The Mike Hosking Breakfast

So that was what we waited months for, eh?
Labour’s cheaper public transport policy.
A policy so predictable that we actually did predict it four hours before it was released.
And it was predictable because it’s not a new idea. It’s an idea they took from 2022, dusted it off, and tried running out again with the tiniest of tweaks.
Being predictable is a problem because it’s not interesting. It means it won’t get cut-through. It’s not a policy that creates the kind of buzz they need after months of policy drought.
You know what else is a problem? Their maths.
There is no way this is going to cost $65 million a year and save 1.3 million public transport users an average of $1,200 a year.
$1,200 times 1.3 million users is $1.6 billion.
They’re either fibbing about the cost, or they’re fibbing about the benefit.
I think it’s a bit of both.
What’s worse for me, though, is that this policy suggests Labour may not have any ideas other than spending money.
It’s what they do every single time there’s an election or a crisis.
Cost of living crisis post-Covid? Hand out $350.
Child poverty? Give mums of newborns $70 a week for a few weeks.
Want to win an election? Make a year of university free.
That doesn’t grow the economy. It doesn’t actually fix the fundamental problems we have, like high inflation or low wages. It just throws money at the symptom—stretched budgets—and grows the debt.
It’s not running a country. Spending money is the easiest thing in the world to do.
You and I could run the place tomorrow if that was the extent of the thinking required.
I’m disappointed this is what Labour made us all wait months for.
They’ve got another five months. They need to do more than this with future policy announcements if they want a proper chance at the election.
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A second night of disorder is unfolding in Northern Ireland's Belfast, with rioters hurling objects at police.
Hundreds of masked protesters set cars and buildings alight in a violent, anti-immigration display yesterday following a Sudanese refugee allegedly stabbing a man.
Local officials are condemning the violence and anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s circling.
UK Correspondent Enda Brady told Heather du Plessis-Allan that police had to use a water cannon to try and disperse protestors, who were trying to get at a hotel used to house migrants and asylum seekers.
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Alan Davies is getting everything out into the open and bringing his new tour to Kiwi stages.
The British comedian is best known for his regular spot on the long-running panel show QI and his portrayal of the titular role in Jonathan Creek.
And now he’s returning to New Zealand’s shores for the first time in a decade – with ten performances of his new stand-up show over the span of two weeks.
‘Think Ahead’ was written alongside the second volume of his memoir —White Male Stand-Up— which deals with the ongoing impacts of childhood abuse, the death of his mother, and navigating the world of comedy and television.
“I started to work up, kind of alongside it, ideas for a stand-up show, and really wanting to talk about all the more difficult things I’ve experienced in that form,” he told Heather du Plessis-Allan.
“Thinking, well, I’ve been doing this for 35 years, I’m able to turn my hand to it.”
Davis knows he’s not alone in his experiences, that there are people in the audience who’ve experienced similar things and are sitting there in silence – just as he did.
“Let’s get it out in the open.”
“I try and be as funny as possible, and present a full version of who I am, really, and it's, I think it's really paying off, the response is really good, it's been very gratifying, I didn't know how it would go,” he told du Plessis-Allan.
“I just think it’s the best show I’ve ever done.”
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Security measures and ticket prices for this year’s FIFA World Cup may be dampening the spirit of the event.
The expanded tournament features 48 teams and is being hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
But the combined paranoia of FIFA and the US Government has resulted in intense security – NZ Herald Sport Journalist Michael Burgess describing it as “way over the top”.
The tournament has also been mired by high ticket prices, with resale tickets being sold for thousands of dollars, and tickets for the finals costing over $15 thousand dollars.
Burgess told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it will still be a great tournament – the stadiums will be pretty full, and it’ll look great on television.
But he says what FIFA and the United States have done has taken the heart and soul out of what’s normally a celebration of sport, football, and the international community.
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On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast with Heather du Plessis-Allan for Thursday 10th of June, Heather challenges Labour's Tangi Utikere on the party's costings for its cheaper public transport policy.
We find out whether the current housing downturn will cause records, and when the market might return to its 2021 peaks.
Famed British comedian Alan Davies is bringing his unique comedy to New Zealand with his new tour ‘Think Ahead’.
And Heather gets a vibe from the United States the day before the FIFA World Cup kicks off.
Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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