The Adams – the 2010 Adam Awards (NZ Politics category)

A somewhat light hearted series of awards for achievement, mediocrity and life in general.

So no Adam’s Award of the Week but today the 2010 Adam Awards – NZ Political Category

These are Adam’s personal selections at a time when many people and organisations bestow their benedictions upon the world and assessment of performance by politicians and others.

So the Adams – NZ Political category are awarded as below-

The Adam for most charismatic NZ politician of the year (not) goes to: Phil Goff, his total inability to achieve any cut-through to the electorate, enabling him to make actuaries look scintillating

The Adam for failure to sell a proposition goes to: Gerry Brownlee for his ineptitude regarding the case for mining in NZ. His failure to make the case was a disgrace and further fuelled the economically destructive tendencies of a segment o NZ Society

The Adam for sheer malice and muckraking:- goes to Pete Hodgson for his efforts to dig dirt on National Party politicians, eyt crying foul when the same is done to his side; coupled with a failure to realise that many are just not interested

The Adam for failed politician goes to , wait for it, not Phil Goff though he was runner up, nor Chris carter, a close third, but to Rodney Hide. Rodney has presided over an annus horriblis for ACT. The fall from ‘grace’  caused by his and his colleagues behaviour reflecting on his behaviour and that of his dysfunctional caucus. More factions in 5 MPs than most larger parties have in 30 or more MPs

The Adam for party loyalty goes to Chris Carter, who in seeking to save the party he loves seeks to bring it down.

The Adam for  inconsistency goes to Trevor Mallard, his bully boy approach, being matched only be his ability to twiat and turn and ignore reality and history as he seeks to justify the often indefensible

The Adam for greed goes to the Maori Party whose rapaciousness appears to know no bounds. Their response to the proposed repeal of Labour’s Foreshore and Seabed legislation being to hold out their hands for yet more concessions. As Kipling wrote:-

That if once you have paid him the Danegeld,
You never get rid of the Dane.

The Adam ‘too clever by half award’ goes to :- Chris Finlayson who appears not to have learned the lessons of history and that appeasement leads only to disaater. For again to quote Kipling’s Danegeld:-

It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: –

“We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that plays it is lost!”

The Danegeld here demanded by Maori is not trifing and Finlayson should avoid behaving arrogantly.

Adam’s PT Barnum award goes to Andrew Little, who seems to epitomise the concept that you can fool all of the Labour Party some of the time, some of the Labour Party all of the time, but not all, even the NZ Labour Party, of the Party all of the time

Adam’s Rodney Hide Unintended Consequences award goes to Auckland Mayor Len Brown. Brown with his crony appointments, entourage of troughers and penchant for ‘transparency’ would seem to be a worthy winner.

Adam’s Supreme Award for 2010 goes to John Key, who may be the most popular politician since sliced bread – but like George Bush Senior fails to  do the ‘vision thing’ . Mr Key needs to demonstrate that he does have a vision and a plan to achieve it. Popularity is one thing, but Key needs to ensure he has respect and exhibits leadership. On that score he comes up short.

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