National hypocrisy about the gay pride parade

Written By: - Date published: 12:00 pm, February 23rd, 2015 - 86 comments
Categories: human rights, national, same old national - Tags: , , , ,

Nikki Kaye gay pride photo

Last weekend saw the annual Gay Pride Parade in Auckland. This is a parade that Labour has had representation at for many years and this year was no different. A large contingent of MPs and activists were in attendance. What was different was that National also had formal representation. Good on them. It is good to see the party that traditionally has been totally opposed to recognition of gay and lesbian rights is now changing its views.

Nikki Kaye attended. She is from the urban liberal edge of the party so her presence was not unusual. But with her were Melissa Lee and Alfred Ngaro. They both voted against Louisa Wall’s Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill which established marriage equality. And Ngaro has used the bill in an attempt to gain favour for National amongst conservative Pacific pastors.

Their presence reeks of hypocrisy.  Arthur Schenck in his blog sums things up well.

Without a change of heart or an apology to LGBT New Zealanders, their taking part in a parade celebrating LGBT people—the very people they voted against!—is, at the very best, vile and rank hypocrisy. At worst, it smacks of crass political opportunism, a kind of political pink washing: Trying to cleanse their anti-gay records by appearing in a parade for the very people they voted against.

Ngaro’s presence was particularly galling because only a few months ago he was using the marriage equality bill to rile up rightwing voters to vote against Labour. Clearly he has not only NOT changed his views, but he’s actively anti-gay, which makes his presence in the parade an insult to all LGBT New Zealanders.

I say again: It’s good National finally decided to take part in the parade as Labour has done all along. National MP Nikki Kaye pushed the idea of a revived parade (years after the former HERO Parade folded), and she should be applauded. She also absolutely should have been there. But why have two anti-gay MPs? Were no pro-LGBT National MPs available? National REALLY needs to understand that sending MPs with an anti-gay voting record is as bad as not being there at all.

To complete the social media clusterfuck for National Auckland City Councillor and National List MP candidate Linda Cooper attacked someone on Facebook who questioned how appropriate it was that Lee and Ngaro should be there.

Linda Cooper facebook cock comment

 

Note to Linda Facebook posts are for ever and abuse never works out well.  On behalf of the future progressive candidate for Council in the Waitakere ward please keep this up.

Cooper has since apologised saying that her reference was to the feathered kind and not male genitalia but you have to wonder at this given the context in which the word was used.

Way to blow relations with the gay and lesbian community guys.

Update: Linda Cooper has now given a further apology on facebook.

I’m very sorry if my comments to Daniel O’Connor on the Auckland Pride Festival FB page have caused offence. On reflection, my choice of words to make a point was unfortunate and I apologise if my actions have detracted from what was otherwise a fantastic event of celebration and pride.

Linda obviously is not a catholic.  When you apologise say it like you mean it.  The comments clearly caused offence and did detract from the celebration.

86 comments on “National hypocrisy about the gay pride parade ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Hayden 1
    23 February 2015 at 12:18 pm

    Cooper has since apologised saying that her reference was to the feathered kind and not male genitalia but you have to wonder at this given the context in which the word was used.

    You don’t really have to wonder, it’s quite clearly bullshit. And by that I mean a lie, rather than the excrement of a male bovine animal.

    • Anne 1.1
      23 February 2015 at 12:44 pm

      …her reference was to the feathered kind and not male genitalia…

      You have to hand it to the Nats. They’re consummate liars. I guess they’ve been studying their lord and master, John P Key.

      Look at the blue boys in the photo. Talk about a bunch of Queensland fruit flies.

    • Lanthanide 1.2
      23 February 2015 at 1:27 pm

      It’s like when John Key called that radio presenters shirt a “gay red shirt”, he just meant “weird red shirt”.

      • Sabine 1.2.1
        23 February 2015 at 2:59 pm

        nah he ment happy red shirt. 🙂

      • Descendant Of Sssmith 1.2.2
        23 February 2015 at 5:38 pm

        Or when he said

        “Speaking to the BBC before the speech, Mr Key said Prince Andrew was very “well respected in New Zealand” and said without intimate knowledge of the case he couldn’t “pre-judge” the prince.”

