National loses in the hospitality stakes
Journalists tend to enjoy (or not find as onerous) the National Party conference as traditionally they understand the meaning of hospitality and have the media room well stocked with refreshments and nibbles. And no this is not the media being precious – but when you beaver away for hours on end, it is nice to have some sustenance.
But alas this year the cupboard is not just bare, but missing in action. Apart from two bottles of water there is nothing. No crackers, no biscuits, no fruit juice let alone the usual beer, wine and hot savouries.
And it is even worse inside the hall on the media bench – they have not even supplied water!!
Grumpy, hungry, thirsty journalists are not the sort I would want covering my conference!
UPDATE: National’s reputation is upheld, as refreshments are being made available – and not due to this blog post. A staffer tells me that they never provide them until after lunch (don’t want journos starting drinking too early in the day) but that said refreshments were planned and provided for. So I happily retract any implications of inhospitable behaviour from our fine hosts 
August 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 am
Haven’t you heard of free enterprize? get onto KFC order a couple of family buckets and charge like the proverbial.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Grumpy, hungry, thirsty journalists are not the sort I would want covering my conference!
More leeches unable to turn on a tap, bring their own, etc. If that influences their opinions, then they’re even more base than I thought
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Are journalists incapable of planning ahead? They can’t fit a bottle of water and some sandwiches into their bag? How precious.
August 2nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I had this row with Winston, whose antipathy to journos was such that at NZF conferences he didn’t only want to deny them water but to seal the room and fill it with poisonous gas
Speaking as an ex-journo it’s fine and dandy if you know there’s to be nothing and it’s BYO, but the usual thing at these conferences is that you join the queue for rubbery pastries and curling sandwiches with the delegates. Conferences (of the political and other sort) are usually held in these soulless “conference centres” in the middle of nowhere, so even walking to the dairy for a pie is out of the question.
And look at it this way – would you sit and listen to politicians and would-be politicians primping and preening and set piece “policy debates” where the outcome is pre-arranged for hours and days on end for whatever a journo gets per hour?!
I’d not only be demanding double time, but truffle-stuffed quail and a foot massage.
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Whats wrong with National, sound like a bunch of tight arses. They should put a good spread on with a couple of kegs. Getting the message out is just as important as the message itself and the journos could make it hard or easy. I would rather have happy journalists releasing contentious policy then pissed off journos putting the same policy in a bad light
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Oh dear, oh dear. Pita and Tariana would at least have put on a hangi and a keg.
August 2nd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
I remember when I was a teenager in Mt Maunganui back in the 70s I used to go to Young Labour and Young Nat parties. The Young Labour parties were so damned despressing. Everything was about organising for peasant Ant Farmers in Guatemala or campaigning to get more for fruit pickers on the kiwi fruit orchards when (as a picker) we spent most of our days stoned of our faces). The Young Nat parties were fun. The people went to have a good time. Still didn’t vote for them though.
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Were you stoned out of your Brian, Brain?
August 2nd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Heh – I’ve got a headline. “National screws hospitality workers”. The average hourly wage rate in the hospitality industry went from being $15.20 in 1991, to $14.50 in 1996 (2008 dollars). And you idiots want these people back in power?
http://bp1.blogger.com/_t8KNMT03MmI/SIaccCQtcoI/AAAAAAAAAD4/dqFNJsKsEEU/s1600-h/Wages.jpg
[DPF: And that is so off topic it is 10 demerits]
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
“And that is so off topic it is 10 demerits”
But the heading was about “hospitality and National”. I thought it tied in quite nicely. But hey, I guess it reveals the truth about the National Party, so that can’t be a good thing as far as you’re concerned..
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Go and play outside nome, I think you could do with some exercise.
A lot of people struggled in the early 90’s nome, its called a recession.
Like the one coming our way now I’m afraid.
August 2nd, 2008 at 4:37 pm
expat:
Cumulative GDP growth was about 20% between 1991-1996. Plunk!
http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/keygraphs/Fig2.html
August 2nd, 2008 at 5:11 pm
it sticks in my ideological craw to say it….
..but my experiences..during some heavy study/field work..
..back in the day..
..is that (generally speaking) rightwingers party harder/have better/more decadent parties..
..than leftwingers..
..whereas most righties have had that s.o.h. bye-pass..
..most lefties didn’t get a (serious) partying gene..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
wow..!.national reveals itself as ‘the borrow and spend’ party..eh..?
go figure..!..
and how do the ‘dry’ righties feel about this extra strain on our economy..
..at a time of major global/local economic meltdown..
they really are ‘yesterdays’ party/men’..
..eh..?
http://whoar.co.nz/2008/national-to-borrow-to-fund-tax-cutsthey-are-just-calling-it-something-else/
phil(whoar.co.nz)
[DPF: And also 10 demerits for off topic.]
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:40 pm
“…but my experiences..during some heavy study/field work”
Whoar, are you talking about advanced doctorate studies in …. baking?
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
what do you actually mean by that..”..man-so-low..?
phil(whoar.co.nz)
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Post 1987, currency fallouts etc. (20/5) – inflation = like I said a recession.
Like the one heading our way now, and thank Hulun and Mikhael for not preparing for it.
run along now, you’re inside to much and may be overweight.
August 2nd, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Lefties are too busy getting righteous about the hedonism of others while they self flagellate with birch branches during collective discussions about neo-marxism and drought. Then they pair up and get very dirty after their foreplay (as above).
August 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 pm
“..# philu (2545) –3 Says:
August 2nd, 2008 at 6:15 pm
wow..!.national reveals itself as ‘the borrow and spend’ party..eh..?
go figure..!..
and how do the ‘dry’ righties feel about this extra strain on our economy..
..at a time of major global/local economic meltdown..
they really are ‘yesterdays’ party/men’..
..eh..?
http://whoar.co.nz/2008/national-to-borrow-to-fund-tax-cutsthey-are-just-calling-it-something-else/
phil(whoar.co.nz)
[DPF: And also 10 demerits for off topic.]..”
as you can see from the time i wrote it..it was my immediate reaction to the news of nationals’ shell-game..
(“we won’t borrow for tax cuts..we’ll just give you tax cuts..and borrow for other stuff..that we wouldn’t really have had to..idf we weren’t playing up-the-ante-tax-cut/do/promise-anything-to-get-elected-game..
there was nowhere else to post it..
but whatever..!
and hey..your off-topic demerits are arbitrary/inconsistant in the extreme..
..i think it depends what time of the month it is for you..
..and only given to ‘lefties’..eh..?
..but..as i said..whatever..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)