Andrew Dickens: Hipkins needs to front up and face the heat

Chris Hipkins was on with Kerre Woodham yesterday, as well as with Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW, and he talked about the Covid inquiry – insinuating it was slanted against Labour because New Zealand First is now part of a National government and had drawn up the scope of the inquiry to benefit them.  

It also came out that he has drafted written responses to the questions the Commission might ask of him, but he is non-committal about fronting up for a verbal grilling – a good cross examination. Now also on the table is Jacinda Arden, who doesn't look like showing despite the wish of many for her to be held to account.  

But the thing about this Commission is that it is not a trial, it's an inquiry. It's a show trial, really. It's a political thing and Chris Hipkins is still in the political game, unlike Jacinda Ardern. So he needs to handle this thing well.  

He was the Minister of Health during the pandemic. In fact, he was the Minister of just about everything, because he was the most competent in his party. So if he wants to be the leader of this party going into the next election, he really must turn up and face that cross examination of what he was part of.  

But we know what he did – it's already there and black and white. But what we don't know is the thought processes that drove his actions, and we haven't had the chance to question him. And what we don't know is his thoughts, with hindsight, as to what he might have done better. So if he's honest about learning lessons about pandemic management because there's gonna be another pandemic in the future, then he really must turn up and face the heat.  

It'll be good for him. It'll be good for us. If he doesn't, the conspiracy theorists that he mentioned yesterday will bring all their bias to bear against him next election.  

Chris Hipkins has choices: face up and tell the truth, stand apart and let speculation by what he calls “conspiracy theorists” run wild, or just quit. Quit his aspiration to become Prime Minister one more time and enjoy a retirement from public life.  

It's in your court, Chris. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Chris Hipkins was on Kerry Woodhams show yesterday, also
with Ryan Bridges on a streaming show on the Herald
dot co dot in Zend and he talked about the
COVID inquiry and he insinuated that the inquiry had been
slanted against Labor because New Zealand First is now part
of a national government and had drawn up the scope
of the inquiry to benefit them. It also came out
that he has drafted written responses to the questions the

(00:22):
Commission might ask of him, but he is noncommittal about
fronting up for a verbal grilling, a good cross examination.
Now also on the table is just Indo Addurn, who
doesn't look like showing despite the wish of many for
her to be held to account. But the thing about
this commission is that it is not a trial, it's
an inquiry. It's a show trial. Really, it's a political thing.
And Chris Hipkins is still in the political game unlike

(00:45):
just Sindra Adern, so he needs to handle this thing well.
He was the Minister of Health during the pandemic. In fact,
he was the Minister of just about everything because he
was the most competent in his party. So if he
wants to be the leader of this party going into
the next election, he really must turn up and face
that cross examination of what he was part of. But
we know what he did, it's already there in black

(01:06):
and white. But what we don't know is the thought
processes that drove his actions, and we haven't had the
chance to question him. And what we don't know is
his thoughts with hindsight as to what he might have
done better. So if he's honest about learning lessons about
the pandemic management, because there's going to be another pandemic
in the future, then he really must turn up and
face the heat. It'll be good for him, it'll be
good for us. If he doesn't, the conspiracy theorists that

(01:29):
he mentioned yesterday will bring all their bias to bear
against him next election. So Chris Hipkins has choices face
up and tell the truth, stand apart and let speculation
of what he calls or buy what he calls conspiracy
theorists run wild, or just quit, quit his aspiration to
become Prime Minister one more time and enjoy a retirement

(01:50):
from public life. Sen You're Court Chris. For more from
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it Be from five am weekdays. Follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.