Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions

Written By: - Date published: 2:37 pm, November 6th, 2018 - 45 comments
Categories: national, same old national, Simon Bridges, spin, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

This is so cunning you could be tempted to pin a tail on it and call it a weasel.

And I acknowledge Ad’s lament that this is like bayonetting the wounded but this particular gem cannot be ignored.

Simon Bridges has worked out the perfect solution to the continuing problems posed by Jami-Lee Ross’s shedding of sunlight on the very murky workings of the National Party.

The solution is … wait for it … refuse to answer questions and say you are moving on.

The context is that Bridges was asked what the “disloyalty” was that Ross was accused of mentioned in the latest Ross tape.

And this was Bridges’ response.

From Derek Cheng at the Herald:

This morning Bridges would not be drawn on what the disloyalty comment was referring to.

He repeated comments from the previous day, saying he was not prioritising Ross over the allegations and that he dealt with the matter “as the women involved wanted us to”.

He then became dismissive of reporters’ questions and repeatedly referred to his comments from the previous day.

“Every time a tape comes out, I’m not going to talk about it, I answered questions yesterday on this.

“I’m done talking about him. If people want to listen to the tape, they can do that, but I’m done with it. National is moving on. People are telling me they want us to hold this Government to account and focus on things that actually matter to their lives.”

What a great strategy.  What possible problems could there be?

But imagine if Labour did the same.  Further questions about Karel Sroubek?  Meka Whaitiri?  The Wally Haumaha inquiry?  Imagine if Government Ministers said they are not going to talk about it and want to move on?

I hope the media do not accept this.  One question in particular, about the partititioning to hide a $100,000 donation demands further scrutiny and needs to be asked and asked until a full response is given

45 comments on “Simon’s sure fire way to deal with difficult questions ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Duggie 1
    6 November 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Unfortunately neither Jack Tame nor Duncan Garner posed the ‘What disloyalty? You’ve claimed you didn’t know he was the leaker at the time of this tape.’ question during their interviews with him yesterday. Now he has had time to devise a strategy to avoid the question.

    • Liberty4NZ 1.1
      7 November 2018 at 1:23 am

      This is my guess, though mere speculation it certainly fits – JLR, as he says, isn’t the leaker but is spinning his denial by omitting the fact he’s still responsible for it. A certain blubbery blogger was the actual leaker, (whose mental health issues are common knowledge), based on information given to him by Jamie Lee that may or may not have been deliberate. That was his disloyalty. Bridges and Bennett find out so want to sweep it all under the carpet and make Ross go away, fearful of what else he might blab, and try to use his history of being a prick to the women he’s had affairs with as leverage. It’s really all they have without incriminating themselves. JLR makes a pact with his overlords to go quietly for a while provided he keeps his job and dignity, then said overlords proceed to do the opposite of said pact. JLR responds with hitting the total annihilation button. If this scenario is correct, Simple Simon and Pullya Benefit have told so many demonstrable lies to the New Zealand public, there’s no way out of this for them, hence the stonewalling.

  2. marty mars 2
    6 November 2018 at 3:07 pm

    He’s gotta try something. I wonder if the ex’s are advising him – nah – key seems to have washed his hands of him and English well let’s just say WTF – he’s trying to get a job with t.rump isn’t he?

    Anyway I hope when the next poll comes out his team just gets in short, sharp, and sweet and sorts it.

  3. Fireblade 3
    6 November 2018 at 3:08 pm

    I’ve got a plan so cunning…

  4. JC 4
    6 November 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Regular behaviour. And look where its got him!

    October 16;

    “The National Party leader was asked if he received a $100,000 donation from businessman Zhang Yikun, to which he said he wouldn’t “dignify” Ross’ claims.

    “I think it’s incredibly important when we go through this stuff, what is it that actually Jami-Lee Ross at any level is saying what I’ve done wrong?” Bridges said.

    After dodging the question several times, Bridges concluded it was time for Ross to put his money where his mouth was and front up to his allegations.

