Problems for Rodney

Rodney may have his hands full with David Garrett. At Backbenches last Wednesday he surprised a few by advocating a Sheriff Joe type prison of war camp at Waiorou for hardened criminals, with food to cost only 75c a day instead of the current $5.

And the HoS reports he caused waves at Eye to Eye, and was allegedly drunk. However (and you have to look hard to find this, the show was recorded in June before he was an ACT candidate):

During the show, Garrett, speaking slowly and occasionally slurring, made rambling comments which were rubbished by the other panellists, particularly former Act MP Deborah Coddington.

My motto is to drink after the TV show, not before! Mind you on election night it was a mxiture of both!

Coddington said she was shocked by Garrett’s attitude: “He was really rude to me. He walked up and said `Deborah Coddington, my brother hates you’.”

She said recording was stopped several times because of Garrett’s behaviour but didn’t think any more about the incident until Act announced Garrett as a list candidate.

Which was some months ago.

Garrett confirmed he made the comment to Coddington.

“That was a stupid thing to say. But I might have said it stone cold sober.”

He denied he was homophobic and said the other panellists had not listened to his arguments.

“What I said was, paedophilia is a sexual orientation just like homosexuality or heterosexuality. Deborah Coddington just didn’t get it.

“I am not saying gays are the same as paedophiles. One of my closest friends is flagrantly gay. He was the MC at my wedding.”

Garrett said he “certainly regrets” his long lunch and had rung Hauiti to apologise. “It’s certainly not appropriate behaviour for an MP.”

Not a helpful story, but when I first read it, I thought this had just happened this weekend. It is somewhat of a different story that it was before he was even a candidate.

Oh and for the record homosexuality is a sexual orientation. Paedophilia is a psychological disorder.