White shoes? Check. Attitude? Unchecked.
Godzilla vs King Kong? A minor scuffle compared to the Battle of the Titan(ic)s which may be about to break out in parts north.
For LawsWatch hears, from a usually reliable source, than none other than our Mickey has been asking around about the state of play at Manukau City Council, and other parts of the Dorkland conurbation, with a view to wreaking his particular brand of havoc up there.
This may see him pitted against another clapped-out politician renowned for his gentle and sensitive approach to governance - John Banks, whom the Herald on Sunday recently reported is considering a return to local plitics despite a resounding defeat to Dick Hubbard.
Banks at least made it to what could be considered the top of the mayoral tree, whilst Mickey is clinging to one of the lower branches. And such a battle is made all the poignant by the fact that as recently as his latest e-coli Mickey confessed he'd like to host a breakfast talkback show one day - something that Banks has also beaten him to. And his show actually rates. If both decide to compete for the same mayoral chair, expect displays of ego not seen in Auckland since the last time Paul Holmes was made to wait for a table.
And if "Michael Laws for Mayor" signs suddenly start sprouting around Manukau, what of long-serving Mayor Sir Barry Curtis, currently serving a seventh successive term, the second longest period as mayor in New Zealand. Curtis says he attends almost a 1,000 public events a year and keeping in touch with voters is one of the secrets to his political longevity. No "diary too full" excuses for Sir Barry, but then he has a quaint notion that being a mayor, rather than attempting to be a "celebrity", ought to be first priority.
Mind you, if he is tipped out by our Mickey, Manukau-ites probably won't notice a huge change. Their response to critics sound eerily alike. The letter that Curtis wrote to a ratepayer & former Councillor, Bill Kirk (80) who dared to question Sir Barry's stand on the Whenuapai Airbase as Auckland 2nd airport, included the claim that:
I believe I have more energy, knowledge and history of achievement than all members of the Manukau City Council put together including most of the staff.And ended with this rather curious statement:
My support for you has vanished as a result of this newspaper article and no doubt you will see the results of this in due course.Obviously Sir Barry likes his job, isn't about to retire (he tells the same unfortunate correspondent that he has "yet to see a younger person with the political fortitude, vision and courage, capable of taking on the fulltime responsibility as Mayor of Manukau") and knows how to play dirty. We'll keep our ears to the ground. At least that will make us the first to hear the stampede of JAFAs heading south when the news starts to spread.
We've asked our good friends at Manukau Citizen to poll the locals as to their thoughts on the matter. Meanwhile, we feel a poll of our own coming on...