OPINION

Chris Hipkins has the worst job in politics, Opposition Leader. But he has made the worst job even more unbearable with his often hysterical hyperbole as he seeks to convince everyone that the Government is on the rocks.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the demotion of two ministers today shows the PM “didn’t have particularly good judgement”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this afternoon announced two ministers – Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds – had their portfolios in Media and Communications, and Disability Issues, removed.

Lee was also demoted from Cabinet, while Simmonds was already a minister outside Cabinet. Both have retained their other portfolios, with Paul Goldsmith taking over Media and Louise Upston Disability Issues.

Lee has been under pressure since the announcement of Newshub’s closure and Simmonds made headlines in a controversial announcement about disability allowance changes.

Announcing the changes, Luxon said it had been a tough day for Lee and Simmonds, but “this is how I roll, this is how I lead”. Despite repeated questioning he did not pin blame on either of them, instead saying the portfolios had become more complex so he wanted senior Cabinet members tasked with them.

Hipkins said Lee and Simmonds were “never up to the task that they were given” and for Luxon to say things had dramatically changed in the media landscape showed he had not been paying attention before he became the prime minister.

He said the government had only been in office for six months, and “the wheels are falling off already”.

RNZ

Really?

An alternate headline would be “Luxon shows his mettle by sacking under-performing ministers”.

Desperation is a stinky cologne and Hipkins absolutely reeks of it.

His grasp of recent history leaves a lot to be desired.

In the first few months of last year, we saw his Government have:

  • The PM resign
  • The Minister of Justice, Kiritapu Allan, sacked/resigned after being charged with drink driving and not co-operating with Police after she crashed her car
  • Stuart Nash sacked for leaking Cabinet discussions after multiple prior warnings
  • Michael Wood embarrassingly sacked after being told 12 times to sell shares he had a ministerial conflict over
  • A Minister, Meka Whaitiri, defect to Te Pati Maori.
  • Phil Twyford demoted
  • Three Ministers dropped as they were retiring at the election

All Hipkins is doing is what almost every Opposition Leader since Adam was a boy has done, chasing passing cars and headline seeking.

Of course, it was the failing Newshub that ran the headlines the hardest, along with Red Radio.

What is even more hilarious is Hipkins trying to take the side of the Waitangi Tribunal:

He also said Luxon should be asking “why stop there”, and turn his attention to ACT leader David Seymour and NZ First Minister Shane Jones, who both criticised the Waitangi Tribunal, which he argued was criticism of the judiciary.

“He publicly reprimanded them, and then David Seymour reprimanded him back in return. I think that shows that his own ministers don’t have any respect for his authority.”

Newshub

It turns out that in that case Seymour and Jones were 100% right, and it was Christopher Luxon who was wrong when the High Court rejected arguments supporting the Waitangi Tribunal bid to summon a minister.

The High Court has ruled Children’s Minister Karen Chhour cannot be compelled to appear before the Waitangi Tribunal.

In a just-released decision, Justice Andru Isac granted the Crown’s application for judicial review, setting aside the summons issued by the tribunal.

But he added the mana of the tribunal and the importance of its work was not diminished by his decision.

The judicial review challenged an unprecedented request from the tribunal earlier this month for Chhour to appear before an urgent inquiry about the Government’s decision to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. It summonsed the minister to appear by this Friday.

NZ Herald

Again Hipkins was on the wrong side of the law and the politics of an issue.

Voters ceased caring what Chris Hipkins had to say about anything about a year ago. He should act on his private grizzles and leave because his attitude towards his job means he just comes across as a useless whiny brat.

This is not a scandal; it is Christopher Luxon giving us a hint he has a spine, somewhere in there.

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As much at home writing editorials as being the subject of them, Cam has won awards, including the Canon Media Award for his work on the Len Brown/Bevan Chuang story. When he’s not creating the news,...