National Party Conference
Have been up in Auckland at the National Party conference and it has been lots of fun. Speeches from English and Power yesterday went down very well and generated lots of good stories.
Key is up in an hour for his first annual conference speech as Leader.
The dinner last night was great. Australian Liberal MP Alexander Downer was the guest speaker and he gave an excellent address. A couple of commentators had suggested this was unusual because he is also Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, but that’s silly as Labour have had many Ministers from various countries speak to their conferences over the years.
The media were not allowed in as he was speaking in a private capacity,and we also had at our table three staff from the Australian High Commission who looked like they were ready to jump on him and knock him out if he said anything “political”. I was fascinated at the thought that if he had said anything wrong, they would have filed a report to the High Commissioner who would have filed a report to umm Downer himself. Sounds like the SSC independent inquiry.
Downer though gave a wonderful speech on values that motivate him, and his political heroes, and it was one of the best speeches I have heard from a politician.
As the media were not allowed in (which caused much sulking) I won’t report any details, but will just share one ancedote he told which I am sure he has shared many times.
Referring to the protesters outside, Downer told of how once at a meeting he had 500 protesters outside screaming “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Downer Downer go away”. He then got home that night after the TV news to be greeeted by his very coung children chanting “Racist, sexist, anti-gay, Daddy Daddy go away”. It was obviously a catchy tune!
August 5th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Is focusing on the people outside a good way to divert attention to the ‘closed shop’ that went on inside.
Any chance of some news from the Business Round table Dunes Symposium on Waiheke you attended before the conference began.
Apparently some ‘blue sky’ thinking was entertained. But for not for the masses to know just yet
August 5th, 2007 at 10:55 am
“As the media were not allowed in (which caused much sulking)”
Stuff ‘em. Let ‘em sulk. They’ll just comment on the usual left wing talking points, the propaganda that comes straight from the Labour Party campaign headquarters. To anyone who isn’t a far left socialist suckhole, NZ’s left leaning media have made the phrase “objective journalism” a contradiction in terms.
August 5th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Why do we allow opinionated media types (including the rights current blue eyed girls Audrey and whats her name) to run public opinion in this country anyway?
August 5th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Why is it that there is always some obscure white guy holding a Maori sovereignty flag at every protest? Is this the latest cool thing to do.
August 5th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
It would be nice if National said what they would do about serious child abuse.
I can understand National wanting to release policy that Labour would steal. However, I think they should have a hard line policy that Labour would not consider stealing.
In the case of the last child killed the scum bags were only convicted of manslaughter. The law needs to be changed. If anyone who abuses a child over a period of time and that result in the death of a child then should be guilty of murder regardless of any garbage about intent.
Another young child get killed largely because of the mother’s gross negligence and what does Labour do – blame men in general. What has National had to say? Very little if anything.
Scum bags who kill children should be sentenced to life in prison with no parole. Is that National policy? If not why not?
August 5th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Chuck Bird, that scumbag pack rapist – who raped that poor girl with those policemen, then wants to get home detention in his millionaire mansion! I hope National would perform better in cases like that. But then again I think not.
August 5th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
So that baby dieing had nothing to do with the people who beat her (Eventually) to death, and everything to do with the mothers negligence?
August 5th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
Mike, are you trying trying to say that I even implied that? Try reading what I said. Parents do have responsibilities. One on them is to be sure the people you leave to care for your children are responsible.
The scum bags that abused this child that lead to her death should be jailed for life without parole. However, that does not change the fact that if this mother had not been negligent then Nai would still be alive.
If you read the Herald today you might see there are a number of factors that lead to Nai’s death. CYS have taken another child from this women and had not monitored her.
However, none of this detracts from the scum that killed Nai.
The point I was making was that this feminazi Labour government never misses a chance to bash men. Questioning women going into hospital will not save one child.
August 5th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
did us white honkys invent the dryier that the kid was spun dried in or did the horries invent it, i feel it was us whities who killied the kid by providing the means for these dole bludging scum, to use it as a death weapon
August 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Why is Bob Geldof in that photo wearing a purple bike helmet?
