Kate Hawkesby: Hipkins has no choice but to keep showing up

I’m thinking the people we should be feeling most for this election campaign are the government’s security detail. Judging by the Prime Minister’s outing to Otara markets in South Auckland over the weekend, it could be a rough old time on the hustings. Bear in mind, this is South Auckland, Labour territory. The PM was not wandering through Fendalton or Remuera. He was in an area which should have his back, but not this time. Protestors from Freedoms NZ, which it’s reported is, “a new political party, joining together the Tamaki-led Vision NZ party and the Outdoors and Freedom Party..” reportedly, “chased him around the market, two on bicycles and others carrying big blue banners, until the prime minister eventually left.” So they caused such a ruckus, they ended Hipkins visit early. From the footage at the event, the person looking most surprised was the PM’s security. Chippy just kept smiling. Was he not aware of how bad it was? Did he just not care? Was he smiling to just keep up appearances? But this could be something he needs to get more used to. People are angsty, they’re angry, they’re seemingly going to make their voices heard. And not always just to offer him a sausage roll. Hipkins was reported saying he won’t change his campaign strategy because of it though. He still hopes to get out and about and said he won’t curb his movements... is that true though? I don’t doubt that behind the scenes the logistics peeps are busy working out how best to avoid this bad press, to avoid this unrest, and to keep him out of the fray. Let’s not forget what happened when Jacinda started to get booed in public, she stopped visiting places where she might find an unpopular reception. She stuck to safe spaces like primary schools or Universities, places where she knew she’d be well received. Will Chris Hipkins have to start doing the same? And that’s before we get to how much the party is internally disputing how they’re tracking, and how much solidarity there is among them as they lose support and lose face, on the back of losing so many Ministers. Hipkins is looking increasingly like a bit of a lone wolf, making a few ‘big calls’ but then having them backfire. GST on fruit and vege being one glaringly recent example. How much of it will come down to him though, versus the party’s lack of delivery, versus the sheer fact Kiwis are just fed up with the direction of the country and feeling stuck in a never-ending cost of living crisis. If Labour go on to lose in October, what went wrong will be dissected ad nauseum. Was it one too many Cabinet minister dramas? Was it Chippy going out on a limb trying to be all things to all people and instead falling between stools? Was it just tide out time on a tired and out of ideas government? Was it too much media focus on fringe minor parties making a lot of noise and getting too much attention? The next couple of months are going to be crucial for Labour, but many inside the party will be asking if the damage has already been done. However Hipkins has no choice really but to keep showing up everywhere, protestors or no protestors, I guess.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.