Deborah Coddington: Brash too young for the pasture

Parliament can pass laws forcing people to be nice to each other, but happily you just can't regulate thought. Professionally, we are not allowed to be sexist or racist, and we cannot discriminate on the basis of age.

But of course that doesn't stop anyone. "Heard the one about the Irishman, Englishman, Maori elder and the beauty queen?" is racist, sexist, ageist and lookist all rolled into one bad joke. The Human Rights Commission would have a field day.

So why no outrage at the recent fuss over Don Brash's age? There's much speculation over whether the Leader of the Opposition, just turned 65, will last the distance. He'll be 68 in 2008 and he's fond of pointing out that Sir Winston Churchill was prime minister twice in his 70s, Charles de Gaulle was president of France until he was in his late-70s, and Ronald Reagan served two terms as US president from the age of 70.

Ah yes, say the New Zealand critics, but remember that election shot of Don Brash creakily climbing into a racing car? Doesn't that prove he's past it?

On the contrary. If anything, it proves when you're tall with long legs it's damn-near impossible to clamber in and out of anything smaller than a Holden Belmont. That's why dignified people never drive silly little cars.

Anyway, what's this obsession with youth audiences, youth voters, youth consumers? And why is it that pursuing youth seems to equate with dumbing down? TVNZ is so obsessed with pursuing the young demographic it dumped Judy Bailey, with her unfailing professionalism, gravitas and experience.

Political parties thrill with pleasure when adolescents turn up at their conferences, eager to sign up and stuff envelopes, hold meetings, write letters to the paper. "Run!" I wanted to shout at them. "Go get a life. Fall over and skin your knees. Get stuffed up, learn from it, come back when you know how it feels to wonder where the next cheque's coming from; when you've experienced not wanting to get out of bed again - ever!"

Of course political parties must prepare for the future when the old fuddy-duddies will go to that great House of Representatives in the sky. They need foot soldiers, waiting to take over and command, but putting people out to pasture just because they've hit the magic age of 65 is insane.

Don Brash did an extraordinary thing last year when he was 64. After only three years as an MP he brought the National Party back from the brink of oblivion. It was an incredible success, not least because he was up against the toughest competition any opposition leader has perhaps ever had to face - the formidable Prime Minister Helen Clark. I doubt any of his younger front-benchers, tipped to take over as leader, would have delivered as good a result.

The reality is that a person's age, in itself, is irrelevant. Youth is surely not so stupid it will mindlessly support a product just because the leader is wrinkle-free and lithe of limb. Helen Clark's 53, my age, but she enjoys support from voters young enough to be her children who love Labour's message. Most of my own children wouldn't be seen dead with me when I fronted up to political meetings because of their hate for Act policies.

This unseemly rush to herd people into retirement the moment they hit their 60s is unsettling. I predict ambitious National MPs who want a change of leader will play the age card to replace Brash. And as Brash himself works to present his party as a government in waiting, Labour will crank up the pot-stirring machine, taunting National with stale jokes about decrepit leaders who should have been gone by last year's lunchtime.

I know how Brash feels. Experience no longer seems to count. Just last week departing Nine to Noon host Linda Clark, in the Listener, sounded off about why she's "over" journalism. It's a "job you do best when you're 20-something" apparently. At 30-plus we no longer see "issues in black and white" and "it becomes so much more complicated".

She's right. Most of us who've once been polarised do reach an age where we like to think around an issue, toss it over, seek conflicting opinions before we come to a conclusion. Even then, on major issues such as solo parent welfare beneficiaries, I still don't know if there's a magic bullet.

As I sat around our newsroom last week I realised with a shock I am older than even the editor of this publication. My reporter colleagues are my children's ages. In fact, going on Linda Clark's recommendation, not just me but my eldest daughter should retire from journalism as well.

I am old. I remember the Wine Box inquiry; Erebus; regulation black telephones; carless days; unable to afford new clothes for our kids because of import licensing.

Don Brash remembers past aberrations too. Like me, he was young once. Young and foolish.

But we also remember our generation's mistakes - youth are yet to repeat theirs.


- HERALD ON SUNDAY