“Matthew’s quite right…. I actually tend to agree with Matt.” Hooton talks, Mike Williams agrees with nearly everything From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, 21/9/15 Lynn Freeman, Matthew Hooton, Mike Williams
lackey /ˈlaki/ n.1. a servile follower; hanger-on 2. a liveried male servant or valet 3. a person who is treated like a servant
Mike Williams was in the same class at Karamu High School as the late right wing ranter, Paul Holmes. One wonders if he allowed Holmes to dominate all conversation as he allows another right wing ranter to do every Monday morning on Radio NZ National.
I tuned in a few minutes into today’s edition of this long-running comedy of embarrassment. Maybe I missed something good at the start. The very first words I heard were: “Matthew’s quite right.” Things continued in that vein, with Hooton doing all the talking, and Williams murmuring agreement. There WAS one moment when Williams actually stirred himself to express disagreement with Hooton, but otherwise it was all “Matthew’s quite right”, “I actually tend to agree with Matt, Matthew”, “Mmm, exactly” and “Mmmm.”
We join the program a few minutes in, as Hooton finishes the first of his extended orations….
MIKE WILLIAMS: Matthew’s quite right.
Williams made little contribution to the discussion, other than to agree with Hooton. He even kept quiet when Hooton announced that the government’s cancellation of the Shanghai Pengxin farm deal meant that Key’s regime was “well to the left of Helen Clark.” This consistent and continual failure by Williams to hold Hooton to account for such sweeping and preposterous statements gives the impression that Williams tacitly agrees with him.
Next topic was the sacking of columnists by the New Zealand Herald. The level of commentary from both Hooton and Williams was abysmal….
MIKE WILLIAMS: John Roughan is from the right and Brian Rudman is from the left. And they are both very good journalists. Unlike Mike Hosking, whose columns are full of trivial stuff.
LYNN FREEMAN: He’s “not a journalist”, remember!
MATTHEW HOOTON: Wee-e-e-e-lll, this is a bit tricky for us… [snicker]… because WE are from the left and from the right.
MIKE WILLIAMS: Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.
MATTHEW HOOTON: John Roughan and Brian Rudman both parrot their respective party lines.
MIKE WILLIAMS: No that’s not true. That’s not true.
MATTHEW HOOTON: Brian Rudman is the spokesman for the Grey Lynn liberal left.
MIKE WILLIAMS: He’s not here to defend himself.
MATTHEW HOOTON: And John Roughan is John Key’s biographer! Frankly, getting rid of these elderly columnists and replacing them with real journalists would be a good thing.
After getting the last word in there, Hooton went on to dominate the talk about the final topic for the day: the change of leadership in the Australian government. That “discussion” finished like this….
MATTHEW HOOTON: … frankly, after the SHAMBLES of the last Labor government, with Rudd and Gillard!
MIKE WILLIAMS:[appreciative guffaw] Hmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm.
Tune in next Monday morning for more from Hannity and Colmes.
Morrissy. The parts that Mike agreed with Matthew I tended to also agree. Just because they are on opposite sides politically does not mean that everything that Matthew says is wrong/lie. Unless you automatically disagree with Matthew then you would disagree with Matthew’s long summary of the failings in the Key Government delivered this morning. John would say “Ouch!” It is just that we left leaning folk are not “seen” as a viable alternative – yet.
That’s about all that Williams does, however: say ” I agree with Matthew.” If that was all he did, it would be bad enough, but he also stays quiet and neglects to contradict Hooton’s incendiary remarks and his flagrant distortions. Today Hooton did nearly all of the talking, apart from one fleeting disagreement, which Hooton ignored and Williams failed to pursue any further.
Hooton’s “long summary of the failings in the Key Government” focused on the flag distraction. That’s a perfectly acceptable topic on which the likes of Hooton can make a pretence of being independent; on all of the substantial issues, he is solidly behind Key.
Sadly, Williams seems content to grunt his agreement over these minor points, but he has rarely if ever forced the issue and confronted Hooton on important and substantial matters. Hooton never got a free ride like this when the person “from the left” was Laila Harré or Matthew Campbell.
Yep, Harre was exceptional – very incisive, knew her shit and always demolished Hooton’s spin with consummate ease. Really miss her – re Radio NZ Nine to Noon
Hooton talks, Mike Williams agrees with nearly everything
From the Left and From the Right, Radio NZ National, 21/9/15
Lynn Freeman, Matthew Hooton, Mike Williams
It is just that we left leaning folk are not “seen” as a viable alternative – yet.