My 100th National Party conference
July 31st, 2008 at 11:00 am by David FarrarTomorrow is the start of National’s 72nd annual conference. I’ll be in attendance blogging from it from Friday to Sunday.
By coincidence it is also my 100th National Party conference. I suspect I have attended more National Party conferences than almost anyone else, apart from Sir George Chapman!
The reason for this is that most people attend at most two conferences a year – their local regional one, and maybe the national conference. However during my years in Parliament I often accompanied the Leader to all five regional conference plus the national conference. It was actually quite exhausting working five weekends in a row for the regional conferences – basically you work for 40 days in a row without a day off. The only four people who tended to attend all five were the Leader, President, General Manager and myself and God were we glad when they were over. During those eight years we had four leaders, four presidents and four general managers so I was the one constant!
Since 1986 I have attended 9 Northern Region conferences, 9 Central NI Conferences, 19 Lower NI conferences, 9 Canterbury/Westland conferences, 13 Southern conferences and 17 Young Nationals conferences. Plus including this one about to start, 24 National conferences, which makes the total exactly 100.
I reckon that deserves a cake or something!
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July 31st, 2008 at 11:04 am
I totally read this as five people
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:17 am
DPF
If you manage to organise God’s attendance at this years conference can you please ask the bastard why he insists on inflicting Klark upon us?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am
DPF
On a more serious note, do you expect that Key will be questioned by the delegates about his Labour lite approach?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:20 am
“I reckon that deserves a cake ” Do you have a preference for what sort?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:28 am
David
Vote:One Aircake on it’s way through the glass
July 31st, 2008 at 11:37 am
you trying to get a job?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:38 am
Graeme Edgeler – ditto
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:40 am
Will the surprise guest speaker be Dr Sharples?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:55 am
Did you want to eat the cake?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 11:58 am
Can’t see why a National party conference would be such a chore myself. Who could ask for something more satisfying than working with like-minded people of solid morals and true kiwi patriotism for the good of your country?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:14 pm
A cake … or a free check up with the psychiatrist!! Well said pushmepullu2 but having done one year of all five you find that the same speeches, the same questions and the same (increasingly lame) jokes get trotted out each time. Personally I just go so that DPF can organise some cunning plan so that I end up having to pay for his drinks (yes I know it was several years ago and I contraed part of it off with a bet but still …)
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
I’m with Big Bruv, and also why don’t they just come out and say they won’t do business with Mr Peters while you’re at it!
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Well there should be at least ONE big announcement comsumist – it’s a frickin’ party conference a few months out from an election year after all! Can’t say i’d count on it with Key though…
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
What an extraordinarily good count you’ve been keeping!
Buggered if I can remember how many meetings I’ve been to in the last *month*…
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I wonder if they will say that since they have found it “too difficult” to reform WFF that they want everyone to vote for ACT so that someone with experience fixing the economy (Roger Douglas) can come and fix it once again.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Very well said Hagues.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Yeah, and then he could have another go at “fixing” the farmers too!
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:51 pm
wow..!..
..are they going to reward you ?..
.. with a special ‘hair-shirt-award’..?
..and dosent that make you eligible for some sorta..
..trainspotting/adult geek award..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 12:56 pm
DPF, do you expect Key questioned by delegates about National’s pathetic flip-flop on WFF?
Nobody believes the lame excuse of “giving families certainty” as the reason for not to dismantle it, so you would expect a more robust explanation during the conference, wouldn’t you?
The National Party is trying to be everything to everybody before the election and that can only backfire. In the process it’s abandoning its principles, and Key, as the leader, doesn’t even appear to care.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 1:43 pm
pushmepull2 – there is a whale of a difference between attending a conference where you listen and socialise, and being at one when you actually have to do something even if it is just giving a speech or presentation. This is even more so where the responsibility of the success of the conference falls partly on your shoulders. Even with candidates, their political future hangs on how well they ‘perform’ at conference both when addressing the conference or even interacting with attendees. A standout performance in these areas can make the difference for selection to a prized seat and / or a good list position.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 1:48 pm
“I reckon that deserves a cake or something!
” David if you saw what they call you on the VDS you’d lay off the cakes….
