1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,680 Speaker 1: So he's a little bit of happy news for anyone 2 00:00:01,800 --> 00:00:04,520 Speaker 1: still feeling an injustice over the petty way that Trevor 3 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Mallard turned the sprinklers on the Parliamentary protesters and made 4 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: everything worse. He is coming home from his plum job 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: in Ireland as the ambassador, as Winston Peter says, quoting 6 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:17,760 Speaker 1: the seekers, the carnival's over. And it's a good job too, 7 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: because it was always deeply unfair that Mallard could behave 8 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: like a child towards Fallow Kiwi's and basically torment Fallow 9 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: Kiwi's and then be rewarded by his mates with a 10 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:31,760 Speaker 1: job that was funded by Kiwi's. Now Winston's trying to 11 00:00:31,760 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: spin this like he's bringing Trevor Mallard home early. He's 12 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: actually not really at all. Trevor's dwe home in January. 13 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 1: It's understood that he's going to be back in November. 14 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: Whoopedie doo two months early and a three year term 15 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: is hardly a punishment or a massive recall, isn't it. 16 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:46,560 Speaker 1: I mean, if Winston wanted to bring him home early, 17 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 1: he could have brought him home at any point in 18 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: the last two years that he's been the Foreign Minister. 19 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 1: But I will agree with Winston on something here, which 20 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 1: is that I think we have got to stop appointing 21 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:58,880 Speaker 1: politicians to diplomatic jobs. He says full stop. I say 22 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,160 Speaker 1: as a reward. I still think that there will be 23 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,600 Speaker 1: some politicians who are exceptional and who deserve these jobs 24 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,320 Speaker 1: because they would do an excellent job representing us. And 25 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:09,840 Speaker 1: I've always thought it was a pity that Halen Clark 26 00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:12,920 Speaker 1: never got a posting overseas. But often they are just 27 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: lousy at it, aren't they. I mean Phil Goff stuffed up, 28 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: he had to come back. Jonathan Hunt embarrassed us by 29 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 1: wanting to claim the pension in the UK when he 30 00:01:21,080 --> 00:01:24,199 Speaker 1: was already on a very good wicket from US. Kevin Rudd, 31 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,400 Speaker 1: the Australian version of all of this, got sent to 32 00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: Washington by the Aussies and then embarrassed them by posting 33 00:01:28,760 --> 00:01:31,400 Speaker 1: weird stuff about Trump before Trump became president again, then 34 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: having to go back through his social media is and 35 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,920 Speaker 1: delete it all. Being a politician doesn't necessarily make these 36 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: people a good diplomat, and Trevor Mallard is absolutely an 37 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 1: example of that. He has never been accused of being diplomatic. 38 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,840 Speaker 1: In my opinion, the only reason that he ever got 39 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,360 Speaker 1: this gig in Ireland is because his daughter lives in Ireland, 40 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 1: and because he was some sort of an evuncular figure 41 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: to Grant and Jacinda and Chippy, who were in government 42 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 1: when he was appointed. That is not a good reason 43 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: to send someone to an ambassador's job. It's not a 44 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:00,840 Speaker 1: good reason to get a job that you and I 45 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: are paying for. So, as Winston says, Carnival's over good 46 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,519 Speaker 1: thing too. For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen 47 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: live to News Talks it B from four pm weekdays, 48 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:13,880 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.