Proving that political cooperation is possible
It has taken a couple of decades, but the last 12 months of political management across party lines now appears to have established that the concept of a genuine multiparty government in this country is not only possible, but it can also be effective on several levels.
The success of the process pivots on mutual goodwill among diverse players – and after 12 months of establishing ground rules and salving old wounds, the three-party cooperative is gaining real traction. What now appears to be an effective means of internal communication has achieved momentum on the back of effective management across a relatively dicey political divide. What, in the introductory days of proportional representation, used to be referred to by opponents of the system as rule by the ‘‘three-headed beast’’ seems, perhaps superficially, to have matured into government by constructive dialogue.
And, although the concept will stick in the craw of the political diehards, it may be that three heads are better than one, providing they are realistically talking to one another. It presumably helps, too, if the representative party power brokers have the gumption to give the clear impression that they are working cooperatively rather than constantly trying to outmanoeuvre one another.
And in this instance, the combined leadership attributes of vitality, experience and respect for the environment appear to have eventually accepted that cooperation works more effectively than one-upmanship.
In the last week or so, the prime minister’s relaxed but focused interventions at the challenging Apec and Asean conferences in Singapore and Port Moresby respectively should leave only the politically hidebound in any doubt about how effectively a relative political newcomer can play the international game. Her determinedly unilateral demeanour in was already an established pattern, given her singular approach to international relations in Sydney, London and New York prior to last week’s challenges.
And, in terms of a double act, Jacinda Ardern and Winston Peters appear to have arrived at a political accord that will, at least in the short term, enhance both their political ambitions.
Superficially, the two leaders have little in common. At least, that appears to be the case, and possibly accounts for the consternation or, depending on political orientation, exhilaration created by NZ First’s decision to flag the opportunity to again play second fiddle to National.
And, much to their own surprise, given the circumstances around the leadup to the general election, out of the wilderness of eternal opposition and into the mix of ‘‘hands on’’ government came the shell-shocked Green Party.
Elements of middle New Zealand looked askance, and hardline Labour supporters turned puce – but, despite all the conservative hand-wringing, the James Shaw-co-led Green MPs have proved to be, to date at any rate, a thoughtful and constructive third party focused on core values and constructive dialogue.
In retrospect, after 12 months of partisan elation, doomsday speculation, hand-wringing and political upheaval, how much more interesting, innovative and inclusive is the first genuine coalition government in our relatively short political history.
It could be argued, and is by many, that despite political window-dressing, little of substance has really changed.
In fact, in the last 12 months there has been an extraordinary political upheaval.
While the shell-shocked Opposition fulminated and postured, and the new National Party leadership wasted a great deal of energy attempting to take the political moral high ground, the coalition Government stumbled its way through the morass of government detail and stabilised its hold on the Treasury benches.
Despite covert attempts by the Opposition to kneecap the NZ First leadership with fatuous gossip and predictions that the prime minister would be outflanked during her pregnancy, the exercise went according to plan.
Not that it has been an easy ride. Until recently, the National Opposition continued to resonate with its substantial support base, and there were occasions when the inexperience and ineptitude of a few Labour Cabinet ministers highlighted just how precarious life in the public spotlight can be. A perception that some ministers were over-egging their political contributions, together with some overt grandstanding by a range of other, inexperienced players, set up a line of targets for the more politically honed National Opposition front benchers.
But the wild card is always in the game, and when the Jami-Lee Ross threat surfaced, lack of experience in the cauldron of controversy saw the National Party leadership stumble. The impact of the badly managed debacle will continue to haunt the Opposition through the Christmas and New Year stand-down.
At this stage of the game, with a third of the political term under its belt, the coalition Government gives every impression that it is capable of forging a genuine threeparty beast that can work cooperatively for more than one term.
For National, it has come down to finding a genuine political partner or spending the next few years singing solo in the political backwaters of Opposition.