No class National

Written By: - Date published: 5:39 pm, May 15th, 2018 - 97 comments
Categories: feminism, jacinda ardern, national, same old national, sexism - Tags:

National is not handling losing power very well.

The latest evidence is a male National MP calling Jacinda Ardern “a stupid young girl” and refusing to own up to it.

Newshub reports:

In Parliament last week, while the Prime Minister was speaking, a National Party MP hurled a “very sexist remark” across the Chamber.

He – and yes, Newshub can confirm the remark was made by a man – called Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a “stupid little girl.”

As soon as the comment was made, Speaker Trevor Mallard stopped proceedings in the House, calling for the person who made the “very sexist remark” to apologise.

A week later, the culprit still hasn’t owned up to the remark. If they ever do, they will have to stand in Parliament, withdraw the remark and apologise.

They will also have to face the public shame of having called the Prime Minister a “stupid little girl” in the year 2018.

At the time the comment was made, Mr Mallard said the remark wasn’t made by Leader of the Opposition Simon Bridges; “It was someone behind.”

Behind Mr Bridges sits Matt Doocey, Jonathan Young, Gerry Brownlee and Nick Smith.

Other men in close proximity are Simon O’Connor, David Bennett, Jami-Lee Ross, Chris Finlayson, David Carter and Paul Goldsmith.

Here is the video:

Simon Bridges described the incident as being part of Parliament’s “cut and thrust”.

He is wrong. It is a sign that within National’s ranks sexism and misogyny are alive and well.

97 comments on “No class National ”

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  1. dukeofurl 1
    15 May 2018 at 6:08 pm

    One of those names stands out as being ‘young and reckless’ and a mouth to match

  2. WILD KATIPO 2
    15 May 2018 at 6:17 pm

    Simon Bridges described the incident as being part of Parliament’s “cut and thrust”

    So name calling , deflection and going off topic is part of Parliaments ” cut and thrust ” , is it?

    That may go somewhat towards explaining the reason why National is now in opposition , perhaps. And how and why they left the country in an appalling mess.

    Channeling John Keys ‘screaming Left wing conspiracy theorists ‘ remarks,… it seemed as though the other National stooges learned well from their little master…

    And , like John Key being caught lying about the XKEYSCORE mass surveillance software after The Moment of Truth , to Stephen Joyce’s 11 billion hole, to

    • WILD KATIPO 2.1
      15 May 2018 at 6:24 pm

      Keys, Smiths, and Bennetts denial of a housing crisis and Keys denial there was a tax haven in NZ.

      And when that fails they resort to petty name calling , lying ,deflection and outright political smearing.

      I suppose that is all part of Bridges concept of parliaments ‘ cut and thrust’.

      No wonder they are in opposition,… NZ ‘ers have had a gutsful of them.

    • Anon 2.2
      15 May 2018 at 10:19 pm

      “So name calling , deflection and going off topic is part of Parliaments ” cut and thrust ” , is it?” – I don’t watch parliament TV often but I can’t recall seeing anything else.

      • WILD KATIPO 2.2.1
        15 May 2018 at 11:07 pm

        L0l – if it had been me I would have told the guy ” Shut your cakehole and sit down ya bloody mongrel”,..

        But then again ,… this is not Australia …

        And ( thankfully ) I’m not in politics.

  3. WILD KATIPO 3
    15 May 2018 at 6:17 pm

    Simon Bridges described the incident as being part of Parliament’s “cut and thrust”

    So name calling , deflection and going off topic is part of Parliaments ” cut and thrust ” , is it?

    That may go somewhat towards explaining the reason why National is now in opposition , perhaps. And how and why they left the country in an appalling mess.

    Channeling John Keys ‘screaming Left wing conspiracy theorists ‘ remarks,… it seemed as though the other National stooges learned well from their little master…

    And , like John Key being caught lying about the XKEYSCORE mass surveillance software after The Moment of Truth , to Stephen Joyce’s 11 billion hole, to Keys , Smiths and Bennetts housing crisis denials, and Keys tax haven ,…we see the parameters of what Bridges calls parliamentary ‘ cut and thrust’…

    Its called LYING.

    And when that fails , they resort to petty name calling , derogatory statements and outright political smearing.

    No wonder NZ’ers have had a gutsful of them.

