A bit of free media advice to Todd Muller and Nikki Kaye (and I’d happily offer the same advice to Labour politicians): don’t allow yourself to be manipulated into playing the media’s game.
There are journalists in the parliamentary press gallery (and I’m sorry, but the name Tova O’Brien springs to mind again) whose modus operandi is to probe constantly for any sign of weakness, conflict or contradiction, and to pounce triumphantly when they uncover anything that looks remotely capable of being blown into a scandal. They then sanctimoniously editorialise about it to an audience that often can’t see what the fuss is about and probably couldn’t care less.
Their mission is to make mischief. Paddy Gower was another master of this game. As I wrote in a profile of Paddy years ago for The Listener (remember The Listener?), political journalism in the 21st century has become essentially a form of sport.
Exposing hypocrisy, inconsistency and double standards is a legitimate function of journalism, but something’s out of kilter when catching politicians out begins to look like its raison d’etre.
O’Brien – and possibly other reporters too, although I got the impression she was the principal provocateur – sprang a trap for the new National leadership team and they obligingly walked straight into it.
If they deserve ridicule for anything, it’s not that Muller failed to include a Maori in his shadow cabinet; that’s just another confected outrage stirred up to produce a lead item for 6 o’clock news bulletin, like the MAGA cap. No, the reason they should feel embarrassed – and why questions should be asked about their judgment – is that Muller and Kaye (and even more astonishingly, their media advisers) apparently failed to see this coming. Did it not occur to them that in an era obsessed with identify politics and minority grievances, someone would demand to know why they had an all-white front row?
As an aside, Muller could have easily avoided this by promoting one of the party’s capable Maori MPs to the front bench; perhaps Shane Reti, who seems an impressive performer. It needn’t have been seen as tokenism, since Labour appears unembarrassed by having Kelvin Davis as its deputy leader – a status presumably acquired on the basis of his Maori roots rather than through ability and achievement.
By this morning, Muller seemed to have regained his equilibrium and was saying what he should have said yesterday: namely, that he chose his front-bench line-up on the basis of ability and merit, and with a focus on broad issues. End of story. Voters can show at the ballot box whether they agree with his choices; isn’t that how democracy is supposed to work?
Advancing transparently absurd pleas in mitigation – such as citing Paula Bennett at No 13 in the rankings, and even more comically identifying the palpably Pakeha Paul Goldsmith as Ngati Porou – was playing the media’s game. It looked desperate and pathetic – but worse, it looked weak.
Muller should have taken a lesson from Boris Johnson, another conservative politician with his feet to the fire, and stood his ground. The public would have respected him more for it. He should at least give the impression of having faith in his own judgment even when he doesn’t.
Karl du Fresne, a freelance journalist, is the
former editor of The Dominion newspaper. He blogs at karldufresne.blogspot.co.nz.
6 comments:
What Muller needs to do is take some lessons from President Trump as well. When Tova O'Brien and co try these hits he has to hit back twice as hard. But he has already said he thinks Trump's style of politicking is appalling so he has left himself wide open to that comparison in the future.
Any body would think he is a new guy to politics --clearly he is not, even some of his industry jobs were lobbying type jobs. He should be well up to speed on the media games. The MAGA hat episode was handled even more poorly than the lack of diversity on the front bench issue.
In South Africa, after Nelson became president, there was a move among big business to "level the playing field" regarding racial inequalities in management. It was called "Affirmative Action". Token black folk were promoted into top positions in order to "balance the equation". It led to the demise of one of the largest mining houses in South Africa, JCI! It is still going on today, which is essentially why the Rand is now at 10 to 1 to the NZD, when it was at parity before the change. Appointing "token" people into positions that they are not competent to hold is a disaster waiting to happen. Remember the sobering words of "Peters principle" which states: You rise to the level of your incompetence. Promoting beyond this point is madness! Please don't let this happen in NZ!
If National get elected in September, NZ is in for a tough decade or so. If the coalition is losers get in again, write NZ off for a decade or so .
In anticipation of his roll as queen maker after the next election, it is believed that the leader of New Zealand First is seeking to rename the party as the " Winston Peters First and NZ can go to hell again" party.
Don't laugh.
Todd Muller chose on merit. If he was racist he would have realised he had better include a token Maori or two in the front row to keep them happy. The media are only too keen to blow such errors out of proportion.
A quick reply to the last 'anonymous' comment " Todd Muller chose on merit"
Please never forget; EIGHT of the top TWELVE that he chose voted WITH THE LEFT to murder unborn children right up until FULL TERM with the baby to be left to die if it shows signs of life. { The new abortion legislation }
He is just another Globalist who kicks a different coloured football..
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