I want to take a moment to salute the courage of my weekly sparring partner on NZs number 1 weekly political podcast (that isn’t funded by NZ on Air), Damien Grant.

He’s the 75th most important columnist at Stuff with a beard and he continues to provide some of the weeks best columns because he has courage to take on issues most of the commentariat are too frightened to even mention least they become the target of a woke on line cancellation Lynch mob.

In these Cultural Revolution times of woke deplatforming and right wing Qanon white supremacy death threats, the fine line of telling it like it is has never been more dangerous.

The vast, vast, vast majority of mainstream columnists and journalists in this country have very clear colour inside the lines rules of acceptable debate and slavish acceptance of whatever the militant middle class identity politics aesthetics will allow.

That’s why Damien is such a champ, he is prepared to actually critique and challenge on issues everyone is too frightened to mention because it raises questions no one wants to answer.

His blistering critique of Oranga Tamariki and their obscenely racist reverse uplifts policy was barely touched by anyone else because it ruthlessly challenged woke identity politics, likewise his review of the post #metoo crucification of James Gardner-Hopkins which exploded with allegations the law firm was a sexual harassment factory when the actual sad details of what really happened were far, far, far, far, far, far less egregious.

His latest column today asks basic questions about our need to blame racism for everything, which has always been a bugbear of mine.

People often ask how do I stand hanging out with a libertarian so much, because I respect Damien for having the courage to say what he thinks, I don’t agree with it at times, but I respect him for using his platform to actually do what columnists are supposed to do, force us to reflect and question things.

He didn’t get a nomination for best columnist this year, and quite frankly that’s a badge of honour when you check out his competition.

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