a sentence in which you are actively mocking someone for how they speak, it is preferred to say ‘Maoris’ whenever possible.”

    https://twitter.com/ManWithDesk/status/968329573195767809

  5. Hornet 5
    27 February 2018 at 5:51 pm

    Dare I say it – Slater’s invective towards Bridges could be the ‘kiss of life’?

  6. Tracey 6
    27 February 2018 at 6:22 pm

    Bridges is a 41 year old Bill English

  7. Michael who failed Civics 7
    27 February 2018 at 6:26 pm

    I wish Bridges all the best, which I know he will receive from his able, energetic deputy and the rest of his talented, selfless caucus. Memo to Labour MPs: don’t take the Nats’ latest self-inflicted wound for granted by forgetting that you need to earn the voters’ trust between now and the next election. That requires action on your part, not words and photo opportunities.

    • Barfly 7.1
      27 February 2018 at 6:44 pm

      “Selfless” ROFL

    • Louis 7.2
      27 February 2018 at 7:49 pm

      That’s a joke, right? you’re just being sarcastic? because seriously, that’s one large load of patronizing, hypocritical bullshit.

      • greywarshark 7.2.1
        27 February 2018 at 8:42 pm

        But really good bullshit. After a while on TS you become a conneiseur? of these things.

    • Ian 7.3
      27 February 2018 at 9:20 pm

      I,m trying my hardest to trust Shane Jones ,but my mum taught me good and she was so right.

    • Louis 7.4
      28 February 2018 at 1:19 am

      “earn the voters’ trust between now and the next election. That requires action on your part, not words and photo opportunities.”

      Same for National too don’t you think Michael? My, how quickly you have forgotten the eight years of John key.

      • Michelle 7.4.1
        28 February 2018 at 11:09 am

        Louis people like Michael haven’t forgotten the 8 years of key they ackshully don’t give a stuff it’s ever man for himself

  8. mary_a 8
    27 February 2018 at 6:34 pm

    Below from Whale Bloat ….

    “What a bunch of fools. Two Maori MPs, one who can’t speak English and one who has more skeletons in her closet than Auckland Medical School.”

    If Slater has some info on the Benne’s past, then he should get those skeletons rattling good and hard and out of that dark secret closet!

    • greywarshark 8.1
      27 February 2018 at 8:49 pm

      Ooh i can’t resist linking to the skeleton song from The Singing Detective.
      Poor Michael Gambon has psoriasis I think that’s right.

      Probably by the end of Parliament a lot of pollies are not far from his disturbed state.

      • ianmac 8.1.1
        27 February 2018 at 9:28 pm

        Just thinking about The Singing Detective after Gambon appeared in a recent programme. A great memorable voice. Thanks Greywarshark.

    • Louis 8.2
      28 February 2018 at 1:21 am

      Why is there a gag order still in place?

      • Antoine 8.2.1
        28 February 2018 at 1:59 am

        Is there some way I can find out what the Bennett thing is all about? I’d really like to know but currently have no idea

        • the pigman 8.2.1.1
          28 February 2018 at 2:38 am

          I’d love it to be true, but it’s nuts-as-fuck bullshit found on the blog of a deluded fantasist (think Ben Rachinger, suddenly coming down after a 3 week methamphetamine binge) by a dude who goes on and on about Knights Templar conspiracies and other bullshit.

          There may be a drop of truth to it, but the guy who is supposedly a witness to all of it has zero credibility.

          And then there’s Slater, who is a Collinsbot, and also has zero credibility. Of course it’s in his(her) interests to pour some petrol on the fire.

          Oh, Martyn Bradbury is its other main exponent. See the problem here?

          • Antoine 8.2.1.1.1
            28 February 2018 at 2:40 am

            So I don’t know anything about this thing you’re talking about. I must be getting mixed up with another thing, where likenesses to Turei were drawn.

            A.

            • the pigman 8.2.1.1.1.1
              28 February 2018 at 2:49 am

              It does have certain similarities, yes, but that is just the tip of the iceberg of the dude’s wild fantasy.

          • greywarshark 8.2.1.1.2
            28 February 2018 at 12:09 pm

            Was there a hint about Bennett and her past progress at the time when there was so much discussion about Metiria Turei?

  9. alwyn 9
    27 February 2018 at 6:56 pm

    Marvellous.
    Now the denizens from The Standard are taking their lines from Cameron Slater?
    I would think it a definite point in his favour that Slater doesn’t like him.
    I have always been rather suspicious of Collins because Slater liked her. I couldn’t see anything about her that was any different to most MPs, of all parties, but if Slater was so strongly on her side it was enough to cause concern.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 9.1
      27 February 2018 at 7:09 pm

      I have always been rather suspicious of Collins because Slater liked her

      Seriously? The member for Oravida, with all her glorious instincts, vengeance and entitlement, is all good with you, except that Cameron Slater likes her…seriously?

      Not her leaking of Simon Pleasants’ personal details. Not her close personal friendship with border control officials. Not her threats to journalists, not her swamp-draining activities, not her prison rape jokes. Just the endorsement from Slater.

      M’kay.

  10. eco maori 10
    27 February 2018 at 8:44 pm

    It’s a good day for three leftys
    Kia kaha good people Iv got a sore face now Ka kite ano

  11. Kat 11
    27 February 2018 at 9:48 pm

    Oh well, one might as well switch off the “national channel” for at least the next nine years.

    “Click”

    • Antoine 11.1
      28 February 2018 at 2:42 am

      That’s actually the best thing to do I reckon. RIght now the Nats aren’t worth our headspace. It’s more interesting to think/talk about the Ardern govt

  12. Heather Tanguay 12
    28 February 2018 at 3:14 pm

    Simon and Paula look like brother and sister, lots of hair gel and teeth. They both must have stayed away from school when language and speech classes were held.

  13. Tanz 13
    1 March 2018 at 12:04 am

    Yes, but the wider electorate will lap him up, and that is what counts. Who cares what Slater says, he is a National party hater, and makes English out to be some sort of demon. Utterly ridiculous. I note there are never any disparaging posts about NZ First or WP on his rather leftie blog. He was possibly a factor in the election outcome.

  14. Doogs 14
    1 March 2018 at 12:41 pm

    If he is all mouth and no trousers, how come they’re on fire? Another magnificent sleight of hand from someone with no idea about traditional expressions.

    No, wait . . . that’s why he has no trousers . . . burnt out from under him! That’s why he’s such hot shit. You’ve gotta connect the dots, everyone.

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