A Tale of Two Pities:
Isn’t it odd.
When Jacinda quit Mike Hosking’s weekly interview, it was the end of Western Civilisation…
On Monday Mike Hosking announced that Jacinda Ardern was breaking with long-standing prime ministerial tradition, and refusing to speak to him at least once per week. He saw the decision as an act of political cowardice.
“She’s running for the hills,” he said.
“She no longer wants to be on this programme each week. The somewhat tragic conclusion that is drawn is that the questions she gets – the demand for a level of accountability – is a little bit tough.”
Ardern had actually decided to leave the regular slot four weeks earlier, opting to instead appear on Newstalk ZB only – in her words – “as and when issues arise”.
No-one had noticed earlier because issues had obviously arisen, and she’d been interviewed on Newstalk twice during those weeks.
In spite of that, Hosking’s revelation that Ardern was refusing to speak to him every week sparked concern that she was allergic to proper scrutiny.
One person who was especially concerned was Mike Hosking, who covered the issue in two straight instalments of his daily editorial Mike’s Minute.
His second editorial was more exercised than the first.
“She hates a hard question. She hates fact. She hates accountability. She hates not being fawned over.”
…yet the National Party Prime Minister avoids Q+A for an entire year and not a whisper…
…it’s not just avoiding Jack Tame on Q+A, Luxon has managed to avoid all media…
PM ‘ducking for cover’ from media questions – opposition
Key points
-
- Luxon will no longer appear at Parliament’s “bridge run” on Tuesdays – traditionally an opportunity for the media to ask questions.
- Asked about why he made the change, the PM explained that reporters still had “heaps” of other opportunities, including on Tuesdays.
- However, opposition leaders have said Luxon is ducking questions about his Government. One commentator says the move could be short-sighted.
…it’s not just that he has dumped the bridge run on Tuesdays, but he’s also done this…
Luxon cuts frequency of post-Cabinet press conference
…at a time when this Government are abusing power like never before by ramming more policy through under urgency than any Government ever, Luxon is screwing the accountability scrum further by reducing press conferences by 25% WHILE reducing weekly contact with journalists!
This as Newshub folds and we have less journalism!
This Government are adopting deeply controversial culture war fantasies as social policy when there is less fourth estate scrutiny!
If Jacinda had ever pulled a stunt like this, the ZB Trolls would be screaming, Luxon does it and not a whisper.
That’s how you know the NZ Right have no values other than expediency because they never apply the same scrutiny to their own that they demand from us!
The Political Left fall in love, the Political Right fall in line.
National are gerrymandering fourth estate accountability to smoother Democracy as our Fourth Estate Guard dogs get euthanised.
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Martyn – Not the best from our Prime Minister…
Nathan. Agree, but Ardern being constantly coupled with Labour isn’t helping them when she’s the reason many dumped the Labour Party, and she established this precedent for PM Luxon.
Gentle Annie – Spot on
A tale of two cities Wellington and Boston?
Some factual proof please that Jacinda Ardern was the reason many dumped Labour…..not holding my breath though.
She did nothing. Is that proof?
That comment just proves your ignorance.
In a word,incompetence..
How do you know she is the reason many dumped the Labour party?
She frittered away the MMP majority she was given. She hasn’t been forgiven.
You can please some of the people some of the time but you can’t please all of the people all of the time, especially the politically ignorant and intellectually challenged voters.
I guess that’s why the left lost the last election.
Yes, all the politically ignorant and intellectually challenged voters went to National/Act/NZ First.
Quite the contrary actually.
Maybe in your assembly plant but certainly not in this country.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/media-insider-boycotts-and-silent-treatment-why-some-mps-refuse-to-deal-with-some-media-as-pm-christopher-luxon-says-hell-break-tvnz-qa-drought/SUHSVHKWRRCEFDI6BGLYWU2L5Y/
Yet they’ll all jump on the right wing Newsshite ZB, surprise, surprise.
Understandable I guess because he knows most of the questions will be about policies his, supposedly, minor coalition partners are gleefully enacting.
And…… Gerry has caved as well.
Silly me, i suspected better of him.
Don’t be too harsh, Brownlee is just a stooge and clearly his head has been in the trough for years and always will be.
His arrogance( remember his ChCh airport incident) shows his personality and his inability as speaker to stand and say” I’m on my feet” shows how fat, biased and lazy he is.
He may need the old Paula Bennett tummy tuck because like her he’s too lazy to do the work required to lose the weight.
Gerry was described as the overweight woodwork teacher from Ilam by Winstone Peters very apt!
Brownlee and Paula Bennett did used to frequent the same Pie Shop in Wellington.
Luxon is not at his best when being interviewed so it stands to reason he avoids it and let others do the front of house work
.The mark of a good leader is to know your strengths and weaknesses and work around them while doing his real job of leading the country and getting exposure overseas .
Jacinda fronted well but failed to be firm when it mattered.
Luxton gets bamboozeled very easily hence he needs a patsy interviewer who can handle him with kid gloves and ask him patsy questions with prearranged answers.
Luxon is wek as cats piss.
Perhaps the shill Hosking can ask the simple question of hypocrisy on this issue…
https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/350418261/part-time-health-commissioner-holding-down-two-jobs
Some people enjoy working hard it is a concept most of those on the left cannot understand that is why they do not get ahead.
