I am in the midst of a rather nasty experience that I am not much enjoying – growing a beard.
Apart from the fact that my face is now covered with an ugly mix of ginger/grey whiskers, and that people tend to regularly dry-retch in disgust when they catch a glimpse of me – I am sick to death of it and am looking forward to finally shaving it off.
If I am really honest, the main reason I have kept it going this long (about two months as I write) has been the perverse and illogical sense of enjoyment I gain from other people telling me they just do not like my new furry face. However, the more they express their pogonophohia sentiments – the more I want to stick to my unkempt, hirsute look.
My journey towards my version of Grizzly Adams began a couple of months ago when – ironically enough – I cut myself shaving. So after a weekend of giving the daily ritual of shearing my face a miss, all of a sudden a few days growth had appeared and the idea of sprouting a beard came to fruition.
Despite some 42-odd years on this planet – and a shaving career spanning more than half this period – I had never seriously before contemplated sporting a beard. This is mainly due to the unfortunate fact that my hitherto life-long mission of suppressing the cruel reality that I am a ginga would have been instaneously destroyed – with the evidence of this most unpleasant truth literally all over my face.
It is a terrible thing to spend one’s entire life denying the fact the good Lord (or in this case, a vengeful and spiteful God) has cursed one with auburn locks.
No matter how you cut it, the fact is that being a red head is an absolute handicap in today’s world. In reality, red or ginga is the new black – as in the latest line of humanity that is oppressed by the majority.
But to be fair (which is not meant as a crack against my strawberry blond fellows propensity for having pale skin), views about red-haired people have never really been very complimentary.
In ancient history, red heads were said to: “sweat easily, bleed copiously, have a strong foxy smell, and such bad breath that they can raise blisters on other people simply by breathing over them. Morally, they are expected to be ‘bad children’ who cause nothing but trouble; they will be hot-tempered, treacherous, and highly sexed.” Even according to medieval lore, bad buggers such as Judas, Cain, and Mary Magdalene were all red-heads. The notion of the evilness of read hair was even carried over into conventions for stage villains; with Shylock regularly given a red wig.
Fast forward a few hundred years, and the persecution of red haired people has continued unabated. They are regularly mocked in advertising, jokes and via school yard abuse. Derogatory terms such as: Ginger Nut; Ginga; Blood nut; Period Head; Fanta Pants and ‘Ranga (as in Orangutan) are all common taunts for people carrying various mutated versions of the MC1R gene.
So it’s no wonder I want to go back to my clean-skinned past as soon as possible. To cut – and that is what I intend doing with this bloody beard very soon – a long story short – old man’s beard must go – as fellow bearded git and botanist Dr David Bellamy used to say.
Now here comes the plug. I have decided to use my hair-raising antics to do some fund raising on behalf of kids with cancer. I've set up a web page at http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/davidanderson/
So I am asking the tiny readership of this blog to come support me as I participate in funrazor 2009 in an effort to raise funds for Child Cancer Foundation.
Hell it might even help dispel some peoples’ prejudices about red heads being evil – then again it probably won't!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Get a grip Xena!
Lucy Lawless – aka Xena Princess Warrior – the world-renowned climatologist (yeah, right!) has got her pretty little nose out of joint because when she and another Greenpeace supporter turned up, uninvited, to see Prime Minister John Key he wasn’t there to meet her.
Lawless and her dopey looking off-sider only got as far as the Beehive front desk when attempting to give Prime Minister John Key a boarding pass to Copenhagen - as part of the green zealot group’s latest publicity stunt.
The actress and recently sacked climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger,(that's a new one... I thought it was usually the actress and the bishop) claim they are upset about Mr Key's decision not to attend an international climate change meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month. They arrived at Parliament with an over-sized boarding pass and a cheque for $4781, raised from sausage sizzles and cake stalls, to put towards the Prime Minister's air fare.
They waited, along with gathered fawning media hacks, only to be told the Prime Minister was otherwise engaged. Key said he had not been given warning about the visit, and shrugged off questions about why he didn't meet the pair.
Well surprise, surprise! Perhaps the pouting actress should change her name to Lucy Clueless. Does she not realise that John Key doesn’t sit around waiting to greet every two-bit celebrity who wants to see him. Hell, Key has even turned down an opportunity to meet with every celebrity’s favourite Tibetan monk – the Dalai Lama – who at least tried to book an appointment with the PM in advance.
