David Farrar: Hold my beer, Willow-Jean, says Ginny

It was almost beyond dispute that Willow-Jean Prime was the worst Labour Education Spokesperson in living memory. It is hard to think you can do worse than having your leader criticise the Government for a lack of consultation over NCEA, and then learn Willow-Jean personally ignored or declined three personal requests from the Minister to brief her.

David Farrar: Ginny blames baby murders on the Government

Radio NZ reports:

Labour’s spokesperson for prevention of family and sexual violence, Ginny Andersen, said the death of two children in the first week of this year is a reminder that New Zealand needs to closely look at frontline services for vulnerable families.

Two men are in custody facing murder charges in separate cases – the death of a child in Hamilton and another child in Auckland. …

JC: Labour Is a Spent Force?

My previous article was headlined Is Labour a Spent Force? The headline for this article asks a similar question with a different emphasis, implying it most probably is, based on its performance in opposition to date. Bryce Edwards, in a recent article on the Democracy Project, gives numerous examples of negative commentary from various political commentators. Comments concerning the party in general appear to focus on the fact it has abandoned its voter base and, in terms of the leadership, Hipkins still has time on his side. I say the clock is very much ticking.

David Farrar: Shearer says Ginny Andersen divorced from reality

The Herald reports:

A former Labour leader believes Labour MP Ginny Andersen's claims about Mark Mitchell's past as a private security contractor are “divorced from reality” and encouraged her to speak with the police Minister to better understand the nature of the work.

Cam Slater: How Thick Is Ginny Andersen?

Ginny Andersen always struck me as being stupid and thick. Yesterday morning she proved she is also thoroughly nasty. Have a listen to this audio from Mike Hosking’s show:

Mike's Minute: My thoughts on Ginny and Mark

It's one of life's oddity's when it comes to things playing out publicly, that what might have exploded one day, doesn’t on another.

The tragedy of Efeso Collins quite rightly became yesterday's political story, and in doing so, saved Ginny Anderson from greater scrutiny and, perhaps, embarrassment.

David Farrar: Labour MP calls Police Minister a paid killer

The Herald reports:

labour's police spokeswoman, Ginny Andersen, claims Police Minister Mark Mitchell was “paid to kill people” and has asked him whether he kept a “tally of how many you shot” while providing private military services in Iraq.

Tim Dower: Mitchell's letter wasn't meddling, it was managing

Now we've had a full day to digest Mark Mitchell's letter to the Police Commissioner, was he actually out of line to release that?

His Labour predecessor said on this show yesterday that Mark Mitchell was huffing and puffing, talking up a big game and chest beating.

Point of Order: Buzz from the Beehive - 10/11/23

Ginny Andersen is copping questions on two fronts – her treatment of campaign volunteers and her Paris travel bill

Police Minister Ginny Andersen has not posted a statement on the government’s official website since 3 October – but she’s winning media attention, regardless.

The official statement – issued jointly with Children’s Minister Kelvin Davis – was about a youth justice programme branded “Circuit Breaker being launched in two new locations.

It wasn’t a huge vote winner and both ministers lost their seats at the general election, although they are back in Parliament on Labour’s list.

Kate Hawkesby: Ginny Andersen shouldn't throw stones

So we spoke with Mark Mitchell earlier this morning on Ginny Andersen's claim that he's unfit to be Police Minister.

This came about because he said the Government wasn't going after gangs properly, and more than half the charges they were laying for gangs were administrative like traffic offences or minor infringements.

This is Operation Cobalt, the Government's so called 'gang crackdown' which the Police Minister is very defensive of.

Point of Order: Labour and National at odds over Operation Cobalt....

....and the govt’s policies to bring gang criminals to book

Law and order was raised at Question Time in Parliament yesterday after an exchange of press statements on the issue – and the treatment of gangs – between National MP Mark Mitchell and Police Minister Ginny Andersen.

The Question Time duel was triggered when Mitchell asked if Andersen stood by her statement that she believed New Zealanders “feel safer” – and, if so, why?

The Minister said she stood by her full statement at that time it was given.

Cam Slater: Almost 400 Ram Raids in Six Months!

Police Minister Ginny Anderson will start gaslighting us this weekend that crime rates aren’t up, they just have better reporting now. But the stark reality for those of us living in cities is that violent crime is up massively. We’ve seen almost 400 ram raids in six months!

Kate Hawkesby: I hope the Government reflects on what they've done

So while we were away the news from home was pretty much standard.

Another MP facing conflict of interest questions (looking at you Peeni Henare), another MP in meltdown and on leave, another Dairy owner attacked, the (entirely predictable) revelation that government debt was way higher than forecast, the disturbing news of half a billion dollars on almost expired RAT tests being stored in a warehouse exemplifying the very worst of this government’s wastage of our money, more youths on roofs being handed KFC for their troubles, and some more gaslighting by Ministers regards how we’re all feeling.

Cam Slater: How Is Ginny Andersen Going to Gaslight Us on This Case?

You can’t find a more ridiculous example at how out of touch this government is, or how useless our Police have become under this government. We have joked about the ‘catch and release’ crime policy of the government and now we have proof it’s real.

Cam Slater: Gaslighter Ginny Busted by Her Union Pals

Gaslighter Ginny Andersen has already won the Gaslighter of the Week award at Reality Check Radio twice. She could be in for the hat trick after her union pals at the Police Association called bull dust on her claims of 1800 new Police.

Cam Slater: Can Ginny Andersen Get ‘Back on Track’?

Did you hear Ginny Andersen get eviscerated by Mike Hosking on Wednesday morning? It was a train wreck. It also preceded National’s launching their slogan “Let’s Get New Zealand Back on Track”. Maybe Christopher Luxon was referring to Ginny Andersen and her train wreck interview. If you haven’t heard it, listen now.

Kate Hawkesby: You can’t gaslight your way out of a problem by telling people it’s not happening

So another day, another shop closing for good because they’re fed up with being robbed.

That sees off West Auckland’s only Post Shop – seven ram raids and break ins have pushed them over the edge.

They’ve been in business 20 years. Now, they’re closing their doors for good.

Mike Hosking: Finally an admittance from the Government on crime

Did we have a breakthrough of sorts on the programme with the Prime Minister, or was it more gaslighting?

Ginny Andersen, who is so out of her depth it's embarrassing, has insisted for weeks now that crime isn't up and it's just being reported more. We all feel safer because of the 1800 police they have delivered.

Chris Hipkins, who is clearly at the more retail end of the political spectrum, knows that that level of BS could not continue and so he acquiesced and said what we are seeing is unacceptable.

Kate Hawkesby: Promises to make communities feel safe doesn’t fly, it's time for the Police to get tough

Well just as the new Police Minister was fronting media yesterday and telling them she wanted communities to feel safe, Leo Molloy was making headlines for calling the Police ‘weak as piss’.

His words, not mine. 

The hospitality owner was furious that an attempted break in at his Auckland viaduct restaurant – which caused more than $50,000  in damage -  had elicited a ‘chat’ from the Police, but no arrests.

He had CCTV footage of the offenders, police had shown up and spoken with them, but did nothing more. They were free to go.