I know it’s a difficult concept for those on the right to comprehend, but it is called working smarter not harder. The commissioner is a flake and now the hard questions are being asked of him, like most right wing stooges, he has no answers. The health fraternity are now rolling their eyes at everything he says.
https://www.livarava.com/trends/p/4828556
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/11/health-commissioner-ousts-chief-financial-officer-after-big-deficits/
https://newsroom.co.nz/2024/09/11/health-commissioner-ousts-chief-financial-officer-after-big-deficits/
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/528162/nursing-jobs-ghosted-as-health-nz-cuts-costs
https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/07/10/eventually-somebody-will-die-nurses-sound-warning-over-cuts/
Those on the right cannot understand when someone is lying straight to their face and Lester working hard is one of those times. Those on the right are gullible.
Now that Lester is being held to account, like those on the right, he will obfuscate, mumble, won’t answer questions and blame others. For that the government pay him over $320,000 to tow the party line.
Big assumption Trevor. Do you know anyone with 3 jobs and have you ever wondered why they’d have 3 jobs?
Also, can you imagine how tricky it is balancing 3 jobs in diff. parts of town, with the reasonable expectations that a family/ children might have for your attention, as well?
To say such people aren’t working hard is rubbish so why don’t they get ahead? That’s the question you should be asking?
You assume those 3-job people would vote left. They might, if they had time to get organised re diff. party’s policy, make a decision and vote. Or it might not take priority because, what changes? Nothing.
Some people are always going to look at them condescendingly.
You don’t get to be Gerry Brownlee or Paula Bennetts size without working hard.
Big Norm,David Lange.
Great great men.
Most of the people you describe Joy vote right.
Evidence Bob the fist, where’s your evidence? I see it’s lacking as per usual.
How do you know that, Btf?
Do you have 3 jobs?
Very correct Ngungkai.
He will not appear on TeAo with Marama on Maori TV after she totally screwed him over before the election.
Seymour and Peters are notable by their absence as well. Monday night Whaakata Maori is my favorite viewing night for decent political news and discussion.
Not at his best, he’s the PM ffs!
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/nursing-jobs-ghosted-as-health-nz-cuts-costs/YPLVMVLATRFJHGXN2V2BDX2I3Q/
When you have issues that you have created like the above you have to be accountable.
Luxon was hurried into the role because Nationals talent depth was empty. Luxon needs to put his big boy pants on and front the media, that would show strong leadership, not what you have described.
Newstalk ZB, being right wing never liked Ardern, yet she always fonted Hosking ‘s pointed questions unlike the patsy questions asked of Luxon.
Arderns decision to end her session with Hosking was true leadership and a sign of strength albeit against a weak and ignorant radio jock.
He wanted to be the leader so therefore he is automatically the front man.
What use is he overseas when he’s supposed to be here. He cannot have it both ways Trevor.
He has no portfolio so what’s he really for if not to front up to the hard questions?
The mark of a good leader is to be seen to lead, not hide out the back when someone asks a question.
Luxon can’t front because he will have to lie, or try and justify absolutely bullshit decisions made in the name of the coalition. Unfortunately on Q&A they have an irritating habit of actually bringing out the odd fact. Plate-face McKee found that out the hard way.
They are all frightened to answer the HARD QUESTIONS ???
Better to create an illusion with the “Smoke & Mirrors Technique” used very successfully by Sir John Key, Crosby Textor and the Natsies.
these guys are just shitting on everyone. why would they want to talk about it. worst government ever.
When they do respond to questions it is usually scripted cliches and pitches about what they want to do OR blaming Labour – so even when they do front they don’t
Trevor keeps missing the point.
The point is not which Prime Minister handled media better. The point is the hypocritical reaction of the media to the avoidance of questions by a Labour Party woman as opposed to avoidance of questions by a National Party man.
Yesterday the point was that legislation to ban gang patches can quickly be applied to other organizations as well(first the communists – then the Jehovah’s Witnesses- then the Gypsies).
Good on ya for having a go Trev, but it would be handy if you stayed on the same page as the rest of us.
Jacinda Ardern remains the best PM we have had since Helen Clark. We don’t have a real one at the moment.
Haahaa, she bailed because her personal popularity was going down the drain as well as her party.
Had she stayed on she would have crashed the party vote worse than it actually was, plus been admitted to a psych ward as she doesn’t cope with not being liked….the irony is there would be no place for her despite the extra $1.5bil added to mental health budget that resulted in one bed!
Ohhhh maybe that was the plan, the bed was for her had she stayed on.
I’m tighty righty I’d say the bed was for you except you’re already on the psych ward.
Now be a good boy and take your meds.
Kneel
Hahahaha you are hilarious! You must be a standup comic yes? When is your live show?
Agree but now we do have a real polished turd with a couple of cancerous clingon’s that have floated to the top.
Clark was a leader with intellect and an understanding of normal people. Ardern was the latter and to her credit left the job she didn’t want.
Clark was a superb PM. Ardern was all PR talk and no action. The only PM worse than Ardern was Muldoon.
Correct we have a wet whinger who has to shave his head to look tough because he is piss weak and the 6% party and the 8% party are running riot and sending NZ into a race fueled tail spin .For fuck sake he does not even have a port folio to keep him busy so he has plenty of time to do his home work and learn his answers .
I had a right wing voter tell me that Jacinda has multi houses and two farms on sunday .Just another crock of shit being feed still to justify the river of filth and the money grab racists parties being in government .The same person has been feed the lie that Maori customary rights will prevent him from fishing .He has jumped from the national fat into the nzf /act fire .Act have been spreading shit about the sea bed and foreshore bull so they can get the chutney ferret goldsmith to repeal it so their rich owners can strip the sea of all its fish and mine it to the max and destroy all life .
Good heavens gordon.
Spot on again gordon.
Meh! Couldn’t care less about Luxon, but once the right noticed the Left didn’t care about Jacinda v Hosking they decided to play by your rules – and now it’s u having a “meltdown”. Should happen more often.