Missing the jellybeans...
Even the DominionPost agrees with Laws Watch. In an editorial of the Code of Conduct findings, the newspaper says "Wanganui - something of a backwater in the ledger of provincial towns and cities - knew what it was doing when it opted for Mr Laws as mayor. His reputation preceded him, and voters liked it".
The paper opines that Wanganui voters opted for the Diva of the Ditch because "they perhaps hoped he would put the riverside community on the map, as another one-time outspoken Kiwi has done for Invercargill. Mr Laws, however, is no Tim Shadbolt".
Indeed. Whereas Mr Shadbolt gave the world "Bullshit and Jellybeans", Mr Laws is only half way there.
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12 comments:
Can Laws learn, though? Perhaps McKinnon and McGregor can train him to be a good monkey?
Put aside all the hype around this and you're left with the situation where the council was in effect a jury required to decide on the following "point of law" (from the WDC code of conduct):
"Public interest – Elected members must always act in the best interests of the Wanganui district as a whole."
NB: It says "always".
Many of Laws' comments that were covered in the complaints came from a story in the Sunday Star-Times where he was quoted at length as mayor of Wanganui and the story ran with a photo of him in the mayor's office. This was where he slagged off ministers of the crown, etc etc.
The complaints were laid under this code, and this code was adopted by Laws' council.
So, just what is the problem here?
Nah man, it's official, that was just Michael Laws pretending to be the mayor. He actually started being the mayor about ten minutes after the interview finished, and remained so for the next three hours. He was then off duty for a while, but slept peacefully through his 4am-6am shift.
ZERO SUM GAME
Linda+Bob+Tim-Michael= an interesting discussion on Nine to Noon yesterday on Celebrity Mayordom 101 with those old statesmen of local government Bob Harvey and Tim Shadbolt wondering if there’s any hope for their embarrassing Wanganui counterpart.
Tim’s verdict: Nah, he’ll get the old outski from the good people of Wanganui and go the way of that other bovver boy mayor John Banks, who learned to his cost that winning the election is only half the battle, and you can’t get the hearts and minds to follow by bully-boy tactics.
Bob’s verdict: “Listen up, Mike”.
Linda’s verdict: “He’s not a journalist”.
Bob n' Tim seemed to think they might ride into WangaVegas as a sort of Celebrity Mayor Posse, but that just might met by the upraised digit.
What would a sad old freak like Shadbolt know about dancing let alone Wanganui.
Anonymous said...
What would a sad old freak like Shadbolt know about dancing let alone Wanganui.
He suggested coming here to teach Mayoralty 101 to Lawsy. Can't see the lesson sinking in, myself, but...
Shadbolt lost Invercargill after 3 years. Read your history.
But got in again, he's a good guy unlike the mad one I voted for.
the only person who says they voted for Laws but now regrets it is Carol webb. So Carol, where's your blog? we miss it. and whats the update on the petition I signed?
Anonymous said...
"the only person who says they voted for Laws but now regrets it is Carol webb."
Wrong again. There's plenty more. In fact, I don't know anyone who voted for him who would do so again.
Name one.
Anonymous said...
Name one.
11:56 AM
What, so you can start abusing them? Perhaps you'd do that to your friends (in fact I'm sure you would) but I value mine.
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