Editorial: Opposition infighting sees National Party in disarray

National Party leader Judith Collins and former leader Todd Muller. Photo / George Novak, File

EDITORIAL

National Party leader Judith Collins seemed to make light of her shellshocked caucus on Thursday. When asked about ructions and disunity, she said, "sometimes you have to break a few eggs to make the omelette".

Apart from apparently referring to disloyal colleagues as eggs, Collins appeared to be suggesting she was working on some sort of recipe, and that the outcome would be a tasty way to start the day. Instead, the current state of the major Opposition party more resembles a morning meal for the family pet.

One National Party supporter and Herald subscriber commented this week: "Their internal discipline is appalling. Their policies are so vague that, even as a paid-up member of over 10 years' standing, I can't name a single one."

The bulk of announcements this month from National have been about what Labour is or isn't doing. The few exceptions have been: A five-point plan to help reduce the violence in prisons; a proposal to reverse interest deductibility changes; an intention to prioritise work on a second Auckland harbour crossing for cars, freight, buses and trains; and a call for the new history curriculum to reflect "what we've achieved together".

Little of this would galvanise National's support base. And the history curriculum issue was fumbled when Paul Goldsmith was caught flat-footed on a question about Māori colonisation.

It has lost or is losing it's older support base as these folk see nothing being presented by National in their interests - particularly in livable superannuation rates. The electoral sacking of NZ First should have offered an opportunity to reclaim the ageing demographic - the most reliable of voter blocs. But name one policy announcement to have attempted this.

The space opened and presented itself; National somehow missed it.

Political commentator Matthew Hooton - himself a back-room player during Todd Muller's brief tenure as leader - this week bemoaned the party's inability to destabilise the Government, even as it stumbled on mental health, the $685m bridge for cyclists and the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out. "Instead, the National Party spent its Tuesday night in an emergency caucus meeting to investigate which of its MPs had leaked to a minor website against their returning colleague Harete Hipango."

Herald political editor Claire Trevett described the "brutal" meeting as having "all the drama of a documentary on wild animals battling at the savannah waterhole".

Hooton points out National's present strategy appears to be leaking information about its own members, "just slag one another off in general terms to whoever will listen". He suggests an internal conflict between the liberals and conservatives, and Trevett notes lingering resentment over the rolling of Simon Bridges or Muller's time as leader.

Act Party leader David Seymour is a clear winner in National's disarray. Somehow, he has contained nine Act MPs - included one who believes global warming is a farce - into a team.

Cue the return of the queen (or king) maker, Winston Peters. The NZ First leader's political timeline has zig-zagged but he has proven time and again an adroit touch with policies that hand-rear a support network. Last election's dice-throw on the Provincial Growth Fund came up snake eyes, but he won't make that mistake twice.

National faces more shavings of support to these centre-right and hard-right parties while it continues to grumble aimlessly about the Government, and bicker internally.

Currently, for a party that once so resolutely believed in its inalienable right to power, there appears to be no direction home. That's a pity, as the country is poorer for this.