Now, the comments actually date back to last week. They were made on his show, The Platform, where he was talking about Opportunity and, in particular, their candidate, Kayla Kingdon-Bebb, whom he was on stage with. His observation was that the women in Opportunity are as stern as primary school teachers.
Michael Laws:
"Um, and that was the demeanour, I have to say. Severe. Disapproving. You know, that sort of look of constant disapproval. It must be hell dating people like that, just quietly.
"Can you imagine what it's like post-sex? Did I say that out loud? Yes, I did."
So it's blown up for Michael Laws. Winston's not happy with him. Winston doesn't like sex talk at all. Christopher Luxon says Laws will not be part of a Luxon ministerial lineup now, and the leading women in politics are furious, from Kiri Allan all the way through to Nicola Willis and Barbara Edmonds.
This was predictable, right? Because Michael Laws was always going to say something outrageous. The best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour and his past is littered with outrageous comments.
And because it was predictable, I actually don't think it's going to cost New Zealand First very much in terms of votes. I just don't know how many thin-skinned voters are still with that party after Winston's Lawrence Xu-Nan comments.
The more interesting question here, I think, is not how many votes it will cost, but whether Luxon will be able to hold the line on keeping Laws out of any ministerial lineup. My prediction is that he won't.
Laws is Winston's man. For all of his faults, Laws is capable and bright, and has clearly been brought back to fill a Cabinet position. And in the battle of Winston versus Luxon, Winston's going to win. He always does.
So notch this one up as yet another fight being lined up for Luxon if he makes it through the fire on Saturday.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and radio broadcaster who hosts Newstalk ZB's weekday Drive-Time Show – where this article was sourced.
27 comments:
Michael called it right, for when National finally wake up, Luxon won't be calling the shots. As for Kingdon-Bebb, she did have a role in producing He Puapua and Michael really didn't need to get into her demeanor. More than enough already said.
New Zealand First enjoys hearty support from superannuants - many of those pensioners are women with conservatively held views and high standards as to what is acceptable language and behaviour.
Laws does not meet those standards with his comments on Wednesday - standards Peters himself holds dearly.
Laws is competent? But is also a sexist dinosaur who says dumb things that his boss hates? Both of these things cannot be true.
This isn’t going to go down well with the grey vote. Peters picking washouts to work for him clearly shows his judgement is failing and he himself can’t be trusted with anything important any more.
Answer. No.
It was a satirical and quite funny but honest account of how Opportunities is oozing so much wokeness and are in reality, a very clever left insurance policy and nothing more.
The only criticism I have is Laws killed his credibility by apologising.
Is NZ First the best place for woman haters? Nash got the chop but Laws gets a wet bus ticket, so it isn’t clear.
Snow flakes and prissy Pollys will look for any excuse to be affronted. I recall fondly a comment by Bill Bryson in one of his early books. A woman looked at him disapprovingly, and : "as if I had farted in her handbag". Laws wasn't particularly funny, but hardly deserving of the 'frothing at the mouth' nonsense that is being spouted.
I am a woman and a superannuant. I was not offended I was amused especially by the naughty step. Comments on sex are always dumb and crass.But the women of TOP are seriously up themselves they make me puke. So what if Laws gets carried away at times it's his platform . He could do with speech lessons tho his pronunciation is woeful. He is light years ahead of any one in TOP with his government admin experience.Grow up!!!!
Anon@6.39 please wake up it is 2026 the boomers are the oldies now we are not our parent's generation of judgemental know it alls. We often disapprove of idiots too but our values are radically different to the seniors of the past. I am in my 70's I was a founding member of the Greens I am a carbon farmer who thinks cannabis should be legalised , the oldies have changed keep up.If women expect equality in the political sphere just their biological sex is not enough . Respect is earned. The women of TOP need to get over themselves.
Anon 749 and 707 - have a read of this response to what Laws said:
“Frankly there's no excuse for it, it's disgusting, it's unacceptable, and I've made it very very clear what I think about it and what my colleagues think about it."
