Strong support for sacked EMA boss

Sacked EMA boss Alasdair Thompson is attracting strong support from people who say he has fallen victim to the PC brigade.

NBR online comments are running at two to one in favour of Mr Thompson, who was this afternoon fired by the EMA board over comments he made on radio last month saying women take more sick leave than men and were less productive - in part because of their "monthly" problem.

"Hyenas get their man. Board utterly gutless," said one NBR reader, while another reader said "Very disappointing. Another example of PC gone mad."

"He was sacked because his views were offensive to some, sounds like discrimination to me," said another.

ACT's Roger Douglas has joined the debate saying it’s a sad day for free speech when people can be hounded from their jobs simply for expressing controversial views.

“Mr Thompson’s views were clearly offensive to many, but if that is grounds for dismissing him, we may as well become an Iran. As Salman Rushdie has said, freedom of speech is meaningless if it doesn’t include the right to cause offence.

“Those who screeched for Mr Thompson’s head and who are now congratulating themselves on their latest trophy would do well to remember Voltaire’s ‘I disagree with what you say but defend to the death your right to say it,’” Sir Roger said.

The people who decided Alasdair Thompson's fate:

EMA (NORTHERN) (© Copyright Protected - The National Business Review 57)BOARD

Graham Mountfort (President), Permark Industries
Colin Martin, Nuplex Industries
Margaret Brown, Cogita Business Services
Andrew Hunt Kinetics Group
John King, Russell McVeagh
Kevin (© Copyright Protected - The National Business Review 28)Reilly, ASB Relationship Banking
Derek Rankin, Rankin Treasury Advisory
Colleen Stairmand, Weight Watchers NZ
Geoff Whitcher, University of Auckland
Andrew Corbett, Tranzsoft Group
Chris Davis, (© Copyright Protected - The National Business Review 28)Rinnai NZ
Laurie Margrain, Open Country Cheese
David Thomas, Winstone Wallboards
Scott Fuller, New Zealand Steel
Bob Fenwick, Planhorse Systems NZ
Maurice Barton, Sonoco NZ