The accidental MPs

Written By: - Date published: 2:17 pm, December 3rd, 2007 - 24 comments
Categories: national - Tags:

A short while back Bob Clarkson effectively admitted to having no idea what he was doing in Parliament. Now he’s thinking of standing again – for no other reason than to continue his personal feud with Winston Peters. MPs like Clarkson and fellow no-hopers like Mark Blumsky and Brian Connell demean the parliamentary process. One likes to think people stand for Parliament because they have some ideas about to improve our world. Sadly not in the case of Clarkson et al. Getting a parliamentary seat and keeping it until bored is the highest ambition they have. Matching Muldoon’s ‘no worse off than I found it’ aspiration is good enough for us, thanks very much. Parliament to Clarkson has been a hobby, a way of filling in a few years before drawing a pension. How depressing that New Zealand now flirts with returning to a government of such vision-less individuals.

24 comments on “The accidental MPs ”

  1. Billy 1

    Two words: Parekura Horomia.

  2. the sprout 2

    “a hobby, a way of filling in a few years ”

    gee, a rich man tired of his toys who wants a new muse – sounds like a couple of National’s recent leaders.

    i thought this was quite a funny story, i wouldn’t be surprised if winston has done it solely to put clarkson into a corner and wedge his mouth evermore firmly in his mouth.

  3. As opposed to Judith Tizard, Ann Hartley, Diane Yates, Rick Barker, Mahara Okeroa, Sue Moroney, David Benson-Pope, Darien Fenton, Russell Fairbrother, Martin Gallagher, Lynne Pillay, Dave Hereora, George Hawkins, Ross Robertson, Lesley Soper, and Dover Samuels? All stellar examples of ambitious, high-achieving New Zealanders.

    Is Diane Yates going to stand again for Labour, now that she’s failed in her life ambition to become a Hamilton city councillor?

    I see Labour has rewritten its website in anticipation of next year’s campaign. All of the policies appear to be from 2005. Does Labour not have any NEW policy? Doesn’t it nullify the Standard’s claims that National has no policy, when Labour fails to have anything new on its website, while National’s policy prescriptions are detailed and available for voters to read?

    Given the Standard’s obsession over how much National spent of its own money producing a video promoting John Key, how much did the rebranding of the Labour Party cost?

  4. SweeetD 4

    Yet, the good folks of Tauranga voted for Clarkson over the then sitting MP Peters.

    Its all up to Winston to have to win this seat back, both for himself and his party’s survival. This just makes me think that Clarkson, if he needed, will have more motivation to win his seat again.

  5. the sprout 5

    what was bob’s margin last time, 700 votes? hardly a resounding victory.

  6. rjs131 6

    Since bob had actually acheived something in his life, he found political life not as productive as say building a stadium for tens of thousands to enjoy each year.

    Any comment on Russel fairbrother’s recent re-selection for candidate for Napier? I see you didnt post when dianne yates stood so successfully in the local body elections. Hows lesley soper’s term going? What about asaf choudrey

  7. The Double Standard 7

    Spout – what was the ginger’s margin in his electorate, hmmm, let me check, oh yes 382. With such a narrow margin I’m surprised that he was promoted to minister outside cabinet.

    Better not mention that Clarkson was exactly 11,000 votes ahead of the Labour candidate – a teacher that is obvious highly qualified to be in parliament.

    Don’t forget that Clarkson was awarded a CNZM by Labour in 2003 – I guess that must have been before he declared candidacy for the Nats.

  8. Bob got 11,000 more votes than the sitting Labour List MP in that seat, Sprout. Defeating a sitting MP, who’s been in power for 21 years, is a massive achievement by any measure.

    By your logic, Ms McKew would not be a great achiever, for merely winning Bennelong by a small margin.

  9. gobsmacked 9

    John Key, November 2008:

    “I don’t want any candidates talking about their testicles, quite frankly.”

  10. Helen Clark, 2007:

    “Taito Phillip Field is no longer a member of the Labour Party.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “David Benson-Pope should reconsider his parliamentary future.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “That’s Trevor.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “Trevor was defending a woman’s honour.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “Tax cuts are no longer evil, unlike last year. Labour will deliver tax cuts.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “The polls lie.”

