NZ POLITICS DAILY: The Joycification of everything

‘Joycification’ is the new term coined by TV3’s political reporter Patrick Gower to describe the management and marketing of the National government. Gower writes about this in the October edition of Metro magazine, which is well worth buying for Gower’s excellent analysis of the ideological nature of the current National Party under John Key and Steven Joyce.

According to Gower, Joycification is the ‘the mechanism by which John Key and National’s “brand” are protected’, and ‘Joycification is driven by a philosophy both men like to call “whatever works”. It seems like another way of saying, “whatever doesn’t dent our popularity”.’ It’s a template within National, it seems, for making incrementalist progress in pursuing rightwing public policy advancement while hardly disturbing the voters: ‘It’s not a “do nothing” Government, as some would have it. The approach is: “If we do something, try and make it as unnoticeable as possible.” Key fronts the major changes, and Key must be protected. So he will rarely be given something he can’t sell. When they want to make changes to popular programmes they don’t rip the guts out, opting instead for a stealthy surgical approach. The policy may be left standing, with key parts sliced away as unobtrusively as possible’.

Gower’s analysis is both sober and sophisticated. He shows how National has essentially learnt well from the politically successful era of Helen Clark, and Joycification is really just an extension of Labour’s blandness and risk-free calculations – albeit taken to an even higher level of pragmatism. This makes things difficult for Labour, Gower says: ‘The risk-free politicking of Joycification has made life very difficult for Labour, which is increasingly desperate for National to “show its true colours”.’ So what does this mean for the election campaign? Gower says National’s campaign will be about as exciting as the National’s recently unveiled party list and that the upcoming sales jobs will be designed to send us all to sleep. And, that, according to Gower is the secret of John Key’s popularity – Joycification means that the public feels content that Key is ‘taking care of business’, so ‘we can go to the beach. Or the rugby’.

Reflecting this superior political management and marketing, is the poll results published today by Fairfax – see: Danya Levy’s Latest poll a good one for Govt: commentators. The results show that in the two big areas in which National has been most vulnerable lately (the organization of the Rugby World Cup, and the rebuild of Christchurch), they are being perceived as doing a good job. Labour had been competently attempting to focus the public’s mind on National’s alleged incompetence relating to these areas, but unfortunately for Labour, this scrutiny hasn’t resonated with the public. Although, interestingly, the polls does show that nearly half of Canterbury residents disapprove of the Government’s red-zone property purchase offer – which shows a glimmer of hope for Labour.

Other important items to read today include: Gordon Campbell’s On the latest SAS death in Afghanistan, Duncan Garner’s SAS mentoring role 'just spin', Vernon Small’s Why John Key might be happy to see ACT die, Rosemary McLeod’s All you need is love, Don, Keith Ng’s Set it on fire, then, Eric Crampton’s NZ Youth - increasingly rational, and Paul Callaghan’s Our strength lies in the weird stuff. In the last item, Callaghan argues that the Green Party’s plan to sell ‘clean, green technology’ to the world is unrealistic and absurd.

Bryce Edwards

NZPD Editor (bryce.edwards@otago.ac.nz)

Today’s content

NZ in Afghanistan

Gordon Campbell (Scoop): On the latest SAS death in Afghanistan

Amelia Romanos (NZH): PM defends Afghan deployment

Elizabeth Puranam (TV3): SAS death could change NZ’s role in Kabul

James Murray and Lloyd Burr (TV3): SAS have 'substantial combat component' in role

NZN: Killed SAS soldier was caught in 'family feud'

Vernon Small and Tracy Watkins (Stuff): Soldier's death devastates family – neighbours

Ally Mullord (TV3): Afghan troop withdrawal a 'faltering transition' – expert

Michelle Duff (Dom Post): Soldiers' deaths in vain if NZ backs out – parents