By: Larry Williams | Thursday, May 31, 2012 6:36 PM

Weekes Interview

Martin and Jane Weekes have given their first interview since their triplets were killed in the Doha fire.

That was their decision to do that and I respect that.

Watching this on TV made me uncomfortable.

The interview was predictable. They would break down. That is what the TV was looking for, make no mistake about that.

For goodness sake they have just lost their three little ones in a fire only a couple of days ago. The grief they would be going through I can't begin to imagine.

TV went out to capture that grief.  They took advantage of that grief by requesting an interview when the parents are in the midst of enormous trauma where their judgement would be clouded.

Filming the grief-stricken parents added nothing to this story.

I'm not convinced it was necessary but again, the parents chose to do the interview.

It just made me feel uncomfortable. It just didn't feel right watching it. To me, it was vulture-like journalism.

 

Ryder

Jesse Ryder is out of NZ Cricket. He has turned down a contract to work through personal issues.

Ryder has had a problem around drink and it seems that those issues are not yet sorted.

In that, I'm surprised NZ Cricket actually offered Ryder a contract. He caused so many problems for himself and the team that NZ Cricket could easily have dumped him sometime ago.

Clearly you could not continue to pick him in an international team when there were unresolved issues.

I doubt Ryder will be back playing for NZ.

I suspect Ryder thinks he has a future in the IPL exclusively. That is where the money is.

He was a wonderful talent but he always gave me the impression that although he had a million dollar game, he had a 10c brain.

 

Jones

The Auditor-General’s investigation into the Jones/Liu affair.

If this investigation covers only 'process' than forget it. Nothing much will be achieved because Jones can easily be found to have followed due process but just got the decision wrong.

There is also more to this case that just citizenship.

The investigation warrants a deeper look into all the issues around Jones, Liu, Labour, connections, and donations.

The only point in the terms of reference that gives some encouragement that the investigation will cover off all aspects on this case is where the QC will be able to look into "any other matters the Auditor General considers it desirable to report on".

The Auditor-General and the QC's first port of call should be Investigate Magazine’s Ian Wishart who detailed all of this four years ago.

It should never have been ignored at that time.

 

Turia

The Maori Party’s Tariana Turia has been vigorously defending that indefensible Whanau Ora.

We had an expert on this last week and he said it was just a gross waste of taxpayer money with no proven outcomes.

What Ms Turia needs to do is provide some quality measurement of what the handouts have achieved. I doubt she can do that.

It’s money down the drain like a lot of these social programmes.

Turia went one huge jump above Whanau Ora yesterday when the debate centred on raising the superannuation age.

Turia is OK with lifting the age to 67 but not for Maori. Maori should be afforded special status.

This is the kind of thinking that leaves me with the feeling that the country is stuffed.

No wonder people are fleeing overseas - all the indications are that there is no progress.

Never will be!