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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Traffic lights
Podathon 2021
Every Covid plan reviewed
The unofficial epidemic response committee
Judith's Wednesday wobbly and David's terrible tweet
Another late night lockdown extravaganza
Lullabies for the team of five million
High-level political vibe discourse
Howl of a podcast
Vaccines, Karens and the UNDrip
New Winston Peters dropped
The Phantom Menace of political summits
The first and only pundits to weigh in on Budget 2021
He Puapua, Te Tiriti and Judith Collins
The end of DHBs, local government and Selena Gomez
45 minutes of silence
The housing package and the stuck ship
In loving memory of landline polling
Rethinking MIQ, Australia and businesswear
Welcome to 2021, the tribute year to 2020
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Business Is Boring
The Real Pod
On The Rag
When the Facts Change
The Fold