Jones cleared

Written By: - Date published: 6:15 pm, March 12th, 2013 - 79 comments
Categories: accountability - Tags: , ,

Well, cleared might be a slight exaggeration but he’s not going to have the police turn up on his doorstep and right now that’s good enough for a David Shearer who is worrying about the lack of brown faces in his top-team.

We can only hope that Jones will have a tighter rein on him now he’s on the front bench. That is, no more attacking the only major coalition party Labour has and maybe, just maybe, sticking to his portfolio.

Fun fact: David Shearer originally pushed for the Auditor General to investigate David Cunliffe (some even say Jones was actually collateral damage).

79 comments on “Jones cleared ”

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  1. Pascal's bookie 1
    12 March 2013 at 6:23 pm

    “Fun fact: David Shearer originally pushed for the Auditor General to investigate David Cunliffe ”

    And Cunliffe gets some good mentions from the AG anyway.

    • JK 1.1
      12 March 2013 at 9:16 pm

      “Fu fact: David Shearer origintally pushed for the Auditor General to investigate David Cunliffe” .

      More info please, facts, whatever. That’s a serious statement to say, and needs verifying.

  2. mac1 2
    12 March 2013 at 6:24 pm

    Boy, who caught Patrick Gower glowering at the camera in TV3 News at 6 tonight?

    He talked about a Chinese man getting citizenship assisted by “his Labour Party mates” and then later in the item said that this man was involved in dealings with the police in China, Australia and here in New Zealand, muttering that nothing had yet come to pass, and that the people could decide whether he should be a citizen or not.

    I object to the linking of this man, the Labour Party as ‘mates’ and various insinuations about him.

    This was totally unprofessional and hugely biassed, at a political level, let alone at a personal level for a New Zealand citizen who has not been charged with any offence, after over four years, a change of government and minister and no action against this man.

    • Psycho Milt 2.1
      12 March 2013 at 6:53 pm

      I caught Gower glowering (nice work). I could see what he was glowering about, though. Even a casual viewing of that item reveals Dover Samuels fawning over the guy and that the freshly-minted “citizen” had his papers handed over by Labour Party representatives in the Maori Affairs select committee room, so the “mates” part is a slam-dunk. This report clears Jones to the extent that the fairly obvious corruption involved in this case from him and Samuels can’t be proven. If the Labour Party feels corrupt officials are the kind of guys they want on their front bench, good luck to them – I won’t be voting for them either way.

    • Dan1 2.2
      13 March 2013 at 3:37 pm

      Gower’s bias was extraordinary. At least Michael Moore and his various raves about various issues does not pretend he is fourth estate giving a balanced news item. Gower is a strong reason that I might change news channels. National radio maybe.

  3. ad 3
    12 March 2013 at 6:24 pm

    Shane Jones is as beautiful and pure as a fresh Norwegian snowflake landing at midnight deep in a soundless Spruce forest upon the furry nose of a two-week old kitten.
    😉

  4. Te Reo Putake 4
    12 March 2013 at 6:43 pm

    “who is worrying about the lack of brown faces in his top-team.”

    Fuck me, that’s a bit off, Eddie. Have you got a good reason to suggest Jones is only there because of his skin colour? Or that Shearer made the decision based on race considerations? Even if you do, that’s an awfully Slateresque turn of phrase.

    • karol 4.1
      12 March 2013 at 6:45 pm

      Louisa Wall should be in the top team on merit.

      • IrishBill 4.1.1
        12 March 2013 at 6:54 pm

        Indeed. While I think “brown faces” is a bit rough, even as a shorthand, there’s no doubt the Goff-Shearer team should be concerned about the high number of middle-aged white guys on their team. And yet they spend their whole time chasing the white middle-aged right-wing man vote.

      • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2
        12 March 2013 at 6:54 pm

        Yep and so should Jones. The fact that Shearer took the risk that his front bench would have no maori or polynesian MP’s if the report was adverse to Jones suggests race was not an issue at all. If it was, he’d have covered the possibility by leaving Mahuta where she was or promoting, say, Wall.

        • karol 4.1.2.1
          12 March 2013 at 6:57 pm

          What has Jones done to earn his place on the top team?

