Hard News by Russell Brown

If you watch Parliamentary TV on Freeview 31 you will also get NZ Sign Language interpretation - a significant first.

Incidentally, yesterday some of us were in Parliament to observe the first reading of the Election Access Fund Bill which was introduced by Chloe Swarbrick but was developed by former Green MP Mojo Mathers. It would create a fund for the additional expenses disabled people might require to stand as candidates (such as interpreters, transport, technology etc). Several MPs from across the House spoke in favour, some even passionately. No one spoke against it and it was sent to a select committee. It was great to see Parliament working cooperatively like this.

because it still seems to be working out its comms game

sigh.

Several MPs from across the House spoke in favour, some even passionately. No one spoke against it and it was sent to a select committee. It was great to see Parliament working cooperatively like this.

That is indeed great.

They bickered a bit about which select committee to send it to but I wasn't sure what that was about. National Party MPs emphasised that they were not in favour of state funding of political parties but that this fund was OK.

I think the claim that there is some kind of stand-off between RNZ and Claire Curran (most recently promulgated by The Spinoff) is without any foundation. Sitting beside each other at the recent Better Public Media panel, they seemed in full agreement. A major barrier to cooperation (Richard Griffin) has now gone.

I think the claim that there is some kind of stand-off between RNZ and Claire Curran (most recently promulgated by The Spinoff) is without any foundation.

I hope you're right. She certainly hasn't done the organisation any favours in the past six months.

A lot of us here in Dunedin that were contemporaries of his in the early - mid '90s are pretty proud of Grant. I last spoke to him in person three years ago (at a Tiny Ruins gig !) just after he'd became finance spokesman.

He told me he'd been given that portfolio because Andrew Little thought he'd be best at, as he put it "selling our policies to the public".

It's also pretty cool that the Minister of Finance knows who the likes of Shayne Carter, etc, are, too.

I'm commenting here before Ardern speaks in Parliament, but I'll happily bet that one change will be very welcome: the Prime Minister's speech won't be the horror-comedy that John Key delivered on Budget day every year. It was an infantile rant that he turned into a ritual. And imagine for a moment if Ardern DID behave like that. No "blokey banter" free pass for her ... she'd be "shrill". "Hysterical", even.

Well, the public broadcasting element of the Budget has become even more of a shambles.

After campaigning on and continuing to talk up a $38m boost to be shared between RNZ and NZ On Air, the government has come up with only $15m in the budget – and still can't say what the split might be. That will be left to the broadcast working group.

So RNZ, which has been very clear about what its most urgent needs are, still can't plan anything. This really is rubbish.

And imagine for a moment if Ardern DID behave like that. No "blokey banter" free pass for her ... she'd be "shrill". "Hysterical", even.

As it turns out the shrill hysterical one was Nationals Bridge burner.

I’ve got no comment on the Budget or Grant Robertson yet, but I can’t believe anyone ever took Steven Joyce seriously as Finance Minister. I always just saw him as the Minister for Getting National Re-Elected.

Sorry under a rock and seem to have missed that Dick Griffin had left RNZ.

Is this true? Have you got a link? I couldn’t find anything recent in a 2 second google.

EDIT: sorry found it now. Didn't come up when I googled Richard Griffin or Dick Griffin.
Two questions-

How much has he been responsible for recent changes at RNZ, including things such the new late night programme, Wallace Chapman and Jesse Mulligan, the website and so on? These seemed to be very much in line with someone who could deliver RNZ+.

How much is he responsible for, for example, David Farrar commentating as 'Pollster David Farrar' and the continuity if you like, in political commentary? This is a much less welcome thing.

How much has he been responsible for recent changes at RNZ,

I'd have thought that more Paul Thompson's doing - he's always been a change manager (well he was at Fairfax)...

David Farrar commentating as ‘Pollster David Farrar’

he was a particularly odious oik earlier this week - sowing memes 'right and centre' (I don't think he does 'left') - an playing apologist for Israel's crowd killings and wishing them a happy 70th birthday (just slightly younger than Trump then!)

I did enjoy the ending of the piece Jesse Mulligan did with a Republican Trump fan the other day - this guy loves Trump even more now (frightening) - but he ended by saying 'thank you Australia, you've always been a good friend to the USA'
(or words to that effect) - summed up Trump's base's world view perfectly.

PS: as an aside doesn't 'al qaeda' translate as 'the base' - that's Trump - Fundamental as anything!