Bob Jones: Dr Bob Brockie

Above is a Bob Brockie cartoon. A life-long leftie, Dr Brockie, now 90 is outraged by the Labour government’s maori nonsense.

Joe Bennett: Evolving language scoffs at moral or political aims

She's well into her 70s, lives alone, has a science degree or two, speaks her mind, does not own a television, leaves her back door open in all weathers because fresh air helps her think, reads three books a week, is a lifelong socialist and she shins up ladders to pick plums, when she can’t, that is, get a passing newspaper columnist to do it for her.

And it was while the passing newspaper columnist was up the ladder a few weeks back that she said, a propos of I can no longer remember what, that she couldn’t be bothered with RNZ National any more because of all the Maori nonsense.

Well, you can imagine my reaction. I looked down from on high and she was bending to collect a dropped plum so I had an unimpeded view of her neck in the autumnal sunshine, and, would you believe it, it wasn’t remotely red. Not a hint of carmine. Scarletfree, it was. What could possibly be going on? This called for research.