Summarised by Centrist
According to Muriel Newman, while the recent stunning defeat of the British Conservative Party is due to the quirks of the UK’s First Past the Post system, the simultaneous rise of the Reform Party and its policy proposals may offer lessons for New Zealand.
She observes that the upstart Reform UK’s sudden emergence syphoned off disillusioned Conservative votes. Their policy platform included replacing senior civil servants with private sector professionals and healthcare proposals, such as zero tax for frontline staff for 3 years and vouchers for private treatment to reduce waiting lists.
Meanwhile, their stance on climate policy—scrapping Net Zero targets—reflects a push against what they deem unaffordable environmental goals.
This resonated with voters tired of the status quo, and Newman thinks our own coalition government should be paying close attention.
As the euphoria of the NZ coalition’s victory wanes, she writes that, while not the only concern, the toxicity of separatism makes it a top priority:
“In fact, given the lack of action of the Coalition in standing against separatism, many voters are now beginning to question whether their election promises were just political spin.”
“The reality is that New Zealanders want to live in a country where democracy is strong, and everyone is treated as equals,” she writes.
