I thought I’d dive in with a little post on another subject.just to give John Key a small respite from single-handedly ending the war in Iraq.
It seems that the Real Estate Institute, that great business body charged by its members with protecting the interests of.well its members, has taken The Joneses real estate company to task. Why? Because the Joneses are suggesting that real estate agents should operate with higher standards and that is bringing the industry into disrepute, apparently.
High-flying Associate Justice Minister Clayton Cosgrove has been widely reported as saying it is “absurd”. “I would argue that even if it (the Institute) dismisses the charges, the industry by its own actions has brought itself into disrepute”.
Hmmm, better call for the public relations advisers!
Let’s just think about this for a moment. The Real Estate Institute is a body representing real estate agents. Public opinion is already against them on the basis of generally low industry standards and patch protection. One of their number (the Joneses) breaks ranks and suggests that standards should be raised. If the Institute had shut up, no one would have noticed, but now we can only assume that they are simply trying to protect ‘low standards’.
Does anyone recall that it was big business that once railed against the patch protectionism of the trade union movement and the benefits that business and the free market could deliver?
Yes, the world has changed, except that protectionism and shady practices can exist wherever a black heart beats.
John Key, any comment?
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