Christopher Luxon can’t catch a break. His prime ministerial house is shabby. His prime ministerial plane is borked. But, ask Toby Manhire, Annabelle Lee-Mather and Ben Thomas, how foreseeable was the blowback to his decision to take the $52k accommodation allowance to stay in his own mortgage-free Wellington apartment, how tin-eared was it to declare, repeatedly, that he was entitled to his entitlements, thank you very much, and the swift talkback-driven U-turn?
It came hot on the heels of a whiplash week in parliament, with legislation to bin the Māori Health Authority, roll back smokefree legislation and unban pseudoephedrine. Is the government stretching the use of urgency to its legitimate limit?
Elsewhere in a new edition of the Spinoff politics podcast Gone By Lunchtime: Warner Brothers Discovery has issued a death warrant for Newshub, all of Three’s news operations and a bunch of other local content. What does it mean for democracy, and how was the response from Melissa Lee and the rest? Plus: A word on Grant Robertson, who is leaving politics.
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Winston Peters? I don't know her
Megapod 22: Can Annabelle, Ben and Toby make it out alive?
Megapod 21: The Real Pod x Gone By Lunchtime + The Worm
Megapod 20: Bernard Hickey – the man, the myth, the machine
Megapod 19: All hail Policy.nz
Megapod 18: Youth Wings revisited
Megapod 17: Raf Manji says Top is still in the game
Megapod 16: Grant Robertson on Labour’s record and the mood for change
Megapod 15: Andrew Geddis on how to make a government
Megapod 14: David Seymour on why he despises political TV drama
Megapod 13: Ben McKay on the Voice vote in Australia
Megapod 12: Brooke Van Velden on the battle for Tāmaki
Megapod 11: The hot seats in election 2023
Megapod 10: Chris Hipkins reveals he has read a book
Megapod 9: The foreign affairs debate we’re not having in election 2023
Megapod 8: Erica Stanford on the minister she wants to be
Megapod 7: Lara Greaves on polling, the Māori roll and harassment
Megapod 6: James Shaw on the climate change election
Megapod 5: A conversation with Debbie Ngarewa-Packer
Megapod 4: A special Auckland Central debate / shock moderator walkout
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