Nats’ attack on Ardern – Day 3

Written By: - Date published: 9:51 am, March 18th, 2017 - 68 comments
Categories: jacinda ardern, paula bennett - Tags: , , , ,

They were still digging themselves deeper yesterday. Unbelievable:

‘Gloves off’ for Bennett, Ardern on The AM Show

National and Labour deputy leaders Paula Bennett and Jacinda Arden have gone head-to-head on Friday morning, over National MP Nikki Kaye’s attack on the latter. Ms Kaye accused the new Mt Albert MP of being all show and no substance, and will do “a whole lot of photo ops”.
…
During their weekly panel interview on The AM Show, host Duncan Garner asked Ms Bennett if she agreed with Ms Kaye’s statements. “She called her out on something she feels really, really strong about – It’s calling her out,” Ms Bennett said. “It’s not [personal] actually, that’s about her work and her proven accountability, that’s what we do in Parliament, I get it every week!”

Things got tense when Ms Ardern said: “I just know that Nikki doesn’t believe that.” Ms Bennett was quick to retort: “That is so condescending Jacinda, that is absolutely condescending.”

Oh please – this from Ms “Zip it, sweetie” herself.

Ms Ardern maintained that her experience with Ms Kaye, as two-time Auckland Central electorate candidates, showed they had always been respectful of each other. “She’s changed her tune on that – her prerogative – but I’m going to stick to the way I do politics and that’s not to be personal.”

“Watch that moral high ground though,” Ms Bennett warned, “It gets pretty wobbly up there.”

“You can get altitude sickness,” Garner chipped in.

“Me too I’ve visited and it wasn’t a good place to be,” Ms Bennett said. …

Ok, so National’s deputy leader thinks that the moral high-ground isn’t a good place to be. A concept to be made fun of. I think that tells us more about National than it does about Ardern.

https://twitter.com/andykirton/status/842859043957886976

68 comments on “Nats’ attack on Ardern – Day 3 ”

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  1. Whispering Kate 1
    18 March 2017 at 10:18 am

    I watched that interview and I thought it was a black mark for Duncan Garner, apart from the obvious personal attacks against Jacinda Adern, Garner gave 80% of the air time to Paula Benefit and 20% to Jacinda Adern. He wouldn’t shut Pulla up and she can gab when she wants to, there has to be some balance in these two on chats on a weekly basis or it will be a farce for Labour, also Jacinda meets to grow some mongrel is she wants to go up against a large pitbull which is Pulla. Jacinda doesn’t have to stoop to their level but she can demand some space to give her views in a polite but firm way.

    • BM 1.1
      18 March 2017 at 10:30 am

      Jacinda is just too nice, I don’t think she has the ability to develop a bit of mongrel.

      You get the feeling you’d run the risk of contracting diabetes if you stayed in a room too long with Jacinda.

      • Sabine 1.1.1
        18 March 2017 at 11:17 am

        nah i don’t think you need to worry about Jacinda, she looks like someone who has her sugar and then works out with gusto.

        You see, there is nothing inherently wrong with sugar, its the over use that gets people sick. And yeah, some should abstain from it in order to keep healthy.

      • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.2
        18 March 2017 at 12:27 pm

        LOL, have you even watched Jacinda in Parliament before?

        She’s nice sometimes, but she can also dig in pretty hard when someone deserves it in her opinion. She’ll be fine, señor Troll.

        • BM 1.1.2.1
          18 March 2017 at 1:28 pm

          No, I haven’t.

          She’s nice sometimes, but she can also dig in pretty hard when someone deserves it in her opinion.

          A bit like Nikki Kaye?

          • Sabine 1.1.2.1.1
            18 March 2017 at 4:15 pm

            You think she is a ‘bit like Nikki Kaye’? So are you saying then that when Nikki Kaye spoke ill about Jacinda Ardern she was actually speaking of herself.

