A Wellington businessman who has declared “open season” on cyclists has outraged cycling advocates who say his comments are frightening and dangerous.

David Ware, managing director of publicly listed mobile radio company TeamTalk, wrote an editorial in the latest company newsletter railing against cyclists.

He calls them “sodding road vermin”, “roadkill”, “weasels in Lycra”, and said “it’s time to declare open season”.

“More than anything it’s their unbridled arrogance that gets up my nose.

“Unlike the rest of us they don’t pay road user charges or extra ACC premiums. But in spite of being guests on our roads they think they have some god given right to ride wherever they bloody-well please, whenever they please.”

Ware’s idiocy, in my personal view there is no other apt description, can be contrasted to the recent maiden speech by former cigarette peddler and new National List MP Chris Bishop.  I listened to his speech and thought it was a superb piece of drafting.  It covered all the bases, at one stage he said things about poverty that I could agree with then with the next sentence he engaged in not very well designed dog whistle to make sure that National’s rabid supporters had something to chew on.  Clearly National is trying to monopolise both sides of the political debate and is attempting to be all things to all people while the views of at least some of its supporters are less, shall we say, nuanced.

Ware has some interesting family relationships.  His wife is Belinda Milnes, previously appointed by the Government as a Families Commissioner, but who recently quit this role to go and work for Paula Bennett.  Coincidentally she is Amy Adams’s sister.

But apparently the decision to employ Ede was not politically inspired.  According to Mr Ware “[t]he decision to hire him was mine and mine alone – or to contract him I should say. I can 100 per cent tell you it was not a political decision.”

You have to admire National’s abilities to move people around.  From MPs past their use by date to reputedly potential opposition leaders to former public servants whose actions need to be examined.