Forget politics and your personal view of the world, surely what you want in the leadership of your country is enquiring minds, experience, and institutional knowledge. You want people, who even though you may not agree with, at least you can see what they are trying to do and why.
One of the great privileges of this job has been to meet everyone who has run this place for the past 40 years, basically from David Lange on.
Lange was brilliant. He was bright, well-read, and articulate. Different world view from me, certainly, as it turned out from Sir Roger Douglas, but came to the job with some credentials. Sir Roger himself had a plan, had a vision, and saved this country from economic calamity by floating the dollar and cutting the subsidies.
Ruth Richardson. Yes, a purist. But she could back the arguments up with fact, knew what she wanted to do, and had the intellectual heft to make it happen.
Helen Clark. Say whatever you like about her, but you can't possibly argue she isn't connected, isn't well read, and understands vast swathes of the world and how it works.
Sir John Key. Self-made, been out in the world, understood the markets, money, and therefore the economy like few others.
And so they go.
Fast forward to Mahuta, who can't even pick up a phone. She was an appointment you knew from day one was odd. You wondered, "How the hell did that happen?" And now, we have evidence of the greatest crime of all, whether in politics or not, the lack of an inquiring mind.
The best excuse they can come up with is that's not the way it's done.
What crap.
What insulting, condescending, and embarrassing crap. When you are in charge, it's done the way you want it done.
People who can't be bothered do my head in. I detest laziness. The higher up the pole you are, the more you can do, and that's a privilege. What a thrill to be able to make a difference, to change a course, to be hungry, to grasp the detail, to immerse yourself into something you can affect and improve.
And yet look at them.
Clare Curran, hopeless and gone. David Clark was sacked for being an idiot. Kris Faafoi is asleep at the wheel and desperate to get out. Phil Twyford is an abject failure. Poto Williams is a disgrace hiding behind a lack of interest and Mahuta-type excuses about operational matters. Mahuta herself is too lazy and disinterested to even pick up a phone.
For those of us who long for better, this is a shabby and incompetent let down. Being useless is one thing, but being lazy and useless is the ultimate crime.
Ruth Richardson. Yes, a purist. But she could back the arguments up with fact, knew what she wanted to do, and had the intellectual heft to make it happen.
Helen Clark. Say whatever you like about her, but you can't possibly argue she isn't connected, isn't well read, and understands vast swathes of the world and how it works.
Sir John Key. Self-made, been out in the world, understood the markets, money, and therefore the economy like few others.
And so they go.
Fast forward to Mahuta, who can't even pick up a phone. She was an appointment you knew from day one was odd. You wondered, "How the hell did that happen?" And now, we have evidence of the greatest crime of all, whether in politics or not, the lack of an inquiring mind.
The best excuse they can come up with is that's not the way it's done.
What crap.
What insulting, condescending, and embarrassing crap. When you are in charge, it's done the way you want it done.
People who can't be bothered do my head in. I detest laziness. The higher up the pole you are, the more you can do, and that's a privilege. What a thrill to be able to make a difference, to change a course, to be hungry, to grasp the detail, to immerse yourself into something you can affect and improve.
And yet look at them.
Clare Curran, hopeless and gone. David Clark was sacked for being an idiot. Kris Faafoi is asleep at the wheel and desperate to get out. Phil Twyford is an abject failure. Poto Williams is a disgrace hiding behind a lack of interest and Mahuta-type excuses about operational matters. Mahuta herself is too lazy and disinterested to even pick up a phone.
For those of us who long for better, this is a shabby and incompetent let down. Being useless is one thing, but being lazy and useless is the ultimate crime.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
7 comments:
Mr. Hosking, I think you mistake lazy for intent.
The minister may be found wanting upon the Foreign Affairs portfolio but in the background they are hard at work ensuring that the Local Government and Māori Development portfolios are being massaged well to ensure that the outcomes they want from them are paramount.
The entirety of this ministers career has been underwhelming until they found that the baubles of unfettered power with a weak government and leadership allowed for the active corruption of democracy, governance and funding models which will see New Zealand turned back centuries in both our social, economic and political standards.
Lazy ministers are the least of New Zealanders problems.
Well said Mike
That was a pretty short list of incompetents Mike. You could list the whole of the labour cult in the house and not be wrong.
I repeat that this is the prime example when we need a power of recall for dishonest, corrupt or incompetent ministers or MPS, not excluding the PM.
most of the country enjoyed being 'lazy' - accepting pay for sitting at home in lieu of complying with the lockdown diktat. in a democracy, the elected are bound to reflect the values of the population they represent. i'm surprised that the incompetence and inaction of these leaders is a surprise!
Unfortunately she is Maori royalty and there is no requirement at all to be energetic or even competent. She knows that she is entitled and doesn't have to explain anything to anyone.
Is this the road we are about to go down? Looks like it.
It's good to see some one with integrity willing to ask some of the questions the fake news bought and paid for msm won't ask !
I think the general public ie the folk who get ALL their news from tv1/2/3
Need to be told a bit more of what's really going on in the world! What the WHO and WEF are really up to
Anyway thanks for what you are doing
I frequently disagree with Mike Hosking but I'm a 100% with him on this one. Why has such an inarticulate,incompetent person as Mahuta been allowed to represent this country when she is clearly focussed on feathering the nests of her kin while dragging the chain when it comes to international matters. A total disgrace. Whatever happened to accountability ?
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