Leadership Quote by John Hewson

A “journey” is supposed to imply purpose: a map, a destination, a leader who’s done the homework. Hewson flips the metaphor into an indictment of reckless governance, turning what politicians usually sell as visionary movement into a warning about drift. The line works because it’s casual and devastating at once. “I think” softens the entry, performing restraint, but the accusation lands hard: the Prime Minister isn’t merely choosing the wrong route; he doesn’t know the route at all. That’s not disagreement. It’s a competency charge.

The subtext is about consent. “Taking us” makes the public passengers, not partners. Hewson isn’t just attacking policy outcomes; he’s questioning the legitimacy of the process - a government that asks for trust while withholding clarity. The phrasing also weaponizes the anxiety of uncertainty: in economic reform fights or big structural changes, voters can tolerate pain if they believe there’s a plan. Suggest there’s no destination and the pain becomes pointless, even humiliating.

Context matters because Hewson, as an opposition leader associated with ambitious reform, knew how easily “bold change” can be reframed as chaos. The jab is aimed at the Prime Minister’s credibility as a navigator: if leadership is steering, then confusion at the helm is the one failure no rhetoric can glamorize. It’s a neat piece of parliamentary theater that doubles as a strategic message: don’t judge them by their promises; judge them by whether they can even explain where this is going.