Better Men Wanted
More fails from the coalition’s stale pale males
She lies and says she's in love with him
Can't find a better man
She dreams in colour, she dreams in red
Can't find a better man
Songwriter: Eddie Jerome Vedder.
They treat it as a joke, don’t they?
All the stupid things they say, pushing things to the limit and rarely having to apologise, let alone make any effort to be a better man.
The new ones, the media nasties, Henry and Laws, like hyenas, sniggering, and the old, Shane Jones and Winston Peters, who act as if they’re immune to scrutiny.
Stuart Nash walked the plank, but was he really any worse than the others? Perhaps less self-aware, failing to recognise when to double down and when to fold. Still, he’s gone now, and unless he’s planning to stand for the Brian Tamaki party or the New Conservatives, that’s about the end of him.
“Good riddance,” said Chris Bishop in response to Nash’s resignation; he looked like a snivelling little schoolboy, standing up to the bully after he was already beaten.
Michael Laws seems to have kept to the straight and narrow so far, perhaps recognising that the more he talks, the less people will like him, or maybe I’m just not exposed to the sort of media that covers him.
Paul Henry, on the other hand, has had a disastrous start; he was dismantled by Jack Tame as thoroughly as Christopher Luxon had been before he took his ball back home and refused to play any more.
Henry wasn’t helped by his outing at Hauraki, which these days seems to have a target audience of males over 50, so dated is their playlist, not to mention their juvenile rhetoric, re-running the same half-dozen jokes until you’re feeling quite ad nauseum.
Reading the article I wrote, this guy does realise that when he goes on Moron FM he doesn’t have to answer, right?
That’s the difference between a politician and a media personality; the former ought to take care with what they say, whereas the latter looks for outrage.
On the one hand, you could say there is a tradition of politicians taking part in such games; I get flashbacks to John Key lusting after Wendy Petrie and telling us about his pubic hair, when the better course of action, surely, was to laugh such questions off and show a little decorum.
I’m not sure Paul Henry and decorum have met, but he wasn’t showing it in a game of Shoot, Shag, Marry. Given three alternatives, he opted to say he would shoot Chippy, sniggering as if he were talking about a Greenpeace representative’s facial hair.
Oh, how we didn’t laugh!
Now I enjoy some pretty out-there comedy, but I fail to see what is so funny about saying you’re going to shoot the opposition leader in a climate of increasing violence against politicians around the world. Only recently, UK politician Ann Widdecombe was murdered in her own home, her head smashed with more than 20 hammer blows.
This led former National leader Simon Bridges to write the above article, which was quite balanced, human, and paywalled:
“When it comes to our MPs: electorate offices have been targeted and subject to arson, they have personally been subjected to much verbal abuse, and James Shaw is at least one relatively recent example of suffering real violence. The former Greens leader was grabbed and punched in the face, breaking his eye socket, while walking to Parliament.”
“We live in ever more polarised times locally and internationally, with online algorithms driving stronger views and reckons by the day. Without being alarmist, there’s no reason Ann Widdecombe’s death couldn’t also be a reality here if we’re not vigilant.”
Henry and the anti-woke brigade can claim all they like that this was just a joke, but I’ll take more notice of someone who I’m sure knows more about this than they do, being a senior left-wing female politician, the very checklist for targeting by the sort of people who find Laws and Henry funny.
As always, Carmel Sepuloni was measured and mature in her reply; there was no exaggerated reaction. She simply said Henry’s comments were “highly inappropriate” and asked, “You have to wonder whether or not he’s auditioning to become a member of Parliament or for some new TV series.”
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said, “He's new to politics now, and even entering into a game that involved having to make decisions like that and commenting on people, probably is not good judgment.”
Rob commented, “Henry's idea of a joke makes one worry about what goes on between his ears, substituting for a 'sense of humour' and what he might come out with next.”
Carol wrote, “This is the calibre of people representing us and asking the public to trust them. What a joke.”
David said, “Not only did he stupidly answer the infantile question, but he did it with gusto. If Hipkins had done the same thing, the outrage and pearl-clutching would have been something to behold. However, every time ACT members say something bad or unacceptable, it suddenly becomes just a joke.”
As for the ACT party, David Seymour said, “Paul is 100 per cent authentic,” adding, “I suspect that’s what’s getting to Labour.”
100% authentic? Well, I guess he does wear his asshole on his sleeve, if you’ll pardon my language.
The gun lady who is filling in as ACT deputy until Henry arrives said: “If we're going to look seriously at that, well, we need to look seriously as to whether or not he would shag Winston Peters or marry Christopher Luxon as well.”
What a lovely suggestion; we do tend to focus on the negative, focusing on the fact that Paul Henry wants to blow the leader of the opposition away rather than on his honourable, some might say romantic, intentions towards the Prime Minister. I posted:
Paul Henry said he'd shoot Chippy, but to look at something nicer, he also said that he'd marry Christopher Luxon.
Paul Henry may have said that Christopher Luxon is no John Key, but I imagine that when your current wife is Diane Foreman, your attention might wander - to anyone who hasn’t slept with Don Brash, which I think includes Christopher.
My dear friend Liz mischievously said, “They’re perfect for each other.”
Marty wrote, “It's like a heartwarming Lifetime movie about an older woman going through chemo who meets a charming undertaker...”
Jane commented, “Obviously, those two adore each other. I may vomit.”
Hold that thought, because I noted, “He also said he’d shag Winston, but AI has its standards.”
I’ll leave you with that image; you’re welcome, and have a great Friday, all you lovely people.
I’m kidding; I wouldn’t leave you with that. Enough doom and gloom; there are better men in our political system, men who are considered and decent, like this one:
Hipkins said about Paul Henry’s comments on shooting him:
“With political leaders around the world actually being shot and killed, Paul Henry should know better. New Zealanders expect leaders who take their responsibilities seriously, not treat politics like a circus audition.”
New Zealand needs better men in power because the current lot are dire. To be fair, some of the women in power aren’t that flash either, but just you wait until we have a Labour/Greens government - the likes of Laws and Henry won’t know what has hit them, with the calibre of female MPs in the Green and Red teams ready to take power.
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Ngā mihi,
Nick.
To end today, here’s Pearl Jam with Better Man; sing along:
We can always rely on Hipkins to be decent! Not smart arse, not cracking sleazy jokes at someone else’s expense, not name calling. just decency! I’ve always wondered why he triggers so many males who post ugly jeering comments on his page, I don’t think they’ve been taught or exposed to a decent male which is an indictment at so many levels and it’s why Henry and others comments are so wrong.
I know it often is guys over a certain age having big chuckles with their misogynist heroes but from what I've seen on the dreaded social media it's all ages which is incredibly depressing. I think it pays to keep perspective and remember that there are plenty of men 50 and up who are caring respectful loving people who believe in equity and community and who take a stand against the kind of dreadful shit show we're being subjected to in the name of politics.