Heather du Plessis-Allan: Nicola v Ruth - bring it on

So, to the Nicola Willis v Ruth Richardson debate. 

Here’s a challenge to Nicola Willis: do it this year. Do it next week. 

I’m hearing that having challenged Ruth Richardson to the debate, Willis’ office would prefer to do it next year. 

I can understand why. By next year the momentum will be gone and we’ll all have moved on to other things and it, probably, won't get as big of an audience. 

Next week though is a big week. 

The Government is opening its books. It sounds like Nicola might be pushing out surplus, again, for the second time in two years. 

Then we’ve got the GDP number and that’s coming off the back of the Taxpayer’s Union campaign calling her out for her big spending, which kicks off today. 

So next week there’s much more energy around a debate. If it’s pushed out to next year, I would read it as the first sign of losing courage. 

And if I was cynical, it's the first sign of them hoping this will fizzle and die because frankly, it was a political mistake to challenge Ruth Richardson to a debate. 

Regardless of what you think of her, Ruth can article all the problems with Nicola's big spending budgets and debt gathering in a way that most members of the media can’t, which is to say she will mount a case that Nicola is spending too much and taking us down exactly the same path of economic trouble that Grant started us on. 

And I suspect that will convince a lot of voters that we have a problem here. 

And we do. We have a problem when we have a government that promised to cut spending and yet spends more than Grant and will, by mid next year, have taken on $45 billion more in debt, which will by then account for almost a quarter of our total debt. 

This is an important debate, because what is more important for a government to do well than run the country’s books? 

So, next week? How about it? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now let's talk about this Nichola Willis Ruth Richardson debate. Right,
here's a challenge to Nichola Willis. Do this debate this year,
do it next week. And the reason I'm saying that
is because I'm hearing that, having challenged Ruth Richardson to
the debate, Nichola Willis's office would now prefer to do
it next year. And I can understand why I'm in
politically that's a smart move because by next year, the
momentum will be gone and we'll all have moved on

(00:21):
to other things, and probably it will not get as
big an audience as if she was to do it
next week, because next week is a very big economic week,
isn't it. The government's opening its books. Ed looks like
Nichola Willis might be pushing out surplus again for the
second time in two years. And then we've got the
GDP number and that's coming off the back of the
taxpayers Union campaign calling her out for her big spending,

(00:43):
which is kicked off today. So next week, there were
a whole lot more energy around a debate and a
whole lot more interest in what she's got to say
for herself. Now, if it's pushed out to next year.
I would read this as the first sign of her
losing courage, and if I was cynical, which i am,
I would read it as the first side of them
hoping in the office that this just fizzle out and die,
because frankly, it was a political mistake to challenge Ruth

(01:04):
Richardson to a debate. Ruth Richardson for all of her faults,
and there are many, I would imagine, people think can
articulate all the problems with Nichola's big spending budgets and
debt gathering in a way that most members of the
media nowadays simply can't, which is to say, she will
mount a case that Nichola is spending too much money
and is taking us down exactly the same path of
economic trouble that Grant started us on, which I suspect

(01:26):
will convince a lot of voters when they sit down
and have a listen to it, they'll go, oh, yeah,
maybe we've got a problem here, and we do. We
have a problem when we have a government that promised
to cut spending and get us quote back on track,
and yet spends more money than Grant Robertson ever did.
Which was I watering in and of itself, and this
government will buy mid next year. Have taken on forty
five billion dollars worth of debt, which by then will

(01:47):
account for almost a quarter of our total debt. That
is how much debt they're racking up. This is a
really important debate, by the way, for Labour who wants
to poop poo and call it a flex it is not.
It is a very important debate because what is more
important for a government to do well than to run
the country's books. So next week, how about it? For
more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to News

(02:10):
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