Undemocratic Parliamentarians

New Zealand Equality Education Foundation

(incorporating the International Ex-Fetus Association)

Undemocratic Parliamentarians

Peter Zohrab 2003

On the webpages http://mail.national.org.nz/pipermail/yn-newwrite/2003-April/000051.html and http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0304/S00163.htm the following passage appears:

'Youthful Labour MP Darren Hughes became embroiled in a childish spat at a select committee meeting last week. At a hearing on the Government’s plans for a new supreme court he earned the ire of Men’s Rights campaigner Peter Zohrab.

Here is a rough transcript:

Zohrab: “I don’t believe putting women judges is a good idea at all, they tend to be feminist and they are extremely anti-male.”

Hughes: “That’s a real worry, isn’t it?”

Zohrab: “Yeah, it is a real worry. He’s just a complete idiot. You’re behaving like an idiot if you don’t mind my saying so. You are a complete idiot, you haven’t waited for me to give you the facts!”'

The above passage gives a largely misleading impression of the event, for the following reasons:

I was just a member of the public making an oral submission to a Select Committee, where you expect Parliamentarians to act democratically, and give members of the public a polite and uninterrupted hearing. A member of the public is not an opposition MP in the debating chamber, after all !
Like several other MPs in the past -- usually women, and usually from the Labour Party -- Hughes interrupted me with loud laughter. I don't think he actually said anything like “That’s a real worry, isn’t it?” -- but, even if he did, it was his interruprting me and his loud laughter that I was reacting to.
In addition, most of the MPs didn't have their name-plates out, which denied me my democratic right to know who my representatives were in that meeting. It also meant that the person who rudely interrupted me could do so and hope that I wouldn't know who he was. I can only hope and assume that the webpages above have correctly identified him.
So it was not a "childish spat" -- it was plain rudeness from an undemocratic Labour MP.
I know what I am talking about when I mention women lawyers and judges. See, for example, mclachli.html , femlawst.html , womlawyr.html , and fcrtbias.html .

Last Update: 19 November 2004

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Undemocratic Parliamentarians

Peter Zohrab 2003

'Youthful Labour MP Darren Hughes became embroiled in a childish spat at a select committee meeting last week. At a hearing on the Government’s plans for a new supreme court he earned the ire of Men’s Rights campaigner Peter Zohrab.

Here is a rough transcript:

Zohrab: “I don’t believe putting women judges is a good idea at all, they tend to be feminist and they are extremely anti-male.”

Hughes: “That’s a real worry, isn’t it?”

Zohrab: “Yeah, it is a real worry. He’s just a complete idiot. You’re behaving like an idiot if you don’t mind my saying so. You are a complete idiot, you haven’t waited for me to give you the facts!”'

The above passage gives a largely misleading impression of the event, for the following reasons:

I was just a member of the public making an oral submission to a Select Committee, where you expect Parliamentarians to act democratically, and give members of the public a polite and uninterrupted hearing. A member of the public is not an opposition MP in the debating chamber, after all !

So it was not a "childish spat" -- it was plain rudeness from an undemocratic Labour MP.

I know what I am talking about when I mention women lawyers and judges. See, for example, mclachli.html , femlawst.html , womlawyr.html , and fcrtbias.html .