        He does this every now and then. Deliberately uses a smarmy offensive word, when considered in full context, like a 14 year old schoolboy.

        Using “intimate knowledge” in a rape allegation context is both puerile and putrid.

    • Tom Gould 1.3
      23 February 2015 at 2:47 pm

      Jeez, what a nasty piece of work Linda Cooper is. I guess nasty and hypocrisy and lying go hand-in-hand with being a Tory?

  2. Old Mickey 2
    23 February 2015 at 12:20 pm

    Good on Alf for turning up – his views are prtty clear, but good to see he’s not to big for his boots to admit he is open to understanding differing views.

    • Sabine 2.1
      23 February 2015 at 12:45 pm

      that would be Alfred Ngaro who comes to my business during election time, being very manly and demanding to speak to my husband! LOL, i don’t have a husband, but but the man I spoke to …… IS my partner, we are not married and this is my business…..OH Sorry ( i have a labour and a internet mana rosette on my black board) good bye….

      the man is a far right christian nutter who still has his sign up in te atatu south even tho he lost.

      no, he is not open to understand differentiating views, but he was hoping for a bit of good feedback. The National Party needs it, the oily one consideres him a hope of the future and he is relatively unknown….but i guess that will change now that the National Party is running out of clean and uncompromised MP’s.

      I would rather we discuss the Maori Transwomen who had her arm broken to the point of needing surgery by the attending police at the march. …Cause the Police is so in love with the Rainbow community they had to march in Gay Pride….:)

      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11406046

      • Murray Rawshark 2.1.1
        23 February 2015 at 7:11 pm

        +1 Sabine.
        I think many events such as Big Gay Out and this parade have been taken over by pink Tories whose highest ambition in life is to have a selfie taken with FJK. No matter what Tories do with their genitalia, they are still my enemy. Especially when they do things with the genitalia of children under 12 years old. It disgusts me that the organisers came out against the protestors.

  3. Stephanie Rodgers 3
    23 February 2015 at 12:23 pm

    “I meant rooster, not penis” is the kind of excuse a six-year-old thinks is clever.

  4. mac1 4
    23 February 2015 at 12:26 pm

    “Way to blow relations with the gay and lesbian community guys.” Heh! Language is a fascinating creature.

    More importantly, it would be very useful to ask the two National MPs complained of as to whether they have recently been on the road to Damascus. Have they changed their views in any way since the legislation was passed? Or did they then vote against their personal views at that time, and for what reason?

    It’s possible they have, which would make then sense of Cooper’s outburst.

    • Sabine 4.1
      23 February 2015 at 12:47 pm

      Coopers Outburst is due to someone having the audacity to talk balk and ask for accountability.
      I have met that lady during election times…..she is not a nice gal, not at all. Would not invite her for a cuppa and slice.

      • Anne 4.1.1
        23 February 2015 at 12:49 pm

        Another Cathy Odgers?

        • Sabine 4.1.1.1
          23 February 2015 at 1:04 pm

          Nah, more of the type that has a hard time accepting other points of views and being polite about it.
          See facebook post.

          little boy? – that is just outright belittling someone….also sexist
          have you served your country? – so only soldiers, and polititians now can have an opinion?
          having the privilege to serve your country? – mhhhh, do we not all serve our country every day?
          questioning his ability to make decision – again very belittling, and age discrimination
          and then the thing about being a cock – insulting, sexist, pig headed

          she is a bully.

          no matter how much she excuses just the last part of her post, the whole thing is nothing else but an insult, and outright bullying.

          Go National!

      • Tracey 4.1.2
        23 February 2015 at 4:16 pm

        I know from recent experience that her idea of representing ratepayers is to look at their complaint and when the legal dept of Council gives their version, Cooper just accepts the version without question and says that’s all she can do. Glad to see she has time for being childish on facebook when she didnt have much time for a friend’s client (ratepayer being bullied and screwed by Auckland Council)

        • Sabine 4.1.2.1
          23 February 2015 at 4:22 pm

          Again, she seems to be one of these public servants that are mainly there to serve themselves.

