Well done Goff
The Dom Post reports:
The Dalai Lama met with opposition leader Phil Goff after arriving in New Zealand with a flurry of diplomatic protocol hanging over him.
It is disappointing that John Key would not meet with the Dalai Llama, just to keep China happy. I think we should trade with China but not let them decide who we allow into New Zealand and meet with.
Mr Goff said that, if he was prime minister, he would still meet the Dalai Lama.
“I met with him when I was foreign minister, I don’t see any difference whether I’m a member of the executive or a leader of the Opposition. I’m meeting with him in his capacity as a spiritual and cultural leader and as a very nice person.”
Full credit to Goff for doing the right thing, and may it continue if he does ever achieve the top job.
December 5th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
David, the PM does not have to meet the DL every time he comes to this country. Nor does he have to meet with Brian Tamaki or the Baptist Minister from Woollongong.
[DPF: No, but he said he would]
December 5th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
yes adolf..
the major difference being that the chinese govt couldn’t care less about tamaki etc..
it is key..bending the knee..
nothing more..
phil(whoar.co.nz)
December 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
This Chinese government should fear Bishop Tamaki – hasn’t God prophesied that he will be the next PM or something?
December 5th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Also – I seem to remember Goff running cover for Clark when she didn’t meet with the DL as well. He is a hypocrite.
December 5th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Cool. But what if the Chinese said they’d be re-thinking the free-trade deal if JK meets the DL? Caught between a rock and a soft place.
[DPF: Then that is a price too high for the FTA]
December 5th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Pick your battles. I certainly wouldn’t annoy the Chinese, just to meet with an unelected religious leader (who’s somehow morphed into a de-facto leader-in-exile for Tibet). Has anyone asked the Tibetans if they want this bloke representing them?
December 5th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Brian Smaller
Exactly.
Who is the DL for Key to care about.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Brian – exactly.
Of course, maybe Goff apologised to the Dalai Lama yesterday for Helyn’s snub when she was our Prime Minister during his last visit…
December 5th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I bet GOFF made it very clear to the Chinese when negotiating the F.T.A. that he would continue to meet with the Dalai Lama if the opportunity arose.
December 5th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
What a brave little man our Phil is! He isn’t afraid of anybody since Auntie shot through. First he pissed off the Maoris now its the Chinese. I wonder who will be next?
December 5th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
I would want John Key to give his time to whatever would improve New Zealand. I have to ask you DPF, but how does meeting the Dalai Lama actually improve New Zealand. It may be great for photo opportunities. It may make us feel good that someone cares about Tibet etc. But how does this ever improve the lives of NZ or Tibet?
Perhaps it is good for political gain. Yet I can guarantee that the next election will not be fought on issues relating to who did or did not meet the Dalai Lama. However, Mr 5% might score a few votes of the Greens. Cannot see him stealing much off Hone though. Hone, if he could, would fly to India to a conference and go walk about amongst the Tibetans.
December 5th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Two increasingly irrelevant has-beens hold a meeting. Expect they’d have a lot to talk about.
December 5th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Thant’s Old Phil believe in everything the last reporter asked him!
December 5th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Grizz, if it POs the totalitarian scum that rule China then it’s alright. Pandering to same is not. This IS an issue and the choice is one or the other. It took the leftwing radical Obama to be the first US President since 1991 not to meet the Dalai Lama on a Washington visit. Whose side is this Key on…what a disgrace.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
How does the Dalai Lama afford a $3500 a night suite?
December 6th, 2009 at 12:03 am
Razork
Are you suggesting the NZ taxpayer is paying for it?
December 6th, 2009 at 10:01 am
The Dalai Lama is a poster boy for the left. Only pinkos would want to meet with the Dalai Lama.
December 6th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
The Dalai Lama is the unelected leader of a seperatist ‘Free Tibet’ movement which aims to re-establish its feudal hegemony over a populace which it intentionally kept uneducated and subservient for hundreds of years under the veneer of religion. The standard of living and opportunities for self improvement now available to the Tibetan people vastly excels anything which the Buddhist theocratic regime evicted by the Chinese ever did for their own people. While the DL may not have as much blood on his hands as Osama or Arafat or other famous terrorist leaders, he is certainly not the saint which the fawning liberal media would have us believe. John Key made the right decision to not meet him. Imagine for a moment that a Maori separatist group established itself “in exile” in Fiji, claiming that their country had been invaded and conquered by ‘pakeha’ and the indigenous people were now regularly being denied their rights. Imagine that Chinese President Hu Jintao met with the leader of this group in Shanghai for a diplomatic discussion when the separatist was visiting a university there to talk about indigenous rights. How would the majority of NZers react to this? There is a lot about China’s growing influence in the world that I dislike, to the extent that for the past 18 months I have refused to purchase anything made there (meaning I never go to the Warehouse anymore, lol), but in this regard I think that they are actually in the right.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
what’s the point of meeting the DL anyway? What does he even do – apart from flit around the world meeting people.