Met the candidates

Last night, in Invercargill, I did. They were very nice too, to a woman. Only women could address the audience at the National Council of Women's 'Meet the Candidates' event Rowly and I attended. Clearly, men were allowed in the door, but we all maintained a dignified silence throughout the proceedings, at least until supper-time, which is when I met 'em. Pauline McIntosh was there, shyly wondering if her presentation had gone well (it had). Kylie Fowler didn't seem at all shy and spoke candidly, which is something I admire. Karen Arnold took the initiative and the free-standing mike and spoke without notes. That's good. Tracey Wright was excellent, especially with answering the tricky questions from the anti-abortionists. Jan Riddell clearly has an excellent grasp of environmental issues and the weak-spots in council procedure. She'll fly in :-) Becs Amunsden would get my vote every time for her grassroots, grounded efforts with suburban Invercargill communities. Lyndal Ludlow introduced herself, which is always a good thing to do at meetings like those. There were other good women there also and most earned their applause. There was very little pomposity. I guess the male candidates have that covered.