Causing offence what Alan Jones does best

Alan Jones appears on Nine News. Picture: Supplied

Alan Jones thinks Jacinda Ardern is a “lightweight” and should, to use a time-honoured Australian phrase, “put a sock in it”.

But that’s not how it came out. He actually said Scott Morrison should “shove a sock down her throat”.

I am a fan of the New Zealand Prime Minister and so I would never say what Jones said but, nonetheless, I must have offended thousands during my almost 70 years on this planet.

It seems to me that far too many people in this day and age spend too much time looking for offence.

Jones also suffers from the tall-poppy syndrome, with too many people death-riding him and salivating each time he errs. My ­advice to them is to get a life.

Jones does get things wrong but for the most part he champions the causes of people who have little or no clout in today’s society.

The mob admire his tenacity because, like a dog with a bone, he won’t let go.

He has managed to offend almost everybody over time yet he is either forgiven for his foibles or is so powerful and passionate as a broadcaster that people return to his spot on the dial again and again.

Like it or lump it, Jones is a radio phenomenon and his detractors will be really annoyed to know he is stubbornly healthy and ready for years more of taunting and terrorising his enemies. His program is heard throughout the length and breadth of the land.

Morning radio, both AM and FM, is of increasing importance in election campaigning. For decades, politicians knew to be on morning AM radio talk shows often during a campaign.

Now, whether it is Kyle and Jackie O or Mick Molloy, FM radio is seen as cool. While the Prime Minister might not spend much of his limited spare time listening to FM radio, he still knows the value of the obligatory radio appearances, AM or FM, it really doesn’t matter!

The decency of the Prime ­Minister still manages to shine through.

If you were a campaign director for one of the major parties, the new problem of really only the last decade is how do you handle social media? What kind of advertising spend do you allocate to new media? What evidence is there of whether or not this spending gets the party a real bang for its buck?

Those with a good handle on new media are in high demand as companies review how best to spend their advertising dollar.

Still the big question of the week is why have we found ourselves debating abortion for the umpteenth time? It is divisive and never seems to come to a conclusion that satisfies any of the interested parties.