The leader has my full support

Written By: - Date published: 7:39 am, February 13th, 2019 - 44 comments
Categories: Gerry Brownlee, Media, national, Politics, Simon Bridges, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

https://twitter.com/nealejones/status/1095214116782764032

Neale is right.  The only acceptable answer whenever a question relating to leadership is asked is to affirm that the leader has the particular MP’s full support.

Anything less than this will provoke speculation.  And believe me, I have been around, speculation is the kiss of death.

So it is somewhat bemusing to see the response of National MPs to the latest Reid Research poll that had Simon Bridges’s support lower than that for the Greens.

Judith’s response was of the sort that saw Labour MPs demoted without hesitation a few years ago.  And she reckons that she is but a humble servant to her caucus.

From Tova O’Brien at Stuff:

“My role is just to do whatever the caucus needs me to do,” she told Newshub. “My view is I’m just doing my job.”

But she refused to rule out a leadership challenge, saying instead: “I’m very clearly not ruling out anything.”

When asked how many of her colleagues had asked her to be leader, she said they “discuss all sort of things”.

And she finished by saying this:

She said it’s “not for her to say” just how much support she has, but didn’t deny that she’d been approached.

“You’d have to ask other people,” was her response to what kind of leader she’d be.

Next up was David Bennett who was asked what he thought of Judith being leader.  He said this:

Simon is our leader.”

Do you get a sense of overwhelming loyal support?  Me neither.

Then Max Headroom lookalike Matt King was asked and also blew the answer:

I’m happy with Simon, I’d be happy with Judith.”

The other comments were really underwhelming.  Like this one:

You either love her or you hate her,” was East Coast MP Anne Tolley’s verdict.

Or this one:

There’s a number of people who would make a good leader, we’ll just see,” said list MP Nuk Korako.

Or this one:

Simon’s doing a great job at the moment,” said Tim van de Molen, MP for Waikato.

Or even this one from a very senior MP:

I don’t think it’s up for consideration at the moment,” said Ilam MP Gerry Brownlee.

Under John Key National’s message discipline used to be so good.  They could brazen through anything, say things were great when they were not, and if all else failed blame Labour.

Now they cannot trot out that most basic of responses of loyalty.

Tick tock tick tock …

44 comments on “The leader has my full support ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. marty mars 1
    13 February 2019 at 7:48 am

    Shocking display by the gnats of their ‘loyalty’ – not sure if simon will get the message until the door is closed behind him – he has wanted this for so long and he doesn’t want to give it up. Jellyfish Judith has many tentacles and they are all poisonous. Good times 🙂

    • soddenleaf 1.1
      13 February 2019 at 10:17 am

      Collins says that Nats won’t get leader frenzy like Lab. Only problem, Labour had three years of stable leadership after they lost govt.

      • Bewildered 1.1.1
        13 February 2019 at 10:36 am

        Labour and Stable leadership lol, game of musical chairs would be more stable

      • Tuppence Shrewsbury 1.1.2
        13 February 2019 at 12:15 pm

        Labour got starry eyed about John Key after he won against helen clark. Labour thought they had to find a replica. Kind of like how bridges got selected against Jacinda.

        Politics is also about creating a Unique Selling Point. Bridges just doesn’t have one when he is up against Jacinda.

        Now Collins…..

        • Andre 1.1.2.1
          13 February 2019 at 12:22 pm

          … indisputably has a Unique Something Point. But it’s probably not Selling.

        • marty mars 1.1.2.2
          13 February 2019 at 12:29 pm

          Exactly – more of the same old and her brand is damaged – just another place holder for the dismal gnats lol.

          • soddenleaf 1.1.2.2.1
            15 February 2019 at 1:40 pm

            oh but it so works, they stuffed apprenticeships up and now their ain’t the tradies, so they giggle with glee that Labour can’t build houses… …So reckless, so unaccountable, so national.

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    13 February 2019 at 7:59 am

    They’re acting under under instruction by answering that way. They’re always under instruction.

    • tc 2.1
      13 February 2019 at 9:46 am

      +100 they’ve been playing the public for years with this faux unity bs.

      Nationals a group of self serving MP’s backed by various corporate and offshore interests. That’s why they’re rolling in funds execute the instructions.

      • soddenleaf 2.1.1
        15 February 2019 at 1:43 pm

        worse, govt can fund boat races, that employ boat builders, can give tax cuts to the wealthiest who then buy bigger boats…. …yet they can’t find tradies to build homes.Seize boats and use them as accommodation!

  3. Andre 3
    13 February 2019 at 8:15 am

    Those two pics Neale Jones used are absolute image poetry.

  4. patricia bremner 4
    13 February 2019 at 8:20 am

    Uncertain times for the right. Stay with fryingpan Simon, or hop into the fire with Judith?? Decisions Decisions…..? Prevaricate Prevaricate…. ?

