Things that make you go Hmmmm.

Do you ever come across something that makes you go Hmmmm?

You mean like the song?

No, I wasn’t thinking of the song, but I am now - thanks for that. I was thinking of things you read or hear that make you stop and go Hmmmm.

Yeah, I know what you mean, like this morning I was scrolling through Facebook and an article came up about Sam Neill having stage three cancer.

I heard about that, I was driving the kids to their drama and dance classes and Kim Hill was interviewing Sam about it. I got a bit weepy eyed to be honest, such an amazing Kiwi. But that isn’t really a Hmmmm, it’s more of an Oh or a Damn, isn’t it?

Yeah but three items later in my newsfeed there was an advertisement for his memoir.

Sam Neill. Photo: Ross Coffey

Oh right, I see what you mean, yeah that is something that would make you go Hmmmm. That’s pretty messed up Mr Facebook Algorithm.

What would make you think the Facebook Algorithm was male, that’s a bit sexist isn’t it?

Because I see it as doing bad things I guess, I mean to be fair most of the bad things in history have been committed by men. I suppose the algorithm is like the AI embodiment of Mark Zuckerberg.

Yeah but women can do bad things too. You were quite clear on that earlier in the week when someone asked whether it was time for Nicola Willis to take over - what did you say?

Fair cop, I said as someone who writes I would welcome that dystopian nightmare, as a human being - oh hell no! She seems a true believer of the Ayn Rand, Ruth Richardson school of survival of the fittest, and who cares about the rest? It will be a horrible time in this country if she ever gets that role, causing abject misery to thousands.

So did the news about Stuart Nash make you go Hmmmm?

Yeah, it did a bit, it made me go hmmmm - anyone else finding the drip feeding of dirt on Nash reminiscent of Judith Collins’ and Camerons Slater’s actions in the past?

Big coincidence seeing that style of dirty attack politics return to the National Party after Judith skyrocketed nine places up the rankings to their top 10.

Image: NZ Herald.

Hmmmm. I guess they’re pretty worried about the polls eh.

Come on the guy stuffed up, you can’t have Government Ministers talking directly to the police like that, even if it was well intentioned. That’s banana republic stuff, there had to be consequences.

There were, he lost his role as Minister of Police. But that wasn’t enough for the opposition they want him gone completely. That’s where we see the old Collins/Slater type activity.

One piece of information comes out, the person is punished, says they’ll learn and it won’t happen again. Then the next piece of information is drip fed, it doesn’t even have to be something big, but coming after the first one it puts the nail in the coffin.

Oh right, what sort of thing are you talking about?

Appearing on the Mike Hosking show.

Yeah, that is pretty bad. Why would a Labour MP go on that show, the audience aren’t even going to listen?

It’s not going on the show that is the problem, it’s that he talked about a court case, that cop killer one in West Auckland.

Photo: Getty Images.

Oh right, was he telling the audience we need to rehabilitate the guy, give him hugs, or home D, or something? That’d certainly make Hosking’s audience go hmmmm. Although, to be fair they’d say that’s what they expected from Labour anyway.

No, he said “Let’s hope this guy has many years in jail to contemplate what he’s done”

Hmmmm. You mean the party of law and order are out to get someone in the government, who they accuse of being soft on crime, for saying he hoped the cop killer would go to jail for many years?

Bizarre eh? Especially after what some of their MPs have done. Kuriger and Uffindell spring to mind.

Maybe if old Nash, when he was talking to the police or whoever, maybe if he’d been hitting them with a bed leg while he was talking that would have been ok?

I saw that thing about Jamie-Lee Ross working as a pimp and that made be go Hmmmm. Not because of the prostitution, that’s all legal and none of my business. More him being the person looking after the welfare of young women having sex.

Yeah, it sounded from Sarah Dowie like he wasn’t very good at that.

Please some of us are eating. No, it made me go hmmmm, like hmmmm isn’t it about time Jami-Lee Ross joined an organisation that isn't all about fucking people?

Very droll. So what have you got planned for the rest of the weekend?

Well, I thought I might find that advert and buy the Sam Neill book, it sounds like a good read.

Have a good one everybody. Especially Sam.