Let us eat cake
According to some superstitions, if you burn a white candle in the shape of a particular person, you will engender "peace & tranquility, fidelity, honesty" in them. So we've been whittling away at a large white candle, creating an effigy of Mickey to place atop LawsWatch's first birthday cake.
Yes Watchers, today is the anniversary of the first-ever post to LawsWatch - 1 July 2005 - when we quoted from the Human Rights Commission's little book on freedom of speech. The same little book waved about by one Michael Laws as his defence at the Code of Conduct hearings.
Already, signs of what was to come were evident, with hyperbole from both sides of the debate apparent in the reaction to our appearance on the scene:
The presence of a micro-nazi like Laws in any elected position is anathema to democracy. Lying to Parliament is Treason and should be prosecuted accordingly. By this measure Laws already deserves the death penaly, or life imprisonment, or perhaps a pat on the back and a celebrity career....and...
Go away all you commie drongos. What a nasty pack of smearing, lying, dishonest pack of losers you are. Disgusted.It only took a couple of weeks for the Chron to notice, and the blog shot to prominence with a ringing endorsement from none other than Michael B Laws, Mayor of Wanganui, on 14 July 2005, under the banner headline "Mugged Mayor says he loves the humour":
Mayor Michael Laws (labeled the "Diva of the Ditch" by the creators of lawswatch.blogspot.com and the merchandise) thinks the Laws Watch range is hilarious. The blog is selling t-shirts, hats, tote bags, coffee cups, calendars, postcards and boxer shorts emblazoned with the words Laws Watch, along with the mayor’s face, at www.cafepress.com/lawswatch...Of course, like so many public statements uttered by Mickey, that was entirely false. While several hundred dollars worth of merchandise has sold, none of it has been charged to credit cards bearing the name of Laws or his secretary.
"I love it and I think it is fantastic," Mr Laws said. "It has a sense of humour which has been missing from the COC (Concerned Ordinary Citizens) people forever. Both me and my secretary will definitely be getting a couple of mugs..."
"I think it’s hilarious and funny. It’s the kind of thing which has been missing for art activists in Wanganui. So I’ll definitely get a mug and I need another running T-shirt and one of those ones would be great," Mr Laws said.
Alas it took less than six months for the love to fade and for Mayor Hyde to be replaced by Mayor Jekyll (to steal an analogy from a recent commenter), with a clearly tetchy Laws launching a vitriolic personal attack on those he thought were responsible for the blog. The blistering effectiveness of this attack in exposing nothing other than the fact that Mayor Hyde is simply a role played occasionally by the "real" mayor - Mayor Jekyll - is evident in the fact that another six months have elapsed and LawsWatch is still here.
Watchers may wish to celebrate by purchasing a pair of underpants adorned with the Diva's physiognomy, available along with a variety of caps, bags, buttons, sticker and even a doggy t-shirt, at the LawsWatch store. We'll be clustered round a bonfire of remaindered copies of "The Demon Profession" and "Dancing with Beelzebub", having a wee dram or two.
To mark this auspicious occasion we present a "Best of LawsWatch Art" retrospective. Thanks for making it this far with us.
Comments on this post are now closed.
25 comments:
What has happened to the Chronicle? Page one, story on Hall sales pointing out that Mickey got it wrong (deliberately?). Page 4, exposing his lies about Audit NZ, proving that they aren't driving the sales. And then there's page 6. To quote Mas: "We have decided to end the weekly column...he was given clear guidelines...but he went beyond those guidlines..."
Glad to see you once again shitting in your own nest, Lawsy. Why don't you seek professional help?
Well done Mary, unfortunately your be in the 'poo' on Monday.
Poor Mickey, it's been a bugger of a week in La-la-land. Hope Mas has got industrial strength ear-plugs issued to all staff.
THESE ARE WONDERFUL!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY-AND HERE`S TO EXTINCTION BY OCT 07
XXXXXX
Nice to see head office have been kicking Mas in the arse, then....
Maslin is a wimp and always has been. He's not running away from Laws, he's running away from controversy.
This is a real collector's edition, thanks Lawswatch. Keep the flame burning (especially the one on Mickey's head)!
Imagine if the Chron set itself a goal of exposing just one of Mickey's lies a day from now till the election...
But it's a pity they didn't mention the genesis of the Auditor-as-Bogeyman series of spin and lies. That was when he claimed that Auckland City Council was up for untold millions of bucks worth of spend and mega rates increases, all because of the bogeymen at the Audit Office. The truth (strange concept that for a pathological liar like our mayor) was that it was just a councillor's wish-list of projects, completely unrelated to asset management requirements, with no more chance of going ahead than Mickey has of getting to breakfast one morning without abusing anyone.
Don't forget that Mickey's lie about Audit NZ driving hall sales was made to a full Council meeting as part of an answer to a public submission, as part of the LTCCP deliberations. His actions in lying to Council and the public constitute a serious breach of trust.
