Ryan Bridge: The hysteria over Casey Costello's handling of smoking

Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

The real proof will be in the pudding – if smoking rates come down, does it matter how she did it?

If it was a non-tobacco company getting a tax cut to provide a product that was less harmful than ciggies would there be outrage?

Or are we blinded by the fact it's a multinational whose legacy has been peddling cigarettes that clouds our judgement?

Are we being rational about this?

Isn't the ultimate goal to reduce smoking rates?

Are the ‘try anything, do it differently’ policies she's pushing going to bring smoking rates down?

Time will tell.

She should have been more on to it and open about the advice she had received on heat not burn products, sure. It's being released this week, we're told.

But calling for her to resign and labelling her as corrupt and in the hands of the tobacco lobby are a bit much.

Costello's own father died of smoking related respiratory disease. She's a Māori woman herself.

Can you imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and National was accusing a Māori wahine toa minister, who's dad had died of cancer, of being in the pocket of big tobacco and actively trying to cause genocide on her own people, what the reaction would be form the left?

If the argument is that she should be more open and transparent, half of Labour's last cabinet should have resigned in their first term too,

So far, no smoking gun. Let's see what she's achieved once the smoke clears.

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