Jacinda would be great cast as the humble, charismatic up-and-coming politician who wins hearts and minds. Tom Hanks would play the male equivalent.
But this is an election. Not Hollywood.
Bill wouldn't be cast by any director. He gets tongue-twisted, he misses his cues and he resides very much in the head space where facts are a given and don't need ardent defence or advocacy. They speak for themselves - thank goodness. Because he does't.
But on a more subtle level, Bill versus Jacinda found a perfect performance in him. There was not a skerrick of anything unsightly or ugly. He looks like the man who continues to do the business; who gets what aspiring NZers are about, and is respectful. We might have preferred more sass and sparks but that wasn't going to happen.
Bill is a bit of a bumbler. The crew had to contain him when the show ended. He went to move away and then realised he was supposed to stay still. Is that the man who can't wait to get out of the limelight or the man who needs to move on to the next task?
Personally I just think it's the man who has a job to do and finds all of the media stuff an unwelcome intrusion and burden.
That's the kind of character I would to prefer running the country.
Let's never forget that as Minister for Social Welfare Steve Maharey spent his period in office defending welfare dependency. Bill English turned that on its head. He sought to understand what drove it and what would reduce it. English goes deep when it comes to social deprivation.
Jacinda would return to pulling the levers that drive it.
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4 comments:
Well said. JA came across as sincere and passionate and won on presentation and delivery for the most part, but when I judge on content rather than style, BE was much more carefully reflective. Even on the medical marijuana question,which I think he handled quite badly, he still managed, eventually, to make a reasonable point, that if cannabis is to be used as a medical drug, it should be controlled like a medical drug.
I agree about Bill's performance, I just find it difficult if not imposible to see anyone but the person who said in 2003 that we should abolish the Maori seats and has done the opposite and has made that backflip without blinking an eye. Of course the lack of questions on this topic reflects the lack of interest as we continue in this racist direction.
Jigsaw, perhaps it's not lack of interest - it's as though TVNZ and Hosking, and others, are too scared to bring up the subject of the ugly official racism (that is, the government racism).
Off topic Lindsay but you may care to recycle a blog from 2 elections ago, that still seems pretty pertinent Who are the real enemies? . You wrote this May 25, 2011
"No politician ever lost votes by promising to rob Peter to pay Paul" GB Shaw
"Hell hath no fury such as the middle class when their subsidies are under attack" Anon
Steven
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