          • Once was Tim now no longer 1.1.2.1.2
            18 March 2017 at 4:16 pm

            “Well” ekshully, not at all like Nikki Kaye.
            It won’t be long before she has “just 3 things’ to tell us, and it won’t matter if those three things contradict each other.
            As for Dunks (and the Jimminy Cricket wonder boy), watch him put his finger in the air to test the wind, check with Guyon, and modify his principles accordingly. And both will have some giggly femme fatale as the token ego feeding enabler right next to them (Christ! what a waste of a reasonable journalist – she must have a big mortgage)

          • Matthew Whitehead 1.1.2.1.3
            19 March 2017 at 12:40 pm

            I actually had a lot of respect for Nikki until this incident, and would have agreed with you before it. But she’s sullied her brand now with National’s general strategy of attack politics, and it won’t go well for her.

      • Johan 1.1.3
        18 March 2017 at 12:53 pm

        BM, You sound like the same old RWNJ, when you can’t get your way, you start to manufacture something. Obviously, Jacinda is a threat to National, time to remove the patch over your eye and see the big picture, Labour seems to be on a winner!

        • Mordecai 1.1.3.1
          18 March 2017 at 6:18 pm

          There’s no evidence to suggest Jacinda is a threat to National. This just politics. Labour did it to Key for years, National did it to Clark. It doesn’t work anymore, and the Nats will soon figure that out.

      • Rufus 1.1.4
        18 March 2017 at 11:21 pm

        Jacinda Ardern (and for heavens sake can people learn to spell her name correctly) is the ultimate passive aggressive.

        Currently her largest achievement seems to be an attempt to score points from being mortified that someone dare question her lack of achievements. We have yet to see a list of those by the way.

        • ankerawshark 1.1.4.1
          19 March 2017 at 2:15 pm

          Hi Rufus,

          I don’t think its accurate to say Jacinda was mortified at all by Nicky K et al’s outburst.
          Also you misuse the term passive aggressive. If you are going to pull people up on their spelling expect to be pulled up on your use of a psychological term to describe behaviour.

          I am not sure why everyone is wanting to know what Jacinda’s achievements are. She has been elected Deputy for Labour and I suspect, given the way the Nats are acting she is achieving quite a lot in their polling at the moment. That is why they are attempting to discredit her.

          I think it will backfire. BTW click on the link in my earlier posting on The Secret Diary about Jacinda Ardern. I think Steve Braunias nails what’s really going on here.

    • Keith 1.2
      18 March 2017 at 11:07 am

      Thing is Garner is NAT boy, sounds a tiny bit objective well out from an election but as the day draws nearer he goes into bat for his party.

      Bennett trying to be all cutsie pie nice is “really really” insincere though

      • Sabine 1.2.1
        18 March 2017 at 11:19 am

        no matter how much sugar icing Bennett uses she will never be able to present anything else then a inedible cupcake. Lots of decoration, lots of food coloring and glitter but no substance, no flavour and over mixed.

        Sad!

      • NZJester 1.2.2
        18 March 2017 at 1:16 pm

        Bennet has taken the title of Smiling Assassin from her former boss Key. That is a name Key received during his time in banking. He was losing that smile a lot in the time leading up to his resignation. Bennett on the other hand has been smiling away in her time in government as she kicked away the very ladders that helped her up from being a solo mum on the benefit. In the shadowy background also putting the knife into people that show her up in the media like the Te Puea Marae incident and leaking of confidential detail about Natasha Fuller as just two of the well-reported incidents.

        • Whispering Kate 1.2.2.1
          18 March 2017 at 3:03 pm

          Problem with Pulla Benefit is she has no couth – no matter how much she polishes and shines her persona and her appearance she is just a bogan to her bones. I agree she names and shames when things are not going her way – which is appalling and she should be ashamed of her actions but for all that she will always be a bogan and not a nice one at that. I think people can see through her, Jacinda needs to keep her cool and do what she does well – engage people well like she does and let sincerity shine through – lord knows there is very little of it to spare these days. There are ways of toughening up without being spiteful or impolite.

          • Once was Tim now no longer 1.2.2.1.1
            18 March 2017 at 4:25 pm

            I’m glad you said that, ‘cos if I had the shit would really have hit the fan.
            Upper Middle Bogan springs to mind, and if she’d have thought another political party would have given the 15 minutes of fame when starting out, she’d have gone with it.
            She’s like a beige and brown mottled bench top in Formica – chipped at the edges at that.
            No I take that back – she’s had training in ‘re-imaging’ (going forward)

    • Tricldrown 1.3
      21 March 2017 at 10:20 am

      Garner gave Bennett more rope to hang her self out to dry.

