One young man persisted in calling, at the top of his voice, "I love you Helen".
Mmmm.
Miss Clark received a rock star welcome to the university. More than 1000 students sweltered in the university's common room yesterday as they waited for Miss Clark to arrive.
She was delayed an hour as fog closed airports and she had to resort to a chartered plane to get to the university to make an announcement about the phasing out of the parental testing of student allowances.
The reception could not have been warmer. Any interjectors were told to shut up and sit down by other students.
Not only was the common room packed, the crowd spilled out to the cafe and the corridors. Students clung to the fire escape with their ears pressed to the windows to hear the announcement.
And Miss Clark responded in kind. Students said they could not remember when there was last a political rally with such passion and enthusiasm held at the university.
Some believed the last time was in 2005 when Miss Clark was there campaigning. She spent almost as long having her photo taken with students and signing autographs as she did speaking.
And she really did nearly kiss a baby. The Prime Minister was at her campaigning best.
She incorrectly identified wedding suit-wearing Alliance candidate Victor Billot as a National Party supporter and proceeded to berate him for all of National's perceived faults.
But other than that slight slip, she could have announced the world was ending tomorrow and the students would still be cheering.
National Party leader John Key is in Dunedin on Thursday.
His office only sends out the notification of his programme the night before - ostensibly so Mr Key is not hijacked by a Labour-supporting hit team.
The Otago Daily Times has learned he is having lunch in a local restaurant that will not seat 1000 people.
Mr Key launched National's "Crusade for Literacy and Numeracy" yesterday. He needs a game breaker this week.
The incumbent Government can set the political agenda in the campaign but it is time for Mr Key to set an agenda of his own. Too often, he and his finance spokesman Bill English are left gasping to catch up with a "me too" comment.
Past National administrations have been accused of sleepwalking to victory. Mr Key is promising fresh ideas, fresh leadership and change.
Two days into the campaign, and the score is. -
Labour 2
National 0
