The conflicted Lees-Galloway
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:00 am by David FarrarKathryn King at Stuff reports:
Burger King’s latest store has been opened by Labour’s associate health spokesman Iain Lees-Galloway, but he turned down the opportunity to sample its fare for himself.
Lees-Galloway opened Burger King’s Rangitikei St store yesterday morning, the company’s third in Palmerston North, but the city MP was quick to distance himself from advocating fast food by acknowledging his spokesman position and telling the small crowd he was “pleased to see another business opening in the Manawatu”. …
When asked about the recent spate of fast-food outlets opening in the city, he said it meant they had confidence our economy had enough demand for them. But he said he hoped they would be competing for market share rather than increasing the amount of fast food sold in the city. Palmerston North also serviced a bigger area than just the city.
He opens them, but hopes they don’t do well and gain customers!
Lees-Galloway said he would open any business that asked him and that it was a fairly standard thing for a local MP to do.
Any business? Really? I do hope a new Palmie brothel asks Iain to open them up for business!
December 22nd, 2012 at 10:08 am
I can see his point- excessive fast food consumption due to low cost can result in diabetes and cardiovascular risk escalation, so it does sound prudent from a public health perspective.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:17 am
He is at least being fair. He helped publicise Leone Hapeta’s ‘Coachman’ hotel by mounting protests outside it.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:19 am
Well, yes, but Ms Hapeta did help him to a second term and assisted him in tripling his first-term majority. A shame, because she’s a very nice person.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:23 am
Lil ole Palmy has gained a new BK, a Wendys and a Carls Jr all in the last month. Gawd knows why they all had to pop up at once, something must have clicked over in their demograpics software.
tried the Carls Jr last night for first time. Awesome drunken munch.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:27 am
You could quite happily live off stuff sold at McDonalds if it wasn’t for the salt content.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:28 am
There must be a new bar opening in Palmy sometime soon, would be great to see a labour MP helping out promoting some more local business, ( until the wrath of party council suddenly causes him to be “unavailable due to personal reasons”
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:30 am
I can see his point- excessive fast food consumption due to low cost can result in diabetes and cardiovascular risk escalation, so it does sound prudent from a public health perspective.
Yes everyone understands that but the point of this thread CG is that if this is his position then he shouldn’t attempt to get himself free publicity by pretending to support something he opposes. He could have just said no, but he didn’t, did he.
Of course hypocrite isn’t in Liarbore’s lexicon, is it. What a shame because most people do prefer their MP to have some ethics.
But hey, this means of course he won’t have any problem opening Palmy’s first Charter School either, will he.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:40 am
Simply put: this poor socialist is an idiot.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:41 am
KFC is probably more his voter demographic.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 10:47 am
this dude is as weak as piss.
too scared to be seen endorsing a tasty burger.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 11:01 am
Palmy aka Chrsitchurch North.
Why in gods name would Burger King need this twat to be within a hundred miles of the store.
His comments show just how out of touch these morons are with their constiuency. Once upon a time the local MP would crawl across broken glass for an opportunity to appear like this in his home town but this indoctrinated idiot is more worried about a shadow position he holds in a party that wont see power for at least another 5 years.
He has never had a real job, just a union hack, hopefully mum and dad have written him out of the will and ensure he gets none of the family BEEF farm, thats the beef thats turned into BURGERS.
Calling him a twat is unfair, twats are useful
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 11:18 am
I get the message if Burger King is so bad that the VIP Opener refuses a sample then I will stick to MacDonalds…The White Lady if I am in Aucland though.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 11:50 am
Can’t really see the issue here – bit of a beat up really.
White lady burgers in Auckland are awesome – especially at 2am in the morning after a night out on the turps. But still good sober! (Unlike kebabs)
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 12:34 pm
How monumentally sad, pathetic and disconnected does your life have to be when you see eating a hamburger – or not, as in this case – as a political act?
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 12:41 pm
Maybe he just doesn’t like Burger King, Peter. I can’t stand KFC – haven’t had it for about 10 years. One in a blue moon I get a craving for McDonalds, have a burger then wish I hadn’t. I also don’t eat Burger King.
Vote:I’m not a health food nut – anyone who knows me knows that! I just find fast food unappealing.
So in the unlikely event that I got invited to the opening of a fast food place, I probably would take a pass on the food also.
December 22nd, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Not even a chip?
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 12:54 pm
Sorry bc, what was that? I appear to have dozed off
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 12:55 pm
“He did not take up the offer of a burger, saying he was careful about how often he and his children ate fast food. The last time he ate fast food was last week, after an eight-week interval.”
So he eats it, just not in front of cameras, lest the sisterhood get their massive knickers in a knot?
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 12:58 pm
Peter 12:34 pm. He’s a Socialist, everything’s political.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 1:03 pm
He’s opening businesses?
B-b-but this means **jobs!** This is against Labour’s master-plan to make everyone dependent on benefits!
WTF are you **doing**, Lees-Galloway?
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 1:14 pm
WTF is wrong with this tosser. How many surnames does this prick actually need?
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 1:29 pm
This guy – nice enough in person – is a typical example of the “New” Labour MP…never done a day’s manual labour in his life (probably not even at home, on the section), would have a clue how to relate to “workers” if he ever fell over any, university educated, politically correct…except when it comes to the missus I am told… but then marriage is such a bourgeois institution…
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Paueastbay @12.54pm
Vote:Don’t worry. It happens when you start to get a bit old and senile.
December 22nd, 2012 at 1:38 pm
What seems the problem here? He is saying that there is a place for fast food, but in moderation.
Vote:What is wrong with that exactly?
December 22nd, 2012 at 2:11 pm
He’s deep in the fries here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5914603/Working-poor-joining-food-parcel-queues
But there are some politically-correct vegetables on display.
And a tray of mixed greens
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 3:08 pm
“Any business? Really? I do hope a new Palmie brothel asks Iain to open them up for business!”
Hmm. That’d be fun to watch.
JC
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Picking up on Pauleastbay’s point though, why would a burger joint feel it needed an official opening by any MP?
I mean they’re not well known as being great entertainment, though our PM is trying valiantly to change that by following Pete Hodgson et al down the slope of demeaning stunts in pursuit of popularity (as opposed to respect).
Surely the winner of some pop star search would have been available? There’s dozens of them, all desperately waiting to be invited to the opening of an envelope, and of much greater interest to that business’s demographic.
Vote:December 22nd, 2012 at 7:05 pm
Labour supports BK bacause it ignores Kiwi’s for employment and ships in Asians. Chinese no doubt. Hamilton City Council also ignores Kiwis for Asians
Vote: