Helengrad
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Helengrad is a satirical or pejorative neologism in New Zealand politics applied to New Zealand's capital city Wellington. However, it is sometimes used by Labour's opponents and critics to describe New Zealand as a whole and occasionally the fifth Labour government itself.
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[edit] Origin
The Helen aspect is derived from Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand since 1999. The suffix -grad (-град in Cyrillic) alludes to cities of the former Soviet Union named after political leaders, such as Leningrad and Stalingrad. The term has been used derisively by political opponents of Clark and the Labour Party to equate their ideology and political views with socialism and communism. This is similar to the term "Comrade Helen", referring to Helen Clark.
[edit] Use
The term was reputedly first used by a caller to a talkback radio show hosted by Lindsay Perigo in late 1999 or early 2000, and went on to gain traction in the media and in political circles. In a 2000 feature article, entitled the "Siege of Helengrad", The Australian newspaper wrote that Clark's "uncompromisingly autocratic and pervasive leadership has seen New Zealand dubbed Helengrad".
[edit] References
- Christoper Dore, "Siege of Helengrad", Weekend Australian (Australia), October 21, 2000, Sec. Features, pg. 25.
[edit] External links
- PC's Blog - 'Helengrad': Where did it come from?
- Peter Cresswell - The Hooey From Helengrad
- Uncyclopedia article - Helengrad
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