          I have met her and Ngaro and quite a few of the blue shirts during the election, and there is no way I would vote for anyone from National.

          They simply come across as devoid of any emotions other than righteousness , anger and greed. A toxic mix if ever there was one.

          Ahh well, the young man whom she bullied and insulted in the fb post said that he will lay a complaint against her.
          And really this is what needs to be done every single time. They need to be called out on it.

          • Tracey 4.1.2.1.1
            23 February 2015 at 4:25 pm

            She is another sucking at the ratepayer teat and using it as a launchpad to national politics. Like Brewer they are there as some kind of apprenticeship and we are all paying for it.

            • sabine 4.1.2.1.1.1
              23 February 2015 at 6:00 pm

              good lord i know.
              I have lived in akl for 20 years now and I have lost in this city ever having a council and mayor that actually wants to advance, modernise and upgrade the city.
              most peeps are really just there to make a buck and move on to wellington.

              sad, as akl could be a world class city for all.

  5. Visubversaviper 5
    23 February 2015 at 12:57 pm

    I am sure it must be very difficult being Cr Cooper. She must find it hard to remember all the things she said when she was campaigning to be an “independent voice for West Auckland” seing that they were so foreign to her natural National Party tendancies. And her voting record once in office!

  6. weka 6
    23 February 2015 at 1:19 pm

    “Their presence reeks of hypocrisy.”

    Kind of like the police taking part in the parade.

    The other clusterfuck going on was the assault on emmy, a Māori trans woman who was part of a protest against the police marching in the parade because of their institutional racism and violence against trans people. Police behaved badly during the protest, a security guard manhandled emmy and ended up breaking her arm. Police then intervened and held her on the ground and cuffed her while she was screaming in pain. It took 30 minutes to get her medical attention.

    One of the parade organisers appears to have physically restrained another person who was filming the assaults and taken her cell phone off her. Another protestor was arrested for no good reason. I think someone else was prevented from filming too.

    The parade organisers have since been dismissive of the assault and basically said it wasn’t ok to protest.

    Links in OM yesterday.

    There’s a video on the Herald that shows part of the assault by what looks like a professional photographer, but is edited strangely so it’s hard to get the full picture.

    I followed mostly on twitter yesterday and find it hard to believe that security guards, police and march organisers could be so completely inept in this day and age and in this situation. I keep thinking “I can’t breathe” and wonder what planet these people are living on.

  7. Lanthanide 7
    23 February 2015 at 1:24 pm

    “National REALLY needs to understand that sending MPs with an anti-gay voting record is as bad as not being there at all.”

    Actually, it’s worse.

    Also, if they voted against the bill, they should fuck right off.

    • music4menz 7.1
      23 February 2015 at 2:05 pm

      Voting against the same sex marriage bill is not in itself a sign of being ‘anti gay’. Plenty of gay men and women did not support this bill and nor do they necessarily support the stereotyping of gay people as rhinestone wearing drag queens, g- stringed muscle men or butch dikes- as we see in events such as the Gay Pride Parade. Such stereotyping does nothing to advance the stature of gay people in society- all it does is reinforce them as caricatured freaks.

      Gay men and women come in all shapes, sizes, political persuasions and social views. Many would even vote National.

      • DoublePlusGood 7.1.1
        23 February 2015 at 2:20 pm

        Yes, it is entirely anti-gay. They voted against it because they oppose gay people having the same rights as anyone else.
        Voting National if you are a gay person is beyond idiotic.

        • Gosman 7.1.1.1
          23 February 2015 at 3:38 pm

          Is this because all the gays should think alike on matters of politics?

