Congrats to Campbell Live for Auckland Mayor debate

A massive congrats to tonights Campbell Live, it was one of the best debates between Len Brown and John Banks to date and shames suggestions that TV3 should gut Campbell Live. Campbell Live can survive if it slashes production costs by becoming talking head current affairs with well researched guests talking about the issues that matter rather than the weak Parnell Housewife lifestyle magazine show it drifted into.

Tonights debate was excellent, John as a host can ask questions in that 'keep the buggers honest' style better than anyone at TVNZ and he kept dragging both Brown and Banks back to the questions at hand.

Banks is the perfect politician, he was slick and sharp, his strength is that Auckland is an old boys club and no one is the king of the old boys like Banks, but Len, who started a little less sure footed, rammed home his strengths of being a bridge builder and consensus maker while clearly stating policy difference between his no privatization agenda against Banks history to privatize.

Campbell played an old clip of some outrageous homophobic statement by Banks, which was expertly disarmed by Banks admitting he had made mistakes and had changed his divisive ways, but shortly after that, John Banks made an unbelievably inflammatory statement claiming that Len Brown wanted to divide the city based on race?!? That comment was so clearly the dog whistle divisive Banks of old, accidentally revealing the changes to Banks vicious nature really is just cosmetic.

Do Aucklanders really want to hand power over to a sly old leopard who hasn't changed his spots who is linked at the pocket to the very same National Party who broke yet another promise to consult Aucklanders on the appointment of the unelected CCO directors who will cost Auckland $2.3 million.

Well done Len Brown, if he keeps performing like this he will be the next Mayor of Auckland.