    • greywarshark 4.1
      13 February 2019 at 9:56 am

      Where are the Daleks when you need them. Exterminate? Exterminate!

      And they would be so useful – when they weren’t switched to exterminate mode, they could be used as hoovers tidying up the House!

  5. rata 5
    13 February 2019 at 9:19 am

    September 2020 is the time to talk elections.
    Waste of time before then.

    • Robert Guyton 5.1
      13 February 2019 at 9:28 am

      We’re not talking elections, we’re eagerly anticipating a dethroning.

      • Bewildered 5.1.1
        13 February 2019 at 10:41 am

        Yes but a dethroning is just one more step to a new national government Robert , Be careful what you wish for, a Collins / Mitchell partnership will have way more broard appeal and cut through than B & B, short term gain but long term pain for labour, the opposite for National. The Labour and Col will then be stripped bare for the vacuous and virtue signalling mess it really is, where the star dust and let’s form a working group just won’t cut it

        • Robert Guyton 5.1.1.1
          13 February 2019 at 12:27 pm

          That’s a real barrow-full you’re pushing there, Disgruntled!
          The love – it burns!!

        • Red Blooded One 5.1.1.2
          13 February 2019 at 1:26 pm

          Our current government is not a Col as you state. You however, are obviously a completely unethical National toadie.

  6. marty mars 6
    13 February 2019 at 10:27 am

    Time for a Save Our Simon campaign I think after all BM rates him and he is a righty, alwyn worships the man and he’s a righty, pucky cannot say anything bad about him even when he wants to and he’s a righty. No gnat leader has weathered the storm like that man – true grit is only revealed when the seaside sandwich is bitten. He has it.

  7. Puckish Rogue 7
    13 February 2019 at 10:31 am

    Time for the National caucus to listen to the will of the people and crown Jude leader

    • Andre 7.1
      13 February 2019 at 11:12 am

      6.2% is “the will of the people”? Good-oh.

    • veutoviper 7.2
      13 February 2019 at 11:14 am

      Have you done a straw poll on Jude with your new work colleagues? And with your “clients” ?* Results could be very interesting …. LOL

      * On second thoughts, don’t try that one!

      • Andre 7.2.1
        13 February 2019 at 11:18 am

        Maybe just get some “Make Judith Great Again” kit made up and wear it around.

      • Puckish Rogue 7.2.2
        13 February 2019 at 12:52 pm

        You’d be surprised how many people favour strong law and order policies where I work

        I haven’t quite reconciled that with the whole union thing yet but suffice to say I’m fitting in quite well

        Of course I haven’t told anyone who I vote for 🙂

        • veutoviper 7.2.2.1
          13 February 2019 at 1:02 pm

          LOL. And I am not surprised, having worked several years in head office!

          Seriously, good reasons for the whole union thing. You would not have a lot of the protections needed without that, considering the nature of your work. Don’t knock it. As to your attitude, I can see you fitting in well as IMO you seem to have a healthy sense of self preservation combined with a sense of humour and not taking things at face value. The latter two attributes can go a long way in that work environment.

          • Puckish Rogue 7.2.2.1.1
            13 February 2019 at 3:12 pm

            Tell you what though I’ll be doing my best to NOT be sent to a womans prison anytime soon… 🙂

    • Robert Guyton 7.3
      13 February 2019 at 12:25 pm

      When did the National caucus ever “listen to the will of the people”?
      If they did, according to the latest popularity poll, they’d defect to Labour in order to adore Jacinda-the-Loving.

  8. indiana 8
    13 February 2019 at 11:16 am

    I remember this guy had full support once in his lifetime too…and so did the next, and the next….and the next…
    https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/goff-i-have-full-utter-support

    • McFlock 8.1
      13 February 2019 at 12:42 pm

      Funny thing about Goff – with the full support of his caucus, he actually managed to last eight months until after the General Election (and made an unexpectedly good shot at it, too).

      Soimon does not have the full support of caucus. How long do you think he will last?

  9. cleangreen 9
    13 February 2019 at 12:41 pm

    Yes me to Micky but; – reflect how labour can do much better. – Read our press release today.

    “Government is being stymied by bureaucrat’s bent on revenge over health care, transport, and trades training finally laid bare on tv3’s Duncan Garner am show today”.

    Watching Duncan Garner’s am show today we witnessed our own issues being attacked by Duncan over the mindless over reaching autocratic manner of government departments now being controlled by staff who seem to be bent only on revenge rather than solving solutions to benefit public issues of health and other services today.

    Firstly we saw salvation army releasing their “state of the nation” report “ that showed that Jacinda’s vision of a “Kinder gentler caring Government is not being nurtured by the bureaucrats who still have an iron grip on government departmental policies.

