National list MP Aaron Gilmore’s arrogance demeans all MPs.
People get drunk and obnoxious, some every weekend. But thrusting your freshly-printed Parliamentary business card in the face of a waiter who has judged you to be too intoxicated for continued wine service, then proving it by threatening the have the Prime Minister’s Office (!) terminate the “dickhead” waiter’s employment — that’s a special level of dickheadedeness.*
Still, the affair has provoked some fun in the media. My nominations for the inaugural Aaron Gilmore ‘Who’s the dickhead?’ awards are as follows :
Best headline: Andrea Vance DomPost:
PM facing calls to deal to sleazy MP
(Sadly muted in the online version to PM facing calls to deal to MP)
Best opening line: Matthew Hooton, NBR Why Aaron Gilmore should resign, but won’t
“I am the last person to criticise someone for getting rolling drunk. …”
Most revealing open mockery: Rebecca Wright Campbell Live Inside the mind of Aaron Gilmore
Most succinct analysis: Colin Espiner, Stuff.co.nz:
‘Happy’ Gilmore’s political career likely to be brief
“The trouble for National is that Gilmore has played up to exactly the sort of born-to-rule Tory, I’m-more-important-than-you stereotype that John Key has worked so hard to dismantle. What makes it even worse is that Gilmore is a political nobody …”
How one lives a public life is a test of character.
FAIL.
– P
PS Other nominations and suggestions welcome in comments.
* Read lawyer Andrew Riches’s extremely plausible account of the evening’s events (PDF)
Well his mum is angry with all the bullies that criticised him. John Key wont do anything unless a complaint is lodged … and if you were the Hanmer Springs hostelry … would you complain and make an enemy you cant really fight unless you are mega wealthy?? What should be watched is what happens to the waiter … if one can identify said person.
Along with Rugby players and other top athletes … they always get away with it … almost always … and lets face it … can anyone be surprised from a group of minds who (seem to) have an established track record of making illegality … legal … by changing the law after the fact. Always under the guise of ‘bringing the law up to date’ and ‘rationalisation’ etc bullshit bullshit bullshit.
The media have got it right on this occasion … right across the board including the Heralds editorial.
By the way … i watched the first “Hobbit” movie on the weekend … i’d be interested in what tolkien lovers thought of it. I thought it was dreadful Hollywood Dwarf-throwing personally. A mockery of Tolkien … didnt feel that way about the Lord of the Rings however … it wasnt totally true to the books but it was close as dammit with some great characters not featured for the sake of brevity.