Now that's an unfair question. Much as quite a few people would like to know whether he supported or opposed the tour, no one knows. Hard to believe, I know, you'd think at least one person knew. To be fair, he was young at the time and was probably still making his way up the river. On a cabbage boat. I know where I stood. With my mother, firmly against the tour and much to my father's disapproval. I was nine.
I stood up to police in riot gear on the road (that was being built) to Carisbrook. I’m a year younger that Key and, like him, was at Uni. The 81 Springbok tour was a huge issue throughout the country and the atmosphere was awful. Lifelong friends split, the pro-tour crowd became very angry after the Hamilton game and Muldoon sniggered.
To say, as Ele did (at HP Saturday soapbox), that the issue wasn’t important to everyone “especially younger people”, makes me wonder where she was hiding at the time. On campus (which is where Key was) it was massive and it went on for months . At Otago Michael Laws was rabidly pro-tour. Complete strangers would abuse you for wearing anti-tour badges.
The pure selfishness of the rugby crowd was appalling, they considered their right to be entertained by a game to be more important than the human rights of the vast majority of the people of South Africa. Most of us who marched were young, but there were also mums with pushchairs and plenty of grey hair too.
I have to remember the forgiveness that Nelson Mandela showed towards the apartheid rulers and hold back the bile and show similar grace towards Key and others who, back in 81, were on the wrong side of the struggle for freedom.
I to think the question is unfair. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we have all learnt many things since those days that many would have been unaware of previously. Much of that was down to this great man Nelson Mandela who showed the world what humility and compassion was.I dont think I knew his name in 1981 Paddy O'Brien tells a story of his family during the tour. He was a young undercover policeman who was asked to get in the protest crowd and radio information to police commanders. As the neared the entrance to one of the grounds he saw his sister at the front of the protesters. Then on the other side of the police cordon he caught a glimpse of his brother buying a ticket to get into the game. Someone asked Paddy where he stood and his answer was " just doing my job" and smiled. It was some of the darkest days in NZ history caused more by a leadership devoid of principles and prepared to risk polarising people around something they felt passionately about for no other reason than they wanted to stay in power. That was the shameful part, not whether you were protesting or going to the game.
I wonder what Nelson Mandela might have said to the young 'not sure really, neither one way or the other, I'd have gone to the game if I could have afforded a ticket', John Key, had they met back then.
You may well wonder, Robert. Cynical me thinks that whatever had been said in your hypothetical scenario would have not been listened to, and thus would have made no difference.
National in 1981 had no respect for black africans fighting apartheid, rugby came 1st. I have no difficulty imagining a young John Key ignoring a political prisoner, as Mandela was. I've read that Key learnt to play golf to make contacts in his quest to get rich. Concern over other people's human rights wouldn't figure in such a plan. Are there any signs his values have changed?
8 comments:
Now that's an unfair question. Much as quite a few people would like to know whether he supported or opposed the tour, no one knows. Hard to believe, I know, you'd think at least one person knew.
To be fair, he was young at the time and was probably still making his way up the river. On a cabbage boat.
I know where I stood. With my mother, firmly against the tour and much to my father's disapproval. I was nine.
I stood up to police in riot gear on the road (that was being built) to Carisbrook. I’m a year younger that Key and, like him, was at Uni. The 81 Springbok tour was a huge issue throughout the country and the atmosphere was awful. Lifelong friends split, the pro-tour crowd became very angry after the Hamilton game and Muldoon sniggered.
To say, as Ele did (at HP Saturday soapbox), that the issue wasn’t important to everyone “especially younger people”, makes me wonder where she was hiding at the time. On campus (which is where Key was) it was massive and it went on for months . At Otago Michael Laws was rabidly pro-tour. Complete strangers would abuse you for wearing anti-tour badges.
The pure selfishness of the rugby crowd was appalling, they considered their right to be entertained by a game to be more important than the human rights of the vast majority of the people of South Africa. Most of us who marched were young, but there were also mums with pushchairs and plenty of grey hair too.
I have to remember the forgiveness that Nelson Mandela showed towards the apartheid rulers and hold back the bile and show similar grace towards Key and others who, back in 81, were on the wrong side of the struggle for freedom.
I to think the question is unfair. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and we have all learnt many things since those days that many would have been unaware of previously. Much of that was down to this great man Nelson Mandela who showed the world what humility and compassion was.I dont think I knew his name in 1981
Paddy O'Brien tells a story of his family during the tour. He was a young undercover policeman who was asked to get in the protest crowd and radio information to police commanders. As the neared the entrance to one of the grounds he saw his sister at the front of the protesters. Then on the other side of the police cordon he caught a glimpse of his brother buying a ticket to get into the game. Someone asked Paddy where he stood and his answer was " just doing my job" and smiled. It was some of the darkest days in NZ history caused more by a leadership devoid of principles and prepared to risk polarising people around something they felt passionately about for no other reason than they wanted to stay in power. That was the shameful part, not whether you were protesting or going to the game.
'leadership devoid of principles'
I wonder what Nelson Mandela might have said to the young 'not sure really, neither one way or the other, I'd have gone to the game if I could have afforded a ticket', John Key, had they met back then.
You may well wonder, Robert. Cynical me thinks that whatever had been said in your hypothetical scenario would have not been listened to, and thus would have made no difference.
Imagine not listening to Nelson Mandela's advice.
National in 1981 had no respect for black africans fighting apartheid, rugby came 1st. I have no difficulty imagining a young John Key ignoring a political prisoner, as Mandela was. I've read that Key learnt to play golf to make contacts in his quest to get rich. Concern over other people's human rights wouldn't figure in such a plan. Are there any signs his values have changed?
Let's stop talking about him in the context of Nelson Mandala. It makes Key seem entirely hollow.
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