Some sad souls cannot bear the sight of Parliament farewelling its retiring members just before it rises for an election. The practice of political adversaries paying tribute to people they have scorned for as long as the public has known them can be too much for the stomach.
But to others there is something reassuring in the valedictories. They are a reminder - never more timely than before an election campaign - that politics can be kept in perspective. People of fiercely different views can, and do, respect each other.
Nobody who has observed Parliament's valedictories could really doubt the worth of the occasion. There is a palpable air of relief as the swords are sheathed and there is a lightening of the spirit of the place.
Parliamentarians, whatever their differences, work at close proximity under the same pressures of public and party expectations, press scrutiny and legislative procedure. Much of the time they work fairly amicably in select committees or on constituents' problems, largely out of the public eye.
The debating chamber is the only forum of sustained rancour and it is theatre for the most part. But there, on the day of valedictories, MPs address each other for once, rather than speaking primarily for an outside audience. It is a little indulgent perhaps, but human and healthy.
They know that in their job many do not get the chance to retire at a time of their own choosing. Every three years their career rests on the whim of voters. And even among those who retired this week few were departing by choice. Battle-scarred National veterans Max Bradford and John Luxton were moved to the door by a party seeking fresh faces. Their compatriot Warren Kyd was denied reselection for his seat. Alliance members Phillida Bunkle and Keith Campbell are victims of their party's rupture. Labour list MP Joe Hawke is making an early exit after just two terms.
The happiest farewells were those of former Speaker Doug Kidd, last survivor of the Muldoon National caucus, Deputy Speaker Geoff Braybrook, an MP since 1981, his Labour colleague Judy Keall, National's former Deputy Prime Minister Wyatt Creech and former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. All had risen as high as they were able and can look back with satisfaction on their public service, as can many of the reluctant retirees and perhaps those unknown who will not survive the vote on July 27.
The pleasantries done, Parliament has risen and over the next fortnight all sides will prepare for the month-long election campaign. The air will darken and the rhetoric erupt as one or two get in early campaign shots. Hoardings will appear on roadsides and pamphlets will turn up in the mail. Many of us will be tired of the subject before the campaign properly opens at the end of the month.
But if parties, politicians and the press do their job well, most people will be engaged by the arguments and motivated to vote.
Politics cannot be conducted by pleasantries and polite discussion, not if most people are expected to take notice. Elections deal with issues of national wellbeing and competing claims on conscripted funds. They are subjects of abiding importance to personal welfare and the country's prospects, appealing to different views about what constitutes social security and fair play.
Once the arguments start there will be little time for reminders that there is value in opposing points of view and a common commitment to the collective good, however differently that might be regarded. If a day of goodwill and generous tributes across the parliamentary divide offer that reminder, it serves a purpose beyond a kiss on the cheek. The kisses, perhaps, could be avoided. But the rest is a tradition to keep.
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