Helen Clark: all class

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark has been accused of “shielding” her Australian counterpart, John Howard, because she “shut down” questions over Howard’s position on Iraq, Obama and all that.

Now, I’ve been known to be as much a Howard ... um ... sceptic as anyone. But wouldn’t an equally valid interpretation of Ms Clark’s actions be that she was practicing deft diplomacy, and was being as gracious a host as any visiting dignitary would have a right to expect?

And why on earth would Ms Clark want a joint presser with her trans-Tasman counterpart to degenerate into some goddawful pan-Pacific shitstorm?

Clearly the Kiwi PM was determined not to allow those well-known political rifts to cloud an important state visit. And Ms Clark handled the situation firmly and articulately. And, dare I say, with characteristic ‘class’...

A revealing incident took place at New Zealand’s Parliament in Wellington [in mid-2005]. The country was hosting China’s third-ranking leader, Wu Bangguo, and was about to lay on the traditional Maori welcome challenge in the forecourt.

Then a Green MP, Rod Donald, unfurled the triangular snow-leopard flag of the Free Tibet movement on the sidelines.

Chinese officials asked the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, to have the objectionable protest pushed out of sight. Miss Clark, who was soon to visit Beijing to push a trade deal, had a quick and awkward decision to make.

To her credit, she told the Chinese that suppressing peaceful protest was not part of New Zealand’s political system. However, the Chinese delegation could enter the Parliament from a side door around the corner. To his discredit, Mr Wu took this cowardly option.

So Helen Clark, as some are wont to point out, is not a “hottie”. (Is John Howard?) I’m not a big observer of Kiwi political life, but from what I’ve gathered Ms Clark has considerable guts and integrity. (Does John How... — oh, never mind.)