by Graham Adams / 06 August, 2018

Simon Bridges has made himself look more dynamic than Labour on the issues of assisted dying and recreational marijuana. 

During a meeting in Wellington in May as part of his whistle-stop tour of the country, Simon Bridges said he intended to “modernise” the National Party. He reassured his audience that “We’re not going to suddenly not be the National Party” but added: “We do have to have the capacity every now and again to surprise.”

And he certainly has. First, he backed an alternative medicinal cannabis bill put into the members’ ballot by Dr Shane Reti and followed that manoeuvre by announcing a National-led government under his leadership would legalise recreational marijuana and assisted dying if referendums showed that’s what the public wanted.

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