20-03-2022, 04:46 PM
(18-03-2022, 02:29 PM)reigns Wrote: Whatever his reasons (I believe him when he says he is just looking for a change), he's had a pretty long innings in Parliament and he's achieved a lot for someone his age. I haven't been his biggest fan (had policy advisor friends who, when he was first starting out, were extremely critical of his competency) but he's had his fair share of knocks and detractors. I know that comes with the job so for now, at least, I hope he gets a decent wave of relief on exiting politics and can focus on enjoying his personal life a bit more.
Wonder if he was more suited to just being a local constituent MP. There's nothing wrong with just focusing on your electorate, and it's way more useful than spending large parts of your day bossing about West Coast list MPs.
On a national level, he was pretty ineffectual. Probably operated best when he was angry, but whenever he did, he came across as a petulant toddler throwing his toys out of the playpen. Optically, it's not what people were looking for in a leader.