Barry Soper: Senior political correspondent talks Paul Eagle, election predictions, and the covid inquiry

Senior political correspondent Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to wrap the political week. 

The big topics this past week were former Chatham Islands Council CEO Paul Eagle's serious fraud office inquiry, reflecting on last Friday's Luxon chaos, and the Covid inquiry. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, wrapping the political week that was, we have Barry Soper,

(00:02):
Senior political correspondent. Welcome back Barry.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Again the much more informed I am now who appointed
Paul Eagle? The council, the council appointed him, and the
mayor council, the Chatham Islands Council.

Speaker 1 (00:16):
So okay, so it's not really a job for the boys,
is it. It's it's that's a legitimate process.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Well, you know he was the MP I guess for
the Chatham Islands.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
But I mean they might have You can see how
that would happen. You're out on the Chatham Islands. You've
only got six hundred people. You probably don't get like
a really great, you know, bunch of candidates for a
job like that. And then you get this guy. He's
been a mayor, always run for the mayor, he's been an.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
MP's Wellington as well.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, he is a big week from the city. So
you think, wow, we've scored big time with them.

Speaker 2 (00:45):
I think I might apply for the job and not about.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hey I heard the accommodation is really nice, Mila Applions.
Now do you think that it was a bit was
it overhyped? The treatment of luxem or was it fair?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Well, look, it was this time last week, well an
hour earlier, that Luxon was on your show and said
that he had no intention of thinking about his future
over the weekend and certainly wasn't going to stand aside.
And you know he faced off his caucus on Tuesday.
No problems because they all know that it's far too

(01:26):
close to an election to have a change in leader.
And a lot of people will say, well and on
Labor did it in twenty seventeen, Well they did, but
then Jasinda Dern was a different kettle of fish, young,
not unattractive and certainly appealed to the public with the disindomania.
But National really has got no one like that. And

(01:49):
thank goodness because we saw what happened when you went
on Charisma only and you know, six years later the
countries and the struck yam.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
But Mary, I mean, the thing is, look, it's been
described as a storm and a teacup, but I really
don't think it is. If you've got polling that's trending
down in the way that it is, they are in
big trouble, like they're going to lose a lot of MPs.

Speaker 2 (02:09):
Of what you'll see is i'd imagine is the same
coalition government after November seventh, but there will be more.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
More New Zealanders and yes.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
So the power of National will probably be whittled away
to some extent. And then you have the prospect and
a lot of people have talked about it of Winston
Peters maybe demanding eighteen months as Prime minister, and I
wouldn't put it past them. I mean, it's it'll be
his last election. He'll be eighty one come the election

(02:43):
and would probably quite like a taste of the job,
although he has had that in them.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
She's honestly, give the guy a turn, just for the
sake put him out of give him.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
I think he's made enough governance to be able to
know what it takes to be a good primate.

Speaker 1 (02:59):
Hey, I'm interested in whether you think that Chris Hopkins.
I mean, Chris Hopkins hasn't come out of the COVID
inquiry terribly, but he also hasn't come out of it
super well. And auckland Is who are angry with him,
It just makes us as angry as we were before.
But is it going to influence our vote or is
our vote already locked in?

Speaker 2 (03:17):
No? I think, particularly here in Auckland. I think, you
know there will be some ill will spilling into the
ballot box come November.

Speaker 1 (03:26):
But it wasn't it already going to happen, regardless of the.

Speaker 2 (03:29):
Er had already happened at the last election. But I
think the fact that this COVID reporters come out and
it showed probably the most serious thing was that they
didn't pass on information. This is he and Ai Cheveril,
the health Minister, about the dangers of giving a second
COVID JAB to under eighteen year olds. So you know

(03:49):
that's bad because the official advice was that it could
lead to my carditis. But it really hasn't because you know,
so you go and look at the figures. Maybe possibly
twenty people have got and I suppose twenty is certainly
too many, and that sort of advice should have been

(04:10):
handed on, certainly from the pulpit of truth.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
You will never forgive them, for matter how much did
you love what Brian Roach did with the teacher's Union.

Speaker 2 (04:19):
Oh, I think it's an amazing turn of events because
I can't remember that ever being done. I mean, you'd
have to say, if you're thumping the husting's table, you'd
have to say, look, this is undermining the union. This
is union busting if you like, and it is no
doubt about it. You pay people that are not members

(04:43):
of the union and hold up those who are members
of the union who haven't even had the opportunity to
look at the offer yet. I assume they have now,
and I would imagine they'll be settling fairly soon because
you imagine the staff rooms at the primary schools at
the moment, you've got non unionized labor, you've got unionized labor.

(05:04):
The non unionized letbut more money in their pockets. Maybe
they should turn on morning tea for the unionized members.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Barry, thank you very much to re appreciate it. Barry
Soper wrapping the political week that was. For more from
Hither Duplessy Allen Drive.

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Listen live to news Talks.

Speaker 1 (05:19):
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