McCully on Music Month
People may have noted over time how Labour seems to try and turn every Government opportunity into a partisan event for Labour. One disgraceful recent incident was the attempt to have a medal ceremony for bravery awards in the Labour Party Caucus room.
Murray McCully points out in today’s newsletter the Music Month launch this week:
New Zealanders are now familiar with the sense of entitlement that has become the hallmark of the Clark Labour Government. Another little reminder of this most unlovely characteristic came this week with the launch of New Zealand Music Month. Most would consider such an event an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the New Zealand music industry. But for Judith Tizard and her colleagues it was merely another opportunity to utilise taxpayers’ funds to undertake a bit of gentle marketing for the Labour Party.
The New Zealand Music Commission receives over $1million a year from the taxpayers of New Zealand. Some of these funds, no doubt, were used to host this week’s Music Month launch event in Wellington. And a small clue as to the political character of the event may lie in the fact that the National Party spokesman on Arts and Culture, Christopher Finlayson, was not invited to an event hosted by a taxpayer-owned body – the NZ Music Commission. Never mind. We are sure that Mr Finlayson as a scholarly and courtly individual will most certainly not harbour a grudge if he finds himself as Minister for this body in six months time.
Stung by her shameful exclusion from the group of prime female vocalists who entertained the Labour Party Conference (the various nicknames for which do not bear repeating in a newsletter with such a cultured readership) Ms Tizard was apparently determined to make amends. She climbed onto the stage to accompany musician Chris Knox (yes, the same one you would have seen performing at Labour Party conferences). And witnesses report that she would indeed have made a valuable addition to the Labour Conference quartet.
Towards the end of the Knox/Tizard number, she was apparently joined by completely non-political and dispassionate media commentator Russell Brown (yes, the same one used by state television on channel 7), at the same time as Knox could be heard by the video microphones making a disparaging remark about National MP Katherine Rich. All in all, another day in the life of the New Zealand Music Commission branch of the Labour Party.
This is not an isolated incident. People will recall the disgraceful behaviour towards Don Brash a couple of years ago at another government funded arts event.
The Dominion Post also has an article on the launch and reports on Judith’s response upon being told she failed music quiz (to be fair I am sure I would fail it also):
“I don’t know the details, honey; I just write the policy and ask for the money.”
Indeed. And very successful at it also – the asking that is.