I have previously blogged about so-called celebrities with superiority complexes when it comes to do-good causes on May 25 and August 6. Lucy Lawless features prominently on both blogs. I'll admit Lucy has nice legs and great tits -- but so does Nicky Watson, but at least she doesn't run around the country lecturing us all about climate change.
So Lucy - in the best parlance of the web and the text world we now live in - just STFU! How arrogant or self important does you think yuou are that the Prime Minister of New Zealand should drop everything he is doing and run to meet you when you decide to pop in for a visit? Get over yourself you environmental prima donna.
Meanwhile, Key rightly argues that it is clear no binding treaty will be signed in Copenhagen – despite earlier talk of an international resolution being on the cards –and that Environment Minister Nick Smith would be New Zealand's representative there.
Just why both Lawless and Salinger believe that sending a bunch of heads of state to this talk-fest in the Danish capital is going to achieve anything reduce carbon emissions is beyond me.
Actually – even with my rudimentary science background – it is clear that flying all the world’s prime ministers and presidents – along with their huge entourages – to Denmark is only going to increase emissions not reduce them!
Surely if the not so good doctor and the aforementioned clueless actress were really so hell-bent on saving the planet from Co2 emissions – wouldn’t they be insisting that world leaders hold a video conference rather than all fly to Copenhagen?
This just goes to show why this out of work actress and her unemployed scientist mate’s argument is full of wholes and lacks any credibility – a bit like both of their careers really!
Lawless and her dopey looking off-sider only got as far as the Beehive front desk when attempting to give Prime Minister John Key a boarding pass to Copenhagen - as part of the green zealot group’s latest publicity stunt.
The actress and recently sacked climate scientist Dr Jim Salinger,(that's a new one... I thought it was usually the actress and the bishop) claim they are upset about Mr Key's decision not to attend an international climate change meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month. They arrived at Parliament with an over-sized boarding pass and a cheque for $4781, raised from sausage sizzles and cake stalls, to put towards the Prime Minister's air fare.
They waited, along with gathered fawning media hacks, only to be told the Prime Minister was otherwise engaged. Key said he had not been given warning about the visit, and shrugged off questions about why he didn't meet the pair.
Well surprise, surprise! Perhaps the pouting actress should change her name to Lucy Clueless. Does she not realise that John Key doesn’t sit around waiting to greet every two-bit celebrity who wants to see him. Hell, Key has even turned down an opportunity to meet with every celebrity’s favourite Tibetan monk – the Dalai Lama – who at least tried to book an appointment with the PM in advance.
I have previously blogged about so-called celebrities with superiority complexes when it comes to do-good causes on May 25 and August 6. Lucy Lawless features prominently on both blogs. I'll admit Lucy has nice legs and great tits -- but so does Nicky Watson, but at least she doesn't run around the country lecturing us all about climate change.
So Lucy - in the best parlance of the web and the text world we now live in - just STFU! How arrogant or self important does you think yuou are that the Prime Minister of New Zealand should drop everything he is doing and run to meet you when you decide to pop in for a visit? Get over yourself you environmental prima donna.
Meanwhile, Key rightly argues that it is clear no binding treaty will be signed in Copenhagen – despite earlier talk of an international resolution being on the cards –and that Environment Minister Nick Smith would be New Zealand's representative there.
Just why both Lawless and Salinger believe that sending a bunch of heads of state to this talk-fest in the Danish capital is going to achieve anything reduce carbon emissions is beyond me.
Actually – even with my rudimentary science background – it is clear that flying all the world’s prime ministers and presidents – along with their huge entourages – to Denmark is only going to increase emissions not reduce them!
Surely if the not so good doctor and the aforementioned clueless actress were really so hell-bent on saving the planet from Co2 emissions – wouldn’t they be insisting that world leaders hold a video conference rather than all fly to Copenhagen?
This just goes to show why this out of work actress and her unemployed scientist mate’s argument is full of wholes and lacks any credibility – a bit like both of their careers really!
Monday, November 16, 2009
On the road to nowhere!
Thousands of bikers are expected to roar into Wellington this week to protest the proposed rise in ACC levies.
This follows on from last weekend’s sorry sight of hundreds of ageing, leather-jacketed riders and pillion passengers around New Zealand revving up their Harleys and other machines to let the government know they are unhappy about it plans to raise ACC charges.
These rebels with out a clue say they will be hit hard by higher fees and are even claiming discrimination. The new rates are proposed alongside cut backs in other ACC entitlements as the Government tries to bring under control huge deficits at the department.
