ANALYSIS: What is Christopher Luxon up to? He currently seems intent on driving left-handers crazy. First on Thursday morning he proposed that, shock horror, parents should be responsible for getting their kids to school and that was followed by a new crime policy that includes military boot camps for problem children.
Despite Labour’s howl of outrage over creating ‘faster fitter’ criminals who commit more crime” (Grant Robertson) and how this has warmed up, old pesky National coming back, obviously this has been a calculated decision.
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson said the policy was “disgusting”. “It’s harmful. It’s deeply racist,” she said. “It further demonizes and stigmatizes entire communities.”
Luxon and National won’t mind. Former Prime Minister Sir John Key pursued a similar policy in 2009, and it fits well with National’s law-and-order shtick – especially in the current era of fashionable ramraids and Australian-style gangland activity imported from across the ditch.
A version of boot camps was also reintroduced by National ahead of the 2017 election. There was clearly a view that it worked for the party – politically, anyway.
Tom Lee/Stuff
National Party leader Christopher Luxon makes a crime policy announcement in Hamilton with MPs Mark Mitchell, Tame Potaka and Paul Goldsmith.
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In policy terms, it’s a bit like reheating an old Big Mac you threw in the fridge after over-ordering a few days before. You know you probably shouldn’t, but the packaging is attractive and you know what you’re going to get. It’s still good, but you do get a slightly sloppy old burger with a super-sized portion of guilt and regret.
It’s what it says on the box – which, let’s face it, is pretty good and has broad appeal. But it’s not a nutritious meal.
And so it is with this policy: looks good to many people, but a very charitable reading of past results would say yes mixed to poor.
The policy also marks a harder advantage for National and shows an increase in the ante in law and order. In October, National MP Erica Stanford said this in response to an ACT proposal to put anklets on young offenders: “Are we going to put an anklet on them? I mean, it just breaks my heart that we’re even.” talk about this.” Now National may be doing the same thing.
There’s also the issue of using the Defense Force to do it. With a 15% turnover rate and many serving soldiers still grumpy about being MIQ babysitters for two years, will they really want to be involved in excluding wayward teens?
Nevertheless, the political virtues of this policy relate to cultural optics and who and what Luxon and National are. It signals an attitude towards law and order. Labor is right that it is really hard to tackle juvenile delinquency, but lecturing people about it can just be annoying. And that is a cold consolation for raided or attacked civilians who just want something done. National will probably get a polling bump from this.
As for saying that parents are responsible for getting their kids to school, they are. And most of the voters National wants to attract will probably agree.
When Luxon was first elected national leader, comparisons to Key abounded: they were both successful, white businessmen from Christchurch who went abroad, did well, and got back into politics.
That comparison has always been exaggerated.
As opposition leader, however, there now seems to be more warming to Key’s greatest hits. And why not? It was a winning formula. Luxon hired staff from that era, and the caucus’ main confidants were staffers or ministers during that administration. His posts are high in ambition, low in detail, and he offers easy-to-digest cost-of-living sound bites rather than boring gamblers with GDP numbers.
But Luxon isn’t John Key, and some more original dishes will need to be served at some point that better suit its own strengths.