Open warfare
Explosive allegations before MP quits Bridges’ political career hangs in the balance Jami-Lee Ross: Controversial from the start The battle for Botany: Taking on the Party Comment: MP hits self-destruct button
‘‘Rarely has Parliament seen such a spectacular act of self-destruction from an MP – the bombshells kept coming as Ross accused Bridges of corruption . . .’’
National leader Simon Bridges is still standing. But the series of sucker punches from his former numbers man, JamiLee Ross, may have dealt his leadership a killer blow.
Regardless of what happens now, National is reeling, its wounds laid bare, and Bridges lacks the political capital with voters who might have allowed him to rise above it.
National’s legendary discipline has also been rocked, effectively neutralising its trump card against Labour.
Rarely has Parliament seen such a spectacular act of selfdestruction from an MP – the bombshells kept coming as Ross accused Bridges of corruption, revealed a secret tape recording he intended taking to police, talked about his own mental breakdown, and accused Bridges of attempting to heavy him out of Parliament with trumped-up allegations of harassment.
It was an explosive and extraordinary press conference from Ross, lasting nearly an hour, the allegations given weight by the fact that he was once so close to Bridges, and a senior member of his front bench.
We haven’t seen anything like this in recent years.
When Bridges finally emerged after a caucus meeting to announce that Ross would be expelled from the party, it was almost irrelevant.
Ross had already resigned and announced he was forcing a by-election in his Botany seat, well aware he had already sealed his fate, his political career in shreds. His life’s mission now seems to be to take Bridges down with him.
Everything will likely hinge on the secret recording that Ross says he made of Bridges.
His corruption allegations centre on a $100,000 donation from a Chinese businessman which he says Bridges asked him to hide.
By his own admission, Ross says he parcelled up the donation into smaller amounts so that they would fall under the official electoral commission threshold for anonymous donations.
But there is an alternative version of events that emerged last night – that Ross was acting under his own steam, effectively with the intention of framing Bridges, with whom there was already bad blood.
Ross admitted to that bad blood when he complained during his press conference of being let down by Bridges over a promised promotion.
There are also different versions of the events surrounding harassment allegations which Ross says were put to him by Bridges and his deputy, Paula Bennett.
Stuff has been told that those allegations included one of inappropriate behaviour by a married MP, but that the other allegations were not of such a serious nature that there would be a formal complaint.
Regardless of which of these versions is correct, National is now in the danger zone. Ross may only be a lone wolf, but there are suggestions he has been getting external advice.
If more dirt gets flung, that will be the slow kiss of death to Bridges’ leadership, even if for now he seems safe as his MPs rally around him – and even if, ultimately, none of it is proven.
Because regardless of whether the allegations against him turn out to be nonsense, it will be an ongoing distraction that will ultimately weaken the face of unity and discipline that has been National’ secret weapon in the polls for so long.
And as Labour can testify, that can be the real killer blow.