  4. mac1 4
    15 May 2018 at 6:20 pm

    This perpetrator I nominate for ‘doofus of the week”.

    Gutless male who does not fully deserve the title of ‘man’.

    I heard the original while watching question time. He knows who he was. The Speaker challenged him to own up straight away. He did however exempt the Leader of the Opposition from his suspects.

    Possibly connected, but today in question time, Mr Bennett got told by the Speaker he had a ban for two days from interjecting during Question time for too many, and for bringing the Speaker into his interjecting. Speaker Mallard also told off Brownlee roundly for casting aspersions on his impartiality when Brownlee commented that the Speaker was favouring the government during a point of order.

    Bridges totally got outshone by Ardern in question 1. Her acuity and wit were far superior to his pedestrian fossicking.

    • WILD KATIPO 4.1
      15 May 2018 at 6:56 pm

      You know , I wouldn’t get too upset by comments from any Nat party member , Adern is made of far sterner stuff with big shoulders to easily deflect any childish comments like that…

      What alarms me far more is that for 9 years Bridges and his ilk , – English , Key , Bennett et al , were actually in power and that this is the sort of banal , puerile mentality they actually possess…

      It is genuinely alarming when juxtaposed with the large numbers of homeless and poorly paid workers we have in our country today. And that is only the start. From moldy hospitals to polluted rivers,… it is incredulous that we actually had these types in power over us.

      And just look at this ranting buffoon when interviewed by John Campbell when he was a Nat party junior… the sheer arrogant belligerence seethes out of him…

      john campbell interviews simon bridges FULL campbell live – YouTube
      Video for john campbell interviews simon bridges – bridges rants▶ 16:02

      • toad 4.1.1
        16 May 2018 at 5:02 pm

        This was/is GOLD!

        The more times it is reposted, RT’d whatever, the better. Shows the bullying & raving intellectual lightweight that is Bridges up so well.

        Even Gerry couldn’t do a worse interview.

    • Draco T Bastard 4.2
      16 May 2018 at 1:31 am

      Gutless male who does not fully deserve the title of ‘man’.

      And definitely not the title of Right Honourable.

      That applies to all the MPs sitting next to him who haven’t called him out as well.

      • Hooch 4.2.1
        16 May 2018 at 7:12 am

        Perhaps they should “get some guts” and own up

      • alwyn 4.2.2
        16 May 2018 at 12:24 pm

        “Gutless male who does not fully deserve the title of ‘man’.
        And definitely not the title of Right Honourable.”

        You do realise, don’t you, that there is only one person in the Parliament who fits that description?
        That is the leader of the Government, Winston the First.
        I think your description of him is a fair one but I am surprised you have said it and I didn’t realise you had such an accurate opinion of the New Zealand First ratbags, and the various Labour MPs who surround him in the House.
        https://www.parliament.nz/en/mps-and-electorates/house-seating-plan/

        • Draco T Bastard 4.2.2.1
          16 May 2018 at 12:40 pm

          No, alwyn, that is not true. In fact, that is your normal lying.

          You know damn well that I was referring to the entire National Party. It was a National Party MP that said it and it is now the entire National Party that is protecting that scum making them also scum.

          • alwyn 4.2.2.1.1
            16 May 2018 at 12:49 pm

            My comment is absolutely accurate.
            There is precisely one member of Parliament who is both male and entitled to the honorific “Right Honourable”.
            It is you who are lying if you deny that. But you are used to that aren’t you?
            If you think I am wrong please tell me who else qualifies?
            Don’t be so silly. If you made a mistake with your statement just admit it. It really isn’t that hard you know.

            It is possible that Mallard himself can use the honorific. I really don’t think he could be said to be talking about himself though. He certainly was a major ratbag in his previous roles in the house of course.

            • alwyn 4.2.2.1.1.1
              16 May 2018 at 1:18 pm

              Actually I must correct my statement.
              There is still a single National MP who is entitled to the description Right Honourable. David Carter retains the honorific, if not the job as Speaker.
              Were you accusing Carter of having made the interjection?

    • Baba Yaga 4.3
      16 May 2018 at 8:00 pm

      How about the two gutless males who made a comment to Judith Collins in Parliament about botox? I can name them. Should I?

