TVNZ has a good example today of National trying to be all things to all people and lie its way into power by sending different messages to different groups. To urban liberals - a key demographic - National pretends to be serious on climate change, talking tough about how it is going to solve the problem and setting strong targets. Meanwhile, at their party conference, they're snuggling up to climate change deniers again, with a carefully coded message from their "blue green" environmental spokesperson that they're really not interested in serious action and will surrender to the denier lobby in the end. Did they think people wouldn't notice?
National itself has decided that the environment will be a key battleground in the next election, both because it thinks it can persuade Labour voters, and in an effort to drive the Greens below the 5% threshold and deprive Labour of a potential coalition partner. But even in this key area it can't seem to get its story straight. Instead, it continues trying to be all things to all people in an effort to lie its way into power. And this simply isn't good enough.
