Was there anything constructive @simonjbridges to guide New Zealand in a challenging time?
Summary of network activity @simonjbridges
- The network was obtained from Twitter on Friday, 24 April 2020, at 05:54 UTC.
- Tweets, replies or mentions containing “simonjbridges” were collected from a 7-day, 16-hour, 38-minute period. The represents:
Network Size
- 5449 Tweeters sent tweets to 2,137 people
Interactions
2926 – Replies
5530 – Mentions
1938 – MentionsInRetweet
1090 – Retweet
The two most-liked tweets in the network sum up the differing perspectives in the network:
| simonjbridges | New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. This extension shows tracing, testing and PPE has not reached the Govt’s own standards and rhetoric. It must move fast to sort out these issues so we can get our country moving again. | ♥ 449 | ||||
| usertwentyfive | @simonjbridges We have literally contained this better than anyone else in the world and here you are berating the government’s “rhetoric” whilst driving all the way from tga to Wellington to “feel” more professional. Cmon man, politics aside, grow up | ♥ 266 | ||||
Most liked tweets @simonjbridges
| Sender | Date | Tweet | ♥ | RT |
| simonjbridges | 20-Apr | New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. This extension shows tracing, testing and PPE has not reached the Govt’s own standards and rhetoric. It must move fast to sort out these issues so we can get our country moving again. | 449 | 71 |
| usertwentyfive | 20-Apr | @simonjbridges We have literally contained this better than anyone else in the world and here you are berating the government’s “rhetoric” whilst driving all the way from tga to Wellington to “feel” more professional. Cmon man, politics aside, grow up | 266 | 1 |
| simonjbridges | 27-Apr | Our bottom line: You. https://t.co/ag0BY52Hzw | 260 | 67 |
| li_politico | 20-Apr | @simonjbridges https://t.co/4Zh8gjjCDX | 208 | 10 |
| jazzthornton_ | 21-Apr | . @simonjbridges Just a reminder that National were the party that cut mental health funding and put it at the bottom of the priority list. So please don’t use our countries serious vulnerability of “mental health” as a political standpoint as to why you should be in. | 179 | 34 |
| nznationalparty | 16-Apr | “We need to test, test, test” – @simonjbridges on the need for wider COVID-19 testing. We need the best information so we can make the best decisions about our response. https://t.co/jIKi5Yz20q | 177 | 34 |
| anne_mariebrady | 20-Apr | CCP🇨🇳 government’s mishandling & lies over #COVID19 has devastated our economy, leading to debts which will require 25 years to repay, & caused deaths & illness among our people. Time for Aotearoa-NZ🇳🇿 to speak up @jacindaardern @winstonpeters @simonjbridges @GerryBrownleeMP https://t.co/x24zqPv7vf | 163 | 68 |
| mariasherwood2 | 20-Apr | @simonjbridges Suggest you go and read the replies in your Facebook page. With your attitude National will be below 20% next week. You are losing voters hands over fist | 159 | 3 |
| nzsouthislander | 20-Apr | @simonjbridges The idea you would tweet this during the press conference is hard to believe. Even you don’t pull this David Seymour crap… until now. As the Chair, you really have no business in your role. | 155 | 4 |
- The dominant theme in the network, is coronavirus, more specifically the management of the pandemic in New Zealand. The most prominent hashtags in the network are those associated with coronavirus;
- covid19, covid19nz (tweeted 109 times),
- followed by the hashtag – simplesimon (tweeted 38 times).
Top 200 hashtags @simonjbridges
20 April
The network was most active on 20 April, the day that Simon Bridges’s FB post criticised Jacinda Ardern’s response to the pandemic, in particular the lack of ability around contact tracing and the economic impact of the lockdown. Simon Bridge’s tweet on the same day stated:
| simonjbridges | 20-Apr | New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. This extension shows tracing, testing and PPE has not reached the Govt’s own standards and rhetoric. It must move fast to sort out these issues so we can get our country moving again. | ♥ 449 |
This tweet lead to a dramatic rise in tweets in comparisons when compared to the preceding days.
