Banks panic

• Sam Cash
• 15 years ago
• Categories: auckland supercity, john banks, uncategorized
• Tags: auckland supercity, john banks

Len Brown seems to have the Right in a bit of panic. Remuera Mayor John ‘in your guts you know he’s nuts’ Banks is speculating that Brown’s already toted up $150-$200k of campaign spending. Banks has always been screwy but he seems to have just made this up. That hasn’t stopped acolytes like Farrer from leaping into the fray. If Banks thinks putting up a few billboards and launching a website costs between $150 and $200k, his media buyer must be doing pretty well.

More realistically, Brown’s website today has noted his spend is somewhere around $50k . While it’s remarkable that the HoS bothers running a story based on nothing more than the claims of an avowed opponent, Brown should take all this attention as a compliment. Clearly a small dollop of clever marketing has the Right in a lather.

It should be noted that Banks and his C&R mates were doing some polling recently, testing his strength against Brown, and versus other potential rightwing candidates such as Michael Barnett, John Hood, and even Jenny Shipley. One would speculate that if Banks’ polling showed him leading Brown, it would have found its way into the public eye. Anyway seen it?…. Which perhaps explains why we’re now seeing wild conspiracies to try and undermine the boy from the southside.

It might also explain why Banks has shifted from refusing to engage with Brown to eagerly accepting opportunities. A few weeks ago, he was telling Morning Report producers he wouldn’t debate with Brown on any issue ever. Yet this past few days, keen mayoral watchers noticed a 60 Minutes crew following Banks around Auckland midweek, and likewise Len at a Howick gala on Saturday.