It's only a day old, and already Wayne Mapp's role of eradicating "political correctness" is turning into an embarassment. On National Radio yesterday afternoon, he condemned the Human Rights Commission's advocacy role, calling it "propaganda". Today, his colleague Paul Hutchison is calling on the government to act on a recommendation from the HRC (produced as part of that advocacy role) to improve disabled access to public transport infrastructure. Frogblog thinks this is a cunning attempt by National to damn the government whatever they do - but this makes the mistake of ascribing to conspiracy that which can easily be explained by incompotence. A better explanation is that National's left hand simply doesn't know what the right is doing...
Mapp has just been on radio NZ trying to explain himself. Apparently it's all about freedom of speech and this was curbed by Joris de Bres criticizing the Orewa 1 speech.
ReplyDeleteHe also mentioned some work that he had done on the topic of PC last year. Now that would be interesting to see. I bet he wrote on both sides of the page.
It's interesting that at the start of the speech Dr "Eradicator" gave on PC he quoates Barry Gustafson who describes National as conservative on economic issues, and a source of many liberal ideas on social issues. I don't think National can win an election running such a reactionary socially conservative agenda.
ReplyDeleteNational has factions. There is a economiclly and socially liberal faction (usually urban based). There is an economically and socially conservative faction (usually rural based).
These factions are currently in conflict over the direction of the National Party, and I imagine some of their MPs must feel very uncomfortable about their current direction.
Check the typo on the national website Here before it disappears. 4th paragraph down.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how long it would take for people to notice that.
ReplyDelete"We must protect the sanctity of our pubic institutions and ensure that they reflect the will of the majority!"
I'm not sure I want to think about the institutionalisation of a National Pubic Majority...
ReplyDelete