Nothing new there then...
I wounder if anyone at the SST is going to notice that Mickey is now recycling his comments on LW as part of his Sunday plop?
More ignorant bollocks about art & artists. Simultaneously hysterical and lame, with a populist manifesto about how government services should get more "efficient". Can't you find some sort of job in North Korea, Michael?
Tossers. Bryant got it wrong, not the mayor. The woman has the IQ of a slug - he said that the COSTINGS of the hall maintenance & repair were driven by Audit NZ demands. Read the council website.
Wanganui your mayor seems to be a little obsessed on the local government of this country. He really has fallen on hard times. It just makes boring reading Mickey.
Don't forget one of his latest lies.
Mickey said he couldn't get to the Harbour meeting as he was out of town at another meeting for the council.
So when did filming in Auck for the quiz show become a meeting for the council?
Looks like the mayors Sunday column is on the decline, when it's not mentioned with the others.
my secretary will definitely be getting a couple of mugs..."
Of course, like so many public statements uttered by Mickey, that was entirely false. While several hundred dollars worth of merchandise has sold, none of it has been charged to credit cards bearing the name of Laws or his secretary.
##################################
No it wasn't false, the Mayor's PA does have one of the mugs, I have seen it at work. You don't know what you're talking about.
The Mayors faith in his partner is admirable, but where does she really go when he thinks she is over in PN 'fighting the lone battle to keep rate rises to a minimum'as quoted in his latest news relase?
The number of times she is actually reported as making it in the door is minimal, as is the number of times she is quoted even speaking let alone advocating for Wanganui.
The minutes and attendance records speak for themselves.
As do the votes recorded against items with implications for Wanganui ratepayers, not a murmer raised I hear.
Poor Mickey. He’s been told to keep his trap shut and stay out of the Sarjeant issue after Wednesday’s night revolt, and it must be driving him nuts having all that toxicity swirling round in his gut. Anyway, since his rantings and abuse are now verboten in the Chron, no one would hear him. But all that poisonous gas has to find an outlet so he’s cut and pasted the same old anti-arts, anti-artist crap into his Sunday column. Poor Mickey.
Welcome back, Mickey:-)
Why don't you let your girlfriend try to defend her abysmal representation record for herself?
Well, thanks Michael. Your little piece of anti-arts nastiness this pathetic "arts ambassador" Higgie out to dry.
If she could read, and (dream the impossible dream, think) she'd be mightily pissed off with you right now. But at least your nasty little thug My-Husband-Is-A-Lawyer Moore would approve.
So Dotty, it seems you've got no more chance of shutting up My-Husband-Is-A-Lawyer than you have of shutting up your leader Mickey.
What a waste of time and space these hangers on are, both for Mickey and for Wanganui.
Ah, I see the Mickster is fighting back in true Laws style. He rants on (on the council website, rather than through his Chron-column) that Mary Bryant is "WRONG WRONG WRONG" without actually tackling the substance of her story. So if Don McG is "concerned" (about his chances of reelection, obviously) why was no mention made by WDC of the inclusion of moneys for wrok already done? And why does he insist on repeating irrelevant crap about the former council. Speaking of which, if I was the former chief financial officer, I'd be sharpening my lawyers, because what the recent press release says about the financial operations is bordering on defamation. It suggests that the previous incumbent was incompetent, which, according to teh libel laws, is adequate grounds to sue for defamation. It would be an interesting case to see whether a judge would consider the previous CFO's performance to be substandard enough to warrant such vitriol.
The Chron. should require Mickey The Liar to address the substance of MB's story (as Bearhunter suggests) before they'll consider publishing any press release on the subject.
Go Mary.
What an improvement today on the editorial page of the Chron, with our mad mayor’s ravings replaced by the considered, insightful analysis by Tariana Turia of the roots of Maori offending. Perhaps there is hope yet for our daily paper.
Anonymous said...
The Chron. should require Mickey The Liar to address the substance of MB's story
++++++++
Substance? Face it, Mickey's a serial substance abuser who is permanently out of his skull on his favourite substance, Spin.
Happy Birthday Lawswatch.
Love the cake.
When you cut it may I please request the brain. I'm on a diet and have been advised to eat only small plain portions
Perhaps Mary might also like to expose the lies by Mickey and his CEO in the list of so-called central government imposed costs. The laughable porky about the dad’s army community patrols would be a good place to start.
It may have been a love-fest between Mickey and Sam Hoyle but that doesn’t make it a government impost.
Isn’t it cute the way Mickey likes to get his new boys on staff to join him in his public lying … the CEO here and CFO on the halls. He clearly wants to take them down with him when he goes and they’re too dumb to resist.
Central government policies placing huge costs on council - 09/06/06
Police – community patrol $75,000 (annual cost)
Post a Comment