SST on Lockie
December 14th, 2009 at 11:00 am by David FarrarThe SST has done an extensive profile of Speaker Lockwood Smith. The beginning:
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS in the snake pit, and somehow Locky remains an innocent. The MP kept smiling his spooky smile through decades of derision and scorn. He began his public life as a fuddy-duddy – should school kids be reading the nasty sex scene on page 96 of The Color Purple? – and threatened to end it as a dork. Smith was appalled at the uproar which greeted his remarks during the election campaign about the small hands of Asian vine-pruners. Gosh, he didn’t mean to upset anyone.
National leader John Key made him say sorry, pencilled him out of cabinet, and in due course sent him to the Speaker’s chair. This is a place where parties put senior MPs they don’t know what to do with. The politician, says a parliamentary insider, was “dead and buried”. But Alexander Lockwood Smith, PhD, 61-year-old owner of a fine baritone voice and the best set of abs in parliament, refused to lie quiet in his grave.
Instead he launched a couple of revolutions and turned himself from laughing stock into an odd sort of political leader. He put an end to aeons of skullduggery and secrecy by publishing MPs’ expenses. He turned Question Time in parliament from a tableau of official evasion into a real test of the government’s mettle. He became that rarest of political animals, the celebrity Speaker. The pundits praised the new hero of accountability and openness.
The whole article is a good read.
Tags: Lockwood Smith, SST
December 14th, 2009 at 11:06 am
“Instead he launched a couple of revolutions and turned himself from laughing stock stock into an odd sort of political leader.”
Apart from his unbelievably arrogant sense of entitlement and total lack of understanding of what happens in the real business world.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Ive had some correspondence with Lockwood in the past.
(In the days I was naive enough to think an appeal to justice and fairness might bring about a change).
My opinion is, (leaving aside the fact that he’s a career politician), he’s a damn fine person.
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 11:27 am
“Apart from his unbelievably arrogant sense of entitlement and total lack of understanding of what happens in the real business world.”
Explain please?
Examples?
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Big Bruv:
I understand that Lockwood owns and runs a cattle station up north, and does know a bit about the real business world.
I don’t know about his sense of entitlement, unbelievably arrogant or otherwise, because I can’t say I know him. But a guy who does not lose his cool in the Speaker’s chair, who even with a smile on his face makes the prime minister behave, doesn’t present to me as someone who is arrogant and feels entitled. I like what I see on Parliament’s Question Time.
Since John Key has revived knighthoods, it would be churlish, I feel, not to honour Smith with one. Just on his performance as Speaker alone. We, The Great Unwashed, owe him a great debt of gratitude.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:31 am
He’s improved a lot since he defenestrated himself at Canty.
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 11:39 am
metcalph – did he used to wear spectacles?
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 11:41 am
The best thing about having Lockwood at the helm is that we don’t have to listen to the insane, inane, ineffective screeching of the previous incumbent.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Tripe
“We, The Great Unwashed, owe him a great debt of gratitude”
Like fuck we do!
We owe him a salary, for that we expect him to do a job, I find it incredible that so many are heaping praise on the guy just because he is far better than his predecessor.
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Petal
Did you miss Lockwood’s outburst re the rort that is tax payer funded partner/spouse air travel?
Like most pollies he believes that he (and the rest of his mates) can have unlimited access to our money and that somehow we support (or should support) their extravagant lifestyles.
In one statement he showed how out of touch he is with the real world
December 14th, 2009 at 11:49 am
How must Margaret Wilson feel, watching Lockwood at work? What might have been …. what she might have become, what an opportunity she lost —— had she not behaved in a completely brazen and partisan way, bringing parliament and the speaker’s role into complete disrepute. I hope we never see the like of her again.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:56 am
It was enough for me that it was Lockwood who helped bring a certain former Labour cabinet minister to justice who is now currently staying as a guest of the Corrections service for his criminal corruption and abuse of office. Good on ya Lockie, and merry Christmas all!
December 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am
Margaret who?
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
The best Speaker in all my years of listening to question time.
The opposition are too stupid to take advantage of it even after L Smith has told them countless times how to do so.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Smith is doing an excellent job, managing to upset all the political parties by having released their troughing.
Come on Key, where is Smith’s knighthhood ?
Never thought I would say this but, I hope Smith does not retire so the coalition can put a dummy like Wilson in his place after the next election.
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
He’s a link to the pre-MMP days when MPs had to have a certain intelligence and inherent electability (well they were guaranteed to win a safe seat but the party wouldn’t back someone who would be an insult to the intelligence of their supporters – unlike some list MPs).
I always assumed he was gay so I was surprised to see him get married recently. Good for him, either way.
I see Redbaiter thinks highly of him, but I also know that RB advocates term limits for MPs. I agree on that. Perhaps we could have a single term limit for list MPs, thus forcing parties to put their key people to the test in an electorate.
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
“He turned Question Time in parliament from a tableau of official evasion into a real test of the government’s mettle.”
A tableau which was quite obvious to all of us at the time it was happening, with both Hunt and Wilson.
So why did the media let them both get away with that, for more than 5 seconds, let alone for nine unbroken years?
Vote:December 14th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
And dare I say it, Lockie deserved plaudits for his time as Minister of Education. He tried to squelch the Teacher Unions, but was betrayed by that Loon from King Country Bolger. A National Fathead of immense proportions.
Lockwood has made a huge contribution to Parliament simply by making people answer the question, I am enjoying Question time again.
Vote: