WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR?

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT SO FAR?

Well, this Luxon joker has been in the position for over a week now and it's starting to look like 'same old'.

When he was touted as a possible National MP I thought that he was just a John Key clone and nothing so far has made me think differently.

For some reason the National party think that a successful businessman should make for a successful politician and even a PM. They went down this path with Shonkey and many still believe that they were right. I don't.

Sure he brings with him the business acumen like Key did but he also brings with him lots of baggage - some from his business ideas and a lot from his personal, like Key, wealth building and self aggrandisement.

Two years ago he was on record for saying he was against decriminalising abortion and against euthanasia law reform. This goes hand in hand with his christian beliefs and no doubt he's well aware of the necessity of keeping faith with his religious followers and supporters and keeping a conservative stance.

The trouble is though, this stance while giving a solid rock of support is quite different from what the majority of New Zealanders think. This country has increasingly taken steps to bring in social reforms that are more progressive than regressive and the religious platforms are regressive. Sooner or later Luxon's religious convictions will be in conflict with his opportunistic ambitions. 

“I have built a career out of reversing the fortunes of underperforming companies and I’ll bring that real-world experience to this role,” he told the media after the successful leadership vote. 

The trouble with that statement and position is that he has a negative view of New Zealand and, like most high flying CEOs will want to take a 'slash and burn' approach to change. I've experienced this before with arsehole CEOs and businessmen who think that they are bigger than the companies that they represent. 

New Zealand isn't a company - successful or failing . It is a society of people with hopes and beliefs in a future for themselves and their children. It isn't a model to play around with. Luxon's 'neoliberalism' as seen in his belief in market-oriented reform policies, deregulating capital markets, lowering trade barriers and reducing through privatisation and austerity, state influence in the economy is not a comfortable fit especially in a pandemic that is drastically changing the social and business landscape.

For all the criticism of Jacinda Ardern and the Labour government's 'be kind' approach to our national and global problems I think that she and it are more in tune with the consensus of our population.

Luxon is yesterday's thinking.