Raw Politics: When ministers know best

Are we being governed now by a cadre of middle managers? People who won’t stay in their lanes but need to be dipping into the detailed operations of government agencies and making the small decisions, well.
Newsroom senior political reporter Marc Daalder, Newsroom national affairs editor Sam Sachdeva and co-editor Tim Murphy discuss the coalition’s forked tongue approach to ‘operational matters’ in government departments and in relation to the boards of state companies.
When the Prime Minister, no less, devotes his post-Cabinet press conference to whether public servants are working from home or gathering at offices, and shareholding ministers in Crown entities are wanting to be consulted on all manner of small value decisions, there’s been a change of approach.
Ministers will, with some justification, argue that an interventionist, hands-on management is needed given they can’t trust the deep state to change itself adequately, fast enough.
The panel discusses the sensitivities over New Zealand’s foreign affairs stance on the latest UN vote on Israel – and whether in a three-party coalition if such vote-by-vote decision-making could, or should, be consulted on among party leaders before being actioned.
Our reader question asks why the leader of a big bank has waded into the political quicksand of advocating a capital gains tax.
Finally, the panelists recommend something to read, listen to or watch on the weekend ahead:
Raw Politics will be available on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your favourite shows every Friday, and you can watch it on YouTube above.