The edited transcript

As I said in the update to my previous post, the transcript sent to me by the PMs Office was not a transcript. It missed out key words.

The actual e-mail to me said:

Here’s the transcript from the IV with Chris Lynch, Newstalk ZB this morning.

Have you considered cutting ties with Clare Curran? Some would say she’s a liability. Keep him mind that she didn’t put a meeting in the diary and she lost her position in cabinet for it.

Are you considering firing her? No, because I think she’s paid a price. I have huge expectations of my ministers and those in the ministry but I also accept that from time to time they will also have bad days. I have to kind in mind that we do want to make sure that we don’t set the bar so high that you have the situation that if you show a bit of human frailty you lose your job over it.

The actual transcript is:

CL: Have you considered – have you considered as prime minister cutting ties with Clare Curran, because some would suggest she’s becoming a liability to your government.

JA: Keep in mind that she didn’t put a meeting in the diary and she lost her position in cabinet over it.

CL: Are you considering cutting ties with her, though, firing her?

JA: No, because I think she’s paid her price. See, I have huge expectations of my ministers and those in the ministry, but I also accept that from time to time they will also have bad days. So, you know, I have to keep in mind that, you know, that we do want to make sure that we — don’t set the bar so high that you don’t, can’t have, you know, the situation where if you show a bit of human frailty you lose your job over it.

That is a very significant difference. It is an omission that is material and should not have occurred.

I wonder if the faulty transcript was sent to others in the media?

This just shows again that the political management is so lacking. They’ve turned a story about Curran resigning into a story about the PM.

I just can’t comprehend why they didn’t announce the resignation last night or at 7 am this morning. Surely no one would really advise the PM “Hey lets hold off the announcement until midday even though you have a media interview at 8 am and will be asked about this”.