    “He should go to the police now, he should hand everything he has and he should make it public,” Bridges told Newstalk ZB.

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143457

    “I got it right, ” … he said.

  5. Draco T Bastard 5
    6 November 2018 at 3:59 pm

    People are telling me they want us to hold this Government to account and focus on things that actually matter to their lives.

    I happen to think that the National Party, which is in parliament, also needs to be held to account and they’re dodging that as much as possible which tells me that there’s a hell of a lot of corruption in National that they don’t want to be found and they know its there. This tells me that they’re acting corruptly, know that they’re doing so but don’t think that they need to held to account for their corrupt actions.

    One question in particular, about the partititioning to hide a $100,000 donation demands further scrutiny and needs to be asked and asked until a full response is given

    It should be illegal to split up a large donation so as to hide it which is what National seems to have done.

  6. Bill 6
    6 November 2018 at 3:59 pm

    One question in particular, about the partititioning to hide a $100,000 donation demands further scrutiny and needs to be asked and asked until a full response is given

    Then why isn’t it being asked? Why the obsession with tittle tattle?

    Could it be that the question of how money flows into NZ politics, and how it influences NZ politics is taboo? And could it be taboo because no-one is squeaky clean?

    I’m thinking fish and horses… and supposedly philanthropic multi millionaires.

    • Draco T Bastard 6.1
      6 November 2018 at 4:01 pm

      Could it be that the question of how money flows into NZ politics, and how it influences NZ politics is taboo? And could it be taboo because no-one is squeaky clean?

      Probably on both counts.

      We obviously need stricter financial rules regarding political donations to bring about much better transparency of our political parties.

  7. Dirk.Dirkin 7
    6 November 2018 at 4:00 pm

    Bridges is a complete muppit. Hes saying JLR should tell everything and make it public.
    Perhaps Bridges and Bennett could do the same
    Answer the blood questions

  8. the other pat 8
    6 November 2018 at 4:09 pm

    bridges is just a cunning stunt and the MSM need to put him on the rack until the truth is out.

    • OnceWasTim 8.1
      6 November 2018 at 5:42 pm

      are you sure you got that the right way round?

      “bridges is just a cunning stunt and the MSM need to put him on the rack until the truth is out.”

      Are you sure you didn’t mean
      “bridges is just a stunning cunt and the MSM need to put him on the rack until the truth is out.” ?
      (He’s a lying stunning cunt – you couldn’t ever hope for anything resembling ‘a truth’)

      With all due respect to anyone trying to reclaim the word cunt, or dikhead, or penis or gay or frontbum or whatever word or phrase, many seem to have various insecurities as to their use.

      And just by the way, if you were ever inclined to put Soi on the rack until his truth was out, you might as well put every truck stop gal involved in smuggling smokes and folks to Murupara, and every ugg booted femme fatale north of Tearpor with a stop at Murupara on the gNatsi block as well.

  9. ianmac 9
    6 November 2018 at 4:24 pm

    His lack of transparency seems ironic given Bridge’s endless repetitive questioning of the PM.
    “It is essential that I get every detail from the PM for the sake of NZ and of Democracy. But do not at any level expect the same of poor old me. Sniff.”

  10. ianmac 10
    6 November 2018 at 4:27 pm

    Does the little pic of the signer to the right of Shouty tell a story?

  11. BM 11
    6 November 2018 at 5:46 pm

    It’s how Helen Clark operated.

    Bridges should have told the media to fuck off ages ago, he’s not their monkey.

    Scummy little left-wing arseholes.

  12. JustMe 12
    6 November 2018 at 7:27 pm

    If Bridges isn’t being totally honest and upfront with the NZ Public in regards to what has been happening within the NZ National Party and its MPs then why should anyone let alone a potential voter believe or trust a word he says???
    It does appear that even whilst they were in government National would regularly as clockwork lie to the NZ public/taxpayers. But I do now get the impression that National MPs even lie to each other.
    I am sure many NZers are fed-up with the behavioural problems of the National Party MPs. They all behave like schoolyard bullies having temper tantrums.
    They comes across as the least vote-worthy political party in New Zealand.