      • WILD KATIPO 4.3.1
        16 May 2018 at 9:18 pm

        Its a long bow comparing Jacinda Adern with ‘Milk powder, Swamp Kauri , Bottled Water , Orivida Judith Collins ‘ , however…

        And last time I looked,… Adern wasn’t relegated to the backbenches for drawing light to the skulduggery going on in her govt such as tax haven creation, either …

        And so you want to draw comparisons between ‘ageism’ here ?

        So what?… I know heaps of younger people who use Botox… bizarre as it seems to me. And one other thing- Judith Collins never made Prime Minister either. Adern did.

        Can you imagine if one of the coalition called Collins a ‘silly little girl’ ?

        Oh wait , …. seems to be a National party ‘thing ‘ to indulge in puerility with Paula Bennett condescendingly calling Adern ‘Sweetie’ when she felt so high and mighty hiding behind John Key…

        Not so high and mighty now,…. is she.

        • Baba Yaga 4.3.1.1
          17 May 2018 at 3:06 pm

          Making a joke to a woman about botox is sexist. Your hypocrisy is cringeworthy.

      • mac1 4.3.2
        16 May 2018 at 10:26 pm

        I do not know the circumstances or the words used, Baba Yaga, or what the consequences were. Did they get asked to withdraw and apologise? Did they then do so?

        If you were to name them, correctly and without a shadow of doubt, with corroboration and giving the circumstances in which the insult was given….. fine.

        Why would you want to? What is your purpose? That, too, is important.

        I had a meal with one of my daughters today. I am glad she is not an MP and has to run a similar gauntlet.

        As the Speaker said today interjections should be rare and preferably witty. What I heard today was two MPs have to stand, withdraw and apologise, ten people interject when the Speaker forbade interjections during one reply, several requests and warnings to both sides of the House and one time when the Speaker counted twelve people yelling in what he called a barrage IIRC. That was question time!

        Not edifying, not parliamentary, not acceptable.

        • Baba Yaga 4.3.2.1
          17 May 2018 at 3:13 pm

          Judith Collins was giving a speech during the usual Wednesday General Debate. The comment was sexist, and was aimed directly at Collins. It was not about Oravida or any other beat up that would be fair game, it was about botox. The comment was made by David Parker, and is audible https://youtu.be/l7Rysw0FRwQ.

          There is enormous hypocrisy among the left, and this is just the latest example.

  5. Pataua4life 5
    15 May 2018 at 7:47 pm

    He must be a rich prick. Why didn’t Ron Mark just give him the finger.
    You can’t have you Coke and eat it to Papadopolus.

  6. invisiphilia 6
    15 May 2018 at 8:01 pm

    Simon Bridges claimed this incident was just part of the “cut and thrust” of Parliamentary debate. It’s pretty indicative of how Simon rolls…more like Game of Thrones or should that be Game of Groans?

    • Obtrectator 6.1
      16 May 2018 at 8:47 am

      ” …more like Game of Thrones or should that be Game of Groans?”

      No, “Game of Drones”. You know – those male bees good for reproductive purposes, but little else.

  7. Pataua4life 7
    15 May 2018 at 8:05 pm

    Hell maybe Trevor could have just given him the bash.

    • WILD KATIPO 7.1
      15 May 2018 at 8:13 pm

      From smacker to speaker… they say Tau’s smarting from it…

      L0L!… this is our NZ politicians!

      Still ,… at least they only throw punches and slaps, not nuclear bombs ,… and the public , in turn ,… throws things like dildos… aren’t we glad we live in the country we do?

      Shes a cracker, mate !

      Comedian John Oliver mocks Steven Joyce – YouTube
      Video for stephen joyce john oliver dildo▶ 4:30

  8. Incognito 8
    15 May 2018 at 8:51 pm

    Aahhh, a whiff of personal responsibility with a strong smell of hypocrisy. There’s something rotten in the Opposition.

  9. Kat 9
    15 May 2018 at 8:52 pm

    National have no answer to Jacinda Ardern. There is no one in the opposition that can match her.

    Somewhere the Nact helicopter is fueled up and waiting for the next “leader” to be flown in and “take control”.

    Look closely at the opposition the largest in recent political history and you see they are all clutching at that single straw of arrogance for oxygen.

    National can’t wait until the PM goes on leave to launch into the acting PM.

    Winston however knows every move and will have the time of his life. “the opposition based on performance are just not worth the pay they receive”….. Love it.

