Heather du Plessis-Allan: If Labour was smart, they would ditch the TVNZ-RNZ merger

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

If the Government was smart, it would ditch the TVNZ-RNZ merger.

After that interview that Willie Jackson gave Q+A yesterday, it’s becoming very obvious that this shaping up to be Three Waters 2.0.

A complete PR disaster for Labour.

Most of the problem is Willie. He can’t answer basic questions like ‘Why are you doing the merger?’. So when he’s under pressure to try to deflect away from the fact that he can’t answer those questions, he starts acting the goat in interviews.

He plays the buffoon to create the impression it’s not really a big deal, but that got him into big trouble yesterday, because he crossed the very line critics are worried he will cross.

He told Jack Tame he was disappointed with Jack’s negative interview and that Jack wasn’t helping him get the merger across the line, and accused Jack of having ‘friends in National’.

This is exactly what critics are worried about. That there will be too much ministerial control of the news provided by these two entities.

Now, I didn’t think that that really was something to be worried about. But watching Willie Jackson’s performance, even I’m not really sure where Willie would draw the line.

He’s clearly not fit to have ministerial responsibility of news organisations.

This is heading the way of Three Waters big time.

1. It’s unpopular, only 22 percent of people want it.
2. It smacks of a hidden agenda, because there’s no plausible explanation for why we need this merger. What’s the problem we’re trying to fix? It’s being rammed through urgently because they’re trying to get it done by March 1^st next year.
3. And it’s going to cost a lot of money, $40 million at last count, during a cost of living crisis.

Labour can’t afford another Three Waters if they want to secure the next election. They should be looking for a way to get out of this.

Either that or take Willie off the job. It’s clearly too big for him.

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