I’ve spent the last few days wondering if I’d been transported to an alternative universe. Everything seems topsy turvy. Some things were normal.

The Crusaders were still dominating and moving towards a title just as they have done now for near enough 20 years. I read a report that said that the Crusaders are 20 per cent better than any other team in the competition and another comment on social media that the Crusaders are the best sporting club in the world.  I’d agree with both of those statements.

The Warriors were losing a game they should have won. Their form was topsy turvy again but that’s not topsy turvy at all - that’s 100 per cent normal. And then there was the news that Joseph Parker had been put down and lost gallantly.  Again that didn’t surprise me.  I saw a comment that Joe is a talented but polite boxer who was shocked at Whyte’s brawling. Joe talks about unleashing the mongrel but the problem is there’s no mongrel in him.

So so far transmission as normal. But then there was this headline from Liam Dann: Trump farm policy is pure socialism.

He’s exaggerating a bit but not wrong. This week President Trump unveiled US$12 billion worth of farm subsidies. And to give the farmers the subsidy he’s using taxpayer money to buy milk, soy beans, pork and grain directly from farmers at a guaranteed price.

Sound familiar? Soviet or Chinese style command economy, the government distorting the market, fixing the price. While he claims the idea is only temporary over the trade war it has infuriated many Republicans who claim this takes the States straight back to 1929. It’s proof that Mr Trump is not all that most expect. Including his friends.

And then I woke up this morning in an alternate universe. Mike Hosking’s lead interview was Sir John Key on the global economy. Meanwhile the actual leader of the National Party, Simon Bridges, was arguing for an education policy of smaller class sizes that the National Party actively argued against a few short years ago? Fresh from his first National party conference Mr Bridges wasn’t even on the breakfast show. Kerre interviewed him at 9am.

This was all a bit weird. Simon Bridges has been on what I call party paternity leave. For 70 days he’s been trooping around the country meeting the people, mostly National Party people. While that is admirable he’s been notably absent from the countrywide conversations, at the same time the prime Minister has been away on maternity leave.

Actually Mr Bridges has been away longer.  I tweeted this and National MP Chris Penk got all up in arms saying that Mr Bridges has done 66 public meetings and been in parliament so don’t call it leave. That’s true but that ignores that politics is perception.

After 70 days doing his tour Simon Bridges came back into the national limelight this weekend. He chose to promote a policy that his party fought to not put in place when they were in power. He missed the sitter in business confidence, he left that to the Sir John Key, who got the headlines and the respect. Who’s running this show?

It was very telling that Mike’s first text this morning said 'Bring back John Key', Simon Bridges and the National Party brains trust just blew it, it’s Politics 101.