  10. Muttonbird 10
    15 May 2018 at 9:00 pm

    Logic suggests whoever made the statement is considerably older than Ardern. Reeks of Nick Smith if we are honest.

  11. Roy Cartland 11
    15 May 2018 at 9:13 pm

    Who is stupid enough? I’d say Brownlee and Smith are; Brownlee continually challenging the Speaker with smart-arse points of order. But today David Bennett was told off three times for braying like a buffoon, so who knows… the whole bunch is capable.

    • Incognito 11.1
      15 May 2018 at 9:16 pm

      Let’s do an audio line-up with each of the suspects holding up a number.

    • patricia bremner 11.2
      15 May 2018 at 10:12 pm

      Or incapable Roy! Most relied on the Key Joyce English factor.

      • mary_a 11.2.1
        16 May 2018 at 6:21 pm

        Hi Patricia (10.2) … Natz does seem to be foundering about at the moment doesn’t it? No direction … much like a leaderless, rudderless boat, going nowhere fast. Fun to watch.

        All that bitterness, spite, vindictiveness and murk weighing it down.

        Natz might be a big opposition, but it lacks strength and credibility. No threat there to the coalition.

    • McFlock 11.3
      16 May 2018 at 12:17 am

      Brownlee was the one going “what was it”.
      If it wasn’t him then it happened right beside him so he’d know – but back in the old days the guy who acted the most innocent was always top of my list to watch, lol.

    • Ffloyd 11.4
      16 May 2018 at 7:13 am

      Was Finlayson in the mix. Sounds very much like something he would day. In that pompous little voice of his. Shudder.

    • mary_a 11.5
      16 May 2018 at 11:14 am

      Roy Cartland (10) … This one has Brownlee all over it! Gobby and gutless!

  12. Chris T 12
    15 May 2018 at 9:19 pm

    Given some of the childish crap both sides yell at each other like idiots I’m surprised this is even noteworthy

    • Muttonbird 12.1
      15 May 2018 at 9:27 pm

      This is the go to strategy for Nat followers. When one of their MPs screws up their supporters seek to generalise the criticism by saying ‘both sides do it’.

      You’re doing it now.

      • Chris T 12.1.1
        15 May 2018 at 10:13 pm

        Not at all

        A I’m not a Nat supporter

        B What I find funny is you getting all offended over one example of childish name calling in the house, because you find one example of them sexist and somehow it makes it worse than the other lot

        • WILD KATIPO 12.1.1.1
          15 May 2018 at 10:20 pm

          Ahhhh – PIFFLE !

          And please take note of the ‘COLOUR’ of the balloons…

          Most important .

          Sesame Street: One of These Things – YouTube
          Video for one of these things is not like other▶ 0:30

        • Marcus Morris 12.1.1.2
          16 May 2018 at 9:03 am

          Surely the issue is not that it was a “trifle” but that someone does not have the courage to own up to what the speaker has adjudged to be an inappropriate comment. Jacinda runs rings around Bridges whose latest whinge is that the Government is being high handed in its response to Maori Treaty claims when it was his government, in speeding up settlement processes, that has caused the latest inter-Iwi dispute. Now we have that clown Nathan Guy, stirring up antagonism within the farming community, by claiming that Damian O’Connor has been too slow in reacting to the mycoplasma bovis issue. Perhaps the weakening of border controls brought about by his government might have had something to do with that. The latest safety issue re large articulated trucks can certainly be traced back to the last government,s lust for deregulation. Pike River and cutting back on the number of mine inspectors springs to mind.

        • Delia 12.1.1.3
          17 May 2018 at 3:21 pm

          It is noteworthy because it is the Prime Minister and I would say that if it were a National Prime Minister..the position should be respected.

    • patricia bremner 12.2
      15 May 2018 at 10:17 pm

      Chris it is sexist. Like calling a National male Member “A silly little boy”

      Translation silly little= childish boy=hasn’t grown up.

      That is not ok.

      By the way, if you listen to the video, you will find the Government did not interject when Bridges spoke at all, but there was a constant barrage from the Opposition when Government Members spoke.

      • Anon 12.2.1
        15 May 2018 at 10:24 pm

        So the insult is that the person hasn’t grown up = somehow sexist???

