Last weeks ratings
Q+A 156, 400
The Nation 52, 780. Easter took a chunk out of the viewing numbers.
The Nation
Great line up, Hone Harawira is on the show alongside the latest attempt to destabilize the Labour Party.
ACT chat, they should be focusing on the money men role in all of this. It's a corporate coup not an administrative nicety.
Update on the corrupt fundy Christian attempt of a take over in Rodney. Don't you love fundy Christians siding with pro white apartheid supporters? Crazy right wing shit.
Hone is on firing up for the children of the poor. Duncan is throwing good questions, Hone is dancing. The selection process is genuine and Annette is a solid for second place on the party list. The truce is on if the Maori Party accepts that they would benefit most from holding to it. Duncan knew about the byelection. Hmmmm. Need better internal security.
The party stands for the Hone Heke financial transaction tax (I am very glad that idea has been taken up). Angry protest action during the Rugby World Cup? Who would have thunk it?
Excellent piece on Phil Goff. The Nation do pre-shot political stories better than anyone else in the game. Brilliant history lesson of Goff, he's defending his political past. Sean asking excellent questions. Rare flash of anger from Goff about the miss step Sean makes claiming Goff supported nuclear ships to NZ. He says he is collectively responsible for past right wing ideas, but that he wasn't an idealogical supporter. It is a measure of how bad NZ political journalism is that this is the first time Phil Goff has had a chance to discuss presupposed media myths that Goff was a right wing gnome.
He slaps down another old media myth about Goff challenging Helen. Sean is shocked that all these myths are tumbling. Phil is much more humble than the media have sold him, his decency is showing. So what he chats with Helen? That's a nothing story, of course a grand Jedi Knight like Helen would be on the phone.
Goff re-energizes when he's talking about the poor. He's challenged on NZ First, he rules Hone out. Goff would make a great PM with support from friends and allies. Let's see what happens after
Lot of energy wasted on the Wellington humour puppet thing.
Comrade Trotter is on questioning Phil's veracity. Jock Anderson is up and firing. The claim is that Helen's opinion doesn't count and so why would they listen? Mauling Phil as too nice. Chris Trotter is mauling my favourite project, but comes around to admitting it could be a force. They all misread the centre who will be spooked by brash who will flee to Labour or the Greens.
Q+A
Holmes on, up and running. They note the awfulness of a Brash friendship.
Hone is on with Guyon. Let's rumble.
Rejecting the politics of compromise is a good starting point, Hone defines. Nails the 'who can work with who' game. He points out that he works well with the Greens and could work with Labour. Media still can't get their head around the strategy, how many times do they need it explained? Mana won't run in Maori electorates, Mana are chasing the party vote. 'What's with the fussy' - great come back. It is a hard interview, Guyon very hard, Hone standing his ground.
The question of the cost comes up. He defends the cost as a genuine cost of Democracy. He has to gain the mandate. When he compares it to ACT, he knocks it out of the ballpark.
He just got 3% of the vote. The mainstream media have not seen this coming. Pita Sharples is getting a cuddle from Guyon when compared to the roasting he gave Hone. Guyon may as well start caressing him gently and purring. It's just unbelievable. Pita now realize he's up against Don Brash. He then says he would work with Don Brash! NO WAY! The Maori Party would work with Don Brash? Hone just got 4%.
To the panel, Derek Fox, Deborah Coddington and Jon makes the point that it isn't in Maori Party interests to run against Hone. Cooler heads will prevail. Deborah is fair to Hone. She gets that there is room for two Maori Party's. Derek gets that it is economic. They agree the byelection is a great stunt.
Don Brash claims he isn't like Hitler. He claims there is preferential treatment of Maori. Hilarious. He wants Maori Party seats gone. He articulates the impending economic collapse. He defends exclusive brethren, so why did he lie? Claims he didn't lie, but he had seen the pamphlets before Rod Donald showed them to him!
Says he will shred Rodney. Pretends his coup means he doesn't have all the power. He admits that he would allow American ships to NZ.
The Panel admits can't change the borrowing, what is the alternative? Riots in the street. Note how the word riot and rugby world cup gets getting mentioned? Notice it? Passions will be running high this election. Deborah gets that Brash will be spooking centrists. Jon points out Labour left National the ability to pay down our debt. Paul gets that Brash will spook.
A vote for John, is a vote for Don.