    • Chris T 12.1
      6 November 2018 at 7:58 pm

      “I am sure many NZers are fed-up with the behavioural problems of the National Party MPs. They all behave like schoolyard bullies having temper tantrums.”

      Those in glass houses and that

      • Drowsy M. Kram 12.1.1
        6 November 2018 at 9:27 pm

        JLR, Bridges, Bennett, Mitchell, Collins, Slater and Lusk are putting the finishing touches on the Key/English/Joyce/Ede ‘legacy glasshouse’ of National significance.

        It’s a stupendous glasshouse, towering over the hollow men of dirty politics, full of rotting produce – many young voters and pollies have never seen its like.

        Bridges wants to move on, and Collins is more than ready for him to move on. But how to do so while protecting their enormous glasshouse? It’s a real impediment to National mud-slingers.

        “And I’ve got so little left to lose
        That it feels just like I’m walking on broken glass”

        • Chris T 12.1.1.1
          6 November 2018 at 9:31 pm

          I don’t see where I was making a defense of National.

          I was pointing out that both sides have their own problems with MPs.

          Galloway will probably be gone in a couple of weeks by the looks of it.

          • Drowsy M. Kram 12.1.1.1.1
            6 November 2018 at 9:58 pm

            Just pointing out that in the stone and mud-slinging environment that is NZ politics, a big glasshouse is a liability. The JLR-Bridges stoush represents an enormous (glass) pain, as evinced by Bridge’s ernest desire to ‘move on’.

            “Galloway will probably be gone in a couple of weeks by the looks of it.” – ChrisT

            I wonder, Chris T, does your gift of prophesy encompass the entire political spectrum, or is it limited to parties that gainsay National?

            Did you, for example, foresee the ‘difficulties’ associated with the deBarclay tapes, or predict the spectacular defection of JLR? If so, then your ‘talents’ are wasted here.

            Seems unlikely that you want to be taken seriously, but shall we review the accuracy of your latest prophesy in a couple of weeks?

            • Chris T 12.1.1.1.1.1
              6 November 2018 at 10:38 pm

              No I didn’t

              I don’t think any one can predict the actions and outcomes of actions of the mentally ill.

              Soimun will probably be ditched and good riddance, but

              What I do know is that the Labour “review” into this Czech arsehole is perfectly timed for when parliament breaks for a few weeks and there is piss all media focus, while more and more stuff comes out that was so blatantly, obviously available to Galloway that it makes his decision to not deport the bloke ridiculous.

              Witnesses families having to be put into witness protection and it is in the court documents?

    • patricia bremner 12.2
      7 November 2018 at 12:20 am

      Hopefully the polls will begin to show that. However denial seems to rule, so who knows.

  13. Oddjob 13
    6 November 2018 at 7:37 pm

    How is this unusual? Are you telling me that this “coalition” government has never done this? I think I will do some digging around and see what this transparent government has been up to.

  14. Pete 14
    6 November 2018 at 9:56 pm

    I think Bridges should front foot the money story. Tell us the whole story. (Almost put ‘the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth’ in there like they say in court!)

    Because there’s nothing untoward about what happened.

    It would be the truth if he told us. RNZ yesterday carried a story which showed Bridges lied about the Ross business. It was just like the English/Clutha scenario. “I knew nothing.”

    So let’s hear the money story, Simon. we’ll believe you.

  15. mary_a 15
    7 November 2018 at 11:57 am

    So from now on when Simon Bridges is questioned by media, relating to something Jami-Lee Ross has said … eg donations, wanting clarification re alleged harassment of women, disloyalty etc, there will be silence …??

    Simon’s vow of silence when the topic of JLR comes up through media, should make for interesting listening if nothing else!

    Natz getting agitated I’d say at the thought of further recordings from JLR (via an oily crustacean), being drip fed to the public.