Live blogging from Backbenchers

Written By: - Date published: 8:50 pm, June 10th, 2009 - 31 comments
Categories: mt albert - Tags:

We are here at the Neighbourhood Bar in Kingsland for a Mt Albert by-election debate. I have not seen any of the candidates here yet, but it certainly seems like half the rest of the world is here. Seen DPF, Whaleoil, Guyon Espiner from TV1 and Duncan Garner from TV3.

Lots of Act supporters and Labour supporters. The Nats are a bit thin on the ground and haven’t seen any Greens yet.

The guys from the Legalise Cannabis Party were very friendly though – with their “Cannabus”.

We’re all kind of hoping that Melissa Lee says something stupid – again! Word in that she’s arrived.

I haven’t yet seen anyone from the Green Party – but there is a beer jug with the Green Party logo on it at the bar – that’s pretty cool I think!

We’re sitting next to a very well dressed guy in a suit holding a “End the Drug War” sign. I am guessing he’s a supporter of the Legalise Cannabis Party – not quite the stereotypical member though.

I am hoping that we get a good discussion going about the Super City and the Waterview Connection, and that it doesn’t get sidetracked by Richard Worth. David Shearer is miles ahead in the polls so it’s hard not to think that it’s a battle between Russel Norman and Melissa Lee for second place now. Certainly, if Greens voters were worried about having to vote Labour to keep Lee out and not split the centre-left vote they don’t really have that worry anymore. Although, perhaps similarly National leaning voters who were thinking about voting for Russel Norman just to annoy Labour might have been a bit disheartened by his 15% result and could go back to voting Lee to at least make sure she doesn’t come third.

Seen a couple of Greens people here now.

Wow, just spotted Melissa Lee. She turned up to a debate for a change!

OK we’re about to get started here I think. There are a tonne of people around waving signs and chanting. Rocky has just chatted to Roger Douglas about pig farming (as he’s Mr Pig Farmer himself) and concludes that: “he’s a dick”. Not that we didn’t know that already.

We have five candidates talking tonight: David Shearer from Labour, Melissa Lee of National, Russel Norman of the Greens, John ‘lemington’ Boscawen from Act and Judy Turner from United Future. I must admit I had not idea she was the United Future candidate.

National supporters are holding their placards upside down. LOL.

Poor David Shearer looks like he has a cold, although I imagine he will be able to handle it better than John Key in the last week and a bit.

A few good chants going around about Russel Norman: “show us your muscles Russel”, “Russ the Muss”, John “lemington” Boscawen.

Getting started here now.  Introductions – huge noise for Melissa Lee (both cheers and boos). Clearly THE polarising MP here tonight.

Talking about online poll results showing Melissa Lee at 31% to Shearer’s 40%. We all know how “scientific” online polls are, so can’t really read much into that.

Boscawen giving a quick run-down on why to vote for him. Basically “he’s part of the government”. Ummmm…. yeah so why should we vote for you? Norman talking about public transport, poverty, keeping kids safe…. well at least he said something. Melissa Lee getting a lot of laughs “talking about views of Mt Albert”. Clearly not if you live in Waterview. David Shearer wants to support communities of Mt Albert, talking about his great personal history, wants to support & stand up for the people of Mt Albert. Talked well! Now I could say what Judy Turner says… but really, who cares?

Video playing about how awesome Mt Albert is. I grew up here, so I KNOW 🙂 (as did Rocky). The idea of Melissa Lee as our MP makes us both feel a bit sick (but looks like we won’t have to worry about that). Quiz going on now – people don’t seem to know the answers (though doing a bit better now).  Good to quiz the candidates about their local knowledge – quite telling how bad all the candidates are doing.

OK bit of a technical problem there.

Some interesting discussion about the Waterview Connection (with predictable responses) and the Super City. John Boscawen is good at hogging the microphone talking about Rodney’s reforms for local government (someone should tell him that people don’t want councils cut back to only providing roads and rubbish though). Melissa Lee seems a bit shell-shocked by the whole atmosphere, which isn’t that surprising as things are pretty intense here.

Judy Turner actually talked some sense about local government though. She points out that over the last decade more and more functions have been decentralised onto local government from central government, so it’s actually no surprise that rates have gone up over that time.

It has been a tad difficult to hear anything here, with the crowd. Melissa Lee gets either a giant cheer or a giant boo everytime she says anything, and it would have been interesting to actually see what she has to say about the Super City (for example).

An interesting question from the floor about what Melissa Lee might actually do as the MP for Mt Albef that she’s not doing now. A pretty good question really, as she’s backbench MP either way.

Whale’s given up on his twittering and instead is interrupting non-National speakers. I must say it’s bloody hard to hear anything from where I am, but the atmosphere is certainly fun and exiciting!

Good words from Russel Norman summing up – that Mt Albert would have a front-bench MP representing them. Melissa Lee saying “she’s doing her very best for Mt Albert”. Ummm… not that good. David Shearer saying that he has a history of standing up for the rights of those who need it, and will do so for Auckland. Judy Turner saying that it’s pointless voting for Russel, Melissa or John as they’re already in parliament. People should therefore choose between either her or David.

And it all ends with a big round of applause. That was certainly interesting, though I can’t say I heard much more than 10% of what was said.

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31 comments on “Live blogging from Backbenchers ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. MikeG 1
    10 June 2009 at 8:30 pm

    “The Nats are a bit thin on the ground” – they’ve all got ‘prior engagements’!!

