Note: The allegations in this post about Dr Mapp are incorrect, and I apologise unreservedly for them. The original post however will remain. Honest people own their mistakes, rather than disappearing them down the memory hole.
One of the advantages of Parliament being broadcast live (and archived on the web) is greater accountability. We can see how our politicians behave, and judge them on it at the ballot box. And we can see when they turn up drunk for Question Time, as Wayne Mapp seems to have done yesterday:
Note how he's slurring and having problems with pronunciation. If he's not pissed, he's doing a bloody good impression of it. If any of us turned up drunk for work, we'd be fired; but apparently standards are much lower in our Parliament.
They shouldn't be. Being drunk isn't just unprofessional; it shows an absolute contempt for both Parliament and the people of New Zealand and brings the House into disrepute. That's apparently contempt of Parliament if one of us plebs does it; it would be nice if they'd police their own and take action against Ministers and MPs who undermine Parliament's reputation by being obviously drunk in charge of a country as well.
[Hat-tip: The Standard]