  2. Cynical jester 2
    18 March 2017 at 10:29 am

    Of course the Nats are going to attack Jacinda Ardern, she’s the one sole bright spot of a tired worn out identityless party. If Little had any brains he’d resign and allow gracinda to take over immediately with Ardern as leader. She’s shown better ability in a week than the last 10 years of abysmal leadership.

    I’m really worried about the nat/nzf coalition we are going to be suffering through come September, Yes Jacinda will become leader once Andrew quite rightly loses the election and realizes winstons a tory Islamaphobic racist pandering to full on right wingers but i wonder what will be left of nz by 2020.

    Also winston preached neoliberal beliefs back in the 90s and once a tory always a tory. He has no beliefs pr principles other than stuff anyone who isn’t white.

    • Rufus 2.1
      18 March 2017 at 11:26 pm

      Why wouldn’t they now attack her? She’s Deputy Leader! It doesn’t mean they’re worried about her it’s what politicians actually do to each other.

      Paula Bennett was immediately attacked by Labour upon getting a simple Ministerial portfolio, let alone the howling when they made her Deputy leader. The same theory applied here I would conclude Bennett to be the largest threat Labour thinks it has!

    • millsy 2.2
      19 March 2017 at 12:53 pm

      NZ First has come out as being against 1080, so that will make a few people think twice about voting for them.

      • Xanthe 2.2.1
        19 March 2017 at 4:16 pm

        “NZ First has come out as being against 1080”
        Really! Thats the first bit of sanity so far this election. I wish them well on that and hope and expect that they will gain votes for it. If NZF is going to start putting up sane evidence based policy, lab/grn are borked!

        • You_Fool 2.2.1.1
          20 March 2017 at 11:50 am

          So NZF are asking for immediate research into the need for 1080 and only use it in the short term where absolutely needed. The Greens are saying they will reduce the use of 1080 and only use it where absolutely needed and will replace it with viable alternatives where and when possible.

          Sounds the same to me, although one is a sensationalist policy and the other one is practical… also sounds perfectly compatible to me…

          • Xanthe 2.2.1.1.1
            23 March 2017 at 7:12 pm

            Hah ok
            I though it sounded a bit too good to be true

            The greens refusal to make a stand here is costing them !

  3. dv 3
    18 March 2017 at 10:36 am

    When has Bennet taken the high moral ground?

  4. Philj 4
    18 March 2017 at 10:52 am

    Politics has become a reality show for the media to exploit as entertainment

  5. Psycho Milt 5
    18 March 2017 at 10:54 am

    The “moral high ground” is a relative concept. Moral ground that’s higher than someone engaging in petty personal attacks at the behest of their superiors isn’t notable either for its altitude or its dizzying qualities, except to people who’ve sunk as low as Paula Bennett and Duncan Garner. No doubt it does look a vertiginous height from their perspective.

    Also: I’d want compelling evidence before accepting Paula Bennett’s dubious claim that she visited said moral high ground at some point. That sounds highly unlikely.

  6. Sabine 6
    18 March 2017 at 11:07 am

    Well one thing is sure, Paula Bennett needn’t worry about the ‘moral high ground’. Since she outed the private details of citizens to the press some years ago she lay down in the gutter and never got out of it.

    She might, like Nikki Kaye, want to consider to ‘zip it sweety’ lest she shows herself to be that unlikable, mean, petty and rather ugly personality that she really is.

  7. WILD KATIPO 7
    18 March 2017 at 11:38 am

    Why does Bennetts govt allow Orivida to take our water so the Chinese can make big profits on it by selling it in China?

    • Red Hand 7.1
      18 March 2017 at 12:27 pm

      To create a market. The population of China is 1,376,049,000 people (2015 est.)
      We just have to make sure we have complete, enduring, credibly defended control of the source of the water.

      • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1
        18 March 2017 at 12:34 pm

        And is Judith the reliable arbiter for that role?

        Water, swamp Kauri and milk powder?

        In fact is THIS govt an impartial arbiter that we can trust for that role???

