COMP CLOSED | Book Giveaway | We Need to Talk about Norman

We Need to Talk about Norman
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We are very pleased to be giving away one of two copies of Denis Welch’s book ‘We Need to Talk about Norman’, to our GrownUps members.

All you need to do to enter the draw is be a GrownUps member, make sure you’re signed up to our newsletter and fill in your details near the bottom of the page!

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About We Need to Talk about Norman

Denis Welch examines the promise of Norman Kirk’s leadership and why now is the time to explore further the social contract central to liberal democracy.

Why do we need to talk about Norman?

Because although Norman Kirk was prime minister for barely 21 months some 50 years ago, he still speaks to us.

His belief in the state as a force for good and his style of leadership could and should be powerful guides for politics in the 21st century.

Kirk was not a supporter of the neoliberalist ideology that has given us widening inequality, rising poverty and the virtual obliteration from public debate and policy-making of the workers who create this country’s wealth.

His idea of a healthy country was, famously, one whose citizens could realistically expect to find “someone to love, somewhere to live, somewhere to work and something to hope for”.

But the social contract central to politics in his day has been broken, and state and society are now run almost exclusively on business lines.

This book, by veteran journalist and political commentator Denis Welch, is aimed at recovering what Norman Kirk stood for – a sense of government with a clear moral purpose, in which there is daylight between public service and the commercial world.

About the Author

Denis Welch was born in Masterton in 1946, and attended Wairarapa College and got his first job with the Wairarapa Times-Age. He has worked as a journalist most of his life, first for newspapers (including The Times of Zambia and The Times of London), then magazines.

He was with the Listener for many years, notably as a political columnist during the 1980s but also at various times as deputy editor (twice), arts & books editor and writer of hundreds of feature articles about everything from sensational crime to spreadable butter. He was also the magazine’s Wellington theatre critic through the 1990s.

His interest in politics led to two attempts to be elected to Parliament, first for the Values Party and then for the Greens. He has had three books published so far – a novel, Human Remains; a biography of Helen Clark; and a collection of poetry, Childwood.

Denis Welch is a long-time lover of Wellington, where he lives with his wife, Robin Cohen. He works as a news bulletin editor for RNZ, writes poems and has been known to sing in the shower. His affection for the pop music of the late 1950s and 1960s remains undimmed with the passing years.

 

 

Terms and conditions

    1. You must be a GrownUps member and receive our newsletter to be eligible to win.
    2. Competition closes on the 11th July 2023, winners will be notified via email by 13th July 2023.
    3. It is your responsibility to ensure you correctly enter a New Zealand postal address where the prize can be couriered. GrownUps will not take responsibility for prizes sent to incorrect addresses.
    4. Winners are drawn at random by the GrownUps administration team.
    5. GrownUps employees and family are not eligible to enter.
    6. By entering the giveaway, you approve for GrownUps to use your name on social media as winner of the competition.
    7. One entry per household.
    8. Prize is non transferrable.
    9. You must reside in New Zealand – the prize will only be posted within New Zealand.
    10. You must be over 50 years of age to enter, check your details are correct in your membership dashboard.