What Was That About the Green Party Holding the Moral High Ground?

The Green Party published an advert mocking Simon Bridges and his accent.

The Green Party has deleted an ad attacking Simon Bridges because its members were not happy.
The ad paints National Party leader Bridges as a used car salesmen at “Simon’s Imports”, using old footage of the National Party leader dubbed by an impersonator highlighting Bridges’ thick accent.

Hey, I know that many of you don’t like Simon Bridges and that you think he is weak and ineffectual. But isn’t the Green Party the party of the moral high ground? The party that doesn’t get involved in gutter politics? The party that always plays the ball, not the man? The party that always treats its fellow members in the House with respect, even if they don’t agree with them?

Yeah, right.

“Oh look, do you like cars, I like cars,” it begins, before mocking Bridges’ climate change policy and low poll ratings.
“Prices are down, emissions are down, my polling is down,” the video says, in the style of a car advertisement.

Disgraceful.

Bridges said the ad was amusing and it showed National’s attacks on the Government’s feebate scheme to lower emissions were working. 
“The reality is, we’re holding the Government to account on their taxing of New Zealanders, they’re holding me to account on my accent”.
He drew attention to the fact Labour had also rolled-out its first attack ads since the election this Parliament. 
Green Party co-leader James Shaw, who authorised the ad said other people hadn’t found the ad as funny as him.

Good on Simon for taking it in his stride. I really don’t like the Greens, but James Shaw is the one that everyone holds up as the good guy. Well, he just lost that title as well.

Earlier on Tuesday, he told media the ad highlighted National’s own negative campaigning in a funny way. 
Shaw said it used humour to call attention to National’s ads, which he likened to those used by Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 US Presidential election. 
“We’re being meta about it,” he said. 
Shaw said the party was not trying to mock Bridges’ accent.

Errr… yes, you were James. How could you be doing anything else?

“We had to hire an actor who could accurately depict his accent,” he said. 
His fellow co-leader Marama Davidson said the ad was “quite funny”, and agreed the party was not trying to mock Bridges’ accent.

Stuff.

But you hired an actor who could accurately depict his accent…

The nastiness of this government continues. In the meantime, watch out for another puff piece about our Dear Leader tomorrow. There is a poll due out this weekend.