Colourful language and

At the United Nations this week it was all on for young and old, rich and poor, crooked and orange-faced. The world watched and the world shared its thoughts, if you like to use that word in its very loosest sense.

The thoughts offered by people who work on the radio and have opinions for money were dismally predictable. Equally predictably, the sharing of their ‘‘provocative’’ thoughts which ‘‘make you think’’ offered reassurance to others that they were not alone in their malevolence.

Together they all came to deride a teenager for having the unbelievable gall to express her alarm at a genuine, grave and colossal crisis.

Was any of it worth hearing? Not really, except if you’re a student of seething reactionary minds.

Other thoughts on offer were slightly less predictable, in the sense that you never know just where in the landfill of decomposing post-truth garbage they’re going to dig next, and I’m referring now to the New Zealand National Party.

At the UN, the Prime Minister had used these words: ‘‘Our globalised, borderless world asks us to be guardians not just for our people, but for all people.’’

Ask any political speech writer; ask me. What