"I don't think that our economy is 'tanking', I think what it's been is just this slow decline, where neither of the main parties - nor even many of the small ones - are prepared to confront that slow decline."
#MatthewHooten, 2026
Both can be true at once. It's tanking because we're reaching the end of our reserve tank (social capital). After decades of governments both blue and red failing to refill the main tank (ie public infrastructure and social services).
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"I think we would be better served if there were more 10/20/30 minute long form interviews (but fewer of them) that did go into depth. Our politicians 'front up' all the time, but have developed skills in not saying anything."
#MatthewHooten, 2026
Hmm. I'm finding myself agreeing with with Hooten again. Do I need a slap to snap me out of it?
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#PoliticalReporting #NewsMedia #BradburyGroup #WaateaNews #Rova #podcasts #NZPolitics #politics
"['Media out to get me' is] what politicians say when they're in trouble. And the media can be annoying. But that's the price of democracy."
#MatthewHooten, the #BradburyGroup, 2026
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/MEDIAWORKSRADIOLIMITED7682486290.mp3?updated=1776816575
OMG somebody slap me. I think I kind of agree with #MatthewHooten here. 😬
"Now we just heard form a very senior Labour party person - Kieran McAnulty, a potential [future] leader ... - and they don't want to raise taxes. The only tax they want to raise is the CGT, and they want to spend all that on doctors visits. So ... We're trapped."
That said, I disagree with the claim he snuck in ahead of this.
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A former Labour Leader, a NZ Herald columnist, the leader of a Political Party, the Shadow Leader of the House and a Marxist all walk into a bar.
"... the very success of globalisation, the very success of free market capitalism, in creating global wealth - transferring jobs from rich countries to poor countries quite often ..."
#MatthewHooten, 2026
This is either ignorance or propaganda. What corporate-driven globalisation did was *move* wealth, not create it. Mainly from working people to the 1%; inequality and the billionaire population have both increased rapidly since the 1980s.
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The Bradbury Group is back for 2026! This week, Bomber and his All Star panel tear into the gap between government promises and grim reality, skewering the “growth, growth, growth” mantra as Kiwis face rising debt, unemployment and a cost-of-living squeeze. They debate economic misfires, anti-immigrant politics and NZ First’s surge, migrant worker exploitation, and whether unions are the real fix. Climate denial gets roasted, Trump’s global chaos dissected, and Election 2026 looms - served with sharp humour, unapologetic opinions, and a panel always one comment away from breaching standards.Powered by Waatea News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Strypey