How it all went wrong for former golden boy Mike Baird

NOT long ago Mike Baird was the nation’s most popular politician, but a series of unpopular decisions led to a shock early retirement.

Tears well up as NSW Premier Mike Baird announces his retirement at a press conference at his Martin Place Office. Picture: Mark Evans

ONLY a year and a half ago, NSW Premier Mike Baird was untouchable.

He was enjoying an extended honeymoon period following his rise to the role of premier following his predecessor Barry O’Farrell’s sensational resignation in April of 2014 over a $3000 bottle of Grange.

Since taking the state’s top job, Mr Baird’s popularity had continued on an upward trajectory.

Boosted by a victorious 2015 election campaign, the likeable Premier’s approval rating continued to rise until that September when he proved the nation’s most popular politicians.

With a satisfaction rating of 63 per cent, Mr Baird was three time more popular than his Labor opponent, Luke Foley, and even ahead of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull who had just taken office and boosted the Liberal party’s popularity nationally.

Mr Baird was even being touted as a future Prime Minister, and speculation was rife he was making inroads into Canberra.

It seemed like the young leader, a father-of-two and committed Christian, could do no wrong. He was “Mr Nice Guy”.

In the early days Mike Baird was not like a regular Premier, he was a cool Premier. Picture: Damian Shaw

He was even praised for advocating for causes that put him at odds with his federal colleagues, like doling out concessions to asylum seekers.

He adopted a “daggy dad” image on social media, and was awarded with a legion of young fans for live-tweeting an episode of The Bachelor while stuck at home with man flu.

But his tenure took a sharp turn.

The Liberal Party golden boy’s stocks began to plummet and his approval rating’s free fall became the biggest fall in satisfaction of any state premier in the history of Newspoll.

Between December 2015 and September 2016, a series of unpopular decisions saw Mr Baird’s satisfaction rating fall by 46 points to 39 per cent.

It was the sale of the state’s electricity assets and his tough crackdown on the city’s night-life restricting alcohol consumption and enforcing strict lockouts in Sydney’s night spots.

Where he had previously been admired for making unpopular politicians, Mr Baird’s conviction over the lockout laws, and the exclusion of certain areas and venues, particularly the profitable Star casino, saw him punished by the public.

His perceived pandering to the city’s biggest gambling and tourism asset earnt him the deriding nickname “Casino Mike”.

Mike Baird was ridiculed for the lockout ban, and earnt the nickname Casino Mike.

The lockout stuff hurt Mr Baird, and forcing unpopular council amalgamations did too, but his watershed moment was his backflip on the greyhound racing ban.

Mr Baird had been widely criticised for his kneejerk decision to shut down the state’s greyhound racing industry following the exposure of live-baiting and other dodgy practices in the game.

He responded to the findings swiftly, but didn’t anticipate the backlash from the industry, and from within his own coalition government.

When fury over the decision peaked, Mr Baird backed down, which proved even more damaging.

The move didn’t satisfy anyone. Though greyhound racing was allowed to continue with fewer races, heavy restrictions and tougher animal welfare measures, it was hardly celebrated.

Mr Baird’s critics were left to question his character as a conviction politician. His reputation was in shreds. Even his social media game was off.

Just two months ago, the loss of the Orange by-election loss, largely blamed on the backlash against the coalition government’s greyhound plan, sealed Mr Baird’s fate as an unpopular premier and left commentators to question whether he could ever bounce back.

Protesters holding banners as part of the March Against Baird rally in Sydney in March 2016. Picture: Joel Carrett/AAP

Announcing his shock resignation, Mr Baird today said he would leave parliament proud of his achievements but admitted he had endured some tough times.

He cited personal issues and a feeling that the time was right, rather than any political failures, as the reasons behind his decision.

“It was brutal, tough even,” he said.

“There were tough moments all the way through it and you have to accept it. But ultimately, you have to deal with what’s thrown at you and at the same time you also need to make sure that you have the vision — what it is you want to achieve, what is it you thin that you need the state to achieve, and where do you need to go?

“As I reflect over the past 10 years, and obviously the last six years in government, there are many things we fought for that are delivering huge benefits to the state and I’m very proud of those.”

On his legacy, Mr Baird said he encouraged people to look at his entire track record as a politician, rather than focusing on the six months of misery that preceded his resignation.

“Look at the time not only over the past six months, but over the past 10 years, you know, it’s been a long journey,” he said.