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Should I have been surprised?\xa0

The debate around the Press debate has entered day two. If it carries on today that\u2019s day three and that's two days too many.\xa0

Sure, it's news that a Prime Minister gets ill and can't attend a pre-arranged event. But that\u2019s about it.\xa0

There is a certain irony that, having spent the past week deciding broadly that debates are a bit of a waste of time, certain players should be wasting energy and going out of their way to scrap over yet another one.\xa0

In a sad kind of way it displays just how lost the Labour Party are. Even if you accept Chris Hipkins won the second debate, nothing has changed. The needle didn\u2019t move.\xa0

Chris Luxon didn\u2019t fall apart, he just wasn\u2019t as interested in yelling over people as Hipkins was. As one reviewer put the Newshub debate, it was more game show than game changer.\xa0

To an extent, it's all Labour have left. Voting is underway, they are a mile behind, there isn't a poll that shows their three-way combo of craziness can get the numbers required, so what have they got to lose?\xa0

Well, quite a bit actually. One school of thought, surely, is that each debate they run the risk of losing.\xa0

Debate one they lost and they interjected their way to victory in debate two. Although, it's important to point out that it was the so-called media experts that called it for Hipkins. An online poll in the NZ Herald using real people had it for Luxon. Either way there is risk.\xa0

Labour might want to try and sure-up their vote and hope it doesn\u2019t sink further.\xa0

Here is the simple truth if you are Luxon - why bother? His final week is full. I have seen the agenda and he is all over the country.\xa0

He is in the lead, he has the momentum and his final week and his schedule is carefully controlled. Why shake it up because the Prime Minister got sick?\xa0

Control the narrative, say the stuff you want to say and wait for the numbers to roll in Saturday night. Besides, there is already the previously scheduled debate on TV1 next Thursday.\xa0

The nonsense about Christchurch and the South island and a large audience smacks of desperation. It was on, one bloke couldn\u2019t do it, it's now off. That's life.\xa0

You probably would have gained more brownie points by calling it off straight away and saving those of us who are left, and can be bothered to watch, a couple of hours of yet more regurgitated material, mixed with inaudible bickering.\xa0

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