Ryan Bridge: The Treaty Principles Bill is dead in the water

David Seymour, you might have seen him on the news last night or in the Herald yesterday, basically calling Christopher Luxon and the government undemocratic for refusing to support this Treaty Principles Bill passed the first reading when it gets to select committee. 

This is what he said on the news last night. 

"Well, I think it is disrespectful and anti-democratic to tell people that no matter what they think, you're not open to changing your mind." 

Is this the issue you want to die in a ditch over? 

Let's face it, the Treaty Principles Bill is dead in the water anyway. 

A couple of reasons for that. Number one and most importantly, your coalition partners have said, nah, we don't want to support it past the first reading. 

Even if they agreed to it, the debate and the media attention would surely from a political perspective, purely political perspective would drown out the next two years of potentially good headlines about economic growth and all the other stuff the government's trying to do. 

And even if, as you say, it's a principled thing to do it for democracy to have the debate, et cetera, the next government will just undo it anyway, won't they? Whoever, and whenever that government might be, the more oxygen you give this, the sooner that day might arrive. 

In reality I don't think David Seymour is a stupid man or a stupid politician. He's not. And he knows this is going nowhere. 

It's probably more about positioning for a plank to balance a campaign on in 2026. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
David Seymour. You might have seen him on the news
last night or in the Herald yesterday basically calling Christopher
Luxen and the government undemocratic for refusing to support this
Treaty Principle's Bill past the first reading when it gets
to Select committee. Have you listened to what he said
on the news last night?

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Well, I think it is a disrespectful and anti democratic
to tell people that, no matter what they think, you're
not open to changing your mind.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Is this the issue you want to dine and ditch over.
Let's face that the Treaty Principle's Bill is dead in
the water anyway. A couple of reasons for that. Number one,
and most importantly, your coalition partners have said, nah, we
don't want to support it past the first reading. And
even if they agreed to it, the debate and the
media attention would surely from a political perspective, purely political perspective,

(00:49):
would drown out the next two years of potentially good
headlines about economic growth and all the stuff the government,
the other stuff the government's trying to do. And even if,
as you say, it's a incible thing to do it
for democracy to have the debate, etc. The next government
will just undo it anyway, won't they. Whoever, and whenever
that government might be, the more oxygen you give this,

(01:12):
the sooner that day might arrive. In reality, I don't
think David Seymour is a stupid man or a stupid politician.
He's not, and he knows this is going nowhere. It's
probably more about positioning for a plank to balance a campaign.
On in twenty twenty six. For more from News Talks
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(01:35):
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