Halfway down ‘Dickhead' Road
When was the last time you really, truly respected one of our politicians? Looked up to one, even?
Don't spend too long mulling over your answer. If it hasn't come to mind within a few seconds, then that probably tells you all you need to know.
The times have changed, of course, since such prominent leaders as National's Keith Holyoake and John Marshall ("Gentleman Jack") and Labour's Bill Rowling strode the New Zealand political stage, emanating careful concern, politeness and a genuine desire to treat others graciously and with dignity.
Today we might be tempted to call them stuffy or pompous, prim and proper. But one thing they weren't, at least in public, was nasty or loud-mouthed.
The rise in nastiness and adoption of rabble-rousing techniques came in with the arrival of the doughty, confrontational Robert Muldoon as prime minister in the mid-1970s.
It would be far from truthful to say every politician since has exhibited such truculence, as plenty during the decades since have continued to be trustworthy and garner public respect.
However, Mr Muldoon certainly opened the door to a new spiteful and pugnacious style of politicking.
Leader of the House is one of the most senior and important roles in Parliament. The minister bestowed with that title at the behest of the prime minister has to manage the passage of government business through the House and takes primary responsibility for the programme of making new laws.
The holder of these tasks is expected, one might think, to display maturity and gravitas. That person should lead by example, and be worthy of being ranked in the government's top three or four ministers.
Hutt South MP Chris Bishop has been Leader of the House since November 2023 and also holds several large portfolios, including transport and housing. He has been a colourful and somewhat controversial minister since first being elected as a list MP in 2014.
As affable as Mr Bishop is, he has also shown he is unafraid of speaking out bluntly on issues he views as too left-wing or woke.
Leader of the House Chris Bishop. Photo: ODT files
Fast forward to last Thursday evening's Aotearoa Music Awards in Auckland and an episode which was caught on video. Seemingly irritated by a performance by singer Stan Walker which featured Toitū Te Tiriti banners and others waving tino rangatiratanga flags, Mr Bishop uttered "what a load of crap".
Kiwi musician Don McGlashan decided to take Mr Bishop to task for his outburst, although he said after he did not realise at first who he was.
"I could hear an enormous amount of ranting, kind of against the whole thing. I didn't get the full gist of it, but it was basically — 'the hīkoi is ages ago, sit down everybody'," Mr McGlashan told RNZ.
"Shut up, you dickhead," Mr McGlashan said and then repeated when Mr Bishop replied, "What did you say to me?". By then, he recognised who Mr Bishop was.
In the subsequent reporting imbroglio, Mr Bishop admitted his comments were poorly judged and "on reflection, I should have kept my thoughts to myself".
But he denied claims he had remarked specifically on the hikoi and presented the red herring that the response was a "political smear job". He subsequently declined to apologise to Walker.
Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon does not want a bar of it.
Also unsurprisingly, Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour has backed Mr Bishop, saying a senior minister should not stop having opinions and that "it may be that people will agree with him".
Yes indeed, Mr Bishop, you should have kept your thoughts to yourself. This occasion was neither the time nor the place for such conduct, especially not for someone of such seniority.
Even in this more casual world, we expect our ministers to behave less like larrikins and more like role models.
If Mr Bishop is struggling to think of some recent examples of humility, civility and quiet determination in the House, how about Sir Geoffrey Palmer, Sir Don "McKinnon, Sir Pita Sharples, Nikki Kaye, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Doug Woolerton, Jeanette Fitzsimons?
