John MacDonald: In 2025 you don't touch people at work

Who would want to be Andrew Bayly today? 

The disgraced, now former minister, resigned because he touched a staff member during what he’s describing as an “animated discussion”.   

And now his political career is toast. As it should be, because in 2025, you just don’t touch people in the workplace.  

You don't touch people in the workplace when you’re happy with them, and you certainly don't touch people in the workplace when you’re angry with them. You just don’t do it.   

He’s staying on as the MP for Port Waikato, but he’ll be gone by the next election. National won’t want a bar of him.  

Some will think there's nothing wrong with touching someone on the arm. What's so bad about that?  

I’ll tell you what’s wrong with that. When you touch someone on the arm during a so-called “animated discussion", that’s intimidating behaviour. That’s threatening. In some circumstances, it could be considered assault.  

So you just don’t do it. But he did and he’s gone. Not completely —he’s lurking in the backbenches— but quite a downfall.   

And you might think he had it coming anyway after that incident at the vineyard where he called one of the workers a loser for still being at work after hours.  

So he’s a bit free-and-loose on it.  

And that could be a generational thing as much as anything. Because I know even in the course of my career, how much things have changed when it comes to what is and isn't acceptable in the workplace.  

I think, having started my working life in a newspaper newsroom, I’m probably a bit more lenient in my thinking.  

I certainly know that when I came back to the media after being away from newsrooms for about 14 years, I noticed how different it was, and the media certainly isn't as brutal as it used to be.  

This is in terms of people being treated with respect, and I think it's brilliant.  

I remember my first newspaper boss was what we probably called a “colourful character” back in those days.  

He called me boy. He called all the other blokes boy. He even called the women working there boy.  

Andrew Bayly is in his early-60s. So he’s from an era where people really did speak their mind the workplace, especially if they were under pressure.  

Just as Andrew Bayly and every other cabinet minister is under pressure. Because, with our three-year election cycle, this is the year of delivery for any government.  

The second year of your three-year term, time for some results. And Bayly said as much yesterday, talking about his eagerness for progress and change in his portfolio areas.  

And I know as much as anyone that working with people can be frustrating at times. That’s because we’re all different.  

But that is never an excuse for being a bully. For losing your rag. But especially it is never an excuse for grabbing someone’s arm during an “animated discussion”.  

Remembering too that, in recent years, Parliament has been exposed for bullying behaviour.  

Which is what Andrew Bayly was doing when he grabbed that staff member’s arm last week. And I don't feel sorry for him at all.    

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Question for you who would want Who would want to
be Andrew Bailey? This morning? Ah, the disgraced now former minister.
He's handed in his resignation did the last Friday night
because he touched the staff member during what he's describing
as an animated discussion. It was an animated discussion. Make

(00:34):
of that what you will, but that was it. I've
spoken to someone in the know this morning and that
was it. There's nothing else to it. And Andrew Bailey's
political career as toast as it should be, because in
twenty twenty five, you just don't touch people at work.

(00:55):
You don't touch people at work when you're happy with them,
and you certainly don't touch people at work when you're
brassed off with them. You just don't do it. He's
I said, his career's toast. But he's staying on as
the MP for Portway Kuttle. But that'll be for an now,
he'll be gone by the next selection. National won't want
a bar of him because they can't afford to have

(01:18):
someone like him, because someone who thinks it's okay to
touch someone at work in any way, shape or form,
is way out of touch. Now you might be thinking, oh,
if he just touched someone on the arm, not's so
bad about that. And you also might be thinking, well,
he's realized he made a mistake. He's handed in his
resignation as he should have. And I'll tell you what's

(01:42):
wrong with what he did. When you touch someone on
the arm during the so called animated discussion, that's intimidating behavior.
That's threatening. I mean, in some scenarios, legally it could
be assault, So you just don't do it. But he did,

(02:05):
and he's gone not completely in the backbenches, but quite
a downfall a And you might think he had it
coming anyway, after that incident at the vineyard where he
called one of the workers a loser for still being
at work after ours. Remember that, so is a bit
free and loose on it. I think that's the assumption

(02:25):
we can make. Is a bit free and loose on
the language and more, it seems after the animated discussion
last Tuesday at Parliament, and that could be it could
be a generational thingun't it. As much as anything, I'm
not excusing him that it could be a generational thing
because I know that, even in the course of my career,

(02:46):
how much things have changed when it comes to what
is and what isn't acceptable in the workplace. And I think,
having started my career, having started my working life in
a newspaper newsroom now yanks Ago, I think I'm probably
a bit more lenient in my thinking. I'm a bit
more lenient in terms of behavior I can deal with.

(03:14):
And I certainly know that when I came back to
the media after being away from newsrooms for about fourteen years,
I noticed how different it was and the media, the
environment working in the media is not as brutal as
it used to be. This is in terms of people
being treated with respect. I'll tell you what I think
that is brilliant. In terms of my first boss at

(03:36):
the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin, he was what we
probably called back in the day a colorful character. Andrew
Bailey would probably be defined back in those days as
a colorful character as well. This guy called me boy.
The whole time I was working there, I was boy,
and he called all the other blokes boy as well.

(03:56):
He even called the women working there boy. And I've
looked up Andrew Bailey's stats for his details according to
Wikipita Wikipedia, he's about sixty two or sixty three, so
he's about seventy years older than me. So he comes
from a similar error as I do, an era where
people really did speak their mind in the workplace, especially

(04:17):
if they were under pressure. And just as Andrew Bailey
and every other cabinet minister is under pressure because with
our three year election cycle, this is the year of delivery,
isn't it for any government? Second year of your three
year term time for some results. Prime Minister's banging on
the table and Bailey said as much yesterday talking about
his eagerness for progress and change in his portfolio areas.

(04:39):
That's why he got so fired up, that's why he
had the animated discussion. And look, I know as much
as anyone that working with people can be frustrating at
times because they're all different. Eh, they're all different. But
that is never an excuse for being a bully. It's
never an excuse for losing your rag, but especially it's

(05:01):
never an excuse for grabbing someone's arm during an argument.
If you are of an age where this sort of
thing used to be common, and remembering too that In
recent nears, Parliament has been exposed for being a pretty
horrible place to work, especially in terms of bullying behavior,
which is what Andrew Bailey was doing when he grabbed

(05:23):
that staff member's arm last Tuesday, and I don't feel
sorry for him one bit.

Speaker 1 (05:29):
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