As expected the media were at their anti-National, anti-Collins best reporting on the National Party Conference. Tova was as toxic as ever repeating her effort from the aftermath of her Newshub poll, running around like a headless chook desperately trying to find an MP or conference attendee who would happily want Judith’s head. She of course found John Key whom she knows is a Luxon supporter. Good story there. She had even saved a question from her poll to use at the weekend to support her narrative. The question was: “should Judith be replaced?” A majority, including National supporters, said yes which had Tova salivating uncontrollably.
One could be forgiven for thinking she’s posing as Old McDonald’s wife in the nursery rhyme.
With a cluck cluck here and a cluck cluck there
Here a cluck, there a cluck,
Everywhere a cluck cluck
Her reporting is about on that level. Good journalism these days is as scarce as hen’s teeth (pardon the pun) with Tova O’Brien and Claire Trevett leading the way. They don’t often report the facts, they simply report their version of the facts – the one that suits their narrative. In the case of National they want to paint the picture that National is still in complete disarray. Why? Because this reflects badly on Judith whom they will, over the next two years, do their darndest to get rid of. If Judith remains leader, they can see trouble ahead for their girlfriend who may not have the luxury of the cover of Covid in 2023.
Claire Trevett had two pieces in the Weekend Herald. The first was an article across the top half of two pages, A6 and A7, which included lovely pics of a smiling Jacinda. One showed her getting her jab. This is the sort of coverage that money buys you at a time when the polls are not entirely in your favour.
Claire referenced Tova’s poll saying Labour’s support had dropped by almost two points. Sounds better than ten, doesn’t it? The article itself turned out to be much ado about nothing. It was supposed to be about life after the jabs rollout (at the rate they’re going we’ll all be dead so neither she nor us will have to worry) and asked if vaccinated people would get special treatment. Ardern, as usual, couldn’t be definite on anything and so the article amounted to nothing more than her customary waffle.
Claire’s second article was on page A17. This was headlined “Plastering cracks no fix for Nats”. This was of a very different tenor to her cosy little interview with Ardern. In journalistic terms, the soothing harps and strings were put away and out came the electric guitars and drums making a ghastly noise to suitably reflect the horrible mess National is in. No surprise; it’s largely Judith’s fault.
She started off by highlighting Grant Robertson who, before answering a question from David Seymour replied, “I thank the leader of the Opposition for his question.” It’s a pity Robertson isn’t that clever as Minister of Finance. Claire pointed out that heaving Muller overboard gave Collins a clear run-up to the conference but then went on to say the one MP stopping that was Collins herself. Tricky occupation, journalism.
According to Claire, Collins is still banging on about side issues. She cites Simon Bridges who she says may not have been popular but was effective at picking the Government’s weak spot and hammering at it over and over again. Claire said it was annoying for those of us who had to listen to it day after day but it was effective. Listening to Simon in Question Time, I found the exact opposite. Each of his questions was on a different subject so he didn’t hone in on any particular matter.
So what are the so-called side issues Judith is banging on about? A lot of them are things the majority of the rest of us are banging on about. He Puapua, hate speech, electric vehicle proposals, the bike bridge, roading projects delayed, Three Waters, Maori separatism, banning conversion therapy and the ute tax.
It defies belief that these journalists are living on the same planet or in the same country as we do. What does Claire think the Groundswell protest was about? The novelty of driving a tractor on a motorway perhaps? These are not “side issues” as Claire likes to call them. These are serious matters which in large part will determine the future direction of the country. Some of these are global problems that Ardern has tapped into because they are part of her agenda.
The polls are telling a story and it’s not a story of Covid weariness as Ardern would like to have us believe even though her media are doing their best to inflict it on us. They are saying that voters are now paying more attention to things that matter to them. They are waking up to Ardern’s political direction and they don’t like what they see.
Ardern won’t be deterred from what she wants and sees as her legacy. She might find she will be left with a very different one. A landslide loss in 2023.
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