Does the Talbot Mills poll out yesterday blow wide open the overt and corrupt actions of the parts of the media that went to town last week, and the week before, on the Prime Minister?

Does the Talbot Mills poll out yesterday with National on 32% also build on evidence that they are not 28%, nor were they ever 28%, therefore there was never a need to go to town last week, and the week before, on the Prime Minister?

As we count the number of polls, and I have at least six, if not seven, that have National well into the 30's vs the one that has National at 28%, can we conclude the 28% was an outlier, should have been seen as one and, therefore, treated as such?

Given large swathes of the media didn’t treat it as such, we can very confidently say those parts of the media showed an unprofessional bias against the Government.

Can we also say that if the polls continue to show National in the 30's (and not the 20's) and polls continue to show as yesterday's does a hung Parliament (at worst) but more realistically, based on the Māori Party assumption, a re-elected Government, that rolling a leader of a party destined for a second term is not actually a realistic prospect, or anywhere close?

The less realistic it is the more absurd their agenda-driven, brain explosion looks.

Hipkins too was asked this week whether his leadership is safe. Safe from what? Furious ex-wives?

Is that the problem? The political media only have a grab bag of questions around the same theme – are you quitting? Are you safe? Is a coup brewing? Are you going home to consider your options?

The problem with so many of them being as inexperienced as they are, is they lack any form of institutional knowledge and, as such, haven't really seen proper political drama. A rogue poll and a rogue ex aren't it.

Mix that with the fact they are overtly biased against the Government and all you need is one ropy poll at 28% and it's Operation Epic Fury: Gallery style.

In a world where news cycles turn at an increasing rate of knots this crime, and it is a crime committed by those charged with political coverage, deserves ongoing attention simply because it's election year.

Yesterday's poll starts to expose very clearly that the Government has two oppositions – one made up of Labour, the Greens, and the Māori Party, and the other made up of a decent chunk of the media, some of whom are funded by the taxpayer.

If that doesn’t worry you in election year, nothing does.

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Mike's Minute: Further proof the Taxpayer poll was an outlier

The Mike Hosking Breakfast