The Mike Hosking Breakfast

In a carefully scripted appearance in the Rose Garden Saturday, President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, calling her one of the "nation's most brilliant and gifted legal minds."
"I looked and I studied and you are very eminently qualified for this job," Trump told his nominee. "You are going to be fantastic," he said, noting — in an overt appeal to the female voters whose support he's lacking -- that Barrett would be the first mother of school-aged children to serve on the Supreme Court and encouraged lawmakers to confirm her quickly.
Making his third Supreme Court nomination, Trump delivered the capstone of the promise he made four years ago to name a long line of conservative judges who will reshape the courts for generations.
"They say the biggest thing you can do (as president) is the appointment of judges, but especially the appointment of Supreme Court justices. That's the single biggest thing a president can do, because it sets the tone of the country for 40 years, 50 years," Trump said at a rally in Newport News, Virginia, on Friday night.
But in the week ahead of his announcement, Trump continued to sow doubt and uncertainty about the election. And Barrett's nomination -- just eight days after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- injects another polarizing and unpredictable dynamic into the presidential race at a time of great anxiety for Americans.
Barrett, 48, a federal appellate judge and Notre Dame professor who was a law clerk for the late Justice Antonin Scalia in the late 1990s, would further shift the balance of the court to the right, potentially ahead of a consequential case on health care that will be heard a week after Election Day.
Trump this week tried to keep the public's attention away from the coronavirus pandemic as the number of cases ticked past 7 million and Americans grappled with an unshakable sense of economic uncertainty.
He only managed to create more anxiety with his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power, which raised the specter that America will be transformed into a 'banana republic' in November if Democratic nominee Joe Biden wins. The President contradicted his own FBI director by arguing that the election is rife with fraud and rigged against him, even though there is no evidence to support that conspiracy theory.
Trump also continued his war on science by undercutting his own medical advisers on the timeline for a vaccine and by suggesting that officials at the Food and Drug Administration might have political motivations if they take additional time to evaluate the safety of a vaccine. (The FDA declined comment on the President's statement, but FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn has said the "FDA will not authorize or approve a vaccine that we would not feel comfortable giving to our families.")
A consequential pick for the high court
While he was stirring more chaos, Ginsburg's death created another welcome distraction for Trump -- a chance to remind conservatives, some of whom may have soured on the President during the pandemic, the redeeming power of a Trump White House: his appointment of an unprecedented number of federal judges in his first term.
At the same time, it is difficult to decipher the effect that the high court pick will have on the presidential race, because the anger about Republicans' rush to confirm a replacement for Ginsburg has also electrified Democrats and led to a flood of donations to progressive groups and candidates.
Many Democrats view Trump's choice of Barrett, whom he appointed to the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals, as a direct rebuke to the legacy of Ginsburg, a liberal icon and staunch defender of abortion rights.
Based on Barrett's judicial philosophy and her past writings, Democrats have argued this week that if she is named to the court -- solidifying a 6-3 conservative majority -- she will likely have a hand in rolling back...

The Herald's annual Mood of the Boardroom survey has been released, which shows good leadership but a lack in good economic policies and management.
The survey sees over 150 business leaders rate the performance from the Government. Prime Minster Jacinda Ardern scored 3.88 with particular praise on her leadership.
Opposition leader Judith Collins sits at 3.55 with credit in her courage.
CEO of Forsyth Barr Neil Paviour-Smith told Mike Hosking the Government gets a solid pass mark in terms of their Covid-19 response, from both a finance and health perspective.
"Cash has been flowing, business generally has been pretty good. But the issues looking ahead are around debt, they're around reconnecting with the outside world, having confidence in those border controls.
"Business wants to help, the Government has been focussed very clearly on the objectives from the last few months, but business is now looking ahead, looking for the Government to form a comprehensive recovery plan, but also the actions that go with that plan."
Labour's Grant Robertson is the highest rated minister.