August 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Redneck do you really think that pyschpaths and sociopaths will really change if ‘nanny state’ cuts their benefit payments.
I seem to have heard that victorian england had terrible exploitation of children.
Unfettered capitalism had the ultimate sanction, starvation, but it of course produced healthy individuals in body and mind
August 5th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
(heh-heh..!..)
“..11:45: Yikes! As blunders go, it doesn’t get much worse than the one John Key just made in his first speech to the National Party conference as party leader.
“Under a Labour Government I lead, child abusers will be severely punished.”
The murmur from the audience didn’t alert him to the blooper that completely eclipses anything else in recent memory.
It’s a clip we can expect to see repeated on television more times than the Greens folk-dancing or Don Brash struggling to get into a stock car.
And it is another blunder that will be thrown back in his face next week – on top of the confusion he created last week over the party’s therapeutics agency policy.
There’s no doubt that the blunder “Under a Labour Government I lead…”) broke the feel-good spell of the National Party conference…”
(priceless..!..
do you think we can declare the honeymoon officially over..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
August 5th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
“Unfettered capitalism had the ultimate sanction, starvation…” Selma, you are talking unadulterated rubbish
You should be thanking capitalism for what humanity has achieved over the last centuries. Where are the examples of progress from your cap, the beloved socialists? All your lot has produced is mediocrity and human misery.
Export yourself to North Korea and come back to tell us how you enjoyed the experience.
August 5th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Yes Phil, Labour will win the election because John Key said Labour because of National. My God you get excited at any grasp.
August 5th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
This (hard working)??? maori mother of the dead kid wants the mongrels(maoris) who killed her income punished, but didnt this drunken bitch, bath her kid for a month,or notice bruises etc and remember male bloggers WE according to labour abuse our kids, so because of a drunken dirty women(her mothers comments )we are all tarred with the same brush
August 5th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
DPF said “Yes Phil, Labour will win the election because John Key said Labour because of National. My God you get excited at any grasp.”
DPF – Phil must have been inhaling a particularly potent varient of weed this afternoon – his perception of reality is even more crazed than usual!
August 5th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
I remember Norman Kirk making a televised speech: “And how do we get into this mess?” (pauses)….(Interjector)> “VOTE LABOUR”…
jh
August 5th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
i do like the fact tho/can appreciate the ironies/black humour..
‘..that when key paraded his front bench..
the background music was ‘god defend new zealand’..
indeed..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
and not ‘excited’ dpf..amused..
August 5th, 2007 at 7:13 pm
“Downer though gave a wonderful speech on values that motivate him, and his political heroes, and it was one of the best speeches I have heard from a politician.”
Downer is quite simply considered a joke in Australia. He got his foreign ministry after trading a bloodless leadership coup with John Howard. Howard probably likes him because such a woefully out of touch and english schoolboy like politician is no leadership threat.
If Downer is giving a “wonderful speech” Lord alone knows how dire the rest of the offerings were.
My commiserations, I hope the free alcohol can go someway to dulling the pain.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Giving good speeches doesn’t necessarily make a good politician. You’re reading way too much into that sean. Of course, if you had heard the speech you might be in a position to pass comment.
August 5th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
“Of course, if you had heard the speech you might be in a position to pass comment.”
I wonder if it was a reprise of his famous “Things that batter” speech in Australia?
I have heard more than enough from Downer to suspect I may have raped a convent of Nuns in a past life. Why else would I have to suffer so in this one?
Actually my sister who works in DFAT says he has some unpleasant personal habits which include taking his shoes off and sticking his feet on the desk with whichever unfortunate underling happens to be meeting with him.
Did the values he talked about include refusing basic citizenship rights of a fair trial in a properly constituted court and habeus corpus (cf David Hicks, a matter that was his ministerial responsiblity)? Or perhaps they arent part of his values.
