The rumor was buzzing around the blogosphere before Christmas, however after finally seeing it announced officially in the MSM it still shocks and grates.
Around the blogs, Kiwiblog takes a nonchalant view and would rather conserve anger for Michael Cullen's patsy appointment to an SOE Board while still an MP.
Whaleoil uses the opportunity to heckle Trevor Mallard that "could only choke out three words in praise of Helen Clark".
Over at Homepaddock they muse over Clark's award by posing some important questions:
Are honesty and integrity important?
Does the type of person someone is count at least as much as what s/he does? Should s/he be be judged not only on what s/he does but the way s/he does it? Do not just deeds but character matter?
Should our greatest people also be good?Libberty Scott draws a parallel with another notable undeserved award winner:
After Barack Obama being granted the Nobel Peace Prize for absolutely nothing, the New Zealand Government has now granted Helen Clark the Order of New Zealand.No Minister will not be "celebrating the fact that Helen Clark is now supposedly one of the 20 greatest living New Zealanders" on their post aptly headed "New Year Horrus".
Over here at Motella we will be hoping that this formality that the government has bestowed upon Aunty Helen will now permanently consign our former Headmistress to history. We will remember Clark as setting up a centralist regime that made the majority of Kiwis dependent upon the forced wealth redistribution from productivity of others.
Kinda apt that this award was announced on New Year's Eve. Some may drink to celebrate, while others will drink to forget...