    Helen Clark, 2007:
    “Phil Goff fully supports me as leader of the Labour Party.

    Phil Goff, 2008:
    “I’m delighted to be the new Labour leader of the Opposition. Labour has a long, fine tradition of being in Opposition. I expect to uphold that tradition for a long time.”

  11. the sprout 11

    Impotent you really are exerting yourself, trying to work off that frustration?
    shame about jonkey being dragged through the idiot trough once more over clocks isn’t it?

  12. The Double Standard 12

    Hey Spout – do try to keep on topic. You have about 6 different DVD threads going on here. No need to drag this one into it too when your snide comment on Clarkson’s majority is rubbished.

  13. Tillerman 13

    Alright, we can all name plenty of plonker MPs. But some MPs are flaccid out of a lack of personality and natural talent (compared with more illustrious colleagues). Others are flaccid out of empty-headedness. National specialises in the latter. Clarkson and Blumsky are standout examples.

  14. Tane 14

    Prick, half those quotes are made up. Do try to retain some credibility, at least for your own sake.

  15. Billy 15

    Interesting, Tillerman. So Parekura is “flaccid out of a lack of personality and natural talent” rather than empty-headedness?

  16. The Double Standard 16

    Tillerman – yep, thats obviously why Clarkson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit by Labour in 2003 for services to philanthropy.

    Maybe you should pull your head out of your ass for a change?

  17. Tillerman,

    You’ve named two MPs you claim to be plonkers. I’ve named half of Labour’s caucus.

    I don’t understand your distinction between “lack of personality and natural talent”, and “empty-headedness”. Are you saying that the list of Labour MPs I supplied are only plonkers because of the relative brilliance of Labour’s front bench?

    Because if that is your claim, I will have to retract any previous claims I may have made about you lacking a sense of humour.

  18. Pascal's bookie 18

    Insolent, you name a bunch of MP’s that you claim are plonkers. You are entitled to your opinion of course. However the point about Clarkson is not just that he is plonkers, though of course he is, but that he himself is not sure why he is in parliament, and yet he is running again. Unless you can show the same is true about the Labour MP’s then you’ve got nothing to add to this thread.

    Regarding Clarkson’s oh so impressive majority over the labour candidate in Tauranga, why don’t you list the votes recieved by all the candidates in the last election. Then compare them to the votes recieved in the election before that. You might just find that it appears that there may well have been some tactical voting going on the last time around.

  19. Tillerman 19

    You are the emobodiment of empty-headedness Insolent Prick. You demonstrated that by naming 16 Labour MPs and claiming that was half of a caucus – of 49 MPs. Dunce.

  20. the sprout 20

    “tactical voting”? that’s far too clever PB, Impotent doesn’t understand that sort of thing. it seems his party doesn’t either the way they’re treating their potential coalition ‘partners’ – a bit like how they view NZ’s Treaty of Waitangi partners really.

  21. Santi 21

    No MP could be more accidental than Judith Tizard. Absolutely zero value to the House and only there because of the moronity of Auckland Central voters, whose single digit IQ is well represented by her.

    Ah, I forgot: she’s a mate of Helen Clark.

  22. Robinsod 22

    Santi – as much as I’m loath to agree with you I have to agree with you. I watched Tizzard speak recently at a film-making event and she was abysmal.

  23. djp 23

    lets not get so personal here guys….

    Bob may be a bit a plonker but he must have a couple of brain cells to rub together as he has probably achieved more than most who have commented today.

    and to be honest Labour could probably match National plonker for plonker any day of the week.

  24. Phil 24

    Ooooh, looks like a handful of satirical remarks have got the backs up of our left leaning blog luminaries… again…
    Sure, it’s easy to poke fun at Jonkey (by the way, I love that one; pure gold) but it’s not so nice when the shoe is on the other foot, so to speak.

    Given that a fair portion of the MP’s listed thus far are list MP’s, I wonder if we can all agree that the way in which they are elected is surely due for a review?
    They are, in all practical ways, unaccountable to the public.

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