First major party leader in 15 years to not speak at Big Gay Out

37 comments on “First major party leader in 15 years to not speak at Big Gay Out ”

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1. Nick 1

   13 February 2017 at 7:34 am

   He’s gone this election…. Yeehah….. Change the government. He definitely does not like confrontation of any kind.
   I really like that graphic, showing how politicians have voted or acted or their stance on various topics. Simplistic but effective.
2. Infused 2

   13 February 2017 at 9:07 am

   lol. or:

   “Little get’s a small gasp of Oxygen”

   Yeah, big deal. Not.
3. ianmac 3

   13 February 2017 at 9:20 am

   Politicians are hypocritical sometimes? Bill anti-gay on principle and religion but about face when it suits. The Pope will send him a curt note!
   • mac1 3.1

     13 February 2017 at 10:00 am

     ianmac, it’s also a quandary for politicians when, in any party, their private views conflict with party policy which is usually a majority held view. I would not call that hypocrisy necessarily- it should only be an issue when the views held are those one would ‘die in a ditch for’.

     A good Catholic like Bill English would understand the principle of double effect anyway. He could easily argue to himself that though the party’s views on gay rights are wrong, yet the good that is done by the National Party in all other areas of social advancement outweighs harm caused by such sinful views.

     Having been challenged to consider what the Pope would say in a curt note to Bill English, then I am agreeably surprised to find that the church that I left forty five years ago has changed its thinking or emphasis.

     http://time.com/3975630/pope-francis-lgbt-issues/

     As some philosophical cynic I recently read said, “Churches will only change when they have to.” Pope Francis is even considering same-sex civil unions according to the article above.
4. Brutus Iscariot 4

   13 February 2017 at 10:30 am

   The issue is not “why isn’t he speaking”, but “why does he have to?”.

   Key did it because he wanted to make a specific point about his everyman centrism, Clark did it because of the battles being fought around that time and Labour’s support for gay marriage etc (and i suspect a healthy dose of internal party signalling).

   if anything the de-politicisation of the BGO shows progress on the equality front. A way of life that is accepted and doesn’t need constant validation from high profile politicians etc.
   • adam 4.1

     13 February 2017 at 11:01 am

     Meanwhile in the real world.

     Young queer folk in this country kill themselves in droves. Lesbians are still economically marginalized, and have more chance of being in poverty than most. Transgender are still alienated, excluded and have a ridiculous number working in the sex industry. Intersex, are finally appearing on the radar. It’s far far far from rosy for the LGBTI community. And if the trump administration is anything to go by, it could get worse, before it gets better.
     • Molly 4.1.1

       13 February 2017 at 8:25 pm

       +100
   • AB 4.2

     13 February 2017 at 12:36 pm

     He doesn’t have to speak and he doesn’t have to attend. What is being noted is simply his choices in these matters and the relationship those choices may have to his voting history.
     Interesting how people on the right seem to interpret any questioning or criticism of their choices as some form of coercion – when it isn’t.

     We all know what’s happening here – Bill has imbibed a punitive, conservative social morality from his rural, Catholic upbringing. He then made the mistake of topping that up with a punitive economic ideology (neoliberalism) during his callow, impressionable years in Treasury. This has made him an all-round miserable, joyless old bu**er that needs to be ludicrously talked up by those who will be economically advantaged by a continuation of National Party governments. Audrey Young’s risible fawning being a case in point.
5. Peter ChCh 5

   13 February 2017 at 10:44 am

   The problem is what exactly? Some gays want it both ways. They want equality yet, like hysterical divas, want to parade around saying ‘look at me. I’m gay. Give me special treatment!’.

   A bit like Clinton ‘vote for me because i an a women’. This is not equality. It is a childlike demand for special treatment or atrention.

