A good analysis, very salient points. Luxon didn't become PM because he was a good CEO, he became PM because he had been AirNZ's CEO and that's what John Key had been before becoming Prime Minister. National did not select a candidate and then pick him to become leader because of Luxon's record or ingenuity or competence or intelligence or people skills or charisma or any of the things John Key had (for all I don't like the guy). He was selected because he was similar enough to John Key that this reputation had rubbed off on him.
Luxon in every sense of it was placed to win this election for National, not to lead the country afterwards.
Doubtless you will have far greater insight into the machinations of the political complex of New Zealand than I. I am just an outsider looking in and asking WTF? Along which lines … PM Foran anyone? ... US Conglomerate to Air New Zealand to PM seems to be one career path.
I just tried to explain winston peters to an audience of mostly americans and yeah, New Zealand politics is really weird…
The entire cabinet are business interests picked by the National Party board after former MoF Steven Joyce took that power away from party members. Between National, ACT and NZ first’s lobbyists and David Seymour himself having got his leg up through an ATLAS think tank, ties to large corporations and influential industries are now compulsory requirements for MPs on the right.
Were the audience American expats and thus cognizant of what we have .. or still in the US wondering how you end up with a PM that the people don’t get to vote for?
Non-expat Americans who seemed confused about the spoiler effect. I was trying to explain we don’t have a party that splits the vote, we have Winston Peters who gets back into Parliament every second election and gets to pick the PM.
A good analysis, very salient points. Luxon didn't become PM because he was a good CEO, he became PM because he had been AirNZ's CEO and that's what John Key had been before becoming Prime Minister. National did not select a candidate and then pick him to become leader because of Luxon's record or ingenuity or competence or intelligence or people skills or charisma or any of the things John Key had (for all I don't like the guy). He was selected because he was similar enough to John Key that this reputation had rubbed off on him.
Luxon in every sense of it was placed to win this election for National, not to lead the country afterwards.
Doubtless you will have far greater insight into the machinations of the political complex of New Zealand than I. I am just an outsider looking in and asking WTF? Along which lines … PM Foran anyone? ... US Conglomerate to Air New Zealand to PM seems to be one career path.
I just tried to explain winston peters to an audience of mostly americans and yeah, New Zealand politics is really weird…
The entire cabinet are business interests picked by the National Party board after former MoF Steven Joyce took that power away from party members. Between National, ACT and NZ first’s lobbyists and David Seymour himself having got his leg up through an ATLAS think tank, ties to large corporations and influential industries are now compulsory requirements for MPs on the right.
Were the audience American expats and thus cognizant of what we have .. or still in the US wondering how you end up with a PM that the people don’t get to vote for?
Non-expat Americans who seemed confused about the spoiler effect. I was trying to explain we don’t have a party that splits the vote, we have Winston Peters who gets back into Parliament every second election and gets to pick the PM.