Joke candidate cracks a funny

19 comments on “Joke candidate cracks a funny ”

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1. sally 1

   9 June 2009 at 10:02 am

   Sorry guys, as much as I’d like to see Lee fall on her face (figeratively, of course), you’re spliting hairs here. The point that she was trying to get across was that she was the only candidate that was part of the National/ACT coalition. Of course, John Boscowen is as well, which does make her presser amusing…
2. jarbury 2

   9 June 2009 at 10:11 am

   Phil Goff did make the same mistake in parliament during question time a few weeks back, just after Melissa Lee’s “Waterview criminal bypass” comments came out.
   • gobsmacked 2.1

     9 June 2009 at 10:19 am

     Jarbury is right. And the question was ruled out by Lockwood Smith, on the grounds that Lee is not a member of the government. So she is wrong, or the Speaker is.

     Lockwood’s ruling:

     “Members should understand the difference between Parliament and the Government. I automatically assumed that the questioner was referring to members of the Government, which means Ministers. Members of Parliament are not members of the Government unless they happen to also be Ministers.” (Hansard)

     Incidentally, this is not the first time Melissa Lee has pretended to voters that she is in the government.
3. toad 3

   9 June 2009 at 10:20 am

   I suggest what this by-election has done is reduce Melissa Lee’s chances of ever being “inside Government” (ie a Minister) to somewhere similar to Richard Worth’s chances of ever being there again.
4. Chris S 4

   9 June 2009 at 10:41 am

   Something I found funny in the news today…

   Compare:
   http://static.stuff.co.nz/1244493912/233/2484233.jpg
   with:
   http://i2.bebo.com/042b/15/mediuml/2008/10/14/07/7654258038a9144976274ml.jpg

   WHY WON’T YOU OPEN YOUR TENDER LITTLE HEART AND COMMUNICATE WITH ME?
5. merlin 5

   9 June 2009 at 10:56 am

   If that’s what she meant, that’s what she should have said. I suspect she just doesn’t understand the difference between being an MP from a governing party and being a member of the government
6. gobsmacked 6

   9 June 2009 at 11:17 am

   Good news: Melissa Lee’s campaign has been defended by John Key.

   Bad news: Nobody can work out what he said.

   Key, on TV3 this morning:

   “There has been ups and downs, as you always get. The white heat of the national media turns on you from time to time, it ends up being in a position where it can have interesting outcomes – but that’s true of everyone in that position.”

   Thanks for clearing that up, John (going forward).
7. George D 7

   9 June 2009 at 11:18 am

   Governments are usually seen as every member who has the confidence of the house. Government is not equal to cabinet, as much as Labour and National would like it to be. The Government is the majority of the house of representatives.
   • gobsmacked 7.1

     9 June 2009 at 11:25 am

     George, were the Greens in government, 1999 – 2002?
     • George D 7.1.1

       9 June 2009 at 12:04 pm

       Yeah, I see I’ve contradicted myself there. My first statement was correct, the second was incorrect.

       The Government was Labour and the Alliance. They had the confidence of the house.
   • merlin 7.2

     9 June 2009 at 12:03 pm

     No. The Government (big G) is the ministers (both inside and outside Cabinet). Their job is to administer the government (small g), that is, the executive arm of the State. Technically, New Zealand, as a constitutional monarchy, is ruled by the Crown’s representative, the Governor-General, in Council, ie advised by his/her ministers. In reality, the ministers make the decisions and the G-G rubber-stamps them.

     In the New Zealand system, the Prime Minister is the person who can prove the monarch or his/her representative that they have the support of the Parliament to form a government. The Prime Minister chooses who will be ministers but they are actually issued with their warrants by the Governor-General. In NZ, the ministers are also MPs but that’s not the case in all countries. In the US the Government, known as the Administration, is appointed by the President from whomever he likes.

     Not all members of parties that give confidence and supply to the Government are themselves members of the Government. For instance, when a backbench MP in a governing party (ie an MP who is not a minister) puts up a Bill in the House, that is not a Government Bill, it is a Private Members’ Bill but when a minister puts up a Bill it is a Government Bill.

     If you think Melissa Lee is part of the Government, you have as little idea about how governing works in New Zealand as she appears to have.
     • George D 7.2.1

       9 June 2009 at 1:53 pm

       Reference for such distinction please.
       • merlin 7.2.1.1

         9 June 2009 at 4:32 pm

         pols101?

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_System

         and

         http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_Government

         look like basic starters. an online dictionary too.

         There is a problem in that we tend to use terms like ‘the government’ loosely and there are in fact two governments – the Government (the Ministers of the Crown) and the government (the ministries, departments and other executive bodies of the Crown).

         In a wider sense, government can be used to mean something similar to the State, comprising the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

         But when Lee was talking about the Key Government, she was talking about the ministers who set government policy, take the government’s legislation to Parliament, administer the ministeries, and serve at Key’s pleasure.
         • George D 7.2.1.1.1

           9 June 2009 at 7:10 pm

           Yeah, I did a look-up in Oxford Reference before I asked that. I did an honours degree in politics at VUW (1st class), and always heard government used there to mean the ruling parties.

           In New Zealand Government is effectively delegated to the cabinet (the “unelected tyranny”), and the cabinetmakes decisions as the government.

           But it appears I’m wrong, so stand corrected.
         • George D 7.2.1.1.2

           9 June 2009 at 7:19 pm

           Actually, I retract that retraction. She is part of the Government, in both a technical and practical sense.
         • Ari 7.2.1.1.3

           9 June 2009 at 9:07 pm

           “Government” for the purposes of Question Time refers to the executive, George, which means ministers only. MPs are all part of the legislature. Melissa Lee is not a minister, therefore not part of the executive or the Government. (as defined for the purposes of question time) She has no executive responsibilities to be asked about in question time anyway, so there would be little point.

           You can split hairs over how you want to define the government all you like, but this is a constitutional matter, and it doesn’t help that the lines between the executive and legislative branch in New Zealand are muddied, but that’s what we have.
8. randal 8

   9 June 2009 at 11:20 am

   yes well.
   according to the wireless this morning she didnt front to a candidates meeting last night either preferring to attend another long standing engagement.
   she does not want to answer the hard questions.
   she thinks a pretty asian face and a bubbling over of estrogen is going to work on everybody.
   • GC Martin 8.1

     9 June 2009 at 4:00 pm

     amused by a call just in from someone covering this… says re Randal’s to attend another long standing engagement... how all this standing seems to be making the woman shorter..

     I figure this mebbe means her odds… and the question should be put: could Melissa missing lose her deposit..? And, what kind of expense will that be… 🙂
9. toad 9

   9 June 2009 at 11:29 am

   Yes randal, Melissing in Action yet again.

   At least this time she told the media where she was.

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