On Thursday I called our Prime Minister, Helen Clark a mad cow, and I want to say sorry. LOL Ok I was going to say that's not fair on real cows and their unfortunate condition, but that would just be another cheap joke at someone else's expense. Funny thing about my blog is not many people leave comments, in fact almost never, but I get quite a number of emails directly and comments from friends and family. On Friday at a party Dad told me I was being a "tough customer" and my Sister said that it "wasn't my style, and would come back to bite me when I was Prime Minister." Something about Karma? Of course that's going way too far as I don't have any aspiration in that area or the face of a Prime Minister but I get their point - it isn't my style, and therefore I am sorry. Having said that I am hardly her biggest fan. She is an effective politician, but I have never heard her give a completely straight answer and as someone who answers her challenges with empty "Sound Bites" she doesn't really deserve my respect. A few years ago I was invited to Wellington to an exporters' meeting that ended with dinner with a number of politicians at the Beehive. You know, where they swap tables with each course. If I remember correctly it was entree's with Hon Jim Sutton, our main with Rt Hon Helen Clark and dessert with Hon Jim Anderton. I'd already had lunch with both Dr Michael Cullen and Hon Paul Swain, when they had on separate occasions visited our business, but didn't know what to expect of this group. I must also admit, however, that I went to Wellington with a very low opinion of Jim Anderton. His party felt at the time like it was staunchly anti business and stood for protecting workers even at the expense of business owners. As a business owner it therefore felt like him against me. I'm not sure how true that was, or even whether my experience was based on any reasonable judgement but he won me around that night. I wouldn't go as far as saying I would vote for him, but he certainly won my respect. He was nice, respectful, full of energy and entertaining. He answered our questions directly and completely, but without necessarily feeling he needed to give in to our position. And even more importantly he was prepared to talk about how his own opinions were formed over time, and how they had changed, especially those times when he had discovered he was wrong. He gave me a strong sense of thinking and caring deeply about the wellness of all New Zealanders. Helen Clarke in contrast was evasive, staunch in her opinions and not at all interested in listening. The bottom line is, I am not saying that she is dishonest, I wouldn't know. What I am saying is that I don't think I have ever felt like I truly knew what she stands for and who she is. If you like, Sound Bite answers and body language that doesn't seem in alignment with her words leave me wondering. I'd be the first to admit I may be wrong, but I am normally also a pretty good judge of character and would like to have gotten to know the real Helen Clarke in the way we did the Rt Hon David Langes of this world. Ok enough said and I am still sorry ... Mad Cow was not nice :-)