Posted by Blogger Name. Category:
Apology
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Bowalley Road
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Chris Trotter
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David Cunliffe
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Quote of the Day
Chris Trotter expresses his dumbfoundedness over David Cunliffe's much-discussed apology for being a man last week. He's blogged this at Bowalley Road:
“PLEASE TELL ME I’M DREAMING”, texted a friend of mine. “Please tell me that David Cunliffe didn’t just apologise for being a man.” I stared at my cell-phone in disbelief. Was he joking? Why would the leader of a political party languishing in the opinion polls alienate at least half of the voting public? Why would he hand his opponents such an enormous cudgel? As if his party wasn’t already battered enough?Later that day, at the pub, the guffaws and the jokes continued. I have to confess, I contributed my fair share of them. I would also point out that although all of my drinking companions were lefties, by no means all of them were men. This was equal opportunity ridicule.So what was going on here? Why were a tableful of seasoned leftists – male and female – and all of them well-versed in the facts and figures of domestic violence in New Zealand so unanimous in condemning the opening sentences of David Cunliffe’s speech to last Friday’s Women’s Refuge Symposium?
When even seasoned lefties such as Chris Trotter's drinking buddies are swinging between criticising David Cunliffe for his comments and laughing at him because of them, it's pretty clear that the Labour leader missed his target by some margin. But that's hardly a surprise.