^ are these the words of a wokester, in your opinion?
Lighten up. TOP oozes sanctimonious confidence with no real reason. Imagine them cracking the whip in government !
Laws should have emphasized the candidate's He Puapua role - never mentioned and much more salient.
Anything but TOP.
Ok for Lees Galloway of Opportunity to commit adultery & cheat on his wife & children?
Anon 8:25 - agree, they are not the words of a wokester. They are the words of a someone that is scared of the woke. Invertebrate comes to mind.
Anon 852 reveals the double standards and bias that the NZ social and mainstream displays everyday.
Michael Laws said something the nature of which can be heard often in the public domain,
Lees Galloway one of the string pullers in the Top Party conducted himself in such a way that had him sacked from his Labour Party Ministerial role and ensured his non selection as a candidate at the next election.
In Ardern's own word's " he displayed a sustained lack of judgement over a long period of time, and had improperly used his position of power."
And now Lees Galloway may be pulling the strings in a possible Top Party parliamentary caucus.
Not a murmur from our media.
And all Law's did was to utter a few crass words.
Laws has said that “if I have offended, I unreservedly apologise”. How’s that for a total contradistinction in one brief sentence? He has ‘unreservedly apologised’, but there IS a reservation – it's only if you are offended.
@CXH, you know Anon 825 is quoting Winston Peters, right?
When I learned he said it last week and the shocked response was timed for this week just a few days before final voting day did affect my opinion of it.
It was going to be a matter of time before Michael Laws said something outrageous. But in this instance I think there are also people annoyed by Ms Wong's statements of the kind about how people's behaviour must change for her to consider working with them.
Here is a list of parties that have come out and unequivocally rebuked Laws:
- NZ First
- TOP
- National
- Labour
- Greens
I’d much rather vote for a party focussed on fixing the cost of living than someone having to waste effort on trying to manage Laws’ incompetence. In the private sector he’d be sacked, but the politicians don’t work to such standards as long as you’re in National or NZ First.
As a NZF voter I’m now going to abandon them and vote for the Greens because Michael Laws said something vaguely sexist. Yeah Right. I’d still vote for NZF if Michael Laws claimed to be the reincarnation of Hitler.
I sure do love these distractions from the massive unemployment rate and insane cost of living. Did you see inflation is up too? Anyone currently in government should be accountable for this nightmare NZ is currently in.
It’s nothing that the late Bob Jones wouldn’t have said.
Now everyone should see Wong and her ladies in waiting as a gaggle of stern school marms who have no time for those with whom they disagree.
I hope the image sticks.
Michael is just fine. Sure he can come across as misogynistic at times. No one is perfect. On the rare occasions he annoys my feminine sensibilities I switch him off. So what? His wide ranging, intelligent and informative interviews are well worth the occasional annoyance. No need to go running to the speech police. The TOP women need to grow up and get a life. The only behaviour anyone can control in this world is their own.
Anon 852 it is immoral and not illegal. He also left the party he was a member of when he did those things. Do you also still disparage Jordan Williams when his anti-women messages were leaked all those years ago?
What a storm in teacup - only sorry the deplorable TOPs get a chance to complain. I long for them to fall into oblivion.
I want to wake up on Sunday to the fact that it will all be over - one way or the other and if it is the other I'm out of here for good! Sadly it won't be over ...
I once made the following tongue in cheek remark:
Female logic is male logic turned upside down, inside out and back to front. I quickly added that before anyone gets upset, it is the same the other way around as male logic is female logic turned upside down, inside out and back to front.
I'm sure I'd still get in bother for that nowdays!
Just another example of the msm playing the shock horror card on a trivial issue to the benefit of the synthetic TOP party, rather than focusing on the real issues facing the electorate. Laws is arguably a breath of fresh air although he has been around the block a couple of times and ought to know how the game is played. To to mix my metaphors, he ought to know when it's prudent to breathe through his nose and keep his powder dry.
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