You're wrong, Barry

Why Christopher Luxon is my politician of the year - Barry Soper

NZ Herald 21 Dec 2024

As the year draws to an end spare a thought of what life must be like for Christopher Luxon.

This is a man who’s been in politics for just four years. To describe his rise to the top as meteoric would be an understatement. No one in modern political history has become Prime Minister with so little political experience.

His rise to the top of..... what? The car park?

The prime minister was supposed to be a leader, not some idiot who thinks he is better than everyone else because he got the keys to the top floor .

The board room comes no where near the Cabinet office. For starters as the chief executive of Air New Zealand what Luxon said to his executive was essentially done.

In the Cabinet room anything he says is the subject of debate and frequently his view doesn’t always win the day. He’s had to learn to compromise big time.

Luxon isn’t your typical politician, let alone the leader of the country. For starters the demon drink has never got so much as a sniff from him. And he’s a Christian to boot.

Demon drink? Do you mean that pint of pain called Seymour? So much as a sniff? Jesus, the man is in partnership with the devil.

Almost 35 years ago when Jim Bolger became the Prime Minister, there was a feeling from some he’d never make it because he was a Catholic!

Luxon was advised when he was about to give his maiden speech to Parliament to leave out the Christian side of his life. He ignored the advice and went full-on about his beliefs. The public seemed to have liked it. It led to a healthy debate about Christianity and politics.

It would probably be a lot more honest if his Christianity had not been mentioned. Expectations would be more realistic.

This man was pilloried by the media for having too many properties - he had seven. In recent months he’s sold three and again he’s been vilified for the profit he’s made without paying tax on it.

No Barry, Luxon is villified because he brags about it. Because he abuses his power (in a moral sense, not a legal sense). Christian, my ass.

You’d surely be asking questions of a man with his professional, highly paid background, if he didn’t have investments. He was attacked, as if it was immoral, when he said on Newstalk ZB Drive a while ago “let me be clear: I’m wealthy, I’m, you know, sorted.”

No, Barry, it's not immoral to have money. It's rude to brag about it.

It's unfair, it's offensive, it's crude, and it shows no empathy when you effectively say "(1) yes these are hard times (2) I'm sorted (3) I don't care about your problem" and you're leading the very organisation that is creating these problems.

It may have been clumsy but the quote was for some reason seen as the quote of the year in some quarters, as though he was removed from the pain of those who haven’t done as well as him are going through.

"as though"?!?! What the hell do you mean by "as though"? You make it sound like he's also struggling to put food on the table.

The only difference is that Mr Luxon gets it from all quarters, whereas Mike Hoskins can just cut the line and curtail the negative feedback so his fluffy little world doesn't get untidy.

Very clever of you to ignore just how powerful "being sorted" is. A person who "is sorted" has options, Barry, OPTIONS. A variety of choices, many ways of overcoming adversity are possible. Unlike the majority of NZ, "who aren't sorted" we don't always know where the next meal is coming from, or paycheck, or healthcare, or anyone of a thousand other little challenges.

Of course he does, he didn’t enter politics with a blindfold. He did enter politics earning a fraction of what he was on as the airline boss! And he entered politics genuinely hoping that he could put the place back on track.

And he should be celebrated for that, not condemned.

So, let me get this straight, Barry, he should be celebrated for taking a pay cut because it's unfair that he's ridiculed for his Christian moral values.

What's the connection? You may as well say, Hitler was a despot, but his rose bushes also have thorns. Huh??!?

It’s true, he entered politics to make a difference.

Did he? Well he certainly did...

For those of us who knew him before he made the leap, they would appreciate he came into the job coveting the Prime Minister’s role. Never did he think though he’d achieve that in a few short years. But he should have, the National Party which he led just a year after signing on as an MP was a dog’s breakfast.

His leadership brought unity to the political wing of the party, putting it in the position it is today.

No, Barry, take off the rose colored glasses, and consider this for a moment: he was always going to win. If not Luxon, then some other vaguely slippery individual who can say the right words.

It's the system, Barry, this beautifully crafted ego boosting, self agrandising development called representiive democracy. It may be the best we've got, but it's failing us.

I'm not saying that it could ever be perfect, but there has to be a better way.

It’s a tougher job than any recent incumbent has had, dealing with the egos of those around him. He’s certainly done it with the old warhorse Winston Peters, dining at each other’s houses. He likes Peters despite the fact that he derailed the Government on the ferry deal.

Wonderful. He actually likes the old "we won" warhorse who is even more arrogant.

Whatever the outcome, Peters will declare it as his victory and no one in the coalition will likely publicly disagree with him.

Act’s David Seymour is another kettle of fish, much more slippery even than Peters. He’ll be deputy Prime Minister in May, just in time for Nicola Willis’ austere Budget. That’ll be a significant coalition test for him.

So as Luxon packs his bags for the holidays with his family and friends, he can reflect on a stinker of a year, but one that he’s survived pretty well.

Oh, shame. Poor Mr Luxon managed to protect his wealth, satisfy his cronies, and avoid any censure because he was able to keep it all legal.

A whole heap of other people have been told "you're Māori, and second class citizens" by his government, the entire country's health care is failing, and Mr Luxon can't even be present to deliver the state apology to survivors of state abuse.

Maybe you're right, Barry, maybe it is remarkable he has survived. That health insurance CEO in the US didn't. And just to be clear, I hate that this sort of thing happens.

Yes, I can see the human being, the person who is worthy of respect like every living thing is. Yes, I know its an incredibly complex business, and a tough gig. Yes I can spare a thought for Chris Luxon. But I am also aware that every bloody indicator says his team are driving us backwards. But somehow, the 600+ suicides this year are a little more concerning than Chris's feelings.

His ratings were never going to be high given the mess that he inherited, but in my making-it-against-all-odds book, he has to be my politician of the year.

When the hell did kiwis start celebrating "I'm better than you"?

Well Barry, I'm guessing that in that little club you seem to belong to, a Christmas party is in order. You guys can savour your achievements, clap each other on the back - this system can't stop you.

You should have written a piece titled "I'm sorted should be the insult of the year" I'd probably be feeling a lot warmer to you.

Merry fucking Christmas.