Bob Edlin: Peters rails against journalists as does Trump......

Peters rails against journalists as does Trump – but when it comes to defunding, the US President can do something about it

The “mainstream media” were aflutter yet again after Winston Peters (as Acting Prime Minister) made plain his disdain for one of their number and – outrageous! – brought the matter of RNZ funding into considerations.

Defunding is the sort of media-hostile bullying which has characterised the first few weeks of Donald Trump’s second term as President, reinforcing impressions that democracy is fast being eroded in the USA.

Karl du Fresne: A few random thoughts post-election

■ My friend and former boss Robin Bromby, long domiciled in Australia but still a keen observer of New Zealand affairs, makes an interesting point in an email.
He asks, “When has a Wellington MP led his party to an election win? The last Wellington area MP to become PM after an election was Walter Nash in 1957. But the job now seems to be taken mainly by Aucklanders.”