The idea of John Key, Don McKinnon, Jim Bolger and their minders trapped aboard a slow jet to South Africa, ear-bashed all the way by John Minto, has a certain cruel appeal, but the Prime Minister's decision to leave the veteran protester out of the official Mandela funeral group was surely the right one.
How embarrassing for New Zealand if midway through the funeral service, Mr Minto was to whip out his bullhorn, and before a worldwide audience of zillions, do a Mark Antony: "Friends ... I come to bury Mandela, not to praise him." Then launch into a long critique of his failure to usher in the Marxist revolution to liberate South Africa.
The Princess Di-ification of Nelson Mandela that has swept the world, particularly by right-wing politicians and newspapers that once attacked the man as a terrorist, has been breathtaking. And would have no doubt have amused Mr Mandela, who from all accounts had a fine appreciation of the ridiculous.
Still, a polite silence, or expressions of contrition for past errors, would have been more timely. Similarly, there's a time and place for giving a hero, who hasn't delivered all the expectations you'd placed upon him, a kicking. And in his coffin waiting burial, isn't it.
At least Mr Minto has consistency on his side. In 1995 during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Auckland, he criticised his hero face to face. The South African President met anti-apartheid protesters in St Matthews-in-the-City Church, central Auckland, to thank his "comrades in struggle" who had "elected to brave the batons" for his people. In response, Mr Minto, a leading anti-1981 Springbok tour opponent, told the President of his dismay that South Africa was bringing in the same free market reforms introduced in New Zealand in recent years.