          • Tracey 7.1.1.1.1
            23 February 2015 at 4:20 pm

            No, it’s because if you vote against the marriage of MANY (arguably all) who attend the parade, you are a hypocrite for taking a photo opportunity to look like you support them. (note I am not responding to the gays who vote national bit in this reply because I think that expecting gays to all vote Labour is bizarre)…

            If they stayed away, they could have said they were supporting all the gays you, old mickey and music suggest didn’t want gay marriage and are unlikely to have attended the parade. But they didn’t.

      • Sabine 7.1.2
        23 February 2015 at 2:25 pm

        because voting to restrict rights that heterosexual couples take for granted is being supportive of gays.

        Having the right to marry in the eyes of the communities is an important right for many of the rainbow community that I know, and my sister loved getting married to her long term partner. She also loves that she now has all the rights a legal spouse has.

        As per Mrs Cooper they did not march to support the Rainbow communities but to support their dear Friend Mrs. Kaye….really? Was there nothing else they could have done to support her?

        Quote”She says Lee, a Korean MP, received “torrents” of abuse on twitter during and after the parade. “And she was really personally upset,” saying she knew it would happen, but had marched because she wanted to support her Parliamentary friend and colleague Nikki Kaye.
        “And also Alfred is a strong, Christian, caring man, and he wanted to do the same. He’s not anti-gay. He just had to listen to that strong Pacific voice. That’s the trades offs that are made in politics, unfortunately.”
        Cooper says she commends their bravery for marching. “It was hard for them, and they came anyway.

        http://www.gaynz.com/articles/publish/2/article_16504.php

        Funny that people would be upset about their representatives back peddling on their votes…:) Hypocrisy much?

        and then the lovely comment from Mrs. Cooper who is a public figure in Auckland and really should know better….but I guess she was speaking to you and Old fellow.

        it seems that the National Party needs some MP”s with convictions that are not for sale or up for photo ops, and Auckland needs a new councilor who has good manners and is not an out and proud bully.

        you are right in one thing tho, The Rainbow community will like the rest of NZ vote to their convictions, across the ailes.

        • Tracey 7.1.2.1
          23 February 2015 at 4:22 pm

          Ms Kayye needed support? Why?

          • felix 7.1.2.1.1
            23 February 2015 at 5:59 pm

            I assume it’s because any progressive event is considered hostile territory by far-right conservatives.

            Which also makes their “support” of Nikki Kaye an overt expression of literal homophobia when you fink about it…

      • Lanthanide 7.1.3
        23 February 2015 at 2:41 pm

        “Plenty of gay men and women did not support this bill”

        Got any figures for “plenty”? I’d guess it’d be less than 10%.

        “Such stereotyping does nothing to advance the stature of gay people in society- all it does is reinforce them as caricatured freaks.”

        Er, yes, it does quite a lot to advance the stature of gay people in society. Being out and proud and visible is literally a lifeline for some teenagers who are struggling with their identity – giving them hope and acknowledging their existence can make a big difference in peoples lives. Now admittedly this isn’t as necessary in modern NZ as it has been in the past, but every bit helps. The point of a parade is to dress up and have fun – I don’t think anyone thinks participants in santa parades are “caricatured freaks”.

        “Gay men and women come in all shapes, sizes, political persuasions and social views. Many would even vote National.”

        And I think the majority are angry at carpet-bagging National MPs turning up at *our* parades.

        • music4menz 7.1.3.1
          23 February 2015 at 3:06 pm

          For many heterosexual NZers the only time that they see obviously gay men and women is when they see them prancing about in drag or outlandish outfits at events such as the Gay Pride Parade or else at the opening of such things as the ANZ GAYTMs. Of course it reinforces stereotypes, just as the actor John Inman did years ago in tv’s ‘Are You Being Served’ . He was much criticised at the time for his stereotyped performance by LGBT groups, yet he was doing nothing more than what gay men and women are now doing when they ‘dress up and have fun’.

          Why was it wrong when John Inman camped it up but right now that so many of the participants in Gay Pride do it?

          • Tracey 7.1.3.1.1
            23 February 2015 at 4:23 pm

            Boobs on Bikes

          • Lanthanide 7.1.3.1.2
            23 February 2015 at 4:28 pm

            “For many heterosexual NZers the only time that they see obviously gay men and women is when they see them prancing about in drag or outlandish outfits at events such as the Gay Pride Parade or else at the opening of such things as the ANZ GAYTMs.”