        • Sabine 7.1.1.1
          18 March 2017 at 12:38 pm

          Nah, she is just the one profiting from it, and every now and then Oravida throws a little donation to the Party. They consider it good house keeping and chances are this donation is tax deductible.

          Win Win.

          In other places one would call it corruption.

          • WILD KATIPO 7.1.1.1.1
            18 March 2017 at 12:46 pm

            Exactly ,… I would of called it corruption , and seeing as we are meant to be one of the least corrupt nations on earth … don’t these National party and ex Nats care about our reputation?

            Seems kind of hypocritical for Bennett , Kaye and co to be focusing on the small stuff like petty name calling when this sort of in house profiteering is going on…

            There’s some very serious breaches going on it would appear and all we get is this shclock being served up in our media…

            • Sabine 7.1.1.1.1.1
              18 March 2017 at 1:02 pm

              mind when they focus on the ‘small stuff’ no one talks about the ‘big stuff’

              Win win.

              I think the tactic is called divide and conquer and just throw so much shit at the public that hey can’t focus and get overloaded with information.

              But in this case i don’t think it is working to well for them.

            • Johan 7.1.1.1.1.2
              18 March 2017 at 1:06 pm

              Wild Katipo: I am certain that Duncan Garner would be more than happy to air the profiteering of present and past National MP’s. Oooops, make that a definite NO, just remembered what happened to John Campbell after too many queries about the Christchurch rebuild, starving youngsters and homelessness etc.

              • WILD KATIPO …
                18 March 2017 at 1:22 pm

                I guess so…. but going on that logic, … despite the fact that we are supposed to have laws in this country , … it seems they are superseded by the combined affiliation between a private news-media and a govt that can exert pressure to have troublesome journalists removed…

                Isn’t that collusion as well ?

                And if we are so far down that track ,… would a Carl Bernstein or a Bob Woodward have no show under this govt as well as a John Campbell ?

                But we get a ridiculous name calling session instead and that’s supposed to captivate the nation ….

                • Johan …
                  18 March 2017 at 4:04 pm

                  Wild Katipo: Here in NZ we really live in a tiny community, compared many other countries, therefore, gaining control over the media (MSM) is not difficult. I am certain that Steven Joyce is still influential in this area along with supportive sponsors for National or ACT.

        • Treetop 7.1.1.2
          18 March 2017 at 2:36 pm

          No.

          I’d like to know what the annual profit is on each one.

          No.

      • Sabine 7.1.2
        18 March 2017 at 12:36 pm

        yeah, right Tui,

        lets give away meth for free, create a market and then when people are hooked it we charge for it.

        Sounds like a tinny house to me, but maybe that is what Oravida is? A government sponsored welfare depended Tinny house, with a National Party Ministers husband (Judith Collins) as CEO and an ex National Party PM Jenny Shipley on the board of that company.

        • Red Hand 7.1.2.1
          18 March 2017 at 1:23 pm

          “A government sponsored welfare depended Tinny house”. German could probably put that into a single word. It does look like the old National game of looking after their mates first and foremost. Time for a change.

          • Sabine 7.1.2.1.1
            18 March 2017 at 2:07 pm

            Schmarotzer =

            noun
            parasite
            freeloader
            sponger
            scrounger
            parasitical worm
            hanger-on

    • Sabine 7.2
      18 March 2017 at 12:33 pm

      Well its a National Party led Government for a starter and Jenny Shipley (ex PM National Party ) is a Chair of the Company and Mrs. Judith Collins Husband is a CEO of the company and the National Party just got a nice little donations so one could argue that by allowing Oravida to take our water for free to sell it to the highest bidder is in the Interest of the National Party, like keeping it in the Family?

      And i think we can clearly state that the National Party has no conflict of interest considering that they are the Government and the law is totally on their side.

  10. One Two 10
    18 March 2017 at 1:59 pm

    NZ politics has been in terminal decline for decades, and is not many years away from ‘disappearing’..

  11. Tui 11
    18 March 2017 at 3:49 pm

    you keep the moral ground jacinda and come election time the people of aotearoa will say what they think of dirty politics!

    ~ Tui

  12. WILD KATIPO 12
    18 March 2017 at 4:26 pm

    Here’s a song from Johnny Cash that the Daily Blog included.