          • Socialist Paddy 4.1.2.1.1
            12 March 2013 at 7:01 pm

            Deals, Karol, deals …

          • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.1.2
            12 March 2013 at 7:22 pm

            Dunno, I’m not in caucus. I also don’t get to see what goes on during training at Chelsea, so I have no idea why Fernando Torres keeps getting picked either.

            • tc 4.1.2.1.2.1
              13 March 2013 at 4:54 am

              cos roman says so

            • felixviper 4.1.2.1.2.2
              13 March 2013 at 6:06 am

              Well if you dunno, why did you say “so should Jones”?

              • Te Reo Putake …
                13 March 2013 at 7:35 am

                I said Jones should be selected on merit, felix. In reply to Karol’s comment (“Louisa Wall should be in the top team on merit.”)

                • felixviper …
                  13 March 2013 at 7:59 am

                  That’s not what you said at all.

                  Karol said Wall should be in the top team on merit, and you said so should Jones.

                  Fact is Wall should be in the top team on merit and Jones should be out on his useless arse on merit.

                  • Te Reo Putake …
                    13 March 2013 at 8:04 am

                    It’s exactly what I said felix. All the members of caucus should be there on merit. I further went on to say I don’t know what merit Jones has (the comment about Chelsea), but clearly, in the leaders eyes, he has sufficient merit to be there.

                    Have you considered coffee? I hear its good for clearing the post sleep fog.

                    • felixviper …
                      13 March 2013 at 8:22 am

                      I’m looking at it right now you fucking liar.

                      Karol said “Wall should be in the top team on merit” and you said “so should Jones”.

                      I think the sudden rush of oxygen from taking Shearer’s dick out of your mouth for a few days is making you dizzy.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 8:35 am

                      Yeah, so what we’ve learned so far is that EDDIE is a racist and you’re a particularly thick homophobe. Great start to the day.

                    • felixviper …
                      13 March 2013 at 8:55 am

                      It’s all in black and white, liar. I quoted what you actually wrote.

                      And no, using a sexual metaphor to describe you as a supplicant isn’t automatically a homophobic slur you idiot, and that you immediately reach that conclusion says far more about you than I.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 9:21 am

                      What ev’s felix, your homophobic abuse and comprehension problems are for you to deal with, not me.

                      You are quite correct that you quoted what I wrote, but you simply don’t understand what I wrote. Nobody else misunderstands it, that I can see, and to make it as simple as I can for you, all members of caucus should make the front bench on merit. I do not know what merit Jones has, but clearly Shearer thinks he has merit. That does not mean I think he has merit and nowhere on this post have I said I think Jones has merit. I simply don’t know whether he does or not and I don’t care. The same applies to Fernando Torres. I don’t know why he’s there either, but apparently his coach thinks he has merit and so keeps picking him.

                      I hope the penny is starting to drop for you felix. You read a simple sentence wrong and I’ve done my best to explain where you got off track. The Torres comment should have provided enough context for you to understand my meaning, but clearly, you are having a very bad day on the comprehension front.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      13 March 2013 at 9:44 am

                      TRP you said that Jones should also be on the front bench on merit.

                      You didn’t qualify in that comment that it was Shearer’s view. Instead you framed it as your own opinion in 4.1.2, one which you believed Shearer shared with you because you didn’t think race was a factor.

                      This is why felix is calling you out on it.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 10:06 am

                      CV, karol said:”Louisa Wall should be in the top team on merit.”

                      I replied: “Yep and so should Jones.”

                      Now, I accept that it’s possible to read that in two ways, but I went on to clarify in the “chelsea’ comment that I meant all front benchers should be there on merit (ie. that selection should be based on merit). I was not endorsing Jones. I have explained that as carefully as I could to felix, but to this point he is insisting that I endorsed Jones, when I didn’t.

                      I don’t know what Jones has done to merit selection, but I’m pretty damn sure its not because he’s a token brown face. He may actually have learned his lesson, worked hard in caucus and the house, voted the right way on the big votes (!) or whatever. But as long as the selection was done on merit, I’m fine with the process. If it was up to me, that front bench would have a completely different look and I imagine you and I (and felix) would probably select many of the same MP’s to lead the charge.

