Mike's Minute: My thoughts on Ginny and Mark

Published: Feb. 21, 2024, 8:24 p.m.

It's one of life's oddity's when it comes to things playing out publicly, that what might have exploded one day, doesn\u2019t on another.\xa0

The tragedy of Efeso Collins quite rightly became yesterday's political story, and in doing so, saved Ginny Anderson from greater scrutiny and, perhaps, embarrassment.\xa0

The house was paused after speeches. Mark Mitchell quite rightly didn\u2019t want to talk about it given the focus on Collins' passing.\xa0

But what he did say was she had texted him to say she had overstepped the line. Chris Hipkins said she had overstepped the line.\xa0

He also said she had apologised, which she hadn't. Saying you overstepped the line and saying sorry are two different things.\xa0

Your reaction has been forthright and voluminous.\xa0

There is no doubt Mitchell deserves a heartfelt apology. What unfolded on this programme yesterday was gobsmacking.\xa0

It was an innocent conversation about past work, as a result of the Grant Robertson resignation and whether MPs should bring more real-world experience to the house and therefore running the country.\xa0

Anderson raised Mitchell's past security work and company, and if she had kept her head, that would have been that.\xa0

But it wasn\u2019t.\xa0

It was like something snapped and she passed the point of no return.\xa0

Live radio, or live broadcasting of any sort, especially unscripted, is hard. You have to keep your wits about you, you have to know when enough is enough, or indeed when it isn't enough and push a little further.\xa0

We all make mistakes. Many, many a time I have sat here thinking "how close to the line am I here?"\xa0

What Anderson did was personal. Not just personal, but ill-informed too. Once she crossed the line it got brutal and was an unbridled attack of jaw-dropping proportions.\xa0

A saving grace is they are both politicians who live in an, at times, ugly business.\xa0

But that doesn\u2019t make yesterday right, or excusable, or even close to it.\xa0

The ball is in Mark's court. If he wants an apology, he should get one. I'm sure he could find a lawyer or two who would be more than happy to pursue matters elsewhere.\xa0

The best and most obvious thing Ginny could do is unreservedly say sorry. Accept it was a moment of madness, it was completely uncalled for and reflected badly on her and her party.\xa0

I'm looking forward to this Wednesday.\xa0

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