2026-11-04 01:55 UTC
Replies (2)
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@isaacfreeman@cloudisland.nz 2026-11-04 19:26
@pezmico@mastodon.nz It's an astute observation that Hipkins cares primarily about looking decisive. All his worst mistakes have been knee-jerk “captain's calls” that should have waited on more information. On its own though, that doesn't allow us to predict which way he'll decisively jump. For that, I have a theory about Labour Party culture. I think senior Labour people are deeply embedded in a two-party model of politics. From their perspective, only Labour and National really count, and other parties are irrelevant. If you believe that, then the only voters who matter are National/Labour swing voters. And I think consistently when Hipkins makes a dumb captain's call, he jumps to what he imagines National voters will want to hear. Maybe his values influence his decisions when he takes his time. But when he panics, they go out the window and his thinking reduces to “what snap decision will prevent voters choosing National, the only other option?”
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@BobLefridge@mastodon.nz 2026-11-04 02:27
That piece hits the nail squarely on the head. Wishy washy centrism does not win elections. @pezmico@mastodon.nz