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Mike's Minute: A deal has finally been made

Author
Mike Hosking,
Publish Date
Fri, 24 Nov 2023, 9:39am

Mike's Minute: A deal has finally been made

Author
Mike Hosking,
Publish Date
Fri, 24 Nov 2023, 9:39am

So it turned out OK. 

Well, this part at least. 

A deal is done, the pens and papers getting rolled out today and we have a Government. 

You have to say, 20 days on from the final vote is not bad going. 

There is a lot of weird democracy going on in the world. If you look at Argentina or Spain or Holland in just the past couple of weeks alone, the fact that some got exercised over 20 days in a free and fair election reminds us we don’t know how lucky we are. 

As it has been pointed out, three parties in Government is a first in Cabinet, bound together by what I assume is a moderately detailed document. 

You have to commend, firstly, Chris Luxon. The media gave him a ridiculous serve over his mergers and acquisition claims. Even if you suggest, and I probably do, that he shouldn’t have spruiked his credentials 20 days shows, details pending, he delivered. 

But that is the Luxon story so far isn't it? 

The media, who have been shockingly exposed these past six years over their bias, decided Luxon was a clown, couldn't connect, didn’t know politics and was set for a fall. 

Yet, look at the proof. He fixed National, won the election and stitched together a three party deal in less than three weeks. 

You also have to commend David Seymour and Winston Peters. There were no leaks, plenty of professionalism and Seymour, as I have said, gets extra kudos for being pretty available to tell us, within constraint, what was going on. 

The potential here is huge. 

MMP has been ropey. Too many deals have not been delivered, too many people have fallen out and too many parties have been punished, even vanished, as part of deals. 

This one might end up the same. But my gut says it's got a better-than-even chance of actually being a hit. 

There is genuine good will and genuine common purpose, with people who have a combination of real world experience, political experience and plain, old zeal to get this country, this once great country currently battered and hobbled, back on its feet and firing. 

There are details, jobs, policies and compromises to come. 

But at this stage - let's get into it, let's sort some stuff and let's wish them well. 

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