Rotorua Labour Party candidate Ben Sandford. Photo/File
Rotorua Labour Party candidate Ben Sandford. Photo/File
Stepping out of my Mazda on to Tutanekai St to grab a Daily Post on Wednesday, I thought for a second I had instead stepped out of a Delorean and into 16th century France, or specifically Salon-de-Provence, where famed seer Nostradamus spent his latter years.
For on the newsstand Idiscovered the Daily Post's prediction about the outcome of the Rotorua election, however, just like many of Nostradamus' prophecies, the Daily Post appeared to make some basic mistakes too.
The cover story proclaimed "How Rotorua could end up with 4 MPs". However, a more factual headline would have stated Rotorua could have five MPs after the election. The accompanying article mentioned that if McClay loses his Rotorua seat, he'll still be in on the list. However, the article didn't mention who could take his seat.
The most likely person to do so would be Labour's Ben Sandford. Not only is Sandford a great local candidate with the experience, education and nous to be an excellent MP, he has history on his side.
Two Rotorua Labour candidates have unseated a National MP when they were not only outstanding candidates, but when there was a nationwide mood for change, in 1935 when Michael Joseph Savage became Prime Minister, Rotorua's Alexander Moncur became MP. More recently in 1999, when Helen Clark became Prime Minister, Steve Chadwick became MP.
With the polls moving in Labour's favour, plus with a great local candidate in Sandford, a more appropriate headline would have been; How Rotorua could end up with "5" MPs.
RYAN GRAY Rotorua
Re Silence shrouds a Mamaku mystery (Rotorua Daily Post, September 2).
"Homes have a growling guard dog and heavyset gates", "Strange cars attract locals' peering eyes" ... Good for a movie script, but definitely not the Mamaku I know.
Why do residents and family have to speak to the media while they are grieving?
What right do you have to come into our community and run it down because you can't get the information you want?
When the police do catch whoever is responsible for these murders, then you will have a story.
