NZME Media Pom Pom Team Tactics

One week ago on Saturday 20 April, Claire Trevett gave Chris Bishop some coaching advice in an article titled "Patchy sales job and arrogance mean fast track bill is fast becoming a problem for National coalition" where she wrote how the way Bishop was handling the sales job had allowed the focus to be about mining :

"It has also allowed the debate to become all about mining. The prospect of fast-tracked mining projects have dominated in the debate, rather than other more politically palatable types of infrastructure which will benefit from it." - Claire Trevett.

Claire literally yearned for someone from National to make good on the way Shane Jones had been the centre of attention around mining projects and this was the call for better propaganda from Bishop - from the NZ Herald's chief political editor - and was summed up in her last line :

"It needs someone from National to make the case in a more convincing and careful fashion." - wrote Claire.

The day before on Friday 19 April - Bishop had made a massive mistake that Luxon allowed to slide ( it's how he rolls ) - when Bishop only published the list of organisations that were invited to submit projects - a few hours before submissions closed at Midnight on Friday 19 April - and Bishop only did so, because the Ombudsman was on his case to publish the projects - which Bishop refused to comply with.

Instead like a former Tobacco salesman, Bishop said the idea he had been ordered to publish the list of organisations was false - and that it was he Bishop who had magnanimously offered an olive branch with hours to go - publishing the organisations instead as a compromise.

Surely Luxon should have nipped this shifty corrupt side stepping in the bud and sacked both Bishop and Brown early to manage the coming fallout - if NZME NZ Herald and NewsTalk ZB commentators new found admiration for sacking as a "continuous process" are to be believed?

Instead Bryce Edwards wrote furiously about his concerns on his Democracy Project Website and Transparency International expressed deep concern about Luxon's government allowing three ministers to act in a way that is so corrupt, awarding themselves extraordinary powers where ministers would be both gatekeepers of fast-track referrals and the ones making the decision to green-light projects.

Luxon would damage New Zealand's international reputation by endorsing this and standing by that approach - which he has already doubled down on in media.

The stage had been set by Claire for Bishop - and on Friday morning Chris Bishop answered Claire Trevett's call in a carefully staged letter written by Bishop and published by Claire in the NZ Herald.

Later that morning Trevett promoted Bishop's letter on RNZ morning report - praising Bishop for shining a light on the other projects like renewable energy and housing that our good old mate Chris Bishop was now suddenly emphasising.

So what?

Clearly the enemy was NZ First and Shane Jones not our boy Bishop but wait there is more.

Yesterday afternoon at 4.27PM - Bryce Edwards was buttering up Bishop, singing his praises for his brilliant tactical change in focus in an article ( published in the NZ herald ) titled "Shane Jones in ‘Make NZ Great Again’ mode with new law - Bryce Edwards’ Political Roundup" :

 "Bishop has cleverly turned the tables on critics who have sought to tar the fast-track process as being about helping construction and mining companies to get their way. Instead, he sells his solution as being about improving housing availability, making roads safer, and decarbonising the economy to fight climate change." - Bryce Edwards

So as you can see, here is the pom pom team process :

1. Bishop was messing things up like a clown

2. Luxon was failing to roll and lead and all that

3. Claire Trevett was told to send him a message to correct that

4. Bishop reads the NZ Herald pom pom team message

5. Bishop follows instructions and publishes a letter in Claire's Newspaper that gives Nat voters an argument to repeat.

6. Bryce praises Bishop - the clever genius - what a great guy!

7. NZ Herald readers agree fast track consenting is vital and who are Transparency International anyway?

Yes these are the NZME Media pom pom team tactics that are so interwoven with the National Party they feel like coach and team working as one to keep those voters voting National.

At the same time Luxon has been praised by Claire, Audrey and others in the pom pom team - for taking a month to respond to Chris Hipkins call to sack Simmonds - and Hipkins has been slammed for daring to say Luxon was late - when the pom pom team insist he was early, clever and an expert in political management to nip this in the bud, avoiding downstream drama like a strong, rich white saviour.

This is the reality playing out before our eyes as some media act as a proxy arm of the National Party and G News readers tell me they will never change and what can we do about it?

My role this Sunday morning is to shine light upon it and facilitate a conversation here - in the hope that one day - other media will join us and report the facts and the reality again - like back in the good old days when journalists reported without fear and favour - before the pom pom team took over.

NZME Media Pom Pom Team Tactics

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