pn814. The lady doth protest too much, methinks" *

Collins's straw man fallacy

1News reported "(Judith) Collins said it was "very hard when you're the Opposition leader to tell people what they were sold at the election was a pup. 

"When they voted for Labour, they voted for a safe Covid response and a Government that understood and was going to keep out the Greens and they were going to look after the economy. What they've found instead is a Government that is (sic!) absolutely and utterly failed."

Those who voted  Labour probably wanted it to do more on poverty, welfare issues and the environment but on most matters, they have got what they voted for. 

The government has kept the country safer from Covid than almost all other countries.  Labour never made any statement on keeping the Greens out. Indeed, most people would have assumed it would rule alone or with the Greens as a coalition partner.** The economy, with low unemployment, economic growth and manageable public debt, is doing far better than one might have expected in the circumstances.  

She did not say what the government is supposed to have "understood" but I see no evidence of absolute or utter failure. 

Judith, you are one who is selling strawmen holding pups.  You protest too much.

-- ACW

* "The lady doth protest too much, methinks" is a line from the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. It is spoken by Queen Gertrude in response to the insincere overacting of a character in the play within a play created by Prince Hamlet to prove his uncle's guilt in the murder of his father, the King of Denmark.-- Wikipedia.

** Te Pāti Māori also joined the coalition which indicated that Labour wanted an inclusive and more representative government.