Bridges’ stance quells doubts over leadership
National leader’s reversal after meeting of party caucus signals detente — for now
Simon Bridges appears to have quelled the latest caucus ructions over the leadership in the National Party. But both he and Judith Collins inflamed the situation.
The party leader’s initial refusal two days running to explicitly say he trusted Judith Collins appeared a titfor-tat response to her refusal to say she supported Simon Bridges.
It was a position he reversed after the caucus, clearly a sign that detente prevailed.
Every leader, Prime Minister or Leader of the Opposition, has to be able to say they trust and have confidence in every member of their front bench.
The only time they cannot have trust and confidence is in the five minutes before telling them they are sacked.
Unless Bridges was planning to sack Collins from his front bench, he needed to say, when asked, that yes, he trusted Collins, even if his fingers were crossed behind his back.
He could hardly complain about Collins’ own lame declarations of loyalty to him if his own declarations were equivocal.
With a month to go to the Budget, it was important for Bridges to get
some discipline and focus back into the National Opposition. It showed in the House, too.
Collins herself appears to have changed her own tune in terms of support for Bridges.
“I’m loyal to my caucus and to the leader — Simon is the leader, so of course I support him.”
It was hardly a ringing endorsement but it was adequate for purposes of detente.
Had she not expressed her support for him, Bridges would have been quite entitled to sack her from his front bench.
Declarations are only important when an MP cannot make the most basic of pledges of support.
Half-hearted declarations of support give oxygen to the speculation, which gets media attention which perpetuates speculation which ultimately leads to perceptions of disunity and lowers the party’s poll rating to a level when a leadership challenge can be justified. It’s a tried and true way to destabilise a leader.
There are two lessons to be learned from the latest ructions in the National Party.
The news reports from some MPs that Judith Collins has more than half the support of caucus are not true.
They are part of the destabilisation process designed to promote perceptions of disunity.
If she had the majority support of the caucus, she would be the leader today.
The other lesson, however, is that those who want Collins as leader have had a reasonably successful few weeks.
They capitalised on mistakes by Bridges to raise issues of leadership. It was not the end game. It was a rehearsal.
The polls will likely go down again as a result of the ructions. The Government will get a lift from the Budget. Collins’ supporters can bide their time.