Banks’ vote protects him from Jones-like accountability

Written By: - Date published: 10:24 am, May 31st, 2012 - 26 comments
Categories: david shearer, john banks, john key, Shane Jones - Tags:

Labour’s got its Auditor-General inquiry into Jones’ approval of Yan’s citizenship.

We’ve seen this movie before. In a year, the report will recommend better procedures but nothing more. Jone will be reinstated.

The politics is more important. Shearer’s shown he has the power to control his senior MPs and set a high standard of accountability.

When will Key match that standard and stand down Banks?

Banks is actually being investigated for serious crimes that could see him booted from Parliament. If anything, there’s more reason to stand him down than Jones.

So,when will Key do it?

Never. Key’s too weak. He doesn’t have the numbers to risk Banks going feral.

26 comments on “Banks’ vote protects him from Jones-like accountability ”

  1. ianmac 1

    Exactly Zetetic. I reckoned that apart from other considerations Mr Shearer calling for an enquiry and standing down Mr Jones, puts the ball securely in the court of Key, and sooner or later Key’s inaction to manage Banks will catch the attention of a larger Court.

  2. tc 2

    the only party Key’s leading is his kid’s birthday party, he’s a complete puppett with as much power as any token figurehead.

    He’ll stone wall, divert, bluster and genearlly do F all till they blag the assets off.

  3. Stanley 3

    This is the stupidest thing Shearer has ever done. Jones voted for him FFS. I’m not saying Jones should be let off but they should deal with it in house rather than turning it into another chance for the story to be all about Labour’s dysfunction. After seeing what was done to Nash and now this, it’s clear to see Shearer doesn’t have any loyalty and, like it or not, loyalty is one of the most important things in politics.

    • Deano 3.1

      you prefer Banks-Key loyalty?

    • MikeG 3.2

      Shearer is showing leadership, not blind loyalty. Loyalty is good, but you cannot be blind to someone’s errors, otherwise you are not showing leadership.

      Key is displaying no leadership and blind loyalty.

    • North 3.3

      What about Jones actually being clean on this and his actually being part of the whole number, to embarrass Key with his utter bullshit “higher standards” crap ? He does rave on somewhat pompously Old Shane but if he knows he’s sweet I reckon he’d play the game.

      I mean Merrill Lynch and City of London and $50 million without doing a tap of honest work the Key bastard has no standards at all apart from those directed towards immense self-enrichment. I mean he’s the moneylender in the temple in terms of an absolute assessment (hope I’m not mixing my metaphors there religious wise, not big on that stuff ).

      As long as Jones escapes this mess, then who’s gonna look corrupt ? The Prime Mincer and Botox Banks of course. And we’ve all forgotten that there is an ongoing police investigation. The pus is gonna bubble up again sooner or later. Even if the wallopers decide they can’t proceed against the former Mare.

      Cool thing is, whatever happens, that preaching half-man Botox has gone !!!!!

  4. tsmithfield 4

    “We’ve seen this movie before…”

    Would that have been the Ingram inquiry? 🙂

    “In a year, the report will recommend better procedures but nothing more.”

    Have you had a look at the terms of reference? They seem to be quite a lot wider than just procedural issues. So, I wouldn’t be so confident.

    “Jone will be reinstated.”

    I’m not so sure about that either. He will have to hang around long enough for that to happen. Whaleoil seems to have some inside intel that Jones is highly pissed off with Shearer and is about to throw the towel in. I know you don’t have much regard for Whale oil, but I guess we will just have to wait and see if he is right./

  5. I suspect John Key has bigger worries than John Banks as he is due to fly to Europe because he wants to get first-hand information on the issues currently confronting Europe! Such as a $1200 Trillion Derivatives bubble.

    For all we know he already knows that John Banks or pushing through asset sales is not really that important as the finance system now really is collapsing and the dollar is in its end phase. This blog from a group of real world traders gives a more or less hour by hour update of current events in the financial world and it’s a blood bath.

    I don’t meant to threadjack but at this moment John Key must be shitting himself and John banks really is the very least of his worries. Just check Bloomberg’s homepage. Stocks are falling all over the place.

    Who cares about a few corrupt politicians in New Zealand when your entire fortune is on the verge of disappearing.

    • tsmithfield 5.1

      Of course, if China drop the dollar, they will be committing economic suicide themselves because the US owes them so much debt. The US would love to have their currency drop against the renminbi because it would inflate a lot of their debt away. Why do you think that China keeps the renminbi pegged to the USD?

      • travellerev 5.1.1

        They already did but are using their $ to buy tons of gold in order to make their currency backed by gold. Guess they have ambitions to take over from the US and like John Key they know something we don’t.

        • tsmithfield 5.1.1.1

          If this was going to have the impact on the $ that you suggest, then it already would have.

    • North 5.2

      Wouldn’t that be a hoot – prick’s on a 26 week stand down…….underclass, not trying hard enough, ripping off, indolent, created his own sadness.