        • WILD KATIPO 12.2.1.1
          15 May 2018 at 10:45 pm

          Or perhaps the Labour party in England should have called Margaret Thatcher

          A “stupid little girl” ,….

          But they wouldn’t have and they didn’t , and the only reason the dis-empowered Nat MP’s did here in NZ is that it is an affront to them because ;

          A / They lost and lost with a sour taste in their mouths ( echoes of a sense of privilege and entitlement , perhaps ?)…

          B / The fact that Adern is younger than most of them – AND managed to achieve becoming the Prime Minister , – and they didn’t.

          C / They can find no real point of leverage to attack her with.

          D / They fear losing support / large donations from their backers, – including those business interests in China.

          E / She is a popular leader both here and abroad, – unlike the fawning John Key who became a laughing stock around the world and known Obama lapdog.

          John Oliver John Key’s Radio Interview – YouTube
          Video for john oliver john key radio interview▶ 1:44
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtLCZK43VEY

          John Oliver – John Key the Ponytail Puller – YouTube
          Video for john oliver john key▶ 3:14

          • Chris T 12.2.1.1.1
            15 May 2018 at 11:21 pm

            Or it could be just one MP out of many MPs yelling shit who picked a more moronic thing to say than the others

            Serious question

            Have people on here actually watched parliament TV?

            It’s pathetically embarrassing a lot of the time

            • Cinny 12.2.1.1.1.1
              16 May 2018 at 9:26 am

              “Have people on here actually watched parliament TV?”

              Yes, I do, all the time, have watched it for years, but I missed it yesterday.

              However, I have noticed that national are not handling being in opposition, their egos won’t allow them. Also noticed that Jacinda is outstanding in the house, even more so since becoming PM, I feel very proud of her in the house.

        • mac1 12.2.1.2
          15 May 2018 at 11:17 pm

          Anon, the reference was to a “girl” not a ‘person’. If the insult had been “stupid little person” then it would not have been sexist; an insult but not sexist. The addition of the gender specific ‘girl’ coupled with being spoken by an adult male opposition MP, (who showed he had no class by not owning up possibly through shame, why else not own up?) and referring to an expectant mother of mature years is sexist and a put down directed at someone who is Prime Minister of the country.

          • WILD KATIPO 12.2.1.2.1
            15 May 2018 at 11:48 pm

            So well said,… and yes…

            The fact that like a ‘little schoolboy’ caught out by the teacher making some stupid lewd little remark and fearing to own up says volumes about these creeps…

            And people keep voting for them !

            Now that’s a wonder all in itself !!!

        • Marcus Morris 12.2.1.3
          16 May 2018 at 9:04 am

          Listen to the comment – it was certainly more than that.

      • Chris T 12.2.2
        15 May 2018 at 11:28 pm

        I honestly hold no sympathy for either side.

        Clark got innuendo and crap thrown. Key got innuendo and crap thrown. Ardern now gets crap and innuendo thrown.

        It’s hardly new

        • crashcart 12.2.2.1
          16 May 2018 at 9:37 am

          Whilst by in large you are right about the chamber being a place for adults to act like they are in a school yard; if this were normal and not new then the perpetrator would have quickly admitted their mistake and withdrawn the comment. As has been pointed out, the fact they have not shows they know they stepped over a line and are too scared to face the consequences of an ill considered interjection.

        • mac1 12.2.2.2
          16 May 2018 at 9:50 am

          Chris T, it’s partially the nature of the crap thrown.

          Mostly, it’s the inaction, the cover up, the refusal to own responsibility.

          Similar to the tactic of ‘dirty politics’, it’s a mean-spirited and funkless style, using anonymity to hide.

          In the event, it simply shines a bad light on the whole of the senior members of the Opposition in their dark corner of the House, whether all of them deserve the illumination or not.

        • Baba Yaga 12.2.2.3
          16 May 2018 at 8:02 pm

          The left is being very, very, very sensitive about Jacinda though.

          • crashcart 12.2.2.3.1
            17 May 2018 at 11:03 am

            From what I have seen most people aren’t particularly concerned about the nature of the comment. It was sexist but that is more harmful to the Nats then it is to the PM.

            The right seem to be pretty happy for their MP’s to be total cowards and not willing to even own what they have to say. Who ever the minister was he is a total pussy.

      • alwyn 12.2.3
        16 May 2018 at 12:41 pm

        “the Government did not interject when Bridges spoke at all”.