August 6th, 2007 at 8:47 am
good grief..!..dpf..!
you allow people on this blog to make the foulest assertions about every aspect of political/ideological opponents’ lives..
with nary a word to stop them..
and/yet you lift your skirts/throw a hissy-fit/ in shock/horror…
at a piss-take on yr nat-fest..?
(what..!..they ‘dared’ say ‘trophy-wives’.?
what unfair/foul accusations.!.)
(sheesh..!..just a little bit of an over-reaction there..?
are you just a bit upset because of what that ‘nasty’/balloon-pricking ruth said about you..
we understand..!..we understand..!
she was ‘cruel’..
trying to ‘slap you back into your place’..like that..
and um..!..
just look at the pictures..of the..shall we be kind..?..and say ‘homely’-rich men..?
and ponder their marital options..should they be positioned in a somewhat lower place in the income/wealth scale/pecking-order..?
eh..?..
which brings us to the women..beautiful women..
but those eyes…!
(sort of un-enigmatic..eh..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
[DPF: Phil - this blog exists because I spend hours doing it. I only do so because I enjoy it. It is a not a forum for you or anyone else to make snide attacks at my expense (you can attack my views or arguments though). That is a simple and long standing rule. You have your own blog to do it. Your comments in these threads have been damn creepy to be honest. Pull your head in and stop commenting like this or I will lose absolutely zero sleep in banning you again]
August 6th, 2007 at 9:31 am
excuse me..just which of my statements is ‘damn creepy’..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
[DPF: your going on about fetishes and and wondering was I breast fed.]
August 6th, 2007 at 10:07 am
oh..you mean wondering if ‘mistress ruth’ was lining up/was going to give you a ‘good old-fashioned tory reprimand’..?
(usually involving implements..as they do..!..)
and hell..it’s hardly a stretch/(creepy?) to wonder if a person..
(and as noted by your fellow nat compatriot/superior(?) ruth..
her and i are not the first/only ones to wonder at the motivations for so many tit-shots.
..all posted by you..?
to wonder just what the cause is..?
especially in a blog..which on most levels..takes itself quite ‘seriously’..
it’s a strange mix..
sorta like a vegan with a big mac..
new statesman with a page three girl..?
and as i noted..there are (said to be) clear links between a ‘keen’ interest in ‘puppies’ and a lactated or non-lactated babyhood..
(and um..!..you slip into ‘creepy’ accusations quite easily..eh..?..
almost too easily..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
August 7th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Yo Southern Raider aka Southern Redneck!
Ko Maungapohatu te maunga, ko Ohinemataroa te awa, ko Toikairakau toku tipuna, Ko Ngai Tuhoe toku iwi.
Ko Te Kanikani toku ingoa, au mahi i kaikorero o ImagineNative Action.
I’m guessing you one of them monolingual uneducated types so let me translate: My name is Te Kanikani, my iwi is Tuhoe, and I am the spokesperson for one of the groups that organised this weekends actions.
Aka: ‘Obscure white guy’ holding Tino Rangatiratanga flag, as you so ignorantly pu it.
What’s your address so I can send you a tissue? It’ll help wipe the egg of your face you fool.
Rememeber us Maori are everywhere, we come in all shapes and sizes. just because someone looks like you or one of ‘your kind’ doesnt mean they don’t whakapapa Maori.
Undercover brothers are everywhere sunshine, so kia tupato to korero – be careful what you say and to who. Otherwise you might end up looking even stupider than you do already.
In pity of your narrow horizons of insight,
Te Kanikani Tangata Hara
August 7th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Yo Te Kanikani: you can recite your pedigree as much as you like, but that doesn’t mean you’re not white – you have to admit, you look pretty white in that photo. The shame eh! Don’t worry – it’s just a colour.
Don’t be so sensitive – if it bugs you so much being a pale maori, you should work on your tan a bit more bro.
August 8th, 2007 at 11:19 am
Sheesh, the humour to be found in old posts – he clearly is maori (although could pass for any number of other ethnicities in a Hollywood movie say). But even if he were obscurely white… so?