      I reckon he’d cry like a little girlie……

  6. freedom 6

    Who is this John Banks of which you speak? I vaguely remember some guy who lost a Paul Henry lookalike contest being in the papers a few weeks ago mumbling about inappropriate relationships or something but thought it was just a promo for the Ridge sisters reality tv show. . . . they’re not sisters omg, she’s her mother?!? if you didn’t tell me i would never have believed it, now then where did i put that very short article on Mr Key’s integrity

  7. Bored 7

    The idiots in NACT have set an unbelievably stupid precedent here: going after an ex Minister for what may or may not be accurate charges of abuse of power. Does that mean that incoming governments will take it as read that they have carte blanche to do the same? It is neither desirable nor fair: we are supposed to have checks and balances in our institutions to ensure that process is followed and reviewed. In short the politicians should be policed but not by politicians who are naturally tribal and biased.

    This also demonstrates the desperate nature of the Key governments drive to complete asset sales. Banks vote is needed, and they have not got rid of Jones vote. Banks is still in the proverbial and for good reason, Jones however is imminently not.

  8. tsmithfield 8

    It appears that the auditor general’s report will be wider than just Shane Jones.

    IMO Shearer didn’t ask for this enquiry out of principle. It seems to me it was more to do with damage minimisation and stopping the tentacles from spreading wider into the Labour Party. It look like he might have got a lot more than he asked for.

    • North 8.1

      Oh Yes Oh Yes Maximum Prejudice Thank You Smithfield Jimmie Fortran. Hope it makes ya feel good.

      I’d be looking to the ones you naturally love if it’s blood on the floor you’re after.

      Key is an incompetent beyond Smile and Wave and reading Crosby Textor script. Seen what an arrogant more or less indifferent crud he is in the House in recent times ? It’s showing beyond the circus conducted there boyos !

  9. Jimmie 9

    Jones – gone by lunchtime is the rumour………..

  10. Fortran 10

    The Wellington beltway suggests that Shane will quit sooner rather than wait a year or more for the result of the enquiry.
    Will be a sad day, but that’s the numbers.

  11. Sam Hall 11

    Found DAVID CUNLIFFE an immediate improvement from that whiny,waffly gotta-play-in the rhetorical-sandpit-with-the-other-wannabee-idiots fella.

  12. John M 12

    Ironically, the inquiry will clear Jones because essentially all he did was go against the advice of officials (when you’d think something was wrong if a minister never did this and which in fact a minister has a duty to do if the evidence before him or her, especially an immigration minister, supports an opinion contrary to that offical advice) but he will resign because he’s had a gutsful of petty scutiny, whereas Banks will be found to have breached the electoral rules but will stay on because it happened before his election in 2011.

  13. Penny Bright 13

    http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/shane-jones-inquiry-go-ahead-says-auditor-general-rh-120028#comment-402470

    When is the OAG going to focus on the underpinning problem and start advocating for an ENFORCEABLE ‘Code of Conduct’ for all NZ MPs?

    And support a Register of Lobbyists and Code of Conduct for Lobbyists?

    (And a NZ Independent Commission Against Corruption?)

    Penny Bright
    ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

    http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com

    • North 13.1

      Penny, looking at Lady Potato Parata on the tele tonight it did occur to me how surreal it is to hear that wannabee (Maori when it suits) supplicant of the Merrill Lynch punk Key, telling us utter shit devised by Crosby Textor, and at the same time red lippied nutting on about professional standards in teachers.

      She is an incompetent, self seeking, limo-surfing, rubbish kupapa, over-promoted to where she is because she’s prittie and sort of brown. A great sales gal !

      Everyone else is under the spotlight for competence. What about competence tests for those self seeking bastards. I reckon most of them would fail to reach average.

      Go you with your honesty and straight-upness Penny !

  14. Pascal's bookie 14

    Jones – gone by lunchtime is the rumour………..

    The Wellington beltway suggests that Shane will quit sooner rather than wait a year or more for the result of the enquiry

    I’m impressed wby you guys’ contacts. Well inside tthe loop. Must be cool to have people in the know feeding you these little tidbits eh? 🙄

  15. Adam 15

    If this was a political play by Shearer to look tough/principled by whacking Jones, it’s straight out of the Phil Goff playbook and look how well that worked, not just for Goff but for Labour.
    If it was about putting pressure on Key over Banks, dream on. The Local Electoral Act is clear. You can’t make donations anonymous by pretending not to know where they come from. If there is a cheque or a bank transfer, its got a name attached and that name needs to be declared. But the police don’t enforce either electoral act. How do you make them?

    • Penny Bright 15.1

      ” But the police don’t enforce either electoral act. How do you make them?”

      First – you make a complaint.
      Second – you continue to MAKE A FUSS!

      Check out http://www.dodgyjohnhasgone.com

      Penny Bright
      ‘Anti-corruption campaigner’

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