Goodness, I almost choked on my breakfast cocoa while reading this. Helen Clark named as the Greatest Living New Zealander? No this isn't a satirical post. Are they kidding?
Here were the top five nominees and the votes they got -
I don't know how the voting was done or whatever, but this is just ridiculous. The woman has been part of so many dodgy scandals, coverups, and lies it just doesn't make sense. How quickly we forget, I guess. Stalin has just been named one of the greatest Russians ever, so I suppose it's no surprise that Clark can have a similar popularity.
People can be such idiots...
Here were the top five nominees and the votes they got -
* Helen Clark - 3163 votes
* Willie Apiata - 2645 votes
* Sir Murray Halberg - 1467 votes
* Peter Jackson - 1340 votes
* Peter Snell - 1041 votes
I don't know how the voting was done or whatever, but this is just ridiculous. The woman has been part of so many dodgy scandals, coverups, and lies it just doesn't make sense. How quickly we forget, I guess. Stalin has just been named one of the greatest Russians ever, so I suppose it's no surprise that Clark can have a similar popularity.
People can be such idiots...
I bet she'd like to win her elections on just 3163 votes.
ReplyDeleteTotal.
I think the numbers tell the real story. Maybe "greatest" means "most influential" to many people? She has certainly been influential, and no argument that she was popular amongst her core constituency.
Most well known name, that is all. Most people probably don't know one or two of the other names anyway, but everyone knows hers. So even if everyone's votes were completely random between the people they knew of, she'd still come out on top. It doesn't mean a thing.
ReplyDeleteI've done the maths here, and Willie Apiata comes out as the true clear winner:
http://sjdennis.wordpress.com/2009/01/24/herald-poll-willie-apiata-greatest-living-nzer/
has it not already been established that herald polls are vulnerable to "skewing"?.
ReplyDeleteI think that poll was designed to allow for only one outcome...and the result was absolutely Stalinesque.
ReplyDeleteSince when do the undead qualify as 'living'?
ReplyDelete