            They must live very sheltered and insular lives, then.

            Gay pride parades are just at the very showy end of activities in the community. Just like the santa parade. If they actually went to the Big Gay Out, I’m sure they would see the diversity and range of people in the gay community. Much like any other community.

            • One Anonymous Bloke 7.1.3.1.2.1
              23 February 2015 at 4:31 pm

              Well, yes, some of them do: low levels of contact with out-groups is a significant factor in fostering racism, homophobia, hate speech and other National Party values.

            • Tracey 7.1.3.1.2.2
              23 February 2015 at 4:33 pm

              I think some have the stereotype music writes about but not because they see pictures of the Big gay Out.

              National is protecting the sensibilities of its suppporters thought. Like selling state houses in wealthy areas so the wealthy will no longer see poor people as they drive past each morning and night and can pretend there are no poor in NZ.

          • Murray Rawshark 7.1.3.1.3
            23 February 2015 at 7:24 pm

            What a load of shit. What is an “obviously gay man or woman”? Most of them look just like anyone else, so be very afraid, mr. music. Come to think of it, even your chosen net name seems a little homoerotic. Ooh, I’m thinking of your tight little buns right now……….

            • Tom Jackson 7.1.3.1.3.1
              24 February 2015 at 12:09 am

              We have a friend who everyone who knows him thinks is the worlds gayest man. He’s not so much obviously gay as supernova level, blindingly obviously gay.

              • Murray Rawshark …
                24 February 2015 at 12:18 am

                FJK wants your friend’s vote. He’ll do a Village People imitation in order to chase after it, because that’s what gay people are like.

          • Anno1701 7.1.3.1.4
            25 February 2015 at 6:46 am

            A bit of Satire (From the Onion )

            WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA–The mainstream acceptance of gays and lesbians, a hard-won civil-rights victory gained through decades of struggle against prejudice and discrimination, was set back at least 50 years Saturday in the wake of the annual Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade.

            Participants in Saturday’s Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, which helped change straight people’s tolerant attitudes toward gays.

            “I’d always thought gays were regular people, just like you and me, and that the stereotype of homosexuals as hedonistic, sex-crazed deviants was just a destructive myth,” said mother of four Hannah Jarrett, 41, mortified at the sight of 17 tanned and oiled boys cavorting in jock straps to a throbbing techno beat on a float shaped like an enormous phallus. “Boy, oh, boy, was I wrong.”

            The parade, organized by the Los Angeles Gay And Lesbian And Bisexual And Transvestite And Transgender Alliance (LAGALABATATA), was intended to “promote acceptance, tolerance, and equality for the city’s gay community.” Just the opposite, however, was accomplished, as the event confirmed the worst fears of thousands of non-gay spectators, cementing in their minds a debauched and distorted image of gay life straight out of the most virulent right-wing hate literature.

            Among the parade sights and sounds that did inestimable harm to the gay-rights cause: a group of obese women in leather biker outfits passing out clitoris-shaped lollipops to horrified onlookers; a man in military uniform leading a submissive masochist, clad in diapers and a baby bonnet, around on a dog leash; several Hispanic dancers in rainbow wigs and miniskirts performing “humping” motions on a mannequin dressed as the Pope; and a dozen gyrating drag queens in see-through dresses holding penis-shaped beer bottles that appeared to spurt ejaculation-like foam when shaken and poured onto passersby.

            Timothy Orosco, 51, a local Walgreens manager whose store is on the parade route, changed his attitude toward gays as a result of the event.

            “They kept chanting things like, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!’ and ‘Hey, hey, we’re gay, we’re not going to go away!'” Orosco said. “All I can say is, I was used to it, but now, although I’d never felt this way before, I wish they would go away.”

            Members of the Laguna Beach Leatherdaddy Association make their final pre-march preparations.

