Apparently Trevor Mallard needs his eyes tested. He has troubles telling National's women MPs apart because some of them have the same hair colour. Or perhaps he is just eager to get into the Male Chauvinist Pig club? It's moments like these I'm really glad he isn't considered a contender for the Labour leadership these days.Besides, it's not as if he has to sink this low to make hits on the Nats, particularly in regard to their approach to women, and indeed how they treat their own female MPs.
The Herald rather exacerbates the sexism in this situation by referring to the Nat MPs who happen to be fair-haired women as "the blonde brigade." Then there's this quote from the article:
And it seems that National's production line of blonde women is far from finished, with three new candidates in this year's election...
My experience of the reporter in question, Paula Oliver, tends to suggest she is writing in a tongue in cheek fashion and is taking the piss out of Mallard (deservedly so). Sadly I'm not sure that all readers will get that. You know the kind I mean, the ones who see The Stepford Wives as a blueprint for the way life should be, rather than satire.
The article goes on to give the women in question their own voice on the issue, which I think is a great way to deal with Mallard's ridiculousness, as they basically assert that most feminist of premises; that women are people too.
2 comments:
Mallard is a boorish oaf. This is the type of man politics often attracts.
You have to wonder what century some of these people live in. Smells like desperation anyway. Helen Clark must be gritting her teeth at his remarks.
Ah, Mallard, when will you retire? He's like the reverse-midas of the Labour Party, yet he seems immune to being fired. Hopefully they drop him way down the list this time instead :P I think #60 would do fine. :)
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