ZB ZB
Live now
Start time
Playing for
End time
Listen live
Listen to NAME OF STATION
Up next
Listen live on
ZB

The Soap Box: Andrew Little is the politician of the year

Author
Barry Soper,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Dec 2017, 5:26AM
Andrew Little to me is the politician of the year.  (Photo \ Getty Images)
Andrew Little to me is the politician of the year. (Photo \ Getty Images)

The Soap Box: Andrew Little is the politician of the year

Author
Barry Soper,
Publish Date
Thu, 21 Dec 2017, 5:26AM

Well so much has happened over the past year it’s difficult, when you look at who performed and who didn’t perform, you’d have to say on the performance stakes - and probably through no fault of his own that he’s performed what was expected of him - that is Andrew Little.

Andrew Little to me is the politician of the year. He was left with nowhere to go, basically because the polls were against him, he knew that he couldn’t take Labour to an election victory, so he did what you’d have to say was the honourable thing - he stepped aside. He probably didn’t even know himself that Jacinda Ardern was going to be so popular. He did the right thing.

But I guess the worst politician of the year would have to go to Metiria Turei. But without her, of course, none of this would have happened. She threw that publicity stunt, went out and said she wanted to draw attention to poverty in July, and admitted to ripping off the welfare system, as a solo mother.

Well it may have worked for the Greens in the very short term - they shot up to 15 per cent in the opinion polls, but it didn’t work for them in the medium term. Metiria Turei plummeted, and was left with no where to go but to resign.

But not before you saw basically the Greens cannabalising each other, and they were very lucky to make it back into Parliament. And now we see them as part of the Government, so they’ll be happier than they ever thought they’d ever be with the fallout from Metiria Turei.

That’s the politicians who were unfortunately put in a position that they should never have been, and everyone picks Jacinda Ardern I think as the politician of the year, but she’s certainly fell into the job - now she’s really got to prove herself.

 

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you