Ryan Bridge: We've been reminded our present day politicians aren't up to much

It's hard listening to all the tributes for Jim Bolger and not feeling like we're being short-changed by our current crop of leaders.

A few short generations ago, this country was a different place.

Before the internet. Before the phones. Before the anxiety.

Before career politicians—those who go straight from school to university, into the student union, and then directly into politics.

Jim Bolger was in Parliament a long time. But he had a productive life before that. He left school at 15 and went straight into work. Hard work. Manual work. On the farm in Taranaki, and later in Te Kuiti.

Now it's straight from school, into a student union at university, and then into Parliament.

Have you watched Parliament TV lately? There are MPs who literally don't know how to ask a question.

It's like watching a video buffer.

No idea about standing orders. No idea about the rules that govern the place. And no apparent desire to learn, either.

Just walk in. Full of entitlement. Sit down. And start yelling.

One of the most important tools in the modern MP’s toolbox seems to be an unwavering ability to take offence.
At anything and everything.

Intolerance for another's point of view—the antithesis of Jim Bolger—is now commonplace.

Where once there was decency, there's mistrust.

Wisdom has been usurped by incompetence.

And decorum has been thrown out the window and replaced with petulance.

People aren't recognised for their standing in the community and voted into Parliament.

They're there because politics is now an industry—and more importantly—because nobody else would hire them or pay the going rate we do.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's hard listening to all the tributes for Jim Bolger
and to not feel like a little bit like we're
being ripped off or short changed by our current crop
of leaders. A few short generations ago, this country was
a completely different place, completely different place, before the internet,
before the phones, before all the anxiety, before career politicians.
Politicians now come straight out of school into Uni, into

(00:23):
the debating club, into the student union, then straight into parliament.
Jim Bolger was in parliament a very long time, sure,
but he had a productive life before it, leaving school
at fifteen and into work, hard work, manual work on
the farm in Taranaki and then later in Tequiti. Now
it's straight from school into parliament. Have you watched Parliament
TV lately? This is something I do and my grandma

(00:44):
do very regularly. We've always done it, and we always
compare notes. We are both so unimpressed. You've got MPs
who literally don't know how to ask a question. It's
like watching a video buffering no idea about standing orders,
no idea about the rules that govern the place, and
no real apparent care to learn either. Just walk in,
full of entitlement, sit down and start yelling. One of

(01:06):
the most important tools in the modern MP's toolbox is
the unwavering ability to take offense at anything and everything
in tolerance for another's point of view. The antithesis, by
the way of Jim Bolger, is now commonplace. Where once
there was decency, there is mistrust, wisdom's being usurped by incompetence,
and decorums being biffed out the window and replaced with petulance.

(01:30):
People aren't recognized for their standing in the community and
voted into parliament, which is what used to happen. They're
there because politics is now an industry, and more importantly,
nobody else would hire them and pay what we do
for more from early edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
to News Talk set be from five am weekdays, or

(01:51):
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio