The leaks circulating that Labour are looking to appoint Simon Bridges to head the new RNZ/TVNZ merger is the smartest tactical move Labour have made in 5 years.
After being attacked mercilessly over the merger by a National Party that sees no value in public broadcasting, Labour’s appointment of Bridges would inoculate Labour from attacks and remove the entire issue off the political agenda.
To not only get the merger through, but remove it altogether as an election threat is genius level strategy from Labour who have looked flat footed at times in defending and promoting the RNZ/TVNZ merger.
Labour pulled the same trick when they appointed Jim Bolger to head Kiwibank and the same thing happened, the Rights attacks against Kiwibank dried up.
Appointing someone as talented as Simon Bridges to head the merger means National and ACT have no where to go in criticising the new public broadcasting entity.
It removes the criticism that the organisation will be politically biased.
It removes the criticism that the merger should be revoked if National win.
It shows cross party support.
It is such a stunningly smart move you have to give Jacinda, Grant and Willie Jackson a standing ovation for its strategic brilliance.
Finally, Labour start playing politics superbly well just when they need to start stepping up if they want to win 2023.
As for the Spinoff woke who are bitching that it’s wrong Simon Bridges should get this role and claiming it’s a political capitulation, you people are so inept and stupid you have no comprehension of how politics actually works and should keep quiet, this is a very smart move and the cheap twitter seats shouldn’t be allowed to ruin it.
More of these genius master strokes by Labour please.
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Is it though? Really? He failed at leading the National Party, he failed at lawyering and he failed to be an honorable MP (fucking useless Maureen Pugh, Ross saga and the rest). What’s he going to do for the merger apart from enjoy a ridiculous tax payer paid salary and perks? AND fail at that too. He’s not even a nice person.
Simon had his faults but is far better than the current National Party leadership & while I tend to agree about the ridiculous tax payer paid salary and perks part you get those problems when the fox is in charge of the hen house.
Oh Jesus…. @ Sinic. Bingo!
How did he fail at lawyering? and didn’t he come out a winner in the Ross saga. Do I detect Little bit of racism there?
Why don’t you answer your own question. Exactly how did you detect racism in that comment?? All I detect is faux ouuuuuutrage in your comment. So typical these days…racist this racist that everyone’s a racist. Say Hello and you’re a racist. Are you sure you are not Marama Davidson?
Perhaps Rodel, Sinic was employing the Simon Bridges exchange rate mechanism. From memory, at the close of trading, the ethnicity conversion had one Chinese individual equivalent to two Indian individuals.
Quite frankly if this is the price I am willing to pay to get this merger through, then Im paying up. We need this merger to purge our screens of MasterChef and Celeb Treasure Island.
Which is the one thing the merger won’t do.
So true, it’s not a merger with a plan to enhance either RNZ or TVNZ.
What exactly does a merger achieve? Will it return RNZ to its former capacity (funding constraint and LCD mediocrity for the Auckland market)? Will it involve a “public broadcaster” approach at TVNZ?
Simon Bridges has no expertise in this field to offer. And nor did Simon Power.
There is no talk of programming or quality, just some kind of enforced culture content. But if it’s a non profit low audience model then I guess it will probably muddle along. Kind of.
There’s been no talk of enforced culture content, where does TDB get these idiots from?
Very cultural MHK.
No if only all the crap could go off our screens, all that reality junk.
How about some real documentaries about the situation in Aotearoa.
I have not seen any suggestion of an improvement in our viewing
… by a National Party that sees no value in public broadcasting… Oh please. If they were they’d just scrap/privatise this eyesore, which is what I want. Not sure even ACT will do that, but secretly National are perfectly happy with Public Broadcasting, even as it’s filled with National haters. What idiots National are. You should be grateful.
yup tom because fox news and sky australia are so much better aren’t they???
Yes miles better.
Labour: if something needs doing send a Nat.
Not a good message really, but you’re right that it’ll drop the issue out of the news cycle and that that’s what matters for votes. Sigh.
Agree Labour’s only positive action in 5 years appoint an ex National Prime Minister.
The Labour bin is empty not that it is was ever full.
Which ex National Prime Minister is that, who?
Bob’s been drinking koolaid and thinking Fox News is the place for the truth.
