TOWN HALLS

This is what a town hall looks like to me.

I guess that you've been hearing about the 'Town Hall Meetings' going on throughout America that threaten to bring down Trump's dubious presidency.

In USA 'Town Hall Meetings' denote public forum meetings.


Wikipedia tells us:

Town hall meetings, also referred to as town halls or town hall forums, are a way for local and national politicians to meet with their constituents, either to hear from them on topics of interest or to discuss specific upcoming legislation or regulation. During periods of active political debate, town halls can be a locus for protest and more active debate.

Despite their name, town hall meetings need not take place in a town hall. They are commonly held in a range of venues, including schools, libraries, municipal buildings, and churches. A number of officials have also experimented with digital formats for town halls. Town hall meetings organized by national politicians are often held in a variety of locations distributed across a voting district so that elected representatives can receive feedback from a larger proportion of constituents.

Historically, no specific rules or guidelines have defined a town hall meeting. Any event that allows constituent participation with a politician may be called a town hall, including gatherings in person, group phone calls, or events on Internet platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. Attendees use town halls to voice their opinions and question elected officials, political candidates, and public figures.In contrast to town meetings, a type of direct democratic rule that originated in colonial New England, attendees do not vote on issues during town hall meetings.

In the United States, town halls are a common way for national politicians to connect or reconnect with their constituents during recesses, when they are in their home districts away from Washington, DC.

Bloody Americans!

In New Zealand we don't use the term 'Town Hall Meetings'. We just call them 'Meetings' or 'Public Meetings'

Much more sensible and practical.


I recall a few years back when I was working for a company that had been taken over by a bigger USA company and the CEO/President of that company came down here (on his private jet) to visit. In each region he called for 'Town Hall Meetings' to take place so he could address the serfs.

I told our New Zealand CEO, my boss, that the term 'Town Hall Meetings' was alien and frankly stupid in a new Zealand context and that it would underline the hostility that some people felt to a USA takeover and would undermine any benefit from the get together. Now my boss was either too stupid or too sycophantic (probably both) to see this and proceeded to promote 'Town Hall Meetings' to all of the staff - much to their bewilderment and resentment.






The US CEO came in on his magic carpet and sped around the country doing his meetings (I set up the Auckland one in a neighbouring community hall rather than our offices - I don't think anyone got the joke). The US CEO was a bit of a joke. He was a very short guy with a squeaky voice and was bumptious as a lot of short people in power are. He didn't have much 'mana' and, for the first time ever in any of our meetings, used a teleprompter to make his (from the heart) speech. What a laugh.