A Herald newspaper correspondence, Vince West of Milford, attacked Mike Hosking for his “cynical and negative attitude to government initiatives.”
I gather Hosking has the nation’s largest radio audience which if so, suggests his views strike a chord with an awful lot of people who don’t simply fall over when told to do so by bureaucratic or political dullards.
I don’t listen to the radio but I do read the broadcaster’s opinions published regularly in the Herald. The first thing which always strikes me is how good a wordsmith he is, notably his first-rate economy.
But instead of condemning Hosking for not toeing the line, Vince West would do well to think more deeply about the role the broadcaster is filling and for that matter, also Heather Du Plessis-Allan who similarly doesn’t pull her punches in examining government initiatives.
Neither Mike nor Heather strike me as bloody-minded political bigots, albeit both probably have liberal rights of centre views. But my God they fill a vitally important function in a nation initially panicked by the unknown into a subservient accepting of a dictatorial regime of rules to a degree unprecedented in our history.
To clarify; not for a second do I think the government had or indeed has now, dictatorial desires. But these things can evolve unintentionally, as indeed they did earlier this year with the ill-considered initial lockdown fortnight regime of often nonsensical outrageously oppressive rules.
To refresh your memories, let’s not forget the armies of policemen patrolling beaches to ensure no-one was swimming. And why? Because should someone drown it could tie up a policeman or two in a body rescue.
Or you may walk or cycle alone in your own neighbourhood but must not move into a neighbouring one, as if it would make one iota of difference.
You may shop for food in supermarkets but not in specialist butcher or fish or fruiterers’ shops, why not God only knows, this madness resulting in all day queues.
Golf courses and bowling greens could not be cut by a worker on a tractor and so on and so on.
Somewhere in Wellington’s bureaucracy is a complete halfwit who created these farcical rules which the panicked government blindly initially accepted, so too the public.
Step up the Hoskings of this world for which in New Zealand there are all too few, to point out the foolishness and warn of the dangers to civil liberties.
Sure they don’t speak for left voters because by their dependency nature such people like being told what to do and even better, have Big Government do everything for them.
But they’re a minority, albeit a large one. Mike Hosking is doing an outstanding job in protecting citizens liberties, so too Heather. Long may they reign.
10 Comments
Hear hear
Couldn’t agree more, those who critique Government policy play an important role in delivering democracy. Among the many things to learn in Gulag Archipelago by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is that civil liberties don’t disappear overnight, but are piece by piece slowly eroded.
Awesome Bob Mike and Heather is our only Light from the left
I hate to think where the govt departments source their endless supply of petty gits from but obviously Vince is an aspirant or a former someone in one of these departments now retired after years of service that seem to attract those with little contents in the cranial vault but seemingly enough to confirm their belief that they know best.Hosking is a treasure,succinct and fearless to the relevant point and may he keep it up giving the afore said Vince something to think or more likely angst on .
Honestly Bob. I am no shivering snowflake but the relentless tide of negative bullshit from these guys gets old and tired very quickly. They’ve hit a rich vein of malcontent that they mine for all it is worth. Heaven help them if they ever tried objectivity. Just once. Even as a novelty act.
The universities and large sections of the media, formerly bastions of free expression are being cowed into submission by far left activists intent on what? The overthrow of the liberal order – “liberal” in the classical sense of devotion to human liberty, with a private sphere protected by natural rights, the equal moral dignity of individuals, freedom of conscience, and a limited state.
“As was the case in the universities and media, many liberals will accommodate these Marxist tactics in the belief that by delegitimising conservatives they can appease the Marxists and turn them into strategic allies.
But the Marxists will not be appeased because what they’re after is the conquest of liberalism itself—already happening as they persuade liberals to abandon their traditional two-party conception of political legitimacy, and with it their commitment to a democratic regime. The collapse of the bonds of mutual legitimacy that have tied liberals to conservatives in a democratic system of government will not make the liberals in question Marxists quite yet. But it will make them the supine lackeys of these Marxists, without the power to resist anything that “Progressives” and “Anti-Racists” designate as being important. And it will get them accustomed to the coming one-party regime, in which liberals will have a splendid role to play—if they are willing to give up their liberalism.
I know that many liberals are confused, and that they still suppose there are various alternatives before them. But it isn’t true. At this point, most of the alternatives that existed a few years ago are gone. Liberals will have to choose between two alternatives: either they will submit to the Marxists, and help them bring democracy in America to an end. Or they will assemble a pro-democracy alliance with conservatives. There aren’t any other choices.”
https://quillette.com/2020/08/16/the-challenge-of-marxism/
I would certainly be labeled as a skybayer, but my God Sir, as someone who has just started reading your musings, you are a breath of fresh air.
What is going on in Victoria is a disgrace to our civilization. The cops are acting like the paramilitary goons of a dictator – even if what Sir Bob says to give the NZ Government credit, is also true over there, “they don’t mean to be dictators”, they sure are acting like it.
The pretext is that this issue is SOOOOO serious that no-one may be allowed to dispute the official narrative lest it “lure people into irresponsible behavior”. Actually the issue is NOT this serious and it is a question what would be serious enough to justify jackboots kicking in front doors and people being hauled away in handcuffs, including a pregnant young mom with an ultrasound appointment shortly – all because of merely indicating their skepticism on social media.
It is perfectly logical that hard lockdowns do far more damage even in the form of deaths in the long run (as well as all sorts of other things we claim to care about, such as what our economy can “fund”) than COVID-19, and pity help a society with leadership so stupid as not to understand this. Sadly, it is a case of stupid people getting the leadership they “deserve”. It is the same stupidity as the resurgence in popularity of hard socialism, the same people cannot see the “unintended consequences” in that either. The resurgence of belief in hard socialism was a sign that our civilization is reaching its collapse stage, and this idiocy over the “trade off” between “Covid deaths” and the “mere economy” is like a new low.
Where is the “Galt’s Gulch” that people who still have a functioning brain can flee to?
Mike Hosking is an insight that is unmatched by any newspaper or alternative media platform – unfortunately the diseased snowflake brigade are unlikely to be listeners. Sadly Hosking is offset by the extremely dullard host that follows his time slot.
I don’t listen to commercial radio any more but I read Hosking’s pieces. He’s always struck me as good value, sharp, a quickfire delivery that suits radio, a refreshing lack of BS & PC. And these days that’s a rarity. More power to him.