Commenting on Christopher Luxon’s inability to express himself clearly and honestly, Stuff columnist Janet Wilson, a former National Party communications adviser, opined recently that the prime minister errs by concentrating on “talking points” – “learning by rote to a point where he is nothing but a talking robot” – and struggling to “meaningfully engage in conversation”.
But who’s at fault here? I suspect the reason politicians like Luxon get into trouble is that they rely far too much on media coaches. They are schooled to stick to pre-determined “talking points” which quickly become clichés and jargon that voters see straight through.
Luxon is hardly the first politician to fall into this trap. And though she’s harsh in her criticism of him, I believe people like Wilson (who runs her own media training firm) are part of the problem.
Communications advisers are a relatively recent phenomenon that has contaminated the political process by getting in between politicians and the public and blurring their message. They are obsessively risk-averse and wield altogether too much influence. Some politicians, and I suspect Luxon is one, become far too dependent on them and afraid to trust their own judgment and instincts (assuming they have any).
Previous generations of politicians didn’t have this problem; they spoke directly, said what they thought and were generally respected for it, even if people didn’t agree. Their message wasn’t filtered through layers of obfuscatory flim-flam.
Some politicians still operate that way. Winston Peters is an example and so is David Seymour. Chris Hipkins too gives the impression that he gives genuine and spontaneous responses to questions, though he’s politically far more astute than Luxon and much more nimble.
Of course there remains the possibility that the reason Luxon sounds shallow, unconvincing and unsure of himself is that he’s shallow, unconvincing and unsure of himself. Even so, he could hardly do any worse if he ignored whatever media advice he’s getting.
Good to see you back Karl albeit briefly
ReplyDeleteHit the nail on the head Karl as for sure "he’s shallow, unconvincing and unsure of himself". Hosking made a complete fool of him when he (Luxon) wouldn't say if he would have sacked Bayly if he hadn't resigned first and then he did the 'shucks yes I would have' turnaround which made him look even weaker.
ReplyDeleteI agree the obvious coaching makes pollies appear afraid to speak their beliefs and to look out of their depth but what happened between Janet Wilson and National, as she clearly wants to hurt them with every acerbic opinion piece.
Hear hear ZTS
ReplyDeleteRegarding Christopher Luxon. I made this comment on one of the Breaking Views posts. I will add here that in the email to Luxon was my suggestion his Waitangi day speech reeked of hyperbole. Karl has suggested that Luxon should ignore the media coaches. Maybe Luxon has ignored the coaches and what we see and hear is what we get. Do we know if he writes his own speeches? I won’t punish myself any further by going out to research any of his previous speeches.
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Has anyone out there read the Luxon speech given to Ngai Tahu on Waitangi day? I wrote to his office challenging him on the clichés, tag lines and slogans contained in the speech. No response yet, and there will probably not be a response.
These are the clichés etc I drew out of the speech:
As I look around, many of you here today ,crucial role, at the forefront, new era, enormous challenges, inspires us all, future is in very capable hands, deep significance, for our entire nation, here in this very place, unique crossroads, incredible journey, looking ahead to the future, forged in adversity, unwavering commitment, century of broken promises, you never gave up, And as many of you have said, tools to succeed, a tremendous force, driving change, a solid foundation, This is a clear example, paired with vision and determination, values and aspirations resonate, As we strive towards 2040, and key to that, Going for Growth, As I like to say, a lot less no and a lot more yes, projects on our Fast Track List, play a key role in the prosperity, I am proud, an important opportunity, move forward with more purpose, And who better to do that than a man from Ngai Tahu, We must do better, and we can do better, As we all know, challenges that lie ahead, That will continue under my government, As we look to the future, build bridges, demonstrated time and time again, long-term sustainability, a unique role to play, The road ahead is bright, continue walking it together, shoulder to shoulder.
I believe the problem is simple, and yet fundamental. Luxon is dumb, and there's not much you can do about that, except replace him before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back Karl.
Can you imagine the narrow-eyed contempt Rob Muldoon would have had for anyone who dared to attempt to "media-coach" him!
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