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Commentary
As the National Party begins its painful and possibly protracted rise back to political relevance, past leaders and the president insisted on the need for discipline and accountability, but not everyone in the hierarchy seems to agree, writes Sam Sachdeva.
They say that success has many parents, while failure is an orphan; however, the National Party family was present at their first major event since a crushing electoral defeat.
The General Meeting of Shareholders was packed with party members, with former Vice President Gerry Brownlee lobbied to help set up additional chairs in the Te Papa assembly hall.
There was even a healthy sample of ex-MPs still coming to terms with their sudden unemployment, although it is perhaps understandable that they, and many others in the room, took the opportunity to tell the party hierarchy where things turned out and how to fix them. before 2023.
Despite the circumstances, there was still some levity: In a ‘meet the new MPs’ segment, former Air New Zealand CEO and botany MP Chris Luxon introduced himself as National’s main whip, Matt Doocey, who also has follicular problems.
But the desperate situation National was in could not be denied, nor did party leader Judith Collins attempt to do so.
“While the country was focused on the Covid-19 challenge this year, I felt that the National Party was too focused on itself,” Collins said.
“We don’t spend enough time talking about the things New Zealanders care about. The consequence of that can be seen in the outcome of our elections and our small group. “
The party caucus had to be more disciplined and united, while National also had to defend itself as “an inspiring alternative” to government, implicitly accepting that it had not done as much this year.
“People will not vote for a change without a reason. We need to convince them to have high hopes for themselves, to believe that a better New Zealand is possible, to expect more from their government. “
Victory in 2023 “may seem like a big hill to climb,” Collins said, “but it is not beyond us,” although it is almost certainly beyond his leadership, with a clear sense, the deputy from Papakura is a Placeholder even a more inspiring candidate (like Luxon) can take your case to the fore.
Nonetheless, he did deliver a clear and rational articulation of the next steps needed for National, and if the crowd was unwilling to accept his message, they certainly did so when ‘special guest speaker’ and National Party legend Sir. John Key.
Collins and Key did not enjoy a perfect relationship during the last national government, yet the former prime minister praised his tireless campaign and outstanding leadership before turning her eyes to the road ahead.
With the greater freedoms associated with being a retired politician who doesn’t need the support of the caucuses, Key didn’t give up.
The Covid-19 pandemic had made National’s task difficult, he said, but there was a bigger issue at stake.
“Some people who previously voted for National voted for Labor this time, or ACT, because a combination of leadership changes and missteps, disunity, leaks and mixed messages at National put them off.
“I know it’s hard to stand here and say that, I know it sounds harsh, but it’s true, and if we don’t acknowledge it, if we don’t take responsibility for it, we won’t learn from it. . “
“Some people are going to tell you that eventually, the whole public is going to get tired of Jacinda Ardern… that’s a mistake. It’s exactly what the Labor Party has said about me for almost a decade. “
Party members and parliamentarians dissatisfied with the strategy could make their feelings known, but in private, instead of waging proxy wars through the media.
“Here’s my very simple advice for those who like to filter the media: If you can’t stop filtering, here’s a hint: leave the party.”
The former currency trader asked those in the room to notice a number: 413,800. It was the number of voters who had switched from National to Labor in the elections, roughly the population of Dunedin, Tauranga and Hamilton combined.
Each of them had to be recovered, Key said, before Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her team managed to turn them into long-term Labor voters.
“Some people are going to tell you that eventually, the whole public is going to get tired of Jacinda Ardern. Well here’s a hint: that’s a mistake.
“It is exactly what the Labor Party said about me for almost a decade, almost a decade. If we underestimate Jacinda and her advisers, we will be in opposition for a long time, I can tell you this. “
It was an invaluable and undeniable message, but perhaps he should have shared it with Goodfellow beforehand.
The president’s speech was a mixture of exaggerated excuses and gratuitous grievances, and his words curdled even before he left the stage.
The election campaign was meant to be a noble battle of ideas, but with Covid-19 “it descended into a celebrity leadership career in tough times,” Goodfellow claimed, a curious point of attack, given the epithet of ‘famous leader’ he was often thrown at Key during his first ministry by some on the left, with no effect on his popularity.
“The reasoned debate on contentious issues almost turned into treason… it was suddenly a crime to ask legitimate questions for comment and the daily broadcasts became tele-evangelistic, like a gospel for the masses.
“Democracy for a time gave way to a form of temporary tyranny. No one should fear death threats or violence for expressing an opinion, no matter how much you disagree, but that was the reality in a Jacindamania world. “
Goodfellow seemed to be describing a universe parallel to that experienced by most New Zealanders. Yes, we sacrificed many personal freedoms during the confinement, but it was a sacrifice that an overwhelming majority of Kiwis were happy to make in the interest of public health and welfare, as numerous surveys showed.
He pitched against “the coordinated and overwhelming power of infectious clickbait journalism and the strongly partisan powers of government being used against us,” before adding, almost as an afterthought: “To be fair, we are also up against ourselves.” .
That’s to put it mildly, and Goodfellow also overlooked the role of his own board in his internal dysfunction through questionable selection processes.
Goodfellow hold on
Collins and Key weren’t exactly willing to participate in their party chairman’s comments. The latter sidestepped Goodfellow’s comments on celebrity leadership, while the former described the speech as “excellent” but declined to go into detail: “He can answer his own questions.”
The deathly silence that Goodfellow’s speech received might have seemed a bad omen for his hopes of holding onto the presidency in board elections, following murmurs of discontent over the inner workings of the party.
However, he managed to keep his position on the board, albeit with the least support from the three elected members, according to Politician and other means, and his reign as president will continue.
Key’s praise for Goodfellow’s fundraising efforts may have helped, as did geographic considerations: The other two elected members, Rachel Bird and former MP David Carter, both reside on the South Island, with Goodfellow in Auckland. .
His re-election did not come without caveats: in the press release announcing his re-election, Goodfellow mentioned “commitments that I will fulfill by covering campaign review, fundraising and delivering the change necessary to win the 2023 campaign.”
Whether Goodfellow’s resentment over the election result, or Key’s bluntness about National’s internal failings, prevails within the party as a whole, it can determine whether that successful conversation in 2023 has any chance of bearing fruit.
