Last Friday, Aucklanders, in the midst of one of the most crushing lockdowns in the world, tuned in at half past 10 in the morning, and what they were looking for was a plan and some certainty. They were looking, actually, for a bit of hope. That's what they tuned in to find. The Monday before, they got picnics; this time, they got platitudes—platitudes from the "podium of truth".