Wally of the Year

Written By: - Date published: 7:37 am, December 22nd, 2013 - 12 comments
Categories: articles, david cunliffe, john banks, john key, newspapers - Tags:

john-banks-cabbage-cartoon

The Fairfax Political Team has awarded prizes for the best and the worst in political life in New Zealand for 2013.  Most of the awards were somewhat predictable although I thought that John Banks was a shoe in for Wally of the Year.  This was awarded to Aaron Gilmore but John Banks must have run Gilmore close.

Some of the other awards:

  • Politician of the year – David Cunliffe for the most extraordinary political comeback since Lazarus.
  • Quote of the year and runner up – Maurice Williamson who became an instant gay icon for saying during the gay marriage bill debate:”One of the messages that I had was that this bill was the cause of our drought. Well, in the Pakuranga electorate this morning it was pouring with rain. We had the most enormous big gay rainbow across my electorate” followed by “I had a Catholic priest tell me that I was supporting an unnatural act. I found that quite interesting coming from someone who has taken an oath of celibacy for his whole life.”
  • Loser of the year was John Banks for losing his party, and probably the leadership and his seat not to mention the remaining vestiges of his pride.
  • Bob Hope Thanks for the Memories award – This was given to Social Development Minister Paula Bennett for instantly deciding that she was no longer proud to be a westie but was instead a North Shore girl when a new seat was created in Auckland.  May she take her fake leotard skirts and go.
  • Gutter politics award – This was rightfully awarded to Prime ministerial staffer Jason Ede who was seen getting down at street level to take a picture of some rubbish after the press gallery party and then sent it off to Cameron Slater.  Note to all Government Media advisers never, ever, ever piss off the fourth estate.  There is no upside, only down …
  • Obviously John Key does not understand this because he won the “Knucklehead of the Year” award for describing the Media as Knuckleheads.  This occurred at the same time as the Herald started to print the occasional anti Government article.

The full list is here.

12 comments on “Wally of the Year ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Tigger 1
    22 December 2013 at 11:07 am

    Williamson an ‘instant gay icon’? I don’t see that in the original article so please, don’t further the myth.

    Louisa Wall and Kevin Hague – those are icons to me. They worked tirelessly marriage equality – Wall especially acting with grace and dignity in the face of death threats and vileness from the right. Williamson was a later comer and yes, it’s nice to have straight male friends but I prefer them when they lead the charge, not join the parade at the end.

  2. SukieDamson 2
    22 December 2013 at 11:08 am

    And the mana award for authoritative, charismatic, spiritual integrity goes to …….

    The unidentified guest.

    For representing our country at Nelson’s funeral with such aplomb & dignity, yet still managing to hedge his position over the tour.

  3. blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 3
    22 December 2013 at 11:33 am

    For once I largely agree with the Herald’s very amusing list of awards – especially the Knucklehead category -the ‘rent-a-crowd’ comment and concluding ‘3/4 of NZers supporting Asset sales’ in response to the referendum results are 2 of countless examples that could be supplied for corroborating evidence for that award. It is thoroughly deserved!

    Bit rough the award Harawira got – but very funny just the same.

    Strangely it seems like more truth comes out when the Herald applies some humour.
    Good on them for playing fairly fair re the awards.

    • One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1
      22 December 2013 at 11:51 am

      A hard act to follow, but I will do my best.

    • alwyn 3.2
      22 December 2013 at 1:04 pm

      Are you another commentator on this site who gets confused between the Herald and the Dom/Post?
      APN owns the Herald, Fairfax owns the Dom/Post.
      You talk about the Herald’s very amusing list of awards and then single out two that were, as far as I can determine, given by Fairfax and not by the Herald at all.
      Did you confuse the two or can you give me a reference to where the Herald gave a Knucklehead award or one to Hone Harawira?

      • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 3.2.1
        22 December 2013 at 3:15 pm

        @ Alwyn

        I got that completely wrong – read the info in the link provided but assumed I was on the Herald website and wasn’t.

        That makes sense – Herald probably are incapable of being so funny.

        Sorry about that and thanks for the correction.

  4. blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 4
    22 December 2013 at 12:08 pm

    @One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1

    lolz! Yes, you’ll have to be making an super-human effort to best that on, Anonymous Knucklehead!

  5. aerobubble 5
    22 December 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Dunne done.

  6. Philj 6
    22 December 2013 at 1:10 pm

    Xox
    AND the award for Most Independent MSM Award goes to….
    There were no nominations received.

  7. David H 7
    22 December 2013 at 2:03 pm

    Maybe an award for Peter Jackson for pushing the govt into shelling out 500million of our bucks

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/9544436/Behind-the-scenes-of-film-U-turn

  8. Will@Welly 8
    22 December 2013 at 2:55 pm

    And the Award for the Person who has an Opinion on Everything, even when he is Pig-Ignorant, is ……………….John Key.

  9. Richard Christie 9
    23 December 2013 at 9:19 am

    shoe in or shoo in? that could be the question.

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