I spoke to our enterprising National Press Club a week ago. I say enterprising because on checking their members’ blurb a couple of days before speaking I found it was charmingly billed as a campaign launch. I’d discussed lunch with them, not launch.

As a member said with a wink – easy mistake. In the result lunch was good and the audience appreciative.

In Parliament Phil Goff would launch the same law and order policy as many times as he needed, at around six month intervals. Some of them never actually started, but the launches did everything he ever intended.

The National Press Club name galls some of our active media people, because the members tend to be at the phasing down periods of their careers, if indeed they’ve been press people. Our Press Club does not shy from controversy.

Around the world, Press Clubs are prestigious. John Key recently used a Press Club address to launch the National Party policy on the size of the public service. US Presidential races commonly end with a Press Club summing up. So we need a Press Club. All power to Peter Isaac and his colleagues who’ve supplied.

Our Press Club may be a bit different, but the familiar faces were discerning, experienced, appraising.

My official launch will be on Wednesday 6 August at the Paramount Theatre in Courtenay Place.

If you have an interest in politics, an open mind (i.e not tribally left) and $20 –  you’re invited.

Bill English will do the honours – firing the starter’s gun. And I’ll answer the question – "why would Stephen want to do this?"

This is not a safe seat. I’m not of the fashionable age, gender or colour for a safe list position. So why stand here, for National?

I’ll also give you a taste of how the campaign is going – because it is well underway. The EFA may make it seem not, but campaigning is very much underway.

For those who suspect that will not amount to $20 entertainment, the price includes an appealing critically acclaimed 2007 film. Catharine (my wife) came home full of enthusiasm after checking it out.  The film "4"   is set to Vivaldi’s "The Four Seasons".

For tickets contact murraygibb@xtra.co.nz. Murray Gibb’s phone number is 04 475 4023 or 027 491 6956.