The Australian election result should make the National party sit up and take notice. Climate change policies are clearly not a winner and neither are leaders who the public do not warm to.
National needs to change its leader because Simon Bridges is more like Bill Shorten popularity wise than he is like Scott Morrison. quote.
Despite Labor presenting a strong alternative policy programme to the Coalition Government, despite it running a reasonable campaign and being relatively unified under Bill Shorten for almost six years, despite Labor being ahead for most of the past six years, it was not enough for Shorten to overcome his popularity problem. end quote.
National needs more than just a good party vote, it needs a leader who is effective and liked. quote.
Maybe when those undecided voters got into the booth, they just decided to go with the more likeable person.“ end quote.
And right there is Bridges’ problem. When forced to choose between a party led by Jacinda or Bridges, voters will choose Jacinda because she is more likeable. A leader who is likeable and effective will have an excellent chance of beating Jacinda since she is as effective as a wet paper towel. She might be popular but she is also a one-trick show pony. quote.
Bridges may argue that Morrison’s strong campaign was all about strong policy but it also gave the more popular leader in Morrison great exposure.
[…] with abysmal ratings as preferred Prime Minister, about 5 per cent, the fear is that the exposure of the campaign will turn undecided voters away from an already unpopular Bridges, in the quiet of the polling booth.”
A Newspaper