World according to Paula
It seems like only yesterday the failing National Party put out a failed critique of Labour’s failing to fulfil its own quotas on house building. National’s video was criticised for its obvious sexism with a bloke “mansplaining” the situation to an amiable woman prop. In response to this criticism, Paula Bennett brandished the cudgel of political correctness and told everyone to “stop being so sensitive”.
Right. What goes around, comes around. Paula, stop being so sensitive.
My op-ed February 26), written as comic relief from the serious issues I felt compelled to address recently — global warming, e-cigarettes’ safety (or not) and refugees — seems to have struck a nerve with Ms Bennett
March 4).
OK. Firstly, welcome back to Whanganui, Paula — on paper. Last time you came it was to parade your sensitivities, your fear of flying dildos, as rationale for the (alleged) rashness of the driver of your limousine, our old friend, Chester Borrows, over the tender feet of two women protesting National’s willingness to cede sovereignty to multi-national corporations for the vaporous promise of trade*.
Ms Bennett told magazine that debates are fun. “I don’t mind when people criticise something I’ve done or something I’ve said.” Ah, how quickly they forget. Because my take on her comments and actions is just what she seems very much to mind in her response to my essay.
It’s a part of the self-delusion of politicians like Bennett that, just as they can persuade themselves of anything, they can also persuade others to those self-created facts. Here it’s the world, according to Paula.
Just after declaring that “nobody likes a whinger or a politician trying to garner sympathy even less” Bennett proceeds to just that.
Paula seems aggrieved that I mentioned her $1000-plus designer suit. Like any good politician who offers their own facts, she’d like us to see only the $100 Zara dress on cover and ignore the Carla Zampatti suit she’s pictured in, that lists for $1049 plus GST.
As I read Ms Bennett’s response with as dispassionate an eye as I could muster, I found myself wondering who was this Jay Kuten who dares to fail to understand how wonderful is Paula Bennett. With affecting modesty she tells us she single-handledly did more for poor people needing welfare support “than [any] others had for decades”.
As Social Welfare Minister she got thousands of people off welfare and on to better lives.
Unable to resist a swipe at the present government, she claims that 11,000 more people are now on unemployment benefits due to the fault of the Labour Government.
Judging from her self-assessment, Paula Bennett would have solved the problem of poverty in New Zealand, but for the bad judgment of the electorate’s putting her in the Opposition. That’s when National had it pointed out that nine years’ neglect left us with 250,000 children in poverty.
Not that being out of government is a serious obstacle. As shadow Deputy Prime Minister, Bennett has an important role to play. She stands behind Simon Bridges. In fact, on many a day it’s her job to pull the little string that activates him and gets him to sound almost like a real boy, Gepetto’s flesh and blood.
Paula is often the spokesperson for National. Often that takes real imagination, such as her invention of scary stuff that doesn’t exist, like marijuana ice-cream and cannabis beer that the Government will force everyone to consume.
Reading magazine and Ms Bennett’s reaction to my column left me feeling almost sorry for her. While my criticisms were about her policies and her inflated self-regard, Paula prefers to make her appearance the issue. I’ll take her word on that. She liked her fat (her words). In fact, she lost 50kg. That’s almost a whole other person. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn she misses that “person”.
What I’m sorry about is my picture of her and her newfound smile, sitting like the Cheshire cat and gradually disappearing.
Judging from her self-assessment,
Paula Bennett would have solved the problem of poverty in New
Zealand.