Which ex National Prime Minister is that, who?
Bob’s been drinking koolaid and thinking Fox News is the place for the truth.
So once again Bob is factually incorrect.
This won’t get by the mods It might drop this issue out of the news cycle but they’ll be coming up with more time-wasting diversionary tactics between now and the election, just you wait and see.
Kindergärten games but with hundredd of M of taxpayer’s money.
Yes but this Labour Government don’t think money is real.
Yes and Bob thinks he’s a real boy.
https://cdn.britannica.com/11/143611-050-73555303/Pinocchio.jpg
Gavage
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force-feeding
Thus fuck soimon bridges.
What the Hell’s going on down at The Daily Blah? Are we lost? Is all lost? Was anything ever found? Are we in free fall? While we might think we’re in a stasis, we’re instead falling to a bottom unlike any bottom ever fallen down to and trust me, I know. I’ve fallen for many a bottom. A short arsed, snivelling sycophant to old neoliberal louse scratchers is now a narrow, lisping channel through which our sad little reality must siphon. We’re fucked.
“A short arsed, snivelling sycophant to old neoliberal louse scratchers is now a narrow, lisping channel through which our sad little reality must siphon.” Jeezz you’re fucking funny CB. Good start to my day with that one.!
C’mon CB why don’t you tell like it really is
Comment of the day!
Apart from the fact that they’re loading all the outfits with right wingers…
J S Bark Loading with right-wingers could keep Nat supporters happy with Labour, but whether it will keep Labour supporters happy is a different story. Simon not being a flat old white man might help, with that being the IP lens so much is viewed through now.
Simon Bridges talented? Really?
Would you prefer Twyford??
Not if you want anything done.
Simon Bridges talented? Really?
RosieLee. Yep, he’s talented alright. His own wife said he’s like a little gutter fighter in court, and he can teach them how to mutilate their vowel sounds even more than they do now, and with a bit of luck could provide new job opportunities for failed politicians who can’t cut it as estate agents, gigolos, Uber drivers, or advisors to Aussie businesses importing slave-labour crap into New Zealand.
Yes, really. He was head boy at high school, is musically talented, highly educated – including bachelor of law (with honors) at Auckland uni and a bachelor of civil law at Oxford (where he met his wife who I think was studying literature), and a bachelor of arts-political science. Was a Crown prosecutor before entering politics. A very talented person.
So no post-graduate degree / master of nothing but can strum a guitar? Cream of the crop eh? Prosecutor for the crown says a lot too.
No, nor any existing MP for the National party.
If it takes Soymun’s involvement to get the merger underway, and the filth pump turned down a bit, then so be it!
Simon Bridges and Simon Power would happily preside over the continued decline of RNZ and TVNZ.
It’s similar to Labour’s move to include religion in hate speech law – as a replacement for the old blasphemy law they removed (just one more including religions other than Christianity), of a design to get support from social conservatives. Their campaign to imply a woke threat to free speech has paid off big time.
I’ve little confidence is a good result here.
I’ll never forget Bridges trying to ape his hero John Key’s earlier bombast in a subsequent interview with J Campbell. A real pillock.
Bridges couldn’t run a bath.
Negotiated a deal with Anardako where NZ got 40% of the profits!
They can’t even pull that stunt in Africa…these days.
I dont support Simon and he was a useless finance spokesperson (but better than Willis). As long as he doesn’t turn it into another National Party political tory talk radio/tv.
Yet he’s appointed by Labour?
So does that mean the Labour candidates are even less capable than bath running.
He is only “in the running” for the post. No doubt leaked to guage the public sentiment, or a blatant lie by the NACTS. Labour’s pretty good with water actually – three waters, in fact.
Read the headline on the blog?
You mean the ex National P.M. you are quoted as saying Bob? Don’t know anything on N.Z. politicians do you Bob?
“Agree Labour’s only positive action in 5 years appoint an ex National Prime Minister.
The Labour bin is empty not that it is was ever full.”
Bob November 26, 2022 at 8:12 am
Smart move by Labour, very intelligent, rid Bridges once and for all by showing how useless he is. Then Labour can install any one of their talented candidates.
Aotearoa,Key fool flag fly,egit not understanding our aotearoa,care knowing.
Educate, not purile argue,care understand.