  2. Kevin Welsh 2
    10 June 2009 at 8:33 pm

    Shit, Melissa Lee finally managed to clear her calendar for a debate… three days before voting.

  3. JLC 3
    10 June 2009 at 8:56 pm

    For those without freeview – live stream on TVNZ Backbenches website.
    http://tvnz.co.nz/back-benches/election-special-live-stream-tonight-2769048

  4. IrishBill 4
    10 June 2009 at 9:01 pm

    Roger was a pig farmer until it all went horribly wrong. I believe there are still a few unanswered questions about the financing of that venture. And about the redseal sale.

  5. toad 5
    10 June 2009 at 9:10 pm

    IB said: Roger was a pig farmer until it all went horribly wrong.

    I blogged about at least some of Roger’s record as a pig farmer a few days ago IB.

    Disgraceful that he is again in public office.

  6. Eddie 6
    10 June 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Wallace does his weekly triva question to the audience. Lee answers the question to the audience and wins the prize. Class.

  7. toad 7
    10 June 2009 at 9:30 pm

    Please tell IB.

    Actually, I could too, but you get a far wider audience here than I do on g.blog.

    Worth (oops, pun not intended) a thread of is own.

  8. Principessa 8
    10 June 2009 at 9:54 pm

    I’m listening on line and M Lee is saying about the Supercity: ‘What was the Royal Commission for, there is a select committee process- so people do get a say and David Shearer is scaremongering.” Yawn.

  9. George D 9
    10 June 2009 at 9:56 pm

    If Boscawen is part of the Govt, then so are Turner (if elected) and Lee. Consensus on this blog is that they’re not, however.

  10. Principessa 10
    10 June 2009 at 9:58 pm

    M Lee just said she has more muscle then Russell.

  11. Principessa 11
    10 June 2009 at 10:00 pm

    And Farrar’s liveblogging was a complete copout.

  12. greenfly 12
    10 June 2009 at 10:04 pm

    More muscle? Sadly, Lee’s is in her head.

  13. Hilary 13
    10 June 2009 at 10:19 pm

    It sounded like Melissa Lee answered the who am I question with the answer Dick Seddon – but it was hard to hear. Seddon is not right. What was the correct answer – MP born in Reading and came to NZ in 1894 and first MP for Mt Albert?

  14. MikeG 14
    10 June 2009 at 10:55 pm

    Interesting TV3 poll tonight – Shearer 60%, Lee 21%, Norman 13%

  15. craig 15
    10 June 2009 at 10:56 pm

    I think that it is funny that M Lee said that she would be the only candidate that would be in Government if elected. Clearly she doesn’t know the difference between caucusing with National and being in Cabinet (now being in Cabinet means you are actually in Government). But then if you use her line of ‘being in Government’ and lets say that she means she is in a party that forms Government, then so too is john Boscawen, as it is a N-ACT govt.

    Once again lies from the M Lee Campaign….. gosh… when will she learn to shut up?!

  16. jarbury 16
    10 June 2009 at 11:29 pm

    Well that was fun, if a little tricky to hear anything.

    Anyone have a link to the show so I can actually hear what was said?

  17. exbrethren 17
    11 June 2009 at 9:36 am

    Boscawen is a positively foul person. Easily the most repulsive MP, makes Garrett look charming.

  18. StephenR 18
    11 June 2009 at 9:39 am

    Sounds like a bloody farce – why would you go if you don’t want to hear people speak!?

    • jarbury 18.1
      11 June 2009 at 9:57 am

      For the atmosphere!

      When one goes to a rugby or cricket game they probably don’t follow it quite as well as would be possible on the TV at home. After all, no commentary to help them along and (if there’s no easily viewable giant screen) no endless replays to see what happened.

      Yet people still go, and in many ways it is better live than on TV.

      It’s like “why go to a rock concert when you get better sound quality on a CD”?

  19. Rich 19
    11 June 2009 at 11:19 am

    I read that as “The Backbencher” and assumed he was blogging from a pub.

  20. jarbury 20
    11 June 2009 at 11:45 am

    Is the pub in Wellington called “The Backbencher” and the programme called “The Backbenches”?

    And I was blogging from a pub 😀

  21. StephenR 21
    11 June 2009 at 1:41 pm

    You don’t need to hear anything at a cricket game though do you. Whatever butters your toast jarbury, but politics is diminished when people go to create/experience an atmosphere IMHO – doesn’t seem conducive to ‘debating issues’ or ‘informing the voters’ an’ all that.

  22. jarbury 22
    11 June 2009 at 9:32 pm

    Can Melissa Lee put her foot any deeper in her mouth:

    A low income audience in the Mt Albert by-election campaign was infuriated when National candidate Melissa Lee today told them she was paid only $2 an hour.

    Ms Lee is well behind in the polls after a series of gaffes and ill-judged comments virtually eliminated any chance she had of taking the Labour-held seat.

    Appearing in a candidate’s debate in front of members of the Unite union, Ms Lee was asked how she would survive on the minimum wage of $12.50 an hour.

    “I think I am currently on $2 an hour,” Ms Lee replied.

    Ms Lee appeared to be joking about MPs’ long hours, but it did not amuse the audience of low wage earners.

    Ms Lee is paid $131,000 a year and is entitled to $14,860 in expense allowances, as well as $24,000 in accommodation benefits and free travel.

    A worker on the minimum wage working 40 hours a week earns $26,000 a year and, if they have children, are entitled to Working for Families assistance.

    From here

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