COMMENT:
I have been surprised at just how much correspondence I have had over Ihumātao. People still ask literally every day what happened.
Are they waiting until after the election? Do you they know how explosive it is? And are they trying to stiff us?
The answer we now know for sure is, yes and no. We said months back that Winston Peters was the reason it was held up. We didn't have confirmation, but all logical reasoning had it as the only possible answer.
Remember the stories? The deal was done, Pania Newton of the protest was saying it was sorted, the Maori King came to visit, and there was the flurry of government cars. But then, nothing. Why?
Winston Peters.
And on Friday in one of his, "let's run it up the flag pole and see how many people we can infuriate” speeches, he confirmed he almost pulled the coalition plug over it.
Here's the important thing, here's the maddening thing about New Zealand First. He's actually right.
For all the drama, noise, headline grabbing bollocks that surrounds him and his party, at least some of the time he actually lives up to, what he allegedly stands for, which is a bit of middle of the road common sense.
Ihumātao is a disaster waiting to happen. The Prime Minister made it the mess it is by injecting herself into it before she left for that trip to Tokelau, remember? She instructed building to stop. How she got away with that, lord knows. Fletcher Building got royally screwed.
She sent a couple of Ministers in, who presumably sorted a deal out and there it has sat, ready to go, with our money, except for Peters standing in the way.
Ihumātao was a done deal before the government ever made a mess of it. The group that protested is part of the group that sold it to Fletchers. That’s all this is, a group who didn’t agree within the group. That, at no point, should ever have been our problem, until Ardern made it so.
Peters point is you do a deal here, every other Treaty claimant will be back for another crack. Full and final will mean nothing. And that is the danger of Ihumātao.
Do a deal, don't like the deal? Do another deal. How long do you reckon that train wreck of an approach lasts and how much do you reckon that costs?
We owe Peters a debt of gratitude. But if Labour will win the election, Ihumātao will be the start of a mess they’ll have lost control of from day one.

THE BEST BITS IN A SILLIER PACKAGE (from Monday's Mike Hosking Breakfast) Another Poll/Border Bash Bangs On/Business VS Government/No Jab, Thanks/No Deal, Thanks

The Act Party continue to be the big improvers in the political polls heading into the 2020 General Election.
In the latest Reid Research poll, Act sit on 6.3 per cent, meaning they no longer need to rely on the safety net of leader David Seymour winning the Epsom seat.
Last week the latest Colmar Brunton poll placed Act at seven per cent.
Seymour told Mike Hosking it is a result of strong policies.
"Euthanasia showed Act can work consistently with every single party to get something done that is positive to New Zealand. But also, we've stood on principle against every other party, on things like Zero Carbon act and firearm laws we may have agreed with the intention, but said this is bad law making and someone's got to take a stand against it.
"In many cases they [the Government] simply haven't practiced what they might of and left a lot of New Zealander a long way out of pocket and a greater health danger."
Seymour is confident the party's support is 'real'.
"Ultimately a poll is a snapshot in time... our job is to be representatives and that is to hear the concerns and aspirations of of New Zealanders."
In the poll, Labour is on 50.1 per cent, meaning they could govern alone. National sit way down on 29.6 per cent.

A trans-Tasman bubble between New Zealand and New South Wales could be open within weeks according to reports out of Australia.
With both areas involved currently battling Covid-019 outbreaks, trips would reportedly only be open to Kiwis from the South Island to start with.
But Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is not promising anything, and says they are still seeking assurances from Australia.
Reports also say New Zealand may also be opened to residents of some Australian states before Christmas.

The Prime Minister told Mike Hosking the Government wants to make sure any travel bubble excludes states that still have Covid 19, like Victoria.

"We need to make sure they've got a firm border between Victoria and those states from which you are opening up travel. Then you've need to make sure that you've got routes that do no have transit passengers on them."

"How bad do I feel?"
It's not often that Mike Hosking admits to being in the wrong, but he has fallen on his sword this week after criticising the Jet Park quarantine facility. 
Mike said on radio earlier this week that he would happily travel around the world if he could, as long as it meant he didn't end up somewhere like the quarantine facility that's been set up at Jet Park. 
The comments struck a chord with the general manager at Jet Park - who, it turns out, is a fan of Mike Hosking Breakfast, along with many of the staff. 
She wrote a letter to Mike, calling for the media to remove the stigma that the staff and facility face every day for working there.
"Our goal every day is to demonstrate care, empathy, understanding and kindness to guests staying with us during these stressful times."
It forced Mike to apologise to the time, saying he felt genuinely bad about it - to the surprise of Wrapping the Week guests Kate Hawkesby and Tim Wilson.
LISTEN ABOVE