Most liked tweets - 20 April
| Sent 20 April 2020 | Tweet | ♥ RT |
| simonjbridges | New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. This extension shows tracing, testing and PPE has not reached the Govt’s own standards and rhetoric. It must move fast to sort out these issues so we can get our country moving again. | 449 71 |
| usertwentyfive | @simonjbridges We have literally contained this better than anyone else in the world and here you are berating the government’s “rhetoric” whilst driving all the way from tga to Wellington to “feel” more professional. Cmon man, politics aside, grow up | 266 1 |
| anne_mariebrady | CCP🇨🇳 government’s mishandling & lies over #COVID19 has devastated our economy, leading to debts which will require 25 years to repay, & caused deaths & illness among our people. Time for Aotearoa-NZ to speak up @jacindaardern @winstonpeters @simonjbridges @GerryBrownleeMP | 163 68 |
| sportsfreakconz | @JamieBellNZ @simonjbridges How about this? New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. Effort needs to go into continuing to work on tracing, testing and PPE distribution. Surely not that hard? | 133 1 |
| davidxvx | @simonjbridges @SarahTrotmannz …or it shows that government don’t want to risk people travelling or socialising on the long weekend, but sure, play politics. | 116 2 |
Forty-two tweets compared Simon Bridges with Donald Trump
Top 5 ♥
| Sender | Date | Tweet | ♥ RT |
| suzyiam | 15-Apr | A disturbing thought during a sleepless night. What if @simonjbridges had been in charge for last 6 wks, esp given his refusal to stay home & instead drive to Wellington when there was no need? Big business would’ve come 1st & people last. He’d make Trump look like a pussy cat | 80 3 |
| marywil01485196 | 23-Apr | @nz_erewego @simonjbridges Doesn’t surprise me Simon Bridges uses Trump’s false news tactics when he opens his mouth nearly all the time. Can’t trust him. | 3 1 |
| cabar54 | 18-Apr | #HydroxyChloroquine. Let’s not let Trump derangement syndrome get in the way of making this accessible to NZ @jacindaardern @simonjbridges @winstonpeters @JulieAnneGenter https://t.co/NnHP9XOrhm | 0 1 |
| nzlainey | 20-Apr | @simonjbridges Sounds like a Trump tweet. | 22 0 |
| ncikaroa | 22-Apr | @analyst_king @NewshubPolitics @simonjbridges No,no,no. He has performed rather poorly, making minimal impact as Chair of the committee. He seems to think that carping is opposing, which it is not – it is winging. And him paraphrasing Trump, possibly the worst, most disreputable man in the world, is just idiotic. | 7 0 |
| barbdargan | 21-Apr | @MariaSherwood2 @FoxyLustyGrover @simonjbridges continues to use Trump’s language. Many hundreds (thousands, millions?) people have contacted him. Where’s the proof of this? Just makes him look even more pathetic. #NationalNotFitToGovern | 4 0 |
Several tweets stated that 'bots' are being used to destablise Simon
- A campaign is underway to destabilise @simonjbridges leadership before the next election. This type of online manipulation is done through the use political bots.
Helpfully, the Herald has an article explaining just how this is done. #nzpol #facebook - I’d like to see @nzlabour and their militant activists be investigated for inciting violence. It was their use of bots, fake accounts, trolls and woke fanbase that led to the threats against @simonjbridges @nzpolice what say you?
- @WoodgatesNZ @KiwiGal6 @jacindaardern @simonjbridges I’m for one sick of it. Cindy… we will have a nice polite campaign bla bla. Thousands of bots attack Simon.
Papers write story’s using the fb comments of said bots. - @BrendoBeagle1 @TovaOBrien @NZNationalParty @simonjbridges As soon as the bots attacked SB account it was obvious the govt were in dire trouble over something very serious…..DHB …..rest homes…..PPE and the continuous lies that front line staff had what they needed…..heartbreaking deaths of rest home residents..ERC exposed failure
- @chellew_grant @MariaSherwood2 @simonjbridges Maria thinks that bots on social media are actually real?
- @democracymum @simonjbridges Dont be a partisan hack, suggesting the backlash Bridges faced is because of bots is Russiagate-esque. The general consensus suggests NZ is pleased with JA’s c19 response, the level of admonishment to Bridges in response to his comments is corroborated by numbers supporting JA
- @letstalkbscs Well done @NZNationalParty and @simonjbridges you must be doing a great job for MSM to drag this up again ……MSM have lost credibility when they base their opinion pieces on bots on FB 🤣🤣
- @RobertA21324401 @simonjbridges @NZNationalParty Ok Russian bot.
- @SandyBeachesAkl @chellew_grant @MariaSherwood2 @simonjbridges Wait till she searches the covid wage subsidy website and finds the name of the company paying us part-time bots.