   Sadly this is why Labour will fail this year.
   • DoublePlusGood 5.1

     13 February 2017 at 10:51 am

     Since when is having a large social event at a park hysterical or special treatment?
     • Peter ChCh 5.1.1

       13 February 2017 at 10:56 am

       Its not. But the subject of this article is that nasty old Bill did not pander to a tiny group of Divas wanting special attention.
       • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1.1

         13 February 2017 at 10:58 am

         Nope: that’s your fear and hatred talking and nothing else. Stop wailing and grow up.
       • DoublePlusGood 5.1.1.2

         13 February 2017 at 11:50 am

         If it’s not special treatment, then why are you stating that divas are running around demanding special treatment? You are not being logically consistent.
     • Sam C 5.1.2

       13 February 2017 at 11:01 am

       Well, he didn’t speak at the other large gathering he went to yesterday at Flat Bush, either.

       I don’t see anyone going crazy about that. I thought he dealt with the issue very well when he was harangued by an hysterical Susie Ferguson on RNZ this morning.
       • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.2.1

         13 February 2017 at 12:10 pm

         Blame Smile-and-Wave: he created the expectation.
   • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2

     13 February 2017 at 10:56 am

     What special treatment is that? The answer is of course none: you made it up.
     I suppose you could be parroting some third party’s bigotry. I can never decide which is worse: to be a liar or a dupe.
     • Peter ChCh 5.2.1

       13 February 2017 at 10:59 am

       Ao anyone who has an opossing view is a liar or a dupe? Weird and ridiculous view of politics, democracy and freedom.

       One day, if you ever grow up to be an aduly, you may realise that under the unbrella there are many opinions.

       With your logic, i assume you consider Poto to be a liar or a duoe? You must. Weird.
       • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2.1.1

         13 February 2017 at 11:01 am

         I note you failed to answer the question: what special treatment? People who make things up don’t deserve to have their opinions heard, let alone respected.
         • Brutus Iscariot 5.2.1.1.1

           13 February 2017 at 11:03 am

           Sort of like if an article appeared here that the Hawkes Bay Crochet Society was pissed off that English didn’t come and speak.

           He’s under no obligation to turn up to every privately-organised event.
           • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2.1.1.1.1

             13 February 2017 at 11:06 am

             Did the organisers of this one demand his attendance at all, or like the Peter child, are you making things up too?
         • Peter ChCh 5.2.1.1.2

           13 February 2017 at 11:12 am

           I will try and speak very s l o w l y so you can keep up. The subject of the article is that the Divas should have got the special treatment of English pandering to them. Why? He, and other leaders, frequently dont do this for all sorts of reasons. So what?

           And as for failing to answer a question (can you keep up or are we going too fast?), you have not answered mine.

           Do you consider Poto to be a ‘liar or a dupe’ as she had a very different point if view than Andrew Little? This is after all what your apparent Stalinist world view would demand.
           • One Anonymous Bloke 5.2.1.1.2.1

             13 February 2017 at 11:19 am

             Thanks for changing your story so quickly.

             Your first drivel was that “some gays” want “special treatment”.

             Your latest drivel is that someone at The Standard wants the “special treatment” (which you cannot define) to happen,

             Meanwhile, on Earth, the article quotes a Fairfax Media story about the fact that English was the first leader not to speak in fifteen years.

             Differences of opinion (eg WIlliams/Little) are not the same as getting caught out telling lies, child.
             • Peter ChCh …

               13 February 2017 at 11:44 am

               OAB. Do you ever go back and read your posts again? Take any thread or any topic, your entire consciousness seems to consist of endles personal abuse trying to intimidate others to your worldview.

               This is what destroys sites like this. Endless trolls. In future i will not waste time answering you. Trolls like nothing more than attention.
               • One Anonymous Bloke …

                 13 February 2017 at 11:58 am

                 Says the child wailing about divas and special treatment 😆
           • Siobhan 5.2.1.1.2.2

             13 February 2017 at 11:30 am

             He was happy enough to turn up for the photo op., maybe he could have said a few words. Seems fair.

