GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Politics
BACK IN MY DAY
Palmerston North’s crankiest pub regular, 83-year-old Graeme “Grumpy” McTavish, is sick and tired of David Seymour’s school lunch mess. Sipping a cold DB at Rosie O’Grady’s last Tuesday, the old boy got stuck into a long-winded rant, bemusing on-duty staff.
“Back in my day, we didn’t get hot meals handed to us by the government,” Graeme grumbled, waving a shaky finger. “You’d get a bit of bread and an apple if you were lucky—nothing fancy like butter chicken or mac and cheese. And none of this mamby-pamby ‘marmite and chippy’ business either!
“Most days, it was a bit of dry bread and a hard stare from Mum. And we were thankful! Not this ‘kids need proper food’ rubbish.”
Seymour, the ACT leader and Associate Education Minister, keeps saying parents should pay for their kids’ meals, not the state. But now he’s stuck sorting out school lunches, making sure kids get steaming plates of curry or cheesy pasta without breaking the bank. Graeme finds it hilarious.
“He’s sweating over hot dinners!” Graeme laughed, splashing freshly poured foam on his jersey. “If the state shouldn’t be feeding them, what’s he doing mucking around with fancy recipes? Back in my day, if you forgot your lunch, you went hungry and didn’t forget again!”
Graeme thinks Seymour’s in a right mess. “God, it’s always too hot, too cold, not enough, too much…he’s never gonna bloody win with these people!”
More to come.
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