            Allison Weber, 43, an El Segundo marketing consultant, also had her perceptions and assumptions about gays challenged by the parade.

            “My understanding was that gay people are just like everybody else–decent, hard-working people who care about their communities and have loving, committed relationships,” Weber said. “But, after this terrifying spectacle, I don’t want them teaching my kids or living in my neighborhood.”

            The parade’s influence extended beyond L.A.’s borders, altering the attitudes of straight people across America. Footage of the event was featured on telecasts of The 700 Club as “proof of the sin-steeped world of homosexuality.” A photo spread in Monday’s USA Today chronicled many of the event’s vulgar displays–understood by gays to be tongue-in-cheek “high camp”–which horrified previously tolerant people from coast to coast.

            Dr. Henry Thorne, a New York University history professor who has written several books about the gay-rights movement, explained the misunderstanding.

            “After centuries of oppression as an ‘invisible’ segment of society, gays, emboldened by the 1969 Stonewall uprising, took to the streets in the early ’70s with an ‘in-your-face’ attitude. Confronting the worst prejudices of a world that didn’t accept them, they fought back against these prejudices with exaggeration and parody, reclaiming their enemies’ worst stereotypes about them and turning them into symbols of gay pride,” Thorne said. “Thirty years later, gays have won far greater acceptance in the world at large, but they keep doing this stuff anyway.”

            “Mostly, I think, because it’s really fun,” Thorne added.

            The Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade, Thorne noted, is part of a decades-old gay-rights tradition. But, for mainstream heterosexuals unfamiliar with irony and the reclamation of stereotypes for the purpose of exploding them, the parade resembled an invasion of grotesque outer-space mutants, bent on the destruction of the human race.

            “I have a cousin who’s a gay, and he seemed like a decent enough guy to me,” said Iowa City, IA, resident Russ Linder, in Los Angeles for a weekend sales seminar. “Now, thanks to this parade, I realize what a freak he’s been all along. Gays are all sick, immoral perverts.”

            Parade organizers vowed to make changes in the wake of the negative reaction among heterosexuals.

            “I knew it. I said we needed 100 dancers on the ‘Show Us Your Ass’ float, but everybody insisted that 50 would be enough,” said Lady Labia, spokesperson for LAGALABATATA. “Next year, we’re really going to give those breeders something to look at.

        • Picard101 7.1.3.2
          25 February 2015 at 3:28 pm

          From the conversations I had, I would estimate about 20% were not in favour. But that is just from the interactions I had.

          Oh and as a gay man, please do not lump me in with those who support the parade. I think it is an amazing out dated stereotyping awful thing. Best not to use “our” when expressing YOUR support of it.

          • Lanthanide 7.1.3.2.1
            26 February 2015 at 9:41 am

            “From the conversations I had, I would estimate about 20% were not in favour. But that is just from the interactions I had.”

            Is “not in favour” the same as “I’m going to deny rights to others in my peer group because I don’t think they should have them”?

            Personally I think we should have disestablished marriage as having any sort of civil acknowledgement – everything would just be a Civil Union, and marriage would just be a chosen term to describe such a union. That option obviously wasn’t on the cards, so I supported what we were being offered.

            I initially used “*their*”, which was incorrect. I used the term because obviously the LGBT community has ownership of the parade and they can do what they want with it. Outsiders can moan and tut tut, but obviously the LGBT community is doing what it wants for its own reasons.

            • Picard101 7.1.3.2.1.1
              26 February 2015 at 10:35 pm

              No the LBGT community is not doing what it wants for it’s own reasons. A small group in Auckland are, with very little interest for comments against their own views.

              And re marriage equality, the people who were against it that I spoke with, didn’t want it and didn’t see it as getting denied rights. Trust me when I say there were many heated arguments over this, and I simply could not grasp why they opposed it, when as I pointed out on a number of occasions they didn’t have to marry if they didn’t want to. That didn’t matter to them, they had a very strong view and would not budge.

          • Tracey 7.1.3.2.2
            26 February 2015 at 9:43 am

            Do you believe that your view that gay people shouldn’t marry should be imposed on those who do want to marry?