    And I cant help thinking Cash didn’t pull any punches about what he believed and the relevance to all these dodgy types in high positions that bend the rules to suit themselves.

    Their times comin’ .

    Johnny Cash – God’s Gonna Cut You Down – YouTube

  13. Wensleydale 13
    18 March 2017 at 4:57 pm

    Love Sharon Murdoch’s cartoons. She makes Bill English look positively diabolical, and her art style reminds me very much of Trace Hodgson. Keep up the withering satire, Sharon. God knows we need it.

    As for Bennett… Christ, where do you begin? The woman’s less a Minister of the Crown and more a shrieking plague wind. Jacinda’s not willing to stoop to their level, isn’t at all convinced Nikki Kaye genuinely believes the things she’s saying (given her personal dealings with Kaye in the past, presumably), and refuses to be goaded into trading barbs — and Bennett’s response? “That’s so condescending, Jacinda.” And this from “Zip it, sweetie.” Beggars belief. Honestly, if Bennett were any less self-aware, she’d be an inanimate object.

    Hopefully, her stomach-churning levels of personal toxicity will become increasingly apparent as we get closer to the election.

    • Muttonbird 13.1
      18 March 2017 at 5:54 pm

      “A shrieking plague wind”

      Very descriptive of Bennett. I love the imagery.

      • Chris 13.1.1
        19 March 2017 at 12:57 am

        Yes, and to say that “if Bennett were any less self-aware, she’d be an inanimate object” is spot on. For that reason “her stomach-churning levels of personal toxicity will become increasingly apparent as we get closer to the election”, as will reminders of English in 2002. They really are perfect together.

  14. greg 14
    18 March 2017 at 5:11 pm

    national have nothing to offer but abuse there failures and they are corrupt rats that have been cornered

  15. Draco T Bastard 15
    18 March 2017 at 5:30 pm

    Ok, so National’s deputy leader thinks that the moral high-ground isn’t a good place to be.

    They couldn’t be the corrupt schmucks that they are if they had morals and followed ethical guidelines.

    • NZJester 15.1
      19 March 2017 at 12:30 am

      You could also say the reason the moral high ground is a bad place for them to be is because normally for National Party members that moral high ground is built on lies and so is very unstable. The moral high ground for someone like Jacinda, however, tends to be built on solid facts and so is very stable. That is how she can be comfortable being there!

  16. Drowsy M. Kram 16
    18 March 2017 at 9:04 pm

    Gawd’n’Bennett – our tax dollars at work! An Apple a day…

  17. WILD KATIPO 17
    18 March 2017 at 9:26 pm

    I truly get the feeling this English led govt doesn’t want to win,… their just too idiotic to be real.

    I just hope… that this whole charade isn’t just a ‘ pass the baton ‘ between the neo liberal camps.

    Is there collusion going on with the neo liberal agenda here between National and Labour?… or are English and Bennett really that stupid ?

    Is this shit real or are we really being played royally ?

    It just seems all too contrived to be real….

    Time for some reality…

    Native American Music Lakota/Dakota Sundance Songs 3/5 – YouTube
    Video for Native American Music Lakota/Dakota Sundance Songs 3/5▶ 4:47

  18. Thinkerr 18
    19 March 2017 at 8:35 am

    Winston Churchill said:

    “The venom of a [person’s] enemies is a measure of [their] own strength”.

    He was, as often, right in his understanding of human nature.

    Jancinda, don’t let the bears eat you and don’t fall victim to their attempts to get you riled. Clearly, you’ve got them worried.

    I predict a life lesson looming for one or two of the people who are having a bit of fun kicking you down at the moment. Some don’t notice that politics is a fickle creature, that casts people aside when they are past their shelf life. That’s when your past actions come back to haunt you.

    The country’s currently feeling wounded and taken-in at the moment. That’s why John Key plummeted to 2% in his first post-PM survey. 98% of NZ just got wise. The time’s right for an honest face with the strength of character to back it up.

  19. Jordan 19
    19 March 2017 at 7:27 pm

    What has Jacinda actually ever acheived?

    Why is Jacinda somehow better than Annette? Jacinda’s only contribution is a couple of wet rag bills – Annette is hugely succesful. Literally the only reason Jacinda was promoted is because she is younger.

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