Not to miss out on a possible sound-bite in Auckland these geriatric easy riders were joined by Labour leader Phil Goff. Supposedly a motorbike fan and rider himself, Goff said imposing large increases was "unjustified, unfair and divisive".
Goff joined the Auckland part of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club's protests ride. He said the levy for bikes over 600cc would treble from $252 to $735, a jump of just under $500 a year. "That's unacceptable, outrageous, and unwarranted."
Unfortunately rather than creating a picture of uber-cool – a la Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson and Denis Hopper from Easyrider back in 1969 – it came across more like Ride of the Desperados of 2009.
Actually Mr Goff; what is unacceptable, outrageous and unwarranted (apart from the tragic sight of you in leathers) is the desperate attempt by an ever-increasing, irrelevant Leader of the Opposition trying to gain political mileage out of this issue – especially when you have failed to explain how you would pay for the growing costs of ACC.
Sorry Phil, but it is you and your whingeing motorbike mates who are out of line. Contrary to claims made by these leather-clad losers, motorcyclists are not being singled out. ACC’s proposed levies are going up for a number of groups and not just for motorcyclists.
Maybe Phil would like to explain just how – if he won’t put up ACC levies or decrease cover – is he going to pay for accident insurance cover? Or is he being economical with the truth – just like him and the rest of Labour were with the real ACC figures before they got tossed out of office last year?
The fact is motorcyclists are being asked to pay more because the levies they pay don’t cover the cost of the injuries they have when they fall off their bikes! It is as simple as that. Motorcycle riders are 16 times more likely to make an ACC claim than other road users.
So will the levy rise mean motorcyclists will now be paying the full cost of their injuries? No. Even with the levy increases, motorcyclists will still only be meeting 21% of their claim costs.
Guess, who’s been covering their costs? That’s right you and me – other motor vehicle owners. Even with the proposed changes, we car owners will still contribute $77 to cross-subsidise motorcyclists. So stop your whingeing and start paying your way!
Meanwhile, why haven’t Phil’s political-minders told him that while it might have been kind of cool and edgy to align himself with biker image when he was at university back in the 1960s? Today it looks just too try-hard and sad having him squeeze into leathers along with his fat, balding, grey-haired, pony-tailed, motor biking mates.
However, given Goff’s appalling poll ratings and motorcyclists real costs to other ACC users – it is appropriate their theme song should be that Talking Heads hit “On the Road to Nowhere” as summed up by the following lyrics:
WELL WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOIN'
BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN
AND WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE KNOWIN'
BUT WE CAN'T SAY WHAT WE'VE SEEN
Says it all really!
This follows on from last weekend’s sorry sight of hundreds of ageing, leather-jacketed riders and pillion passengers around New Zealand revving up their Harleys and other machines to let the government know they are unhappy about it plans to raise ACC charges.
These rebels with out a clue say they will be hit hard by higher fees and are even claiming discrimination. The new rates are proposed alongside cut backs in other ACC entitlements as the Government tries to bring under control huge deficits at the department.
Not to miss out on a possible sound-bite in Auckland these geriatric easy riders were joined by Labour leader Phil Goff. Supposedly a motorbike fan and rider himself, Goff said imposing large increases was "unjustified, unfair and divisive".
Goff joined the Auckland part of the Ulysses Motorcycle Club's protests ride. He said the levy for bikes over 600cc would treble from $252 to $735, a jump of just under $500 a year. "That's unacceptable, outrageous, and unwarranted."
Unfortunately rather than creating a picture of uber-cool – a la Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson and Denis Hopper from Easyrider back in 1969 – it came across more like Ride of the Desperados of 2009.
Actually Mr Goff; what is unacceptable, outrageous and unwarranted (apart from the tragic sight of you in leathers) is the desperate attempt by an ever-increasing, irrelevant Leader of the Opposition trying to gain political mileage out of this issue – especially when you have failed to explain how you would pay for the growing costs of ACC.
Sorry Phil, but it is you and your whingeing motorbike mates who are out of line. Contrary to claims made by these leather-clad losers, motorcyclists are not being singled out. ACC’s proposed levies are going up for a number of groups and not just for motorcyclists.
Maybe Phil would like to explain just how – if he won’t put up ACC levies or decrease cover – is he going to pay for accident insurance cover? Or is he being economical with the truth – just like him and the rest of Labour were with the real ACC figures before they got tossed out of office last year?
The fact is motorcyclists are being asked to pay more because the levies they pay don’t cover the cost of the injuries they have when they fall off their bikes! It is as simple as that. Motorcycle riders are 16 times more likely to make an ACC claim than other road users.
