Gosche quitting
May 30th, 2008 at 7:23 am by David FarrarBack in February, Mark Gosche announced he would step down as MP for Maungakiekie, but seek a List only nomination. I blogged at the time:
At this stage he says he will seek to go List only – but do not be surprised if, like Tim Barnett, he does not stand at all eventually.
This was confirmed yesterday with his news that he is quitting Parliament totally.
Gosche has had two personal tragedies – a seriously ill wife needing intensive care and the death of a son. I am sure everyone is wishing him well with his future challenges.
He was once talked about as a future Labour Party leader – not a helpful tag, but an indication of the respect he had. He was NZ’s first Pacific Island Cabinet Minister.
Tags: Labour, Mark Gosche
May 30th, 2008 at 8:53 am
Gosche going and Hawkins staying….makes a lie of the claim by Labour that they have a capable and invigorated line up for the coming election.
Can you imagine the Standard posting something as respectful as this about a retiring National party MP?
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Gosche has had a tough time and one can only feel for him. As I understand it he was a loyal and hard working minister – in reality not Clark euphemism!
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Probably not, but you’re not exactly setting the bar high there. Anyway, I guess all you can do is wish Mark and his wife long lives and all the happiness and prosperity life has to offer, because I can’t even begin to imagine the industrial strength suckage of burying your own child.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:13 am
The Standard had some perfectly nice things to say about the retirement of Katherine Rich.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Another socialist shill. What a waste of space. A shame he timed his retirement so well – it’s not like he would have been around after November anyway. Maybe he will be able to make something of himself in the private sector but given his lack of work ethics and coasting on his minority status to get a cushy Cabinet position I can’t say I’d bet on it
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:35 am
I note the personal tragedies. But he politically supports this Government, he voted for the Electoral Finance Act and much else. Did he add value the Labour’s cause. Probably not as far as I can see, and I guess they will find someone similar to replace him so I guess his going or staying is neutral. But a personal tragedy suffered by a politician I politically oppose is irrelevant to me, either you can do the job or get out. I am not going to give special consideration to a politician I oppose because of personal tragedy. But once out of politics that becomes different.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
“Can you imagine the Standard posting something as respectful as this about a retiring National party MP? Probably not, but you’re not exactly setting the bar high there.”
No need to imagine, just follow this link: http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=1087
Some extracts: “young, independent-minded woman with a social conscience”, “enlightened (by National standards) social policy”.
But be warned, Craig et al., your prejudices may take a knock.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
Jafapete: To be perfectly frank, I don’t find left-wingnut sewage on The Standard (whether in the posts or comments) any more attractive than the right-wingnut variety around here and if that makes me “prejudiced”, guilty as charged. I’ve long said there’s a lot of garbage that needs to be taken out on all sides of the local political blogisphere, and have seen no reason to change my mind.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Craig, The question to which you were answering referred to “the Standard posting” something, not to what its commentators might say. In any event, one of the least endearing (Robinsod) commentators had this to say about Rich inter alia, “FWIW I had a bit to do with Rich a few years ago and she struck me as a principled social conservative.”
As for sewage, note this from the Press a couple of months ago: “Clowns to the Left, jokers to the Right: you get the feeling that if the blogosphere was an ecosystem, the far-Right bloggers would be bottom feeders.”
That’s certainly my impression too.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Jafapete:
I don’t want to jack this thread any further, but I’m not really willing to get into Jesuitical hair-splitting. In the end, if a blog is going to run comments then it’s got to some level of responsibility for their quality or otherwise. If Kiwiblog and The Standard want to tolerate folks like D4J and Robinsod, that’s their call but, for me, it’s hardly adding value or credibility to their publications. Actions (or inactions) have consequences.
As for The Press, I’ll defer to Fairfax New Zealand’s expertise on bottom-feeding though a cynic might wonder if there’s more than a little Freudian projection going on.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
It’s a tough one, does one bottom feed first then project or vice-versa?
Are front bottoms included?
I guess, between the right and left, the actual answer must lie somewhere in the cleavage.
Or so I have heard.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
A genuine question: why have so many left-wing MPs’ children (Rowling, Anderton, Bradford, Gosche……are there any more) taken their own lives?
I know that socialists are inherently bitter, negative, envious people, but surely there must be more to it than this? If not, there might be a lesson there for all of us.
I actually wish Gosche all the best, but can’t help wondering whether he, and his family, wouldn’t have been better off if he had spent his life trying to innovate and create instead of tearing down others’ efforts. What a terrible waste.
Vote:May 30th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
As for sewage, note this from the Press a couple of months ago: “Clowns to the Left, jokers to the Right: you get the feeling that if the blogosphere was an ecosystem, the far-Right bloggers would be bottom feeders.”
what else would one expect from a socialist Press tutored by totally hopless pinkos? (edit: hopless? is that anyone other than maggie wilson?)
As for Gosche, good on him. I would have left long ago had my wife been in the same position.
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