“I agree entirely with Michelle.” The dismal double act of Boag and Edwards is back. (Oct. 8, 2014)

8 October 2014 at 5:44 pm

“I agree entirely with Michelle.”
The dismal double act of Boag and Edwards is back.
The Panel, Radio NZ National, Tuesday 8 October 2014
Jim Mora, Michelle Boag, Brian Edwards, Zara Potts

Brian Edwards is like Josie Pagani, Deborah Mahuta Coyle and Mike Williams: he says he’s a Labour supporter, but he’s more concerned about currying favor with whatever scowling right winger happens to be in the vicinity. This afternoon, the scowling right winger was the National Party power-broker—and mortal enemy of the Slater faction—Michelle Boag.

Edwards seems bewitched and bewildered by the charms of the Prime Minister, and he’s not shy about expressing just how much he admires him…..

BRIAN EDWARDS: Cundliffe’s performance is Shakespearian, you know. It’s big, grand, over the top. His interruptions of the Prime Minister led to Hosking having to intervene, and say “David you’re shouting.” The adjudicator had to stop him interrupting. And people DON’T LIKE THAT.
MICHELLE BOAG: [approvingly] Ex-ACT-ly!
BRIAN EDWARDS: Whereas John Key, on the other hand, is someone I’d be happy to have a beer with.
MICHELLE BOAG: I can arrange that for you.
BRIAN EDWARDS: Ha ha ha ha ha! But Key is easy and relaxed. The reality of television is that there are two people talking quietly in a studio. It’s an intimate medium.

Later on….

MICHELLE BOAG: Auckland Council should sell off its assets, such as the Ports of Auckland.
BRIAN EDWARDS: I agree.
MICHELLE BOAG: It should cease this ideological opposition to selling off assets.
JIM MORA: Brian, what do you think?
BRIAN EDWARDS: I agree entirely with Michelle.

Perhaps the nadir of the program came in the course of a learned discussion about ISIS, just after Michelle Boag called it “totally evil” and averred: “These people don’t UNDERSTAND democracy like we do.” Mora paused for effect, then earnestly asked Professor Al Gillespie to answer the sort of moronic question that usually gets aired on Rupert Murdoch’s barking mad Fox News….

JIM MORA: [with utmost gravitas] Are we looking at a great clash of civilizations?

Or WAS it the nadir? Incredibly, Mora—or his producer—seems determined to make this show even lighter, even more trivial than what you hear on NewstalkZBigot. Just before the end of the show, Jim Mora raised the subject of tonight’s total eclipse (the “Blood Moon”). To learnedly discuss this, he wheeled on an astrologer, Don Murray.

Edwards exercised his trademark sarcasm against Murray for a while, but clearly his heart was not in it.

Rating for today’s show: D.

• Paul19.1

  8 October 2014 at 5:52 pm

  Thanks for listening to the Panel, Morrissey.
  It saves me bothering.
  This is our national broadcaster.
  Groan.
• Tom Jackson19.2

  8 October 2014 at 7:14 pm

  Try sticking to foreign media.
  • Morrissey19.2.1

    8 October 2014 at 7:35 pm

    Try sticking to foreign media.

    ????

    Is there a problem with our coverage of local media?
  •