Larry Williams Drive

Right, so the biggest political news of the day is that Judith Collins has announced she’s retiring from politics to take up a new job as the head of the Law Commission mid‑year. I, for one, am going to miss Judith Collins being in politics, because she has that thing very few politicians have. Winston Peters has it, John Key had it - the ability to be a bit cheeky and have a laugh, but then get on and do the job. Too many politicians only have one or the other: they’re either so serious about their work that they’re boring, or they’re having so much fun that they get distracted from the work. Collins, though, could crack a joke, smirk, raise an eyebrow, giggle, enjoy firing off a handgun - and still keep a lid on whatever portfolio she was managing that day. It hasn’t always worked for her, obviously. Talofa became a meme, and praying in church during the 2020 campaign was probably one of the weirdest things you’ve ever seen. She was, you’d have to say, a better National Party leader on paper than in reality