             On a more general note, the idea that “The Gays’ are all Labour voters and lefties is probably only bandied about by people who either do not know many in the LGBT community over the last 20 years, or only stick to their own little clique. So again, he should have talked, there would have been National voters there…even if they are ‘in the closet’ National voters. 😉
             • Peter ChCh …

               13 February 2017 at 11:35 am

               Actually Siobhan, it has always been my view that there were a whole lot more gays amongst National than Labour Mp’s. They just were more likely to be in the closet.

               I could name more than a few that I was personally aware of when I lived in Wellington 10 years ago.
               • One Anonymous Bloke …

                 13 February 2017 at 11:55 am

                 Obviously this is a big deal for you so I’ll spell it out.

                 Political leaders go to events like the Big Gay Out because they either support them, or think that being seen to support them is worth a few votes.

                 Probably event organisers invite them, and so what: they can freely choose to attend or not. Any “expectation” that they attend is created by the media and to an extent the wider electorate.

                 In this case, the media have noted the differences and similarities between English’s approach and that of his predecessors.

                 Then you come along whining about Divas and special treatment, and that’s all about you. Frankly, lady, I think you protest too much.

                 As for the tone of my comments, if you don’t like being exposed as a liar, stop lying.
                 • Peter ChCh …

                   13 February 2017 at 12:06 pm

                   Read my earlier text. Its not just this thread or me. You do the same in every thread on every topic. You resort to personal abuse every time. You are a troll and i am at a loss to understand why you are tolerated.

                   Trolls like you destroy sites like this, which is why i seldom waste my time reading them.
                   • One Anonymous Bloke …

                     13 February 2017 at 12:09 pm

                     Hey hypocrite: your comments in this thread are a stream of personal abuse and false accusations against gay people.

                     You can’t cope with having your behaviour criticised and your lies exposed. Diddums.
                   • Blade …

                     13 February 2017 at 7:20 pm

                     Correct, he is a troll. But he seems to have a charmed life on this blog. He wouldn’t last five minutes anywhere else.
                     However, the choice is yours. You either play him at his own game, or ignore him. You can’t play mister reasonable.
                   • One Anonymous Bloke …

                     13 February 2017 at 7:33 pm

                     Sure you can play Mr. Reasonable. Just don’t play Mr. Lying Bigot.
                   • Richard McGrath …

                     13 February 2017 at 8:57 pm

                     Don’t worry Peter, OAB can’t engage anyone with a different point of view without resorting to abuse.
6. Pat McIntosh 6

   13 February 2017 at 11:11 am

   National is carefully managing Bill to the media, and avoiding any platforms where he will be challenged, e.g, a no show at Waitangi, and late to Big Gay Out so missed having to get onstage and speak. This will be a pattern from his PR team throughout this election year.
7. marie 7

   13 February 2017 at 1:51 pm

   Like with Key, the National pr team will want English to avoid any potential trouble spots.
8. Grantoc 8

   13 February 2017 at 3:41 pm

   I don’t get why some commentators here think its such a big deal that English didn’t speak at the Big Gay Out.

   He was there. He mixed and interacted with the crowd (who seemed pleased to be in his company).

   He made the point that he had changed his views on matters of importance to this community such as gay marriage (btw I thought Fegusson’s interview with him on morning report today was ridiculous and pointless; must have been a slow news day). Good on him for having the maturity and the insight to acknowledge his change of mind on gay marriage.

   So I’d be pleased if someone could enlighten me as to why they think its big deal that English didn’t give a speech at the event.
9. Gabby 9

   13 February 2017 at 9:39 pm

   I doubt if Bingles will lose too many votes by not grabbing at a microphone whenever he’s in public.
10. Foreign waka 10

    14 February 2017 at 8:18 pm

    I am not necessary a friend of Mr English philosophy and in many instances I am completely on a different page (shall I say planet?) but he does have the right – like everybody else – to express what his beliefs are. PM or not. In this instance he has chosen not to give a speech. I don’t see the big deal in that.

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