        The interchange took place during Question Time apparently. I don’t think, although I may be out of date, that interjections are allowed while a question is being asked but they are allowed during an answer.
        Bridges asks questions during QT and therefore any interjections while he was speaking would be out of order and the Speaker, if he heard them, would have to stop it happening.
        At Question time most of the statements made by Government members would be answers to questions and interjections are allowed.
        Anyone who is up to date with Speakers’ Rulings able to confirm this?

  13. ianmac 13
    15 May 2018 at 10:43 pm

    Dr Smith has made several errors in recent times including mis-speaks even when reading from his own texts. He also mis-remembers the detail of the “attack” on him in Nelson during the last election, and repeated in Court during his court case last week.
    Therefore I would wonder if Nick is really losing the plot in his mental acumen.
    Hope not because it would be a sad slide down if so.

    Mind you It doesn’t sound like the sort of words that he would use against Jacinda.

    • tc 13.1
      16 May 2018 at 6:39 am

      Nick smith never had the plot to start with. Along with Brownlee and others they are neoliberal old white men full of arrogance and selfish agendas.

      Imo they will find difficulty with sinecures in the outside world where they’re bullying behaviour doesn’t cut it.

    • Cinny 13.2
      16 May 2018 at 9:31 am

      Re nick smith, have had a few encounters with him, challenging his spin, he hates being told he his wrong, especially by a woman, turns red and starts shouting and not listening.

      Re Rose, nick smith and the rat poison, was wondering if an MP can be done for lying in court.

      Was cleaning out the girls old school books in the weekend, came across Miss 13’s old homework book, there was a descriptive sentence she had written for homework last year…. and I quote….. “Nick Smith has so embarrassed his face turned bright red like a tomato.” Lmao, I bet her teacher cracked up when she read it, I sure did.

      • ianmac 13.2.1
        16 May 2018 at 9:40 am

        To me the importance of Smith’s stumbles are a warning for him especially if he doesn’t really seem to understand what his problem is.
        Remember when Nick was appointed Deputy Leader for National in 2003 under Brash, then resigned as his stress levels were too much to handle?

  14. mauī 14
    15 May 2018 at 10:49 pm

    A shrubbery hit job on National?? This is completely out of character for Lynch. Let me guess this didn’t make the 6pm news and the story will be archived into the shrub’s “politics – evidence of fair and balanced” folder.

    • Muttonbird 14.1
      16 May 2018 at 8:02 am

      If there’s one thing that gets Lynch fuming more than the socially responsible left it is condescension towards women.

      She’ll have written this in a rage momentarily forgetting who she was criticising.

  15. Ankerrawshark 15
    16 May 2018 at 1:33 am

    Calling an adult women a silly little girl is patronising demeaning and sexist.

    Re sexism…….times up.

    • mac1 15.1
      16 May 2018 at 10:37 am

      I’m wondering what Paula Bennett and Judith Collins said in the perpetrator’s ear, and to the condoning colleagues around him?

  16. Robert Guyton 16
    16 May 2018 at 7:51 am

    The comment was a minor taunt (heh) but refusing own up to saying it is the issue.
    If the Speaker heard correctly, the cowardly lack of response from the person who delivered the line (and those nearby who heard it) is where the shame lies.

  17. One Anonymous Bloke 17
    16 May 2018 at 7:55 am

    Core National Party values on display: misogyny, gutter ethics, zero personal responsibility.

  18. e-clectic 18
    16 May 2018 at 9:17 am

    Another case for rejigging the seating in the House to either be arranged alphabetically or drawn by ballot. That simple rearrangement would reduce the amount of interjections, name calling etc etc

  19. mac1 19
    16 May 2018 at 10:38 am

    You mean the perpetrator could have said, “Mr Speaker, It was me. I cannot endure the shame of allowing the public to believe that it was one of my honourable colleagues who said this thing”?

    Or, are his honourable colleagues all sniggering and elbowing the perpetrator in approval?

    I’d be saying to the fellow that he’d better own up as I don’t want it to be me or my better behaved colleagues to carry the can for your mistake. I’d be saying this is the party that I believe in, and you have besmirched it with your continued silence. Do the honourable thing. The longer this stays in the public arena, the worse it becomes.

