The New Zealand Herald published this letter from me today:

‘How tragic that the Auckland University student body can think of no better way to express disagreement than to boo, shout down and abuse a speaker. If Melissa Lee’s comments about South Auckland were stupid and offensive, they were outdone by the Hitler moustache and the word ‘racist’ scrawled across her photograph. As it happens, Ms Lee made no reference in her earlier remarks to any race, so the presumption that the ‘criminals’ she was referring to must be Maori or Pacific Islanders comes entirely from them. I would have thought that makes them the true racists. If I lived in Mt Albert, I would, needless to say, be voting for David Shearer. But I think Melissa Lee deserves points for fronting up to this mindless rabble. You are, ladies and gentlemen, a disgrace to your university.’

I stand by it. I never cease to be amazed how today’s idiots are somehow transformed into tomorrow’s professionals. Sometimes!

And has the National Party abandoned Ms Lee altogether? Certainly no-one can be giving her any media advice. Does any candidate with a brain tell the world that the best they can hope for is to come second? That’s little more than an invitation to your supporters not to vote for you and as close as you can come to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ye gods!

Michael Laws also took up the cudgels in the Sunday Star Times