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:11 pm
So, 100 National Party conferences, and still people here are try to assert that DPF is an “independent” political commentator! You gotta laugh.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Lee C:
VDS?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Roger
Pot (Chris) Kettle (Trotter) Black.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Very Double Standard, eger.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Adolf asks a reasonable question, for the life of me I cannot see what would be wrong with a coalition agreement with the Maori party post election that enabled Dr Pita Sharples to be the minister of Maori affairs.
He sure as hell would be better at the job that Tau Henare.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Philip John:
Yet Unions affiliated with a political party, with voting, list rights and so forth are “independant”. They should just replace the definition of hypocrite in the dictionary with your name.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 2:54 pm
ps sorry to threadjack but if you want the gift of laughter, check out The VDS post and comments ‘Sickening’. It’s based on a remark John Key made about the Rugby World Cup and having a male PM. SOme of the posts are comedy gold, especially Tane’s offereing about ‘It’s called a dogwhistle..’ Yes, I did laugh out loud.
Vote:Threadjack over…
July 31st, 2008 at 2:59 pm
yech, Key could’ve done better but their funny bone is about as small as redbaiter’s…
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Pascal:
You don’t have to be an administrator in an organisation to be involved in it. You need to get a logical argument.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 3:39 pm
heh Im with you big bruv the Maori party would be a hell of a better partner with the Nats than NZF If you look past the ditching of the Maori seats there are a number of policy areas where the Nats and the MP arent that far apart.
At times PS and TT have some very sensible things to say about how to advance their people IMHO there are many Nat supporters who would agree with these statements.
it might even lead to the novel idea of 2 political parties actually working FOR the good of the people rather than the past 3 decades of them working AGAINST the best interests of the people/
Then again maybe Im just too optimistic to think that any pollie could put anything in front of their own self interest
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 4:19 pm
gd:
“heh Im with you big bruv the Maori party would be a hell of a better partner with the Nats than NZF If you look past the ditching of the Maori seats ”
If you look past the desire of the National Party to kill-off the Maori Party you mean?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Roger
Are you having trouble dealing with the fact that the Maori party have realised that they will be far better off under National?
Labour have abused the Maori vote for the best part of 70 years.
The end is coming for dear corrupt leader Roger, I know that this will send you into a lather of abuse but it is something that you are going to have to deal with.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 5:21 pm
How is it you know the inner workings of the most secret organisation in the entire world? I mean, do you know the National party is run by shape-shifting lizards too? And how exactly do you “kill” a party*? Hell I would have thought having Jim Anderston or Winston Peters as heads of parties would’ve killed them off but I’ve been proven wrong to date…
*A political party that is, I think seeing you drop down and do 50 press-ups would kill any normal party
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 6:20 pm
“Hell I would have thought having Jim Anderston or Winston Peters as heads of parties would’ve killed them off but I’ve been proven wrong to date…”
Lets look at JA’s record
New Labour – gone
Vote:Alliance – gone
Progressives – the rest of the party gone, just Jimbo left.
July 31st, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Interesting stuff. Are you implying that the National party is trying to get Jim Anderton to head the Maori party as an election manoeuvre?
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 6:42 pm
lab:
The Nats have repeatedly stated that they wish to get rid of the Maori seats, which would kill of the Maori Party (they wouldn’t be able to win an electorate seat, and they have never polled above 5%.
Vote:July 31st, 2008 at 8:01 pm
So has labour ally Peter Dunne:
Vote:http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0805/S00638.htm
July 31st, 2008 at 9:50 pm
The last Nationals conference to be held in opposition by the National party for quite some time. The whole nature of the conferences will change in 2009.
I’m guessing that Labour’s conferences next year will be able to be held in a back yard garden shed.
Vote:August 1st, 2008 at 7:29 am
Philip John:
And being involved in an organization does not mean they dictate your private life. You need to get a logical argument, rather than your usual baseless smears. Of course – you are associated with the Labour / Green parties….
Vote:August 1st, 2008 at 7:56 am
It’s interesting that the Maori Party have very publically cut the ties with liabore. Even more interesting that the Maori Party have a lot in common with National. Shame about that eh?!
Lets see Nats take 55%, Maori take 5% (orf labour), ACT take 5% whats that? 65% block (or blok to you collectivist commies).
Vote: