Speaker by Various Artists

Like .., and even more likes. Indeed, a multitude of likes. A politician who is no mere fanboy but who writes with intelligence and (that much abused word) passion.

Whack-sing lyrical…
a well pitched delivery, sir…
…far more palatable than Key’s vain attempts to connect recent cricket (and Sevens) victories to his helmsmanship of the National Ship of Fools in his speech following his ’Opening statement’
see:
http://www.inthehouse.co.nz/video/41341
or the precis here:

Mr Speaker, isn’t it good to be back, I hope you had a good holiday and members did… and what a wonderful time it was for New Zealand, what a great display of cricket yesterday afternoon by Brendon McCullum in the Chappell Hadlee Series – New Zealand up against Australia one more time under a National-led Government, Mr Speaker.

and as Barry Soper points out:

If you were John Key’s speech writer for his keynote opener in Parliament’s bear pit, you would have been frustrated.
…
Key was only up to the third page of his ten-page tome, when the winding-up bells were sounding. He then went on to compress the material in front of him making him sound as though he was speaking in shorthand.
He’d run out of time because he came up with what he obviously considered was a clever line, not in his speech notes, but in his head. He was banging on about the flaky Labour lot and how they were all over the place on his beloved Trans Pacific Partnership when the light bulb went off …

My bolding

Key mistakes wallow for willow every time
his eye is well off the ball
…keep alert in the slips!

Good read, thanks Grant.
A mate of mine used to play club cricket against Brendon and Nathan's father and he said that at every game his two young sons would be there practicing their batting and bowling. Even that early you could see their talent and determination, he reckons.

Well, you can have the greatest leader in the world as captain, but it's down to the dude at the wicket to make the runs and the bowler to bowl the other guy out.

I know the fuhrerprinzip is massively important to many people, especially those who've had the full force of the NZ edudoctrination system applied to them: milk monitor, prefect, head of school, dux (whatever that is), team leader at McDonalds. And for the many middle class people with no actual skills, a job cajoling or bullying people into doing what the next one up in the hierarchy wants is the only way to make cash for the mortgage, the BMW and the holiday in Queensland.

Me, I'm with Edward Abbey:

...few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others

Strange that politicians on both sides of the House seem to find it necessary to look to sporting figures for examples of inspirational leadership. Perhaps if we could move beyond the idea of people who are expert at throwing, hitting or kicking balls as role models then we might actually witness more examples of inspirational leadership from our elected representatives.

Gambler is apt. For me Coney will always be the captain I admire the most, everything considered, thought out, planned, a reason that can be articulated.

But with McCullum it's about just having a go, doing what feels right at the time, give the natural talent a chance to succeed and if it turns to custard then that's part of the game as well. I could never be that person but I can admire it in others.

And that isn't meant to suggest McCullum isn't intellectual but to say that he has a freedom in him that is infectious. He will be missed when he leaves the field for the last time.

You can reduce any human activity to something vaguely ridiculous or unimpressive using that rhetorical technique though. "We should stop thinking that people who put words down on a page for a living are worthy of admiration." "We shouldn't consider someone who wipes bums and makes sure children don't fall off things inspirational."

People find meaning and inspiration in all sorts of activities and I think that variation is fun and interesting.

Very true, variation can be fun and interesting - but the tendency of politicians to laud the achievements of sporting figures hardly represents a new and novel development - they are all doing it and have been for some time. Perhaps it is time for a bit of variation, after all?

To be fair, Grant could probably write something similar about a musician or anyone else he admires. He just happens to be writing as a sports fan in this post. I don't get it personally, as those who inspire me are more likely to be community activists, but I'm prepared to try and understand his perspective.

I don’t get it personally,

Neither do I Hilary, neither do I.

(Our hero was out for a duck, btw, again)