Book Review: , reviewed by Tony Orman.
by Tony Orman
I’ve just read a newly published book “Ringside: A Political Memoir” by Mike Munro who in his working career as a journalist spent nearly 22 years working inside the parliamentary Beehive in Wellington. He reported on politics from the parliamentary press gallery for 10 years -often referred to as a “poacher” of political scoop stories before switching to the game keeper side as chief press secretary to Labour prime minister Helen Clark, and later as chief of staff to Labour Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
He was a political poacher and then political gamekeeper
The author’s days as a political journalist coincided with a tumultuous period of change, starting with the ousting from office of the formidable and polarising Robert Muldoon and his National government in 1984, followed by the sweeping Rogernomics “reform” programme led firstly by the David Lange-led Labour government and carried on by National government PMs in Jim Bolger and Jenny Shipley.
Mike Munro then became a cross-code convert, signing on as Labour leader Helen Clark’s chief press secretary, four years before Clark became prime minister at the end of 1999 and was Helen Clark’s media boss for 10 years. He admired Helen Clark for her tenacity in overcoming early challenges to her leadership then her steadfast leadership as prime minister when labour was elected.
He returned in 2017 to join Labour leader Jacinda Ardern’s team for post-election coalition talks, and then went into the Prime Minister’s Office as Ardern’s chief of staff, a position he filled for 18 months.
In this memoir, Munro provides insights into events and personalities that dominated his time such as the fall of Muldoon, the rise and then collapse of the Lange government, the ins and outs of press gallery life, the bruising political party leadership contests, the troubles and then triumphs of the Clark years, the personalities he got to see close up, and the flowering of the Ardern government before it was engulfed by the aftermath of the 2019 mosque shootings and COVID-19 pandemic.
Anti-Firearm Law
It was the mosque tragedy of 2019 that intrigued me. It was at this point that in an oblique way, I did not agree with the author’s conclusions or rather his lack of opinion on Jacinda Ardern’s subsequent rushed anti-firearm legislation. He doesn’t specifically name Brenton Harrison Tarrant but clearly refers to him as a “white supremacist -and had been reported to Australian police for sending threatening messages — had come to New Zealand.”
I had heard that Tarrant was “under watch” by Australian authorities but Mike Munro’s brief reference confirms it.
Which in turn raises the question which Mike Munro seems unaware of – how did Tarrant get a New Zealand firearm licence which police granted him, despite several glaring deficiencies in his application and especially that he was indeed “under watch” by Australia. Surely the New Zealand police alerted by the deficiencies in Tarrant’s application, should have checked with Australia?
They didn’t and gave Tarrant his firearm licence which using, he went on to purchase firearms and large quantities of ammunition and then commit murder of 51 people.
There’s questions there that have never been answered.
The author just refers briefly to the Labour government passing firearm laws and may not be aware the rushed bill targeted law-abiding firearm owners and left criminals and gangs unscathed.
But it shows that politics and any facet of Kiwi life, such as firearm laws and hunting or range shooting can in the end, be strongly related to politics and political decisions.
It’s an absorbing book to read if you do take an interest in politics.
The book has one cluster of photographs but unfortunately lacks an index.
You may not agree with the author’s opinions, for example his admiration for the polarising figure of Jacinda Ardern. Either way of your personal views, it’s an engaging insight – by a man “ringside” and close to the action – into a host of politicians and their ways and wiles.
Politics in your hunting, fishing or tramping is nothing more than “cause and effect”.
Think trout farming. The cause is political. The effect was anglers in 1972 at election time opposing trout farming and booting National out.
“Save Manapouri” the same.
Anglers and hunters and other outdoort Kiwis need to realise they need to stand up to short sighted political agendas and fight at election time.
Think November 7 later this year.
This sounds an interesting book.
Apathy by too many people is the biggest obstacle to overcome. That’s why arrogant fools like Shane Jones are able to wield such power and make outrageous decisions while giving “fingers” to democracy.
Do you know, Jones has only been in Parliament as a list MP despite standing unsuccessfully several times in successive elections?
NZ First was barmy to make him deputy leader.
The mosque shooter showed so many red flags that the rules certainly needed tightening. I note that it wasn’t just the Labour Party that voted for the new restrictions. These largely hit your average hunter/farmer, Surely it would have been better to also treble or more the penalties for misuse of firearms. That would give Judges more control over gang members etc both as a threat and as a punishment.
Tony Orman’s review suggest this book could be an interesting read.
However twenty years as an active freshwater advocate presenting at select committees and even standing unsuccessfully for my regional council has soured me of anything to do with politicians.
The current government’s comprehensive dismantling of any and all environmental protections in the name of “growth” is the last straw.
Damn them one and all!
Casey Will love this book, I bet he has a picture of Cindy on his lounges wall.
Albanese tried the same gun law shit after the Bondi shootings, this is nothing more than a smoke screens for government security failures.
The rotting state of democracy was shown in 2019 when the Ardern administration rushed the law through with little or no select committee examination – thousands of submissions and the law was hastened through in a couple of days. It made a total farce of the select committee process.
All but one member of New Zealand’s Parliament voted to change gun laws, less than a month after the deadly shooting attacks by Tarrant on two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people.
The New Zealand Law Society warned that rushing creates bad law.
Law abiding firearm owners of society got clobbered as did democracy.
The criminals didn’t get affected. In fact as I recall, there were more shootings particularly gang related, after the mosque atrocity.