So will the levy rise mean motorcyclists will now be paying the full cost of their injuries? No. Even with the levy increases, motorcyclists will still only be meeting 21% of their claim costs.
Guess, who’s been covering their costs? That’s right you and me – other motor vehicle owners. Even with the proposed changes, we car owners will still contribute $77 to cross-subsidise motorcyclists. So stop your whingeing and start paying your way!
Meanwhile, why haven’t Phil’s political-minders told him that while it might have been kind of cool and edgy to align himself with biker image when he was at university back in the 1960s? Today it looks just too try-hard and sad having him squeeze into leathers along with his fat, balding, grey-haired, pony-tailed, motor biking mates.
However, given Goff’s appalling poll ratings and motorcyclists real costs to other ACC users – it is appropriate their theme song should be that Talking Heads hit “On the Road to Nowhere” as summed up by the following lyrics:
WELL WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOIN'
BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'VE BEEN
AND WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE KNOWIN'
BUT WE CAN'T SAY WHAT WE'VE SEEN
Says it all really!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Hone puts the H in hate
Hone, Hone Hone… or as we white mo-fos like to say… John, John John!
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's unscheduled side trip to Paris during a taxpayer funded work trip last month would probably have hardly caused a ripple of publicity if he had kept his head down. But that is not Hone's style and the brown stuff (and no; that is not a racist reference) really hit the fan when he opened his big, belligerent mouth – or more correctly – pushed the send button on an angry, hate-filled email.
Quite frankly I have no problem that Hone bunked what was most likely a tedious meeting in Brussels, so he and his wife Hilda could spend a day in Paris. Who cares? What difference did it make? And at least he actually paid for the extra travel himself.
Yet, when the little Paris sojourn was discovered by the media, Hone was typically unrepentant about his actions. Saying he missed nothing by skipping the meeting as he had already met those attending it and had discussed issues with them.
When first questioned about it, Hone accepted the trip to Paris was "outside the boundaries, “but I don't feel uncomfortable with it". In fact, Hone said he was glad he had undertaken the side trip, saying it would have been "dumb" not to visit such a wonderful city.
While he may now have to pay back some of the trip's overall costs after he skipped the Brussels meeting, that is now the least of his - or the Maori Party’s - problems.
Leader Tariana Turia had said she was concerned about how Mr Harawira's actions would reflect on the party. Well if poor old Tariana was concerned about how his bunk in Brussels would go down with the public – she will have been worried silly by his angry email defending his actions.
Hone reacted with racist, hate-fuelled reply to an email from Buddy Mikaere criticising him for bunking off a work trip to visit Paris, by lashing out at white people.
Mr Mikaere, a Maori Party supporter, had emailed Harawira an innocent enough two sentence message: "Gotta ask the question eh? who's paying for Hilda?"
Hone wrote back and his email didn’t pull any punches;
"Gee Buddy; do you believe that white man bullshit too do you? White motherfuckers have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries and all of a sudden you want me to play along with their puritanical bullshit."
He then went on to say how much time and energy he put into fighting for Maori and what a big role his wife Hilda played in that.
"And quite frankly, I don't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about it. OK?"
Mr Mikaere accepted Hone’s less than diplomatic challenge and leaked the email exchange to the media.
As I said earlier, I do not begrudge Hone his little side trip to Paris and nor do I care. However, we can’t have our MPs running around sending off offensive and racist rants.
Mind you poor old Hone did not have much of a chance to be anything but bitter and angry about Pakeha – given he has been suckled at the breast of and raised to believe this to be true by his bitter and angry mother!
Notwithstanding Titiwhai’s enlightened outlook on life, it is still unacceptable for a Maori MP to claim that ‘white mother fuckers have been raping and ripping off Maori for years’; just as it would be for a Pakeha MP to suggest that ‘brown mother fuckers have been raping white woman and ripping off the benefit for years’.
How long do you think an MP called John Smith would have survive in any other political party if he had expressed the latter sentiment?
Hone needs brought back in line by the leadership of the Maori Party and pretty damn quickly. Not just for his stupid, offensive and racist attitude, but also for his lack of political nous and dumb move to send this email in the first place.
As any politician worth his or her salt well knows – especially in today’s media savvy world – if you put it down on paper; it will end up in the paper!
Mind you, this white, mo-fo is not holding my breath that we will see any meaningful apology or change in attitude – perhaps I am too busy raping and ripping off Maori to give a toss.
