Was Hekia Parata set up by Steven Joyce?

When you talk to those on the right about Hekia Parata, a light appears in their eyes. She is the chosen one, the next leader post Key who will deliver National victory after victory in a generational political hegemony that will reset National as the party of choice for the next century.

By all accounts, she is an incredibly bright operator who deserves the accolades and has the ability to actually live up to the hype, so what the hell happened with this utter abortion on larger classroom sizes and her humiliating u turn announced yesterday?

Let's not forget how bungled this fiasco was. When quizzed on what schools where would face cut backs, Hekia couldn't answer. So completely unprepared for the realities of this policy was she. Hooton in the NBR today highlights the way political management under old school National used to exist, that level of scrutiny is currently lacking in this new Goverment, so the question must be asked did Steven Joyce set Hekia up for failure and the answer is a resounding yes.

What most forget about National's new strategist is his total inexperience, we forget the man elevated straight into Cabinet has no previous political depth and as such will make school boy errors that are as embarrassing as they are humiliating.

Look at the way this policy was tracked through the apparatus and the inexperience of Joyce becomes blindingly obvious. The only ones to vet this policy was Treasury and Inland Revenue, why the bean counters with no appreciation whatsoever of the political ramifications of policy were the only ones to cast an eye over it shows a monumental blunder on Joyce's behalf. Of course Treasury and IRD wouldn't appreciate the political minefield they were leading National into, they live in a bubble world so far from the realities of politics they may as well be making their proclamations from bloody Mars. A more experienced political operator than Joyce would have known that.

Ironically this type of mistake is exactly what Joyce's idiotic super ministry will provide in abundance. The lack of counter Ministry criticism of policy that would have picked up on the flaws in larger classroom sizes will be compounded by the Super Ministry because thats what Joyce is specifically pushing for, one voice rather than multiple voices. Sure Joyce's suggestion will streamline decisions but if the decisions are stupid all he's accomplishing is quicker implementation of flawed ideas that will implode on contact with the media.

This u turn is a spectacular example of the lack of political management that is plaguing the Government because the impetus for chance is ideological rather than empirical and National have to bypass vast mechanisms of Government to get the answers they want to hear.

Old School National had the patience and ideological grunt to argue their case, this Government do not. This clusterfuck over class room sizes would never have happened under McCully , Joyce's clumsy fingerprints are all over this meltdown.

Joyce's ACT strategy almost cost them the election, he was wrong to block Simon Bridges need for Key to be present at the Rena grounding, is now facing the wrath of a mainstream media after his strategy to bully and bag them over the Epsom Tea Party tapes and with the barest one seat majority almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Joyce's reliance on Farrar's polls for political strategy limits their vision to deal effectively with issues as they arise due to their own self induced blindness.

Expect self inflicted mutilation after self inflicted mutilation from this team of the blind leading the bland.

National have U turned on larger class room sizes, now National just need to u turn on Uni student cutbacks, charter schools and National Standards and we'll have an education system again. As for Hekia, she is politically damaged goods now and simply has no credibility in the sector. Allowing her to stay on as Education Minister would be like making the Captain of the Titanic Minister if Transport post iceberg.

You know shit is bad for National when their online mouthpiece David Farrar, the bore of babylon has to back down

On a final note, if the National Party can u turn on their decision over larger class room sizes, then surely the Panel can u turn over their banning of me for criticizing the Prime Minister? Is RNZ really more obtuse than Hekia Parata?

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