Is it too much to ask for politicians we can respect again?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
43 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Letters: Watching Question Time is like a bad comedy show; Trump is no champion for peace
Letters to the Editor Parliamentary comedy show Watching Question Time when the House is sitting is becoming increasingly and embarrassingly like a bad comedy show. I wonder what the rest of the world thinks when these antics are reported overseas. All MPs are selfishly vying for their pet project and making insulting jabs at
Otago Daily Times
11 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Sentencing reforms come into effect as govt targets crime
By Natalie Akoorie of RNZ Sentencing reforms which will cap discounts judges can give to an offender and introduce aggravating factors at sentencing, have come into effect as the government targets tougher crime consequences. The Labour Party says the move will only exacerbate an already clogged court system, add huge costs to the taxpayer by increasing the prison population, and will not reduce crime or the number of victims. But Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the sentencing reforms, which came into effect on Sunday, were about restoring real consequences for crime. Communities and hardworking New Zealanders should not be made to live and work in fear of criminals who had a "flagrant disregard for the law, corrections officers and the general public", he said. "We know that undue leniency has resulted in a loss of public confidence in sentencing, and our justice system as a whole. We had developed a culture of excuses." The tougher stance was part of the government's plan to "restore law and order, which we know is working", he said. "It signals to victims that they deserve justice, and that they are our priority." The changes include: • Capping sentence discounts when considering mitigating factors • Preventing repeat discounts for youth and remorse • Introducing aggravating factors at sentencing for offences against sole charge workers and those whose home and business are interconnected • Encouraging the use of cumulative sentencing when someone commits a crime on bail, in custody or on parole • Requiring courts to take victims' needs and interests into account at sentencing Act backs reforms Act MP Nicole McKee welcomed the new rules saying there had been a steady erosion of public confidence in the justice system. "Offenders faced fewer and shorter prison sentences, while communities paid the price." She said police data showed a 134 percent increase in serious assault leading to injury from 2017 to 2023 under "Labour's failed experiment of being kind to criminals". "We've restored Three Strikes, and from today additional measures are coming into force to make the message even clearer." She said the vulnerability of people who worked alone or in a business attached to their home would be "recognised in law" thanks to Act's coalition agreement to crack down on retail crime with the introduction of the aggravating factors. 'Smart on crime' Labour's spokesperson for Justice Duncan Webb, however, said tough on crime sounded good but did not actually have the effect of reducing crime. "We've got to be smart on crime as well. We've got to address the causes of crime which we know are poverty, family violence, mental illness and addiction, and until we address those, there'll continue to be crime and there'll continue to be victims." Tougher sentences were just one option, he said. "If we're gonna be serious about reducing crime and reducing harm, we've got to address those causes of crime." Evidence showed tough on crime initiatives such as the Three Strikes law, which the government had reinstated, did not reduce victims, Webb said. "Victims are absolutely central to the approach and the best thing we could ever have is avoiding someone becoming a victim and that means addressing the causes of crime before crime occurs. "And absolutely I understand that when people are victims of crime they want to see the perpetrator punished and that's the right thing to happen, but I'd rather see the appropriate amount of resources put into mental health, reducing poverty, [and] eliminating homelessness, because those are things that create crime and we've seen them all increase under this government." The fact white collar crime such as fraud - which was one of the few crimes that responded to deterrents - was not captured by Three Strikes was inconsistent, Webb said. Webb said he had sought feedback from those in the social services, intervention, and criminal justice sectors. "They're all frustrated with the fact the direction that's being taken is going to clog up the courts, it's going to create more offenders, it's going to create more victims and it's not actually going to address what we really want to address which is the things that cause crime."
Scoop
11 hours ago
- Scoop
Backing First Responders And Prison Officers
The Government is introducing new offences to ensure those who assault on-duty first responders or prison officers spend longer in prison, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says. 'Where others may flee, first responders and prison officers run towards danger to help those who need urgent assistance. 'Assaulting them puts multiple lives at risk, so there must be greater consequences for these heinous acts of violence. Our hardworking police officers, firefighters, paramedics and prison officers deserve better.' Under these proposed offences: Assaulting a first responder or prison officer will have a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment. This expands an existing provision on assaulting Police to cover all first responders and prison officers. Assaulting a first responder or prison officer with intent to injure will have a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. This is a two-year increase in penalty from the standard offence. Injuring a first responder or prison officer with intent to injure will have a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment and will be added to Three Strikes to ensure mandatory minimum sentences in line with that regime. This is also a two-year increase in penalty from the standard offence. 'This builds on our sentencing reforms which came into affect today, and is another way we will denounce violence in New Zealand,' Mr Goldsmith says. 'It fulfils a commitment in the National/New Zealand First coalition agreement, to introduce the Protection for First Responders and Prison Officers legislation to create a specific offence for assaults on first responders which includes minimum mandatory prison sentences. 'We promised to restore real consequences for crime. That's exactly what we're delivering. It's all part of our plan to restore law and order, which we know is working.'
