Barry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on whether Chris Luxon is at risk of being rolled

Recent polls show Prime Minister Chris Luxon's popularity has taken a nosedive, prompting speculation about his future in the National Party.

With the election set to take place next year, there's growing speculation Luxon's leadership role might not last.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this discussion is a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it's likely there could be mood for change.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Barrisoper, senior political correspondence with US Hallo Barry.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Good afternoon.

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Now, we were just talking about the post freshwater strategy
with infrastructure New Zealand Pole.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Can we use an any for that?

Speaker 3 (00:11):
Perhaps rolls off the tongue doesn't exactly anyway, Listen. The
problem with this is, obviously, if you were sensible, you
don't roll Luxeon, even if you think Luxen's a drag
on the party, which is, you do not roll him
before the election. You do it about a year after
the election. But the problem is, if you talk about
it enough, this thing gets momentum. Are we at that place?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Becomes a self fulfilling prophecies and that happens a lot.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Is he of that?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
No, I don't think so. I think people who think
about politics and who think about what this government has
done in a fairly short time. I'm not preaching their case,
but they have done a lot, a lot more than
what labor did in the last three years when it
had unbridled power at the Treasury benches. So I think people, well,

(00:55):
most people who think about politics would say, you know,
this time next year, which will be election time, of course,
but by this time the economy will have turned the corner,
and I'm convinced of that that next year. I think
early next year you're going to see a mood change.
And that's what it's all about, and that's why these

(01:16):
things tend to roll on. If you talk so much
about it, then it would roll on. Chris Bishop good
performer in the house. Don't know whether he's leadership material.
Erica Stanford, Yep, she's okay. Nichola Willis is okay. She's
been excellent in education, there's no doubt about that. And
very articulate. Nicola Willis again, you know she's had a

(01:41):
hard battle and finance. So even old Shane Jones this
afternoon was saying in the house used one of an
expression I've often used that to turn a super tanker
around take some considerable time. So if I was Chris
Lux and looking at this, you know, of course i'd
be upset, and you know, I would feel that people
are not getting the message that he's been espousing day

(02:04):
after day after day. And I heard some criticism this
morning of his performance in the house. Well I looked
at him that and with that perspective today he performs
I think very well.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
You're talking about what Mike said, yes. I think Mike's
got a point.

Speaker 2 (02:19):
No, he doesn't because he I don't know whether he
nobody knows politics like Mike knows it, of course, which
he continually tells us. But I've been in that house
for more than forty years, and when I see leaders
of the like of Chris lux and I think he
performs actually very well as the prime minister in the House.
And I was watching him again today and Mike seemed

(02:41):
to criticize him for saying, yes, do they agree with
every statement and whatever.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
That've done in the past.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Why he says yes, he doesn't open up the agenda
to the opposition.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
I think, okay, I actually a tactic here. I agree
with Mike, but I do of.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Course you'd agree with you. Hosts are all the same.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Oh jeez, honestly, Lord. What I want to talk about, though,
is there is a point at which, and this is
accepted right, there is a point at which a prime
minister becomes so deeply unpopular that nothing saves them, even
in economy. They just give voters the X factor. Are
you sure he isn't there?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
I think you will find this time next year we'll
be talking about a very different chrys Luxen that we
talked about today.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
Remember this the fac I do remember it.

Speaker 2 (03:25):
Remember this, play.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
This back in a year I shall now not of course,
of course.

Speaker 3 (03:31):
Not failing to help this particular government is the Maori
Party with its shambles and even Marswall Willie had to
come and say something about it.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
Well, you know, Willy has probably said more than what
his leader, Chris Hipkins has said, and he's a good mate.
He hasn't got skin in the game, of course, what
he probably does have because you know they will be
looking for coalition partners if they want to rule the
treasury benches next year, and the Mardi Party would be
part of that. Mex and Willie's made the point that,

(04:00):
you know, they really have to get their act together,
although he feels and he's talking about getting a meeting
with them next month to sit down and talk about
where they're going, what they'll look like come the next election.
Where is Rawi waited Tea the co leader and China
with a Kappa Harker group that he's traveled the world

(04:21):
with in the last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
But he's not alone, is he par He's not alone?

Speaker 2 (04:26):
No, he's not alone. With him, his wife John, Yeah,
John Tammahi's daughter who's working as a press secretary for
the party. I've had a few run ins with her
over the time that when I was in Parliament. They're
very uncooperative. They do not like the media, probably because
of what I'm saying at the moment, but they're not

(04:48):
an easy party to deal.

Speaker 1 (04:49):
Well, you are what they call the PARKI har media.

Speaker 2 (04:51):
Well, I'm a racist.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
No, you're white.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
That's their problems that We'll talk to the party, they say,
I'm not putting words in their mouths.

Speaker 1 (04:58):
They talk about this.

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Yeah, Jerry Browny's been told off. Everyone's favorite green MP Ricardo.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Well, of course, and you're this man whenever he walks
into a room, you look and see the is it
haut cature that you look at his outfit and Riccardo's yes,
I mean rubbish of course. And he's the very thing
that people talk about in the House that you know,
the casualization of the house introduced by Trevor Mallard, And

(05:30):
what Menendez March says is that, in fact, a tuxedo
is not going to improve the behavior of the house. Well,
in fact, that is absolutely true. But there's got to
be with a Ricardo likes it or not. Some standards
and when you reduce the expectation on dress and how

(05:51):
they turn out sneakers, jeans, t shirts with motifs on them,
that is not the Parliament. It is not the highest
core in the land and I think they, all of
them should be showing some respect for the institution of Parliament.

Speaker 1 (06:06):
Often does look like some sort of am dram situations.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
You know, you've got a protest party group. The Maltor
Party is a pro test party and I think we've
seen that more so in the last six months or
so than we've ever seen it before.

Speaker 1 (06:21):
Thank you, Barry, Barry Soper, Senior political correspondent. I might
quote you back some of what Ricardo had to say
in just a minute.

Speaker 2 (06:26):
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