DAVID
CUNLIFFE’S DECISION to ask his campaign manager, Jennie Michie, to stand down
would’ve been both easy and hard. Easy, because if he hadn’t Grant Robertston
would have snuck into their bedrooms and killed them both as they slept. Hard,
because Michie is innocent, and like Jesus, was executed for the sins of
others.
Another
reason was that as Cunliffe sat in his bunker, he cunningly awaited the inevitable
betrayal. That a Robertsonite would yell ‘Homophobe!’. A sacrifice had to be
prepared. This is because Cunliffe remembered a time when a young Grant
Roberston prowled the student corridors of power, waiting to unleash such a
cruel slur to unseat his opponents.
1992 was
the year, and Cunliffe remembered it well. Remembered and waited. A homophobic
poster had been found during a student election that Robertston was a candidate
in. People were bemused. Why would a gay person bring attention to homophobia
and be upset by it? Nobody that day had seen the poster, and I know, I
interviewed them all. People scratched their head and walked into poles. Things
were taking a strange turn.
It was
almost as if I was implying that Robertson had made the poster himself. The
poster is no more. Some people say it was to destroy any fingerprint or dna
evidence to tie the poster to Robertson. But who am I to say what some people
might rightfully conclude.
Being a
victim of homophobia was an inspired move! Having no policies meant he was
reliant on the huge gay sympathy vote that was readily available in the early
90’s in NZ and Roberston won. Postergate had been a success.
Then
Clare Curran tweeted, the modern equivalent of posters everywhere: Those with
long memories couldn’t help hearing echoes of Robertson’s 1992 campaign that
they remembered so vividly in their stark barren lives, and in Clare Curran’s
tweet of Monday, 9 September.
“The
‘NZ’s not ready for a gay PM’ is prob the biggest dog whistle I’ve ever heard.
Extraordinary that it’s also coming from within the Party.”
Once
again it was implied that homophobia was bad and people probably shouldn’t do
it. People were once more bemused. There was a supposed outbreak of homophobia
which was evidenced by specific examples that were given, but that’s not here
or supposed there. Later on a union member in a private Facebook page went on to say
that homophobia sucks.
This is
an extraordinary statement. In essence she was suggesting that someone’s
sexuality shouldn’t be an issue, like race, or religion, or hair colour, taking
away our right to make homophobic comments, because Facebook comments suggesting things are law. People
felt abused and and rocked back and forwards.
But, it
also explains why Michie died for our sins.
Michie
was asked by Rachel Smalley, from TV3’s current affairs show, The
Nation:
“Okay,
Grant Robertson, Jennie, says that he wants to be judged on his ability, not
his sexuality. How do you think the socially conservatives might view Grant
Robertson you know in the year 2013?”
To which
Michie replied:
“Well
Rachel, I suppose you’d have to ask a social conservative. *polite laugh* We’re
trying to run a clean campaign and I think addressing what I believe to be
should be a non-issue is not in keeping with that.”
Just
kidding:
“I think
it’s not as big a deal as it used to be. You know we now have gay marriage, and
it actually went through without that much of a fuss, and the sky hasn’t
fallen. Having said that, I think we’d be
naïve to imagine that there would be no resistance to a gay Prime Minister at
this point. I think some people might have a problem with it, but I
certainly wouldn’t.”
People
were bemused. Obviously being gay is an issue and a problem, because being gay
is wrong, so we should have the right to voice this without people getting all
uppity as if they were human beings with equal standing.
This is
why Cunliffe shook his head, clearing it of always present thoughts of early 90’s student posters, and
climbed from his bunker, killing Michie so all of us might have the freedom to
vote for Camp Cunliffe.
In many
respects Cunliffe’s predicament is akin to that of progressive Americans living
in the USA during the McCarthyite “Red Scare”. Our jail cells now bulge with
the accused poster makers who live amongst us. People deported, families torn
asunder, witches burnt and detainee camps now loom across the nation, all because of
brave people who dare to suggest that being gay is ick.
Original Batshit Crazy Post here:
http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2013/09/11/cunliffes-decision-easy-to-make-but-hard-to-swallow/
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