Sir John Kirwan's finding the divisions at Sanzaar level unfathomable ahead of the Australian-based Rugby Championship.
The All Blacks are scheduled to play their final match of tournament on December 12, which has caused ructions because they'll be required to spend Christmas Day in quarantine away from their families.
He's calling for more unity.
"It just looks like it's totally disjointed and a bit of oneupmanship at the moment, which is not great for anybody."
Kirwan also wants the government to treat the team as a test case for restructured procedures as the Covid-19 crisis lurches on.
He told Mike Hosking he wants to see more lateral thinking from politicians. 
"Can you come home and do less the 14 days? I think that's now the NZRU's challenge to go back to the Government and ask 'can we maybe be a guinea pig for the future of quarantine?'."

At the end of each week, Mike Hosking takes you through the big ticket items and lets you know what he makes of it all.
The First Debate
8/10
"Good times, good contest, and a sign that the bulk of us love a bit of sport, political or otherwise."
Greg Foran
7/10
"Spoke out, said elimination isn't real.
"And those who take a more moderate path, like Australia, will win. He's right."
Levels
7/10
"I'm thrilled for the country, apart from Auckland.
"Level 1 isn't normal, but for now it's as close as. But for Auckland what a joke."
Paul Goldsmith's Fiscal Hole
2/10
"Coins are easy to miss, $4 billion isn't."
ACT Party
9/10
"Political stars of the week.
'Seven percent and climbing is an astonishing achievement when you start at one percent."
Julie Anne Genter's Bottom Line
3/10
"This is trouble.
"Bottom line or top priority? No new taxes or maybe new taxes? Straight up and down or spinning us a line?"
Tax Cuts
8/10
"Letting people keep their money.
"Who would have thought you'd have to argue for that to be a thing?"
The Auckland Harbour Bridge
2/10
"What else can you say? #1935."
Elton John's Postponed NZ Shows
4/10
"Face it, he's not coming."
The Ranfurly Shield
8/10
"With the All Blacks in the Mitre 10 Cup and the shield on the move, it's another bright spot for sport in the toughest of years."
LISTEN ABOVE FOR MIKE HOSKING'S FULL WEEK IN REVIEW

If the fees free at university didn’t work, what do you reckon is going to happen to the new procurement rules?
The government spends $42 billion a year buying stuff. It's 138 departments spend a lot of money, buying a lot of stuff. That's called procurement.
First issue, I would have thought is do we really need 138 departments? As an exercise I did this earlier this year for a reason I can't remember, but I looked up all the government departments we have. Go do it, it's worth it. You'll be astonished at the stuff we have that you’ve literally never heard of.
Anyway, they buy a lot of things. And under the new rules they need to consider not just what they're buying or whether it's any good, but whether it's helped Pacific Islanders, Maori, women or the disabled. I wish I was kidding.
The upside is it also involves a remit requiring a greater emphasis on quality construction, and that is no bad thing. When it comes to building stuff in this country we have been abysmal, and anything we can do to aim for quality and longevity over price I'm all for.
I am all for, by the way, women, Maori, and anyone else you want to stick in a category separate to anyone else.
In that is the madness, I don't categorise people by race or gender, or indeed height or hair colour. I couldn't care less who you are, or where you come from. What I care about, especially if I'm hiring you, is if you're any good.
What do I need, and what does it do? Whether it's goods or services, what is it you're offering? Is it value for money? Will it do the job I want it to do? Have you, through your skills and experience, given me something by way of a transaction that suits us both?
The moment you step outside that calculation, you are compromising. It could be on price. Why is it so cheap? Or why is it so expensive and am I being ripped off?
Or if it's to do with gender or race, am I buying something that I wouldn’t buy normally because I am under instruction? Does the purchase cross the threshold because the company stacked the deck with race or gender based employees at the expense of quality, longevity, or product specifications?
Once you're down that track, it's a rabbit hole you're not coming out of. It's theoretical, ideological rubbish and waste. And yet again using our money, and money we don’t even have any more.
Is this really the best that they can do in digging us out of a financial hole, the likes we have never seen?