So it has been with Trade and Defense Minister Phil Goff's interview with Oliver Driver on Alt TV two days ago. Have a look:
The National Business Review (NBR)presented this as:
"A senior government minister has for the first time acknowledged that the Labour party faces the prospect of losing the election."Newsflash: Election outcomes are never guaranteed. Goff said they could lose. He also said when people had a chance to look at the policies, they might win, too. Isn't that how it is every election? I guess other people hearing the same thing heard it differently according to what they wanted to hear.
The lesson here is that any politician should simply refuse to answer a hypothetical question.
"Next question, please. I do not answer hypothetical questions."
They would do this not because the answer isn't obvious or straightforward, (Goff's answers were both) but because their answer will be turned into a beatup by some or all of the media.
If Goff made a "gaffe" as Audrey Young would have it in her Herald blog, then his mistake was taking an interviewer seriously.
Personally, I'd rather a politician not be crucified by the media for being honest about a "what if".
Q: "If you were Superman, what would be your favourite super power?"
A: "if I were Superman, I'd enjoy being faster than a speeding bullet."
Tomorrow's headline: "Senior Minister Thinks He's Superman."
Is anyone still wondering why politicians often resort to obfuscation instead of straight talking? This is why.
If Goff really were positioning himself to be Labour leader post-election by sabotaging Labour's electoral prospects this election, tell me again why anyone in the Labour Party would even bother to talk to him? It makes no sense.
[2008-05-28 Update: Audrey Young, of the NZ Herald, has removed the "Goff Gaffe" post from her blog]
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for deciding to share your thoughts here. In commenting on this blog, you can express any opinion you like, though any opinion expressed should make some attempt to be consistent with verifiable reality. Say what you like, confident that I won't delete any comments that are polite and respectful of me and others who may comment here. Civility aside, SPAM comments will be deleted if only because they are usually far too long and selling rubbish anyway. (Comments on posts older than 30 days are moderated. I'll approve them as soon as I can.)