      • Tracey 7.1.4
        23 February 2015 at 4:18 pm

        Chris Finlayson for one.

        • adam 7.1.4.1
          23 February 2015 at 5:32 pm

          The worst part for Chris Finlayson, is they way certain sections of national talk about him. I’m not sure to either/or lose the last ounce of respect I have left for him, for putting up with that crap – Or feel sorry for him? I mean he could quite happily be a liberal economic worshipping idiot inside the labour party.

      • Tracey 7.1.5
        23 February 2015 at 4:26 pm

        and many are still in hiding

  8. Old Mickey 8
    23 February 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Note to self – vote Linda Cooper in next Akl City elections.

    • Sabine 8.1
      23 February 2015 at 2:02 pm

      good on ya.

    • DoublePlusGood 8.2
      23 February 2015 at 2:21 pm

      What, to try and fill council with horrible people? What will that achieve? Do you have any standards at all? Any decency?

      • Old Mickey 8.2.1
        23 February 2015 at 3:33 pm

        Cant be worse than Brown, Hulse, Casey or Lee……

        [You appear to be trolling. Address the post without the ad hominen attacks – MS]

      • tc 8.2.2
        23 February 2015 at 4:10 pm

        Krum, Quax, Brewer, Fletcher….standards so low you’ll pass over them and you slither across the turf.

  9. Naturesong 9
    23 February 2015 at 3:07 pm

    This would be Alfred Ngaro who allegedly assaulted a teacher for not praying?

    Who in National thought that sending along a violent christian fundamentalist who voted against the Marriage (Definition of Marriage) Amendment Bill was a good idea?

    Anyone know if he spoke in committee or during any of the readings?

    • mary_a 9.1
      23 February 2015 at 3:38 pm

      @ Naturesong –

      National sure has a way of picking these creeps! Getting to be a nasty little habit now, surrounding themselves with thugs and bullies. Says a lot about Natsy leadership, supporters etc.
      -Ngaro
      -Sabin
      -Gilmore
      -Cooper
      -Slater (looking in from the outside, but part of team Key)
      And at the moment, these are the only ones we know of!

      • greywarshark 9.1.1
        24 February 2015 at 1:42 pm

        Slater is NZ Boy at the Dyke (as in the Holland boy saving the damaged dyke story). It is hiSlater’s job to both plug gaps in the bulwark of UNACT BS and to create gaps here and there and insert some specially prepared materiel that shoots poison darts into the opposition when fired. Definitely part of the yek political mercenaries.

    • Murray Rawshark 9.2
      23 February 2015 at 7:30 pm

      He speaks in tongues, not in committee.

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

      • Naturesong 9.2.1
        23 February 2015 at 9:09 pm

        Jokes about religious hysteria aside, is there any speeches or transcriptions by Alfred Ngaro addressing marriage equality, or human rights in general?
        The only thing I found in hansard was him speaking during the first reading of the recent human rights bill “NZ has proud history, yadda yadda yadda, so I support this bill”

  10. Heather 10
    23 February 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Lynda will be right at home in the National party, she too has her pants on fire.
    If I had said that when I was a City Councillor, I would have been sanctioned not only by the Mayor, but Council as well.
    It is hard to believe that in this day and age and at that particular event she lacked any decency at all.

  11. Sable 11
    23 February 2015 at 3:47 pm

    The only thing keeping National afloat is Labours on going idiocy and the redneck MSM’s bullshit and lies. Yet another example of their ham fisted attempts at PR.

  12. The Murphey 12
    23 February 2015 at 4:58 pm

    Q. Does Team key translate to anti LGBT ?

    Reading of the violent events and online abuse stemming from what should be a celebration is beyond disappointing

    That the negative bahaviour is not a shock or surprise speaks volumes

    • sabine 12.1
      23 February 2015 at 6:05 pm

      divide and conquer

      and

      create a diverson cause the donation scandal, the sabin story, the 200 million dollar lost, skysore, crumbeling dunedin hospital, failing charter schools

      and what not.

      eventually it will just be too much even for the NZ Herald to ignore….and that can not be.

      so, Mrs. Kaye, Mr. Ngaro, Mrs Lee and Mrs Collins went where they otherwise would have not gone to stir shit. Mission acomplished.

