Mallard photo bombs Gerry’s attack on him
One of Key’s greatest gifts was knowing what the average Kiwi shopping at a mall believed. Time and time and time again the incredibly clever focus group value mining that David Farrar managed to get him allowed Key to side step criticism by playing to the petty ignorances of muddle Nu Zilind.
You always knew Key had that insight because he would repeat the focus tested trigger words again and again and always managed to come out smelling like roses.
I get that sense with this whole ‘stupid-little-girl-gate’.
Post #MeToo, there is a ripe backlash building amongst men who feel angry, frightened and fearful at the sudden loss of narrative control. The mega rise of Jordan Peterson is proof positive of this toxic anxiety.
To your average National male voter, ‘stupid little girl’ isn’t an offensive insult towards Jacinda, it’s descriptive.
Add to this the possibility that Trevor Mallard misheard the comment (because no one can actually pin point it from the Parliamentary audio file) and this goes from sexist pus to political nitro-glycerine.
There is nothing as explosive as a bigot falsely accused of saying something they don’t think is offensive in the first place.
Paula’s tantrum, Gerry’s ultimatum, these are all manufactured grievances to wrap around the central trigger that ‘stupid little girl’ may not have even been said.
This comes at a time of desperation for National. After their ruinous 9 years has been laid bare in terms of grotesque underfunding in every social infrastructure, National have no high ground left.
Their desperate pleas to not use M Bovis as a ‘political football’ is only because their incompetence is being embarrassingly shown to their own farming electorate. Nothing glosses over political ineptitude like stirring cultural resentment.
Expect National to stick to stupid-little-girl-gate like a shit to blanket.
Mallard heard what he heard and of that I have NO doubt. Why and where would he have got that from otherwise?
But for him to have to take the word of master manipulators and compulsive liars like the National Partys parliamentary wing, that they didn’t (Simon Bridges even said at the time it was just the cut and thrust of parliament) is just a thousand bridges too far.
National quite simply cannot accept they are not the government and their infantile kicking, screaming, breath holding and then more screaming – meltdown is absolutely phenomenal to watch. May it long continue.
Bit of an own goal this morning but. PB claims Ducky ‘leaked’ the incident to media AND media confirmed the leak. Pity it was being live streamed by Parliament, duh! AND DG didn’t say diddly squat about the deception either. FFS How can a public live stream be leaked?
That ads and conventional media condemnation aren’t working on support that has been conditioned to distrust mainstream “liberal” sources is…, unsurprising. Certainly it’s unsurprising to Farrar.
National has really screwed themselves here, and deservedly so.
More over National Party advertising is shit. It is way over the top and John Keys core supporters certainly don’t identify with maori or “journalists.” Until very recently. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Because it wasn’t the stream that was leaked, nor the incident. It was what Mallard thought had been said, and nobody else heard. He refused to repeat in Parliament what he thought he heard when Gerry Brownlee asked him, and later (by his own admission) told a journalist.
The vote for Mallard to Speaker was achieved only by letting the Nats and Simon Burned Bridges succeed with a giant bluff about votes available to the government.
They extorted more control in Select Committees.
The Speaker Mallard is as ‘independent’ as the last one was, I observe, and he comes with some baggage, which should not be relevant now, but for the MSM it is nonetheless, he was no angel, they note.
Mallard started a new way of enforcing order in the House, which from my humble thoughts was bound to create tensions and issues from the start, that taking away and awarding of supplementary questions during question time.
This has become an accounting fiasco, and the Nats know how to turn this, and some of Mallards recent, not that tidy calls and rulings to order, to attack and undermine him.
If the Nats manage to get rid of Mallard, they will have the chance of another Speaker being appointed and voted in, who may be less experienced and weaker, or even be one of their own.
Then the government would be truly screwed.
So Paula Bennett, that other Bennett and Brownlee and Bridges et al, they have decided to sabotage and undermine Mallard now, and this seems to be the start of that attack game.
Mallard was rather tense and serious today, being challenged again and again, but he is a tough one, nevertheless, he may have issues to answer to.
yep they have nothing but disruption now in their sights as they have totally lost the plot truly now.
I would not like to be a national supporter now with these clowns.
Bah Bah!!!! Bad losers they are.
This is what outraged entitlement looks like.
The perfect way to lose fringe voters.
Gerry with his pomposity on show for all to see and Bennett’s 4th former histrionics to go with Blamey Adams and Whining Simon….
It’s a fantasy come to life… I love it.
All we need now is for Jami Lee Ross-Hogg to be involved in a scandal and the week will have been perfect!
it might look like gold but closer inspection will reveal the true nature of the nationals party attempt to take the heat off the mycoplasma tragedy
Yes, there is a plot behind the antics for sure
The day farmers discover they’ve been fucked over by National for generations will be the day NZ/AO becomes something else entirely.
The day before that happens, however, NZ/AO farmers must come to terms with their being dick heads and played for their ignorance and to immediately take measures to remedy that.
My suggestion would be to go on strike and see what rats run from the woodpile. No disrespect to actual rats.
rats are honest animals compared to the corrupt filth of national
Yeah but… y u no help tortoise, Leon?
caz u a… repli can’t be bothered
Well, that is one reading of it. But I thought that this was telling, from the Otago Daily Times, not normally known for its sympathy towards Labour-led governments; https://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/editorial/national%E2%80%99s-empty-actions
Well, let’s be honest – isn’t she?
Her lack of intellect and experience show every day:
Popping over the Tasman to lecture the Aussie PM (our largest trading partner) on how to manage illegal immigration. Not content with that she subsequently doubled down on it. It was simply embarrassing.
Insulting the President of the USA and unsurprisingly getting payback in the form of a trade war with China. This will cost jobs in NZ
Shutting down gas exploration in Taranaki. Putting thousands of jobs at risk and in due course forcing us to import gas at both higher prices and at a higher carbon footprint.
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