LABOURS BACKROOM DEAL - NO MANA IN THAT

We have been a little busy lately and haven't blogged much. However Whale has the best yarn today - apart from the quake stuff.. Seems he has established what was previously only speculation. Kris Faafoi has been anointed by Goff. We haven't had a lot do with Faafoi but Busted Blonde did meet him one dark and terrible night. The cast included the Press Gallery , a Minister and some other media and PR people.. Everyone was a lidddle bit tired and emotional.

There was a lot of shouting and stuff. And Busted's date for the night was in his mobility scooter.

She says she will never forget what Faafoi said that night. Etched on the big Blondes memory forever.

MOULDY OLD DOE

Big News! Which Labour big wig found himself with some mouldy old doe after the pre Xmas Press Gallery party ? What will this mean for broadcast bias?

A FINE COMPANION

We were delighted that our occasional lunch mate and wise counsel Ian Templeton has been made a Companion. We think that Ian is a very fine companion and that it is a very well deserved honour.
Templeton has seen out a few decades in the Press Gallery and he is still considered to be one of the finest journalists ever to have plied his craft in the hallowed halls of power. His knowledge and ability to gain the trust of politicians has made him a powerful figure on The Hill.

He is a gentleman to a fault and delightfully, mischief still sparkles bright in the eyes of the most senior of press gallery journalists as he and our monthly lunch mates consider the politics of the day and yesteryear.

ONE CHIEF TO RULE THEM ALL

All eyes in Parliament are on the journalists employed by the three Fairfax mastheads, the DomPost, Sunday Star Times and the Christchurch Press. Fairfax is to chuck them all in one room in the Gallery and appoint a bureau chief from among the current staff- or possibly appoint from outside the organisation.

The days of serious competition between the Dead Tree Press papers will undoubtedly disappear.

The reasonably recently arrived Aussie scribe who took up the political editorship at the Sunday Star Times is apparently seriously miffed at the change in circumstances which means he may lose some status in the musical chairs game that's about to play out.

Apparently there is a book running in the round house on who is the front runner is of the two main contenders - Tracy Watkins of the DomPost and the ginga from Christchurch Colin Espiner. The good money is on Espiner who is a good mate of Paul Thompson, Group Executive Editor, one of the favoured few in the Fairfax managerial stable.

A parliamentary insider reckon the reshuffle wont make bugger all difference to the quality of the column inches produced by Fairfax. Apparently, corridor stops - designed to get quick sound bites to populate ever hungry online new sites are now the staple for parliamentary journalists. No real investigation, no having deep and meaningfuls with Minsters and MP's and bugger all OIA's. They just follow up on the ones the opposition churn out.

Sad Really.

No doubt this will all be a hot topic at the impending nuptials of the old southern media curmudgeon Barry Soper and his youthful bride Heather du Plessis - Allan.

ON YER BIKE PHIL

Our favourite Minister Paula Bennett was gobsmaked at the actions of the leader of the oppositions Phil Goff yesterday - Seems as if some good guys call the Super Maori Fullas , a group that spreads the word of non violence as they ride their Harleys around the country were meeting with Paula and the media. Goff got wind of it - and tried to rain all over the Paulas parade.
Heres what an eye witness view of events.

"Phil Goff bounded down the stairs, rushed past Paula who was about to go meet the Fullas. He practically ran up to them, before she as the official host even got a chance to meet them. Goff then proceeded to take a ride with one of them, came back, said goodbye and then left. Then suddenly he was back again. This time as Paula was organising her ride he jumped on one of the bikes and took off by himself. Such was the speed with which he departed, poor tourists had to scramble out of his way. "

Evidently he even went as far as standing in front of the cameras as Paula was being interviewed.

Sad bastard.

Shows how hard the Left are finding it to spin their negative messages ...
Silly boy Phil and we hope he has a motorbike licence.

BY GUM

Bob from Bluff was seated with Ian Templeton, and Barry Soper at the back of the Beehive theatrette today, waiting for John Key to arrive for the post-cabinet press conference. All Southlanders. All best described as being of a mature age.

They were chatting about this, that and the other, and recalling that Jack Grimaldi was editor of the Southland Times when Soper began his journalism, and so on.

Obviously they were speaking loudly (to overcome any hard-of-hearing handicaps any of them might suffer). A bright young spark a few rows in front proclaimed to the rest of the press gallery: "It's like Last of the Summer Wine back there."

We reckon they are right -above is a pic of the stars of the show and bugger me they do bear a striking resemblance to the wise old scribes.
Norman Clegg - Barry Soper
Foggy - Ian Templeton
and Bob ( Compo ) Edlin.

Just curious though - does that make Heather Du Plessis- Allan ( Sopers youthful Squeeze) Nora Batty?

WELLINGTONS MOST IMPORTANT POLITICAL PARTY

Is on tonite - the Press Gallery party is the stuff of legend. An event to be seen at but not after 10 when you are pissed with your undies round your ankles in close proximity to the speakers chair. Well so one of the stories go. . Scuttlebutt is the currency of the evening. Anyway BB has been invited as have some of the other prawns. We may blog.