Is anyone really happy with Judith at the moment though? Apart from her BFF Whaleoil, of course.

Anyone have a review of the best alternatives for leadership team of the National Party.
I'm guessing anyone that left Parliament due to current leadership will not be coming back.
Or do they need someone entirely new that's waiting in the wings someone knows of.

Its hard to have wide appeal while you are just talking to your base, scared they will truck over to ACT.

Simon might be okay, but I don't think he wants another crack at it. Todd is on the way out, so that's a non-starter.

Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop?

Is Gerry even still in the party? Would he want to do it?

Simon Bridges probably got his shot at the wrong time, but also hit by the way we finance political parties too.

Well there is the cloning of John Key underway with Christopher Luxon,
but he also needs a whole capable team.

Maybe they are strategizing that next election will still have shadow of Covid over it.
So leadership role until then is really there to hold the base, which with any party is the more rabid ugly end.

Then the election after that Covid will be in the rear mirror forgotten.
A new leadership team then can bring back the more sane broader policies and work on an electorate looking for change.
They may need a new group of MPs to do that.

Providing ACT has not eaten their lunch.

Edit to correct Luxton, oh my...

ezbee:

 

Simon Bridges probably got his shot at the wrong time, but also hit by the way we finance political parties too.

 

Well there is the cloning of John Key underway with the other Simon.
Simon Luxton, but he also needs a whole capable team.

 

Maybe they are strategizing that next election will still have shadow of Covid over it.
So leadership role until then is really there to hold the base, which with any party is the more rabid ugly end.

 

Then the election after that Covid will be in the rear mirror forgotten.
A new leadership team then can bring back the more sane broader policies and work on an electorate looking for change.
They may need a new group of MPs to do that.

 

Providing ACT has not eaten their lunch.

 

I guess you mean the not Simon, Chris Luxon?

Yep Handle9 , wrong Luxton ... Christopher Luxon... 

quickymart:

 

Simon might be okay, but I don't think he wants another crack at it. Todd is on the way out, so that's a non-starter.

 

Nicola Willis? Chris Bishop?

 

Is Gerry even still in the party? Would he want to do it?

 

Gerry is the face of last election's "border covid conspiracy"... which seems like Collin's old school tactics & she probably got the #2 attack dog to do it, but in any case he's cancer now.

Willis is competent but she will come across as cold next to Jacinda, Bishop would be a better contrast IMO.

This interview with Janet Wilson is worth a listen. It's not flash.

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/pettiness-destroying-judith-collins-leadership

Peter Dunne's take on the current situation that exists with National.

I see she is being as belligerent as ever https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300411931/judith-collins-wont-resign-as-national-leader--even-if-polls-slip-below-20-per-cent

She is probably feeling secure in her role and that she has her party's support simply because no one else wants the job. I suspect National is playing the long game, chances of toppling Labour in the next election is slim if things stay as they are and whilst she isn't a very good candidate to put up against the near fanaticism of Labour / Jacinda Ardern supporters there just isn't an alternative that is likely to see National step into power.

Leave her in leadership until 2023 and let her fail miserably at the election, but 6-9 months out, start promoting her replacement (whomever that may be). Once the inevitable defeat comes, roll her and bring in someone who can genuinely lead the party as an opposition.

Ofcourse, that may change if Ardern decides 2 terms is enough and declares her intention to step down (as Key did well before the 2017 election), then National would need to push her aside and move quickly, but it still comes back to who wants the job. 

I suspect Bridges might be open to taking the role up again if he is given free-reign to do some spring-cleaning. 

But it's hard to see the board being open to it, at least until it starts affecting donations. 

sen8or: Ofcourse, that may change if Ardern decides 2 terms is enough and declares her intention to step down (as Key did well before the 2017 election),

GV27:

 

I suspect Bridges might be open to taking the role up again if he is given free-reign to do some spring-cleaning. 

 

But it's hard to see the board being open to it, at least until it starts affecting donations. 

 

He was asked twice, the latter question was if it was offered to you? He responded that he wont be seeking the leadership. But if its offered? There are worse choices. He's owned his mistakes

This reads like whataboutism to me, but I could be wrong.

https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2021/09/judith-collins-denies-criticism-of-siouxsie-wiles-was-hypocritical-despite-her-own-mask-breach-in-queenstown.html

gzt:

sen8or: Ofcourse, that may change if Ardern decides 2 terms is enough and declares her intention to step down (as Key did well before the 2017 election),

Key was starting to see a loss of support. So far that's not happening for Ardern.

My memory could be fuzzy, but wasn't labour rapidly heading towards a landslide loss under its various leaders up until the moment Little stepped aside for Ardern? IIRC, Key had already handed over to Bill English well before there was a shift in support towards Labour (of sufficient magnitude to affect the outcome).