- @the_scarfie @aucklandmuseum @simonjbridges So you support paid bots? Interesting!
- @TonyStuart55 @LisaIsaacs15 @Titania_Blossom @simonjbridges Where are all the facebook bots now.
- @TovaOBrien thinks she speaks on behalf of @NZNationalParty 🤣🤣🤣🤣 she also speaks on behalf of bots and duplicate accounts on FB🤣🤣🤣 Well done @simonjbridges for holding this govt to account ….I am shocked at the shambles of DHBs in NZ after PM assured the opposite?
Fifty-two tweets mentioned the economy. Tweets ranged from focusing on the economic problems caused by the actions of Jacinda Ardern, through to the economic reality of the pandemic for all countries.
Top 5 ♥ that mention ‘economy’
| Sender | Tweet | ♥ | RT |
| anne_mariebrady | CCP🇨🇳 government’s mishandling & lies over #COVID19 has devastated our economy, leading to debts which will require 25 years to repay, & caused deaths & illness among our people. Time for Aotearoa-NZ🇳🇿 to speak up @jacindaardern @winstonpeters @simonjbridges @GerryBrownleeMP https://t.co/x24zqPv7vf | 163 | 68 |
| powderpuffplay | @RobertA21324401 @simonjbridges @NZNationalParty ive got bad news for you tourism died when this thing started and every country closed its borders | 60 | 0 |
| equilibrationnz | @simonjbridges NZers will look back and realise they have bankrupted their economy and devastated the mental health of large sections of the population… all for an exaggerated ‘flu’ story. Waking up to the truth will be painful but will need to happen to save our freedoms. | 23 | 11 |
| cherie59789095 | @RobertA21324401 @simonjbridges @NZNationalParty Compared to nearly every other country in the world we are poised to support the economy, whingers included, to rebuild. Because we have this great result, to date, we will do so quicker than many other economies. How great is that. We R so lucky compared to many countries. | 16 | 1 |
Several tweets proposed that the national party should take responsibility for its failure in maintaining a health system that was responsive enough to meet the challenges in managing a pandemic. A tweet that expressed this clearly:
- Sender @drjinrussell
- It was Shipley who dismantled the Public Health Commission in 1995, then Coleman abolished its weakened successor-National Health Committee in 2016. David Skeggs’s The Health of the People (2019 @BWB_NZ) details this. We didn’t get here overnight, can’t fix it overnight.
Tweets were unanimous on the negative effect of coronavirus on the economy, but none offered a way forward other than to end the lockdown. Disappointing.
Network work influencers
The network has a high proportion of replies. The bulk of the replies were stimulated by the most active tweeters in the network.
| Table 1 Top Tweeters | Table 2 Popularity |
Graph of responses to Top tweeters and most Popular twitter users
Most liked tweets of network influencers
Senders most liked tweet and most liked reply | ♥ | RT |
| @sandybeachakl | ||
| @TovaOBrien thinks she speaks on behalf of @NZNationalParty 🤣🤣🤣🤣 she also speaks on behalf of bots and duplicate accounts on FB🤣🤣🤣 Well done @simonjbridges for holding this govt to account ….I am shocked at the shambles of DHBs in NZ after PM assured the opposite? | 16 | 2 |
| 8 | 0 |
| @northpolitics | ||
| @simonjbridges Do not forget @simonjbridges what the fuck did @NZNationalParty do for 9 years to prepare us for this. #SimpleSimon #nzpol | 8 | 0 |
| ||
| @robertA2132244 | ||
| @simonjbridges @NZNationalParty They are destroying the economy completely. Hospitality and tourism will be totaled by the end of May. | 34 | 4 |
| 80 | 0 |
@geoffsnzviews | ||
| There is a clear smell of desperation in the rather bizarre hit job the NZ media are doing on @simonjbridges What he said was fundamentally correct. Arderns clownshow made an utter pigs ear of the virus response. #COVID19nz will be #ArdernsWaterloo. #nzpol https://t.co/a5MZvD1AnH | 121 | 24 |
| 18 | 0 |
@Simonjbridges | ||
| New Zealanders can be proud of the sacrifices they have made during this difficult time. This extension shows tracing, testing and PPE has not reached the Govt’s own standards and rhetoric. It must move fast to sort out these issues so we can get our country moving again. | 449 | 71 |
| 266 | 1 |
Locations of tweet
