# Casual sightings of political figures

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 8, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849 "2021-06-08T15:46:38Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849/41 "2021-06-10T00:13:26Z")

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> [@Ferris](#):
>
> We’re at an advantage in New Zealand: politicians are generally much more accessible.

Some years ago my IT firm sold a product to the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). I was down there in Wellington at a meeting of the customer project steering committee. Which was about 5 folks from MFAT and a couple from my outfit. Some of the 5 were IT and others were line of business folks. There were also a couple of interested hangers-on in the back of the room observing the process.

After the first group working session the first day we were having a coffee & snack break and doing the get-acquainted thing. I was casually chatting with one of those back row hangers-on when one of the other Kiwis said “Yes, Minister” to them. I damn near dropped my cup & snack plate. Yup, _the_ Minister of Foreign Affairs. Not some generic middle manager as I’d assumed. I quickly replayed my mental tape of the earlier session to see if I’d created an international incident and was relieved to think I probably hadn’t.

There’s a lot to be said for the small scale of NZ. Keeps even the bigwigs human.

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**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849/42 "2021-06-10T04:04:42Z")

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> [@Smapti](#):
>
> I feel like there’s an unanswered question here as to how you wound up in Ayn Rand’s bathroom.

What, you think I should have pee’d in her closet?

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**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849/43 "2021-06-10T05:27:09Z")

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I was within teen feet of Pres George W Bush. My wife was working an outdoor campaign event, and I told her I’d pick her up at a back gate. To avoid protestors, W’s motorcade sneaked out the back, within a few feet of me, standing alone at the curb.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/casual-sightings-of-political-figures/943849/44 "2021-06-10T08:08:28Z")

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> [@Ferris](#):
>
> We’re at an advantage in New Zealand: politicians are generally much more accessible.

Yeah, I’ve flown her between Wellington and Auckland a few times but that’s been a more formal affair with a car with dark windows pulling up directly to the plane (invariably late), guys with suits and sunnies, that sort of thing.

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