    Salvation Army report that the gap between rich and poor is still becoming worse with household debt still rising while the use of P is alarmingly still increasing amount our young.

    Next subject was with Labour’s talented PM Chris Hipkins as Minister of education discussing the worsening of our trades shortages and his plan is to make the education of early trades skills more ‘seamless’ in our schools as he wants an early school integration into trade skills made free to all at school level, I went through school during the 1950-60 era and all woodwork and mechanical training was taught us as a skill we needed to have for our life skills, so why was it scrapped then?

    Next was the sad story of the case of young Nicky McPherson who was under the care of a health facility in Hamilton and was left un-attended when he walked out of the facility and committed suicide, and this worried me greatly as now the Health Department is demanding another official review of the case even though the family had successfully made a claim against the health department.

    All these cases that are our mirror into how the bureaucrat’s control our public services are showing that the bureaucrats are causing problems and public concern for the government now as they are slowing down progress from the past autocratic government of national Government into Labour Government’s stated transition to become a kinder gentler caring Government.

    Transport issues are also under the spotlight today over the lack of the ‘Kinder gentler caring Government’ vision and services.

    We in our long fight for better land transport options are having a similar problem with NZTA (the roading controlling agency) (RTA) as this agency are after 19 yrs is still holding their iron autocratic grip over the current government by not giving any care for a ‘fair kinder, caring mitigation’ to residential communities all-over NZ who are now adversely affected by rising truck freight movements causing noise, vibration and air pollution into their homes everywhere as NZTA is effectively actively forcing truck convoys to use roads through many sensitive residential zones today and Auckland is an example where large 4 metre high concrete noise barriers are being placed all over Auckland now but not in very many other regions sadly.

    So powerful have past government’s made this road agency, that they have changed the regulatory rules of the RMA and the ‘NZ Standards’ to lower noise standards in NZ regarding ‘road traffic noise levels’ to where NZ has some of the ‘lowest protections’ for all residential communities now.

    Evidence of this is shown here,

    The noise, (sound pressure) measurement is only measured in a single (dBA) descriptor (now considered improper) as their standard used is regarded as insufficient for low frequencies emitted from trucks as (industrial activities) so they refuse to use guidelines set in this globally accepted symposium. “https://www.acoustics.asn.au/conference_proceedings/ICA2010/cdrom-ICA2010/papers/p987.pdf

    In this study report it states; “Relying on traditional A-weighted measurements will not capture the modulation nor would it offer the potential to distinguish engine brakes from other traffic noise.”

    NZTA is simply being seen publicly now as a ‘truck transport agency’ (not a ‘transport agency’ as the press often referred to it as) and we now suggest if Government want to succeed with the vision of being a “Kinder gentler caring Government” they need to remove being stymied by bureaucrat’s bent on revenge of the public seeking a kinder gentler service and we urge the ‘Labour coalition Government to now get involved’.

  10. UncookedSelachimorpha 10
    13 February 2019 at 1:26 pm

    Simon has my full support too!

    Hang in there Simon – fight to the last, and when it goes bad….take them down with you.

  11. Michelle 11
    13 February 2019 at 1:28 pm

    Yes we heard all that rhetoric they have to save face so they are trying to put up a good front but behind the scenes the knives will be getting sharpened to put into their dear leader soimons back and we will see the wannabe leaders come forward. My guess is amy adams, mitchell and Judeath will all stake a claim. And who cares who wins Jacinda will clean them up she is coming into her own now and this is the good thing about having a young leader they don’t come with as much baggage.

  12. JustMe 12
    13 February 2019 at 8:39 pm

    Please anyone with a sensitive nature do not mind my comments but National are beginning to remind me of a anal suppository.

    That is no matter how much shit you have to contend with there is still more to come from within the National Party ranks.

    Right I am sure many of us NZ taxpayers just want an Opposition who do not suffer from sour grapes and actually do something useful in their pathetic political life-times.

    Especially considering it’s us NZ taxpayers that are paying their wages and perks of the job whilst we have heard some of their past ‘leaders’ didn’t mind denigrating poor NZers at every opportunity.

    No-one wants a hopeless leader as their representative to New Zealanders on the world stage but right now National and their MPs are coming across as an opportunistic, free-loading, self-serving lot who will have a go at anyone who questions them or their approach to matters.

    I bet there will be text messages galore by angry National MPs who found doing things in attempt of self-achievement just doesn’t work when it comes to what NZers just do not tolerate.

    Those behavioural problems whilst they are acceptable for National MPs are not acceptable to NZers and especially voters.

  13. ken 13
    13 February 2019 at 9:53 pm

    He’s got my full support 110%…..LOL.