New Zealand Listener

Of sticks and stones

Consider the past two years. We’ve had Covid and floods and $7 cabbages. Haven’t we had enough fear? Now we have “attack politics”, courtesy of the Council of Trade Unions. There, looming on billboards and videos and a front page wrap-around on the New Zealand Herald – plus a full-page ad inside – was the mug of National leader Christopher Luxon. He was supposed to look vaguely evil, like a cross between Hannibal Lecter and Uncle Fester from the Addams family.

“Out of touch. Too much risk.” Ouch. Not really. The CTU needs to get snappier slogan writers.

Nasty and pathetic, said the National Party’s campaign manager, Chris Bishop. The Nats are being

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