Dunedin MPs

Heh – got sent this in the e-mail:

Talking of Pete Hodgson, below is a copy of a letter to the ODT editor that I have been sent. Not sure if ODT printed it:

Sir,

I have always admired Pete Hodgson as an excellent MP and an honest, straight up and down, sort of a person. Until now that is!

I read with growing astonishment the front page story (ODT, Wednesday, September 7, 2005) regarding his manhandling of a woman protestor on the University of Otago campus yesterday.

I was there. His account of the incident is disingenuous at best. The facts, from this witness, are these:

After the pep rally for Helen Clark staged by OUSA (in breach of every fire and OSH regulation ever thought of) the Prime Minister left the building and was surrounded by a rugby scrum of reporters, camera people and Labour supporters – at least three deep all around. On the outskirts of this melee a handful of protestors held up signs with pointed slogans such as “Speed Kills.” Labour supporters, who I can only describe as thugs, roughly tore these from the hands of the women (but were gutless when it came to the male protestors).

One typical bully whom I confronted when I witnessed this behaviour loudly proclaimed that, as a Labour supporter, he was opposed to free speech. He then claimed, “At least I’m honest about it.” As though that exonerated him from guilt. He approached me in an aggressive manner and attempted to intimidate me but, when I stood my ground he, like all bullies, backed down.

Back to the press melee surrounding the PM. Mr Hodgson claims that the assualt was protecting Helen Clark from… something as Mrs Flannagan was too close. False, no one could get close because of the media scrum. She was on the outskirts of a crowd and at least three metres and eight to ten people, away from the Prime Minister. She was holding up a sheet of paper (not a placard or a potential weapon but a sheet of painted paper) and trying to get into camera shot from the cameras photographing the Prime Minister.

Next, Mr Hodgson claims that his victim called out, “I’m not going to hit her.” This is absolutely false. The words I heard Mrs Flannagan cry out were, “I am being assaulted by a Cabinet Minister.”

Immediately after the incident She was shaken, upset and very angry.

I would suggest that this uncharacteristic behaviour on behalf of Pete Hodgson, and the subsequent clumsy and mendacious self justifications are proof positive that Labour is running scared in the election race and now no longer care what boundaries they cross or who gets hurt as they cling desperately to power.

Shame on them and shame on Pete Hodgson for sinking to such depths.

Yours faithfully

David Bisman
Belleknowes
Dunedin