    I’d say that such an action gives tremendous ammunition to our opposition to fire at all of us for years, Did you not hear the taunt thrown at us by Winston Peters at question time when Paula Bennett was going after the government about the need to have workers in the kiwifruit industry and getting beneficiaries forced back into work, and instead we had the shame of having the racist comments of Lockwood Smith thrown back into our faces?

    Mrs Mac1 had the thought that the silence from that portion of the opposition bench indicates that the perpetrator is a senior member and therefore unable to be called out by his more junior colleagues.

    Also, as this seems to have triggered a strongly indignant response within me as I have a daughter of Ardern’s age, what are the women in the National caucus privately or publicly saying about their colleague, to to him?

    Another commenter says that there will be lots of women who won’t vote National for this. It’s a truism in politics that people remember the things they don’t like about a party and vote accordingly. Over a period these negatives pile up.

    I wonder too, that like the women who will remember this incident, how many fair-minded men, fathers like me of daughters, husbands, grandfathers even, who will remember the National party negatively through this episode? And vote accordingly.

  20. Jackel 20
    16 May 2018 at 11:17 am

    That’s a highly disrespectful statement and a type of harassment. The male who said that probably has significant psychological problems.

    • WILD KATIPO 20.1
      16 May 2018 at 11:39 am

      Yeah mate, – hes still in grief over John Key buggering off and leaving them all in the lurch with only Boring Bill to go up against the Relentlessly Positive Adern… seems like hes still stuck in the early stages of that grief process… understandable in a way as the senior Peters who made the decision on who will govern is now working with the younger Adern…

      Its just too much to handle for some of those National types…

  21. Mark 21
    16 May 2018 at 12:09 pm

    I bet Labour members have said a lot of shit things about Nats and hurled insults over the years. Suck it up guys and move on.

    • Jeremy 21.1
      16 May 2018 at 1:23 pm

      So it should be fairly easy for you to provide a link to Hansard showing these “shit things” and “insults” then?

  22. Cemetery Jones 22
    16 May 2018 at 12:55 pm

    Brownlee sounds guilty af in his response to Jenna Lynch.

    Still, looking at the Newshub article, this bit was funny:

    ‘But Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter says it’s not good enough.

    “People should get with the times, especially the National Party backbenches. Grow up,” she told Newshub.’

    Yeah right on Julie, who do these old white guys think they are calling someone a stupid little girl?

  23. Michelle 23
    16 May 2018 at 1:50 pm

    Well they might have lots of money but they at all arse and no class this lot(gnats)

  24. Stuart Munro 24
    16 May 2018 at 4:40 pm

    The use of “little” tends to point to Brownlee. From his perspective pretty much all of the government are small, they lack the thick multiple layers of taxpayer funded subcutaneous fat that makes Gerry so attractive to marine mammals and white pointers, albeit for different reasons.

    • McFlock 24.1
      16 May 2018 at 4:44 pm

      Dude, fat jokes?

      The tories are gonna love jumping on the identity politics bandwagon at that.
      Probably try to use the term “fat shaming” in all seriousness. They’ll be very concerned about poor gerry’s self-esteem.

      • Stuart Munro 24.1.1
        16 May 2018 at 5:17 pm

        Self-esteem is the only kind Gerry could expect – the public have nothing but contempt for him.

        If someone chooses to personify greed and shame in the way that Gerry does he should expect to be relentlessly mocked and ridiculed. This is the natural response of a democracy, it is not because he is fat but because his fatness is a natural metaphor for his voracity.

        He deserves as much pity as he showed the people of Christchurch: none whatsoever.

      • Gabby 24.1.2
        16 May 2018 at 5:21 pm

        They haven’t misplaced their big boy pants have they?

      • Muttonbird 24.1.3
        16 May 2018 at 7:05 pm

        I don’t think want of self esteem has ever been a problem for big Gerry.

  25. Ms Fargo 25
    17 May 2018 at 3:01 am

    Once again I’m ashamed that bitter old men get New Zealand in the Guardian for all the wrong reasons. Ponytail pulling, dildo face and now this. Page 25, sorry can’t upload the link.

  26. Delia 26
    17 May 2018 at 3:16 pm

    To bad because they should have been thrown out of the House for speaking to the PM like that. I suspect I know who it is, a big mouth who constantly interjects in the House, but has not got the guts to own his own words.