  13. vto 13
    23 February 2015 at 8:01 pm

    “I’m sorry you felt that way …..”

    “I’m sorry if I caused offense……”

    Modern apologies are absolute bullshite

    The claytons apology – the apology you have when you’re not really apologising

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1
      24 February 2015 at 9:31 am

      It’s an insult, not an apology. It basically translates as “I pity your weakness”.

  14. Michael who failed Civics 14
    23 February 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Cooper said what most Nats really think but haven’t got the guts to say in public. It seems that plenty of gay people vote National anyway, in spite of its record of bigotry and homophobia. Perhaps this is a case of economic interests (aka greed) displacing morality?

    • mickysavage 14.1
      23 February 2015 at 8:43 pm

      And the PR work that they engage in. But we need to get past that and show what the Nats really think which is what Cooper has done here …

  15. Lloyd 15
    23 February 2015 at 9:59 pm

    The sad thing about most people voting for neo-liberal parties because they think this in their “aspirational” economic interest, is that they are shooting themselves in the foot. Its just that their economic nerves are so atrophied by the MSM brainwash that they don’t feel the pain.

  16. millsy 16
    23 February 2015 at 10:21 pm

    Linda Cooper. Typical Tory woman. OK to look at until she opens her mouth. Or uses her keyboard.

    • tc 16.1
      24 February 2015 at 6:21 am

      Yup presentation is high on the checklist, then ticking off either gender or racial groups and bingo welcome to team key.

      Lee and ngaro cover both gender and ethnic groups NACT want to appeal to, it’s what keeps JLR in place as he’s such a dribbling moron.

  17. One Anonymous Bloke 17
    24 February 2015 at 9:25 am

    Why give her credit for apologising, when all she did was insult people?

    Apologising for any offence caused, yeah, Linda, I pity you too.

  18. greywarshark 18
    24 February 2015 at 2:07 pm

    I think that Linda Cooper’s reply to criticism is representative of most of the responses from the right wing side of the game. Very sneering and superior. See what I mean!

    Linda Cooper – Get a grip little boy. When you grow up you will realise
    that life is not black and white.
    If you ever have the privilege of serving your country you will find it is
    not easy and difficult choices have to be made.
    Until then try not to be such a judgemental little cock.

    Almost modern poetry isn’t it. Titled Song of the Anguished Middle-Class Liberal.

  19. Matthew Whitehead 19
    24 February 2015 at 8:50 pm

    Can I be perhaps a little nuanced and say I wouldn’t mind seeing them around if they had actually had a change of heart and publicly say they regretted their previous vote(s) on gay rights issues? Granted, they would probably deserve any unfriendly comments they received still, but I think if they’re willing to come around and say “I’m proud to be a Korean/Cook Islander and support queer rights,” then they deserve credit for moving with the times, even if they’re behind the curve, it still takes guts to actually move in any direction that could be perceived as left in the National Party, no matter who you are.

    What’s really insulting is not that they took one bigoted vote. It’s that they’re unrepentant about it.

    Worth considering as well is that people changing their minds on queer rights now, after the only major victory has been to relatively privileged queer people wanting to get married, there are still going to be debates on queer youth homelessness, (because certain types of people are still very likely to chuck kids out of their homes if they come out or are outed to their parents) on trans and intersex rights, allowing some sort of legal relationships for people who are poly, (which is a straight right as well, btw) and of course all of the usual debates over intersectional issues.

    If Lee and Ngaro want to show up, great. But they should be bombarded with questions from the media and/or activists about what they think about queer rights every time they do, until they realise if they want to be at this sort of event, they’re going to have to come out as supporting queer people on at least some level, if not whole-heartedly.

The server will be getting hardware changes this evening starting at 10pm NZDT.
The site will be off line for some hours.