Crypto Regulation

Morning and welcome today, Nicola Willis on inflation and the Famous Five. More people than ever have enrolled in health to make it their career, which is encouraging. The IRD are after your crypto, Mark and Jenny, politics Wednesday of course, Richard and Steve from Beyond the Borders as well. Seven past six, welcome to the day. Quite possible the Prime Minister might look back on yesterday's caucus meeting as a moment that defined his leadership. He read the riot act, of course, they had a vote, he won. He was always going to win. But in making a statement afterwards, he hopefully once and for all sent a message to the media that the sort of drama they live for is over. He should have done this sooner, of course. He's 100% right when he says most of us have got no interest in the minutiae and gossip that envelops the Beltway. This is a country. With a myriad of issues facing us and every moment you spend on frippery is a moment wasted on real problems. Yes, you can blame Afindel and Bishop and his mates for talking and leaking, but in totality, when you look at what led to yesterday, five idiots and a bloke from the hut who sort of fancied himself, what a mountain out of a molehill. In a caucus of 50-ish, a handful of nobodies got spooked and caused too much damage. But, aided by the media who don't like the government and certainly don't like Lux and so leapt into it with a lacquer. The Laxen deserves a lot better. No, he is not one of the nation's greats. Mind you, they said that about John Howard for many years until they realised they were wrong. But what Laxen is, is a hardworking, successful operator managing a three-way deal to run a country mired in debt in a world at war and when we're not at war finding any number of problems to provide no end of challenges for a small country at the bottom of the planet. You can't fault his ambition and you can't fault his work ethic. If you don't like National Fine, don't vote for them. But the point is he's in it always has been for the right reasons and that's to be respected not white-handed the bit that would have got me It was upon arrival he tidied his party up, the leaking and the backstabbing was stopped. His reward for that was the gormless and self-absorbed fools that went on and let him down. They should be embarrassed and ashamed of themselves, but hopefully, Luxon emerges from this stronger. Every now and then you see a flash of it. Monday post-cabinet he spoke with passion about immigration. Yesterday the same, but about gossip and wasting time. He needs to be himself more. He doesn't like the Beltway and who can blame him.