Deborah Coddington's Liberty Belle

In case you think I’m showing off, my electorate chairman and electorate organiser, she-who-must-be-obeyed, told me to write this Liberty Belle. She says it’s because she has lots of people asking her when they can hear me on the wireless. I think it’s because she just loves bossing me around and since she’s had the ‘flu’ for the last week, she’s not been at work bossing other people around so I’ve copped it. Anyway, as I said, she’s not a woman, she’s a force of nature, so I dare not defy her.

Every Wednesday, after the eight o’clock news, John Tamihere and I speak with Paul Holmes about the week in politics on Newstalk ZB. Well, it’s meant to be JT and me, but he often goes AWOL so it’s just me. Like this week, and it wasn’t Paul, ‘cos he was AWOL, it was Mike Hosking. And JT was AWOL, so I had the slot to myself. Confused? So am I most Wednesday mornings. Just to confuse you even more, it used to be Tuesday mornings, but they changed to Wednesday because JT was always jumping on a plane, or getting off a plane, or in trouble and banned by THE BOSS from talking to the public, or had slept in because his little kids had kept him awake all night. So we changed it to Wednesday morning and JT still goes AWOL. No matter, I enjoy doing this slot. Sometimes we don’t talk strictly about politics. Like the time Paul asked me if I had mould up my botty.

Continuing with Newstalk ZB, every third Sunday, after the 10 o’clock news, I do Kerre’s Cafe' with Kerre Woodham and another guest. Last week (10 July) it was Oliver Driver. Usually it’s Dr Brian Edwards (Dr Brayin’ Oddwords) and that’s a good mix. I used to do it with Willie Jackson and that was neat fun, but the bosses at Newstalk ZB decided to mix us up a bit so they separated Dr Brian and Michelle Boag, and Willie and Me. Don’t know why I got Oliver Driver last Sunday (he’s a big STAR; a CELEB). He was on Shortland Street. But it’s not for me to question why. I just do what I’m told by Kerre’s wonderfully mad producer Jim, and Paul’s extremely rude and bold producer Phil.

I also write a column every week for the Herald on Sunday. Sometimes it’s political. Often it’s not. This Sunday it’s about the humiliation of being a fat 52-year-old mother shopping for clothes with your thin 30-year-old daughter. Last week it was on Winston Peters and MMP. Also this week I’ve been the MP to turn the tables on one of the Gallery journalists, political sketch-writer Jane Clifton, who’s just published an hilarious book called ‘Political Animals’. It’s really very good (the book I mean, not the interview).

And finally, from now until the election (whenever HRH The Prime Minister deigns to name the date) I’ll be doing irregular political commentary for TVNZ on the Good Morning Show with Paul Henry at around 8.30 (along with Wyatt Creech, Laila Harre and me ole mate Willie Jackson), and on the Tonight Show, at 10.30pm.

So there. Now you know. And if you don’t want to hear me, see me, speak me (just kidding – I made that last one up), you know when not to turn on the wireless, open the paper, or watch the telly.

Yours in liberty,

Deborah Coddington

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