And that is – sideshows. And that’s the real let down for us the voters. We are being done a disservice not only by the politicians themselves but also the media covering them.
What this country urgently needs is the basics. Roads fixed, hospitals functioning again, schools with students attending and passing, and crime sorted out. What we don’t need is the sideshow on bilingual road signs, who gets a free prescription and who doesn’t, who’s dog whistling and who isn’t.
We deserve better. We have also got to stop this collective attack on anyone who dare question anything to do with Maori culture or Te Reo, it is not racist to say you don’t think bilingual road signs are a priority right now. To question the Government’s desire for this and then be deemed racist and a dog whistler when you do, is pathetic.
This government has developed a modus operandi of lecturing us on how we should behave, how long we should spend in the shower, how we should read our road signs.
They’re good at telling us what we should do, because they know best and us mere mortals are just not as enlightened as them. These are fringe issues at a time where we as a country are facing far more serious ones.
Crime, for a start, looks like it’ll be kicked to touch until after the election. There are very few sitting days left for the Government to actually enact much - and that should worry all of us because what it means is that what we currently have is it.
If you were hoping for more or better or different between now and October, you’re probably going to be disappointed. They’ll announce stuff, they just won’t be able to do much about it. But the pettiness of politics in election year is such a turn off.
Doesn’t the name calling and the descending into side shows just put voters off?
Politicians looking to bait opponents, media looking for ‘gotcha’ moments - a lot of it is beltway and a lot of it is BS. It doesn’t serve us, and it certainly doesn’t move this country forward.
National would do themselves a favour by not allowing themselves to get dragged into the sideshows; my advice to them would be take a stance and stick to it - believe in your policies your pledges and your platitudes, and stick to them.
People don’t like uncertainty and they don’t like wishy washy. But I think we deserve better from the political media too. Gotcha moments like turning up with Te Reo signs at Parliament and asking MP’s what they mean - really? Is that your best coverage?
Newshub’s Jenna Lynch, who I think is their senior political reporter, wandered round with Te Reo signs asking MP’s what they meant and when she asked Chris Hipkins what Waka Kotahi meant, he knew it was NZ Transport but he couldn’t translate exactly what Waka Kotahi means.
But when he served it right back at her and said, ‘well what does Te Papa mean?’ She of course couldn’t answer because she didn’t know either. Is this the best political news coverage we can get? Or is this school playground rubbish?
My husband described the country this week as weary, angry and punch drunk. I think it’s true. But we need to sober up between now and October or we’re in real trouble.
Kate Hawkesby is a political broadcaster on Newstalk ZB - her articles can be seen HERE.
7 comments:
Awe I couldn't agree more Kate. Scrub up news media! It's a disgrace. It's bitchy and petty and it shows up what they are like.
Jessica looked nice in that purple winter coat with the bell shaped sleeves gathered into the cuff, she used to wear it..... and purple suits her as it goes with her red hair. I wonder if it still fits her?
Have we heard mutch from Tova lately? She was given an exposthumus award so that must have been nice, congratulations. Was that because she knew how to get a radio show ratings so high? And Josie Paganini has a lot to shout about regarding prescription charges. She used to paint her nails black as a teenage so that's pretty wild. And she liked Irish stuff too...oooh.
Umm yeah it's too easy.
I'm sorry Kate but there is very little chance of getting anything better until there are some grown ups putting their hands up for government. As long as the media are being corrupted by the government there is no likelyhood of anything but childish effluent, and point scoring appearing in the places where the majority of voters get their information.
Some months ago, I asked National ( Ms Melissa Lee) to outline their media policy - given the need to get rid of the " bought MSM".
No reply to date.
A friend of mine yesterday commented that he thought the labour clowns might get in again as all the good decent kiwis have already left the country. That could explain why labour are polling so high. If you are an average worker, there is nothing for you except tax. Why would you stay?
A prime example of diversion was the media circus about the relatively small amount involved with the prescription fee, meantime the media said nothing about the official Maori budget of nearly a billion dollars.
Why ?
"We deserve better."
Actually this country deserves far worse given what it is approving of in the social and educational sphere. Societies that approve of such things always end in ruin and its the individuals who promote and approve of them that lead them into that ruin.
Without God you can do nothing good and more than half the country abandoned him a long time ago.
I am so frustrated by the MSM ,that I read Stuff, click the emoji "angry" and express my anger in the restricted number of characters I am allowed but don't feel that is very effective at achieving much.
Can't someone talented. think of something better ?
Maybe have a space here on this blog where we can read the comments by people like us? Good examples to start with would be that annoying article today "Bud Lighting" with a woman being labelled a 'conspiracy influencer' for simply having a different view as well as Posie Parker being called anti-trans gender when she is pro women.
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