Perhaps it is time for a change of scenery? I hear Paris is lovely this time of year, eh Hone!
Maori Party MP Hone Harawira's unscheduled side trip to Paris during a taxpayer funded work trip last month would probably have hardly caused a ripple of publicity if he had kept his head down. But that is not Hone's style and the brown stuff (and no; that is not a racist reference) really hit the fan when he opened his big, belligerent mouth – or more correctly – pushed the send button on an angry, hate-filled email.
Quite frankly I have no problem that Hone bunked what was most likely a tedious meeting in Brussels, so he and his wife Hilda could spend a day in Paris. Who cares? What difference did it make? And at least he actually paid for the extra travel himself.
Yet, when the little Paris sojourn was discovered by the media, Hone was typically unrepentant about his actions. Saying he missed nothing by skipping the meeting as he had already met those attending it and had discussed issues with them.
When first questioned about it, Hone accepted the trip to Paris was "outside the boundaries, “but I don't feel uncomfortable with it". In fact, Hone said he was glad he had undertaken the side trip, saying it would have been "dumb" not to visit such a wonderful city.
While he may now have to pay back some of the trip's overall costs after he skipped the Brussels meeting, that is now the least of his - or the Maori Party’s - problems.
Leader Tariana Turia had said she was concerned about how Mr Harawira's actions would reflect on the party. Well if poor old Tariana was concerned about how his bunk in Brussels would go down with the public – she will have been worried silly by his angry email defending his actions.
Hone reacted with racist, hate-fuelled reply to an email from Buddy Mikaere criticising him for bunking off a work trip to visit Paris, by lashing out at white people.
Mr Mikaere, a Maori Party supporter, had emailed Harawira an innocent enough two sentence message: "Gotta ask the question eh? who's paying for Hilda?"
Hone wrote back and his email didn’t pull any punches;
"Gee Buddy; do you believe that white man bullshit too do you? White motherfuckers have been raping our lands and ripping us off for centuries and all of a sudden you want me to play along with their puritanical bullshit."
He then went on to say how much time and energy he put into fighting for Maori and what a big role his wife Hilda played in that.
"And quite frankly, I don't give a shit what you or anyone else thinks about it. OK?"
Mr Mikaere accepted Hone’s less than diplomatic challenge and leaked the email exchange to the media.
As I said earlier, I do not begrudge Hone his little side trip to Paris and nor do I care. However, we can’t have our MPs running around sending off offensive and racist rants.
Mind you poor old Hone did not have much of a chance to be anything but bitter and angry about Pakeha – given he has been suckled at the breast of and raised to believe this to be true by his bitter and angry mother!
Notwithstanding Titiwhai’s enlightened outlook on life, it is still unacceptable for a Maori MP to claim that ‘white mother fuckers have been raping and ripping off Maori for years’; just as it would be for a Pakeha MP to suggest that ‘brown mother fuckers have been raping white woman and ripping off the benefit for years’.
How long do you think an MP called John Smith would have survive in any other political party if he had expressed the latter sentiment?
Hone needs brought back in line by the leadership of the Maori Party and pretty damn quickly. Not just for his stupid, offensive and racist attitude, but also for his lack of political nous and dumb move to send this email in the first place.
As any politician worth his or her salt well knows – especially in today’s media savvy world – if you put it down on paper; it will end up in the paper!
Mind you, this white, mo-fo is not holding my breath that we will see any meaningful apology or change in attitude – perhaps I am too busy raping and ripping off Maori to give a toss.
Perhaps it is time for a change of scenery? I hear Paris is lovely this time of year, eh Hone!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Rodney hides his credibility
ACT leader Rodney Hide’s days as the self-proclaimed, parliamentary perk buster are well and truly at an end.
Whatever credibility Rodders had gained from voters for his frequent admonishing of fellow MPs for wasting taxpayer funds on ‘perks’ has now disappeared faster than his waste-line, after it was revealed he took his girlfriend on a recent world trip care of the public purse.
It was bad enough that the poisoned-dwarf used more than $25,000 of taxpayer funds to take his squeeze on the 10-day world trip, but his arrogant and defiant justification of his antics was even worse.
After being caught with his snout deep in the taxpayer trough, Hide said that while he disagreed with the perk that gives MPs a taxpayer-funded 90 percent fare discount for themselves and their partners - he still used it to take his girlfriend overseas. The air fares for Louise Crome's trip to London, Canada and the United States are reported to have cost $25,163.
According to the former truck driver and Dancing with the Stars competitor the perk was "a silly anachronism", but it existed and he couldn't change it.
