Campaigning

Last week COSS (Hutt Council of Social Services) held a candidate meeting. The coverage of meetings is always interesting. Editor of the Hutt News, Simon Edwards, does a great job of distilling screeds of matter into a flowing and highly readable piece. Right from the outset our comments were addressed to pre-notified questions. I never actually used the word "hammock" and stressed that ACT would support funding for the volunteer sector but at the same time look to reduce welfare spending. But otherwise what he has reported is a fair representation. I did get impatient with some of the worthies in the audience. They put a question about dealing with the growing number of people suffering from dementia and I talked about funding medicines and about how we might look to increase the workforce in that and other aged care services. Of course my suggestion was too radical and eyes were being rolled and tut-tutting noises made. Hence I earned the sub-heading 'told off'.



Still spare a thought for the National candidate, Paul Quinn who was reported as seeming "to struggle for answers to some pre-notified questions".

"While it may be good politics for National to save most of its policy announcements until closer to the election, it's not a good look on the hustings right now for him to have to keep saying 'more on that later'."

I must tell you about Robert, my son, who is highly intuitive if a little off the mark sometimes. He spotted the photo below upside down on the bench. "Oh Mum, you look like a real leftie," he said. "That's because you are looking at the Green candidate I replied." "Oh yeah."