Mike Hosking listened to the full Covid-19 presentation on Monday 13 September and yesterday commented on questions Jason Walls asked the Prime Minister regarding lockdown.
Newstalk ZB on demand for Tuesday 14 September for 7:45 am beginning 3.59 minutes into the recording.
The recordings played by Mike Hosking during the discussion are transcribed in italics.**
Mike Hosking:
Jason Walls, who works for us, he asks what [is a] perfectly sensible question:
**Jason Walls: “When the cabinet first put the country into lockdown a few weeks ago, she said it was to be a short and sharp lockdown. What we’ve seen is anything but. Has the government underestimated the effects of Delta?”
Mike Hosking:
Good question!
**Jacinda Ardern: “The reference to short and sharp was putting everyone into lockdown the same day we found one case. You would have seen, you know, around the world people found it interesting that New Zealand would do that but that’s because of us taking Delta seriously.”
Mike Hosking:
Aah, she’s redefining “short and sharp” right in front of our eyes. So, a follow-up question, Jason.
**Jason Walls: “But when people think short and sharp, they might have assumed that you meant a short lockdown.”
Oh, come on Jason, don’t be ridiculous! Answer?
**Jacinda Ardern: “I think people who have been though this process long enough to know that short, sharp is…you know…hard…and go hard and early as being our response when we see even one incursion…
Right, what you are seeing now is she’s become edgy, she doesn’t like the question so she moved on at that particular point. Jason was a naughty boy and he was asking too many difficult questions, so he wasn’t allowed another one.
But Jason wasn’t giving up. Later in the press conference, much later, he came back in with the third one.
**Jason Walls: “Can I just take you back to the comments that you made when we talked about short and sharp lockdown, you said “We want it to be short and sharp rather than late and long. If we complied it lifts our chances of getting out of here earlier. How could people look at that and not think that you were talking about the length of a lockdown?”
Mike Hosking:
Oh, God, he’s quoting her to herself and her face is grimacing. It’s gone bad. Answer?
**Jacinda Ardern: “Look at Australia. That’s what I’d say. Because it’s all…I mean in a Delta world, of course, we know the difference betw…what long means now.”
Mike Hosking:
Mike splutters.
Notice how the tone of her voice changes completely? There’s another question.
**Jason Walls: “You’re getting people to do a lot of mental gymnastics there, people looking at how long they expect it…it’s basically, how long is a piece of string?”
Oh Jason, you’ve virtually…I’m surprised she didn’t leave the lectern to come and kill you.
**Jacinda Ardern: “I don’t believe that‘s the case when we’ve made an in-principle decision about the next stage. I also think people expect us to act on the information in front of us. I don’t believe that’s the case.”
Mike Hosking:
And that was the end of it. I don’t believe Jason was ever seen again and will never ask a question in front of the prime minister. Ever!
Well, done Jason. We’re proud of you.
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