"I don't agree with that rule, but I'm not a martyr," Hide told Radio New Zealand. "I checked twice with the prime minister that it was acceptable. It got all the ticks."
Crap - you sawn off, pompous git - it is totally unacceptable; especially given your holier-than-thou to other MPs and their use of public funds.
Hide made a name for himself as a "perk-buster" when he first came to Parliament and demanded an end to allowances such as the one he used to take Ms Crome overseas.
Is this another example of judgement going out the window by an MP full of his own importance and losing touch with voters due to the rarefied air that tends to dominate Wellington’s beltway?
I have no problem with Hide himself taking the trip care of taxpayers – as he is minister of local government and took the trip to see for himself how other cities handled changes to their council structures. However, I do object to him dipping into the public purse to pay for this girlfriend to tag along. I mean $25 grand for 10 days just so he has some eye candy on his arm and someone to do the horizontal foxtrot with each night?
As a taxpayer, I would have preferred if he had of hired a $1000 a night hooker for each of the 10 nights he was away – it would have been cheaper!
"I made a decision to go on this trip because I've got a very big job in Auckland implementing the transition," Hide said in trying to justify his first class bludging. "I then had to justify whether or not I took my partner. I think it's important for me personally, but more particularly for me to do a good job as an MP and a minister, that I maintain my private and personal life."
Here are a couple of questions I would like to ask. Why should I pay for him to take his latest squeeze on a business trip? How many organisations in the real world would do that? How come Rodders cannot bear to be without his girlfriend of less than a year for 10 nights – but can survive without seeing his own son from his previous marriage for much longer? And just what experience in local government re-organisation does the injured professional squash playing Ms Crome have that was so critical in having her on this trip?
Sorry Rodney, but you are a hypocrite and your moral authority to criticise anyone ever again for wasting public money has gone forever.
Whatever credibility Rodders had gained from voters for his frequent admonishing of fellow MPs for wasting taxpayer funds on ‘perks’ has now disappeared faster than his waste-line, after it was revealed he took his girlfriend on a recent world trip care of the public purse.
It was bad enough that the poisoned-dwarf used more than $25,000 of taxpayer funds to take his squeeze on the 10-day world trip, but his arrogant and defiant justification of his antics was even worse.
After being caught with his snout deep in the taxpayer trough, Hide said that while he disagreed with the perk that gives MPs a taxpayer-funded 90 percent fare discount for themselves and their partners - he still used it to take his girlfriend overseas. The air fares for Louise Crome's trip to London, Canada and the United States are reported to have cost $25,163.
According to the former truck driver and Dancing with the Stars competitor the perk was "a silly anachronism", but it existed and he couldn't change it.
"I don't agree with that rule, but I'm not a martyr," Hide told Radio New Zealand. "I checked twice with the prime minister that it was acceptable. It got all the ticks."
Crap - you sawn off, pompous git - it is totally unacceptable; especially given your holier-than-thou to other MPs and their use of public funds.
Hide made a name for himself as a "perk-buster" when he first came to Parliament and demanded an end to allowances such as the one he used to take Ms Crome overseas.
Is this another example of judgement going out the window by an MP full of his own importance and losing touch with voters due to the rarefied air that tends to dominate Wellington’s beltway?
I have no problem with Hide himself taking the trip care of taxpayers – as he is minister of local government and took the trip to see for himself how other cities handled changes to their council structures. However, I do object to him dipping into the public purse to pay for this girlfriend to tag along. I mean $25 grand for 10 days just so he has some eye candy on his arm and someone to do the horizontal foxtrot with each night?
As a taxpayer, I would have preferred if he had of hired a $1000 a night hooker for each of the 10 nights he was away – it would have been cheaper!
"I made a decision to go on this trip because I've got a very big job in Auckland implementing the transition," Hide said in trying to justify his first class bludging. "I then had to justify whether or not I took my partner. I think it's important for me personally, but more particularly for me to do a good job as an MP and a minister, that I maintain my private and personal life."
Here are a couple of questions I would like to ask. Why should I pay for him to take his latest squeeze on a business trip? How many organisations in the real world would do that? How come Rodders cannot bear to be without his girlfriend of less than a year for 10 nights – but can survive without seeing his own son from his previous marriage for much longer? And just what experience in local government re-organisation does the injured professional squash playing Ms Crome have that was so critical in having her on this trip?
Sorry Rodney, but you are a hypocrite and your moral authority to criticise anyone ever again for wasting public money has gone forever.
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