Question Time focused largely on the Treaty Principles Bill. There was a growing angst, Gerry Brownlee the Speaker spent far too much time calling for order, it was low rent, which isn't unheard of, but full of needless aggro.
Then came the so-called debate.
There were 11 speeches, lead off by architect of the bill David Seymour who spoke, as he has through this whole shambolic process, very eloquently.
He was followed by Willie Jackson, who also spoke very passionately, until he called Seymour a liar and got booted out of the House.
Most of the rest of the speeches were boring and said what you thought they might say, depending on what side of the House the speaker came from.
National were in the invidious position of defending their position while not defending the bill. They can blame Christopher Luxon for this because how he let it find its way to the place it has is beyond me.
As a coalition deal you either let it ride or kill it before you sign a deal in the first place. But this half-way House is the worst of all possible worlds, and it looked like it, as he was on a plane to South America and the poor sods, he left behind had to do their best.
The whole affair, sadly, was not what you might want, or expect, from our House of Representatives.
Beyond anything else, we appear to have lost the ability to debate cordially, to agree to disagree, to listen to other views, to be mature, to be adult and to accept that we don’t all have to be on the same page.
By the time the Māori Party burst into a haka and wrecked it all, Gerry rolled his eyes and suspended proceedings for the day.
I caught up with the fall out on Sky TV. God knows what the Australians make of it. This sort of stuff also goes global, so more embarrassment there as well.
We look ridiculous. We look like amateurs, we look like petty, little children b*tching at each other.
We look like Kamala Harris supporters on TikTok.
I think, and hope, we are better than this. That lot yesterday in the House of Representatives is not us. It's not representative.
Because if they are, we are buggered.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
He was followed by Willie Jackson, who also spoke very passionately, until he called Seymour a liar and got booted out of the House.
Most of the rest of the speeches were boring and said what you thought they might say, depending on what side of the House the speaker came from.
National were in the invidious position of defending their position while not defending the bill. They can blame Christopher Luxon for this because how he let it find its way to the place it has is beyond me.
As a coalition deal you either let it ride or kill it before you sign a deal in the first place. But this half-way House is the worst of all possible worlds, and it looked like it, as he was on a plane to South America and the poor sods, he left behind had to do their best.
The whole affair, sadly, was not what you might want, or expect, from our House of Representatives.
Beyond anything else, we appear to have lost the ability to debate cordially, to agree to disagree, to listen to other views, to be mature, to be adult and to accept that we don’t all have to be on the same page.
By the time the Māori Party burst into a haka and wrecked it all, Gerry rolled his eyes and suspended proceedings for the day.
I caught up with the fall out on Sky TV. God knows what the Australians make of it. This sort of stuff also goes global, so more embarrassment there as well.
We look ridiculous. We look like amateurs, we look like petty, little children b*tching at each other.
We look like Kamala Harris supporters on TikTok.
I think, and hope, we are better than this. That lot yesterday in the House of Representatives is not us. It's not representative.
Because if they are, we are buggered.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings - where this article was sourced.
3 comments:
SBS in Australia will report it as demonstrative of the effects of colonialism. Others will tout it as the fundamental importance of a treaty. No one will call it for what it is - disruptive thuggery by spoilt part Maori brats. My comments will no doubt be called out by some as racist - the name that cloaks those who have no other excuse.
The real scary thing about this sort of carry on by the Maori party is that these people want to govern the country.
Imagine that if you will.
Whilst it was very bad in Parliament, and the hikoi mob are doing their intimidatory thing (promoted by some of our media), on the plus side more and more folk will be sitting up and paying attention to what David Seymour has been saying. The more the mob threaten us and insist that we, the rest of NZ, musn't consider and discuss the Treaty articles, the more we will. C'est la vie.
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