National Party leader Judith Collins has issued varying statements of support. Photo / Mark Mitchell
National Party leader Judith Collins has issued varying statements of support. Photo / Mark Mitchell
OPINION
Just as Jacinda Ardern is taking lessons from New South Wales on what not to do in an outbreak of Covid Delta, her political rival Judith Collins has clear lessons on what not to do as well.
Collins, whether through sincerity or survival instinct, has supported Ardern's decision toput the whole of New Zealand into a hard lockdown and early, an example of the so-called "abundance of caution".
She did so unequivocally in a press statement soon after the decision was announced Tuesday night without any political point scoring.
She did so less equivocally in media interviews this morning, in which she expressed her support on the grounds lockdown was the only option given the Government's woeful vaccine roll-out.
She followed it up before and after Ardern's 1pm podium appearance with Director-general of Health Ashley Bloomfield with Tweets.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaking this week on the Covid crisis. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The first contained no political point scoring, and just encouraged people to reach out to "friends, family and whanau" online or by phone to support each other; the second Tweet pointed out that while Bloomfield was exploring saliva testing in response to the current crisis, National had advocated for saliva testing a year ago.
Collins, as Opposition leader, has a perilous path to navigate in judging when to criticise the Government during a national crisis. The curse of Opposition leadership is knowing when to shut up.
She has the lessons of Simon Bridges, whose ousting as leader was accelerated by stumbles in his response to last year's lockdown.
In his book "National Identity" published today, Bridges reprised the negative Facebook post which led to a final and decisive pile-on against Bridges.
He hints that some of it may have been the work of bots unleashed by unnamed forces out to undermine him - but he nonetheless acknowledges that he misjudged where the public was at.
Former National leader Simon Bridges was stung by the reaction to his Facebook post last April. Photo / Greg Bowker
"Clearly in trying to do my job and hold the Government to account during an unprecedented time, I had underestimated the strength of feeling from 'the team of five million.'"
"Everything I said was factual, and over time, has proven to be fairly moderate criticism. But the online response was like an erupting volcano."
He was right. In the scheme of things it was moderately written. But people were adjusting to the news the lockdown had been extended and were not receptive to political point-scoring.
He may have been pointing out the blindingly obvious about contact tracing, testing and PPE, but there is a big difference between him doing it and say an epidemiologist or journalist doing it.
It doesn't matter if what the politician says is true; if the impression is that politics is more important than the Government succeeding in beating the outbreak, they will suffer.
Act leader David Seymour is usually quick to respond. Photo / Michael Craig
It cannot be clumsily disguised, as it often is, with dollops of praise for the efforts of Kiwis.
Collins may not be in danger of imminent removal as Bridges was. But she is in danger of being unable to resist her urges to point out the Government's failings.
She may be tempted to overreact because of the competition from the right in Act's David Seymour, who tends to respond quickly and strongly on most issues.
She has in Chris Bishop a good spokesman for Covid-19 Response who will be as frustrated as Collins that Ardern is back on the podium at 1pm every day filling the country's living rooms and denying them oxygen.
If anyone is going overreact, Collins should let him take the risk.
There are fine judgment calls for the Opposition to be made as this crisis unfolds.
This may be one of those times when it is in its own interests to apply an abundance of caution and button it.