                      But that doesn’t change the fact that felix has not been able to get his head around what I said, despite my doing my best to explain it. And using gay bashing abuse in his frustration is poor form in my opinion.

                    • Colonial Viper …
                      13 March 2013 at 10:31 am

                      Fair enough.

                      But I think that your proposal that Jones “may actually have learnt his lesson” is way, way, too optimistic. You’ve heard the stories of the kinds of business deals he gets involved with. It’s not a good look.

                    • marty mars …
                      13 March 2013 at 10:33 am

                      I thought your meaning was clear TRP – calling you a liar over that series of comments is OTT

                    • quartz …
                      13 March 2013 at 11:05 am

                      I reckon calling Eddie a racist is over the top. I’m amazed you haven’t been banned for that.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 11:23 am

                      Quartz, you are half right. I should have said the post was racist, not the writer. Ball, not player etc. But I guess that Eddie’s silence shows acceptance of the criticism in general terms.

                    • quartz …
                      13 March 2013 at 11:46 am

                      So silence is consent? Fuck me, remind me never to fall asleep around you!

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 11:53 am

                      Ha! It’s ok, you’re safe, I’m not Julian Assange.

                    • felixviper …
                      13 March 2013 at 1:55 pm

                      Correct TRP, you should’ve said the post was racist, not the author. (Pity you just did it again though eh?)

                      And rather than saying I have poor comprehension you probably should’ve just said that I’m a much better reader than you are a writer.

                      The homophobe stuff I do take offense at, but that’s just the sort of dishonest diversionary bullshit I’ve come to expect from you.

                    • Te Reo Putake …
                      13 March 2013 at 2:06 pm

                      Keep digging, felix, I hear mining is NZ’s future!

                    • felixviper …
                      13 March 2013 at 2:52 pm

                      Not sure why you think that expression applies to me. Just your usual feigned ignorance of your surroundings I guess.

            • Arfamo 4.1.2.1.3.1
              12 March 2013 at 9:28 pm

              Ha ha – must admit I’ve always thought of him as Shame Jones ever since. Can’t say the AG’s report persuades me to change my paradigm.

              • geoff …
                12 March 2013 at 9:40 pm

                Did anyone ever ask him if he had a good wank?

                • Jim Nald …
                  12 March 2013 at 9:57 pm

                  “wank”?

                  Any reasonable reader, when scrutinising the piece, would see that it is silent on the issue of whether or not he was alone in the room.

                  And the insertion of the line “His wife was enraged after he broke the news to her this morning, he said” raises the question of why any reasonable wife would be “enraged” with her husband who has a quiet solitary time while home away watching porn by himself, on his own.

                  • geoff …
                    12 March 2013 at 10:09 pm

                    Absolutely Jim, indeed I did assume he was masturbating. My bad.
                    So you think maybe he was having a porno-fueled orgy at the tax payer’s expense?!

                    It also says in the article that he had got in the habit of watching pornographic movies while he was away.

                    So perhaps multiple orgies?! Or some orgies and some masturbation? Or no orgies, just filling in expense claims with porn on in the background?? Or expense claim orgies!!!??

                    Mind <– boggled

        • IrishBill 4.1.2.2
          12 March 2013 at 7:00 pm

          Ah, but they were both Cunliffe loyalists – can’t have the enemy within in the tent! Priorities TRP, priorities.

          • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.2.1
            12 March 2013 at 7:27 pm

            Well, if he needed a suck up, Shearer could have covered his supposedly racist arse with Faafoi. Look, I don’t want to make too big a deal about it, but this is a shite post and the best left wing kiwi political blog should not tolerate racism for a moment, let alone promote it.

            • Socialist Paddy 4.1.2.2.1.1
              12 March 2013 at 7:32 pm

              If he did this then the demotion of Sio, another Cunliffe supporter would have been too much. Honest this factional stuff does my head in. Wall and Sio had two of the best performing electorates last time and one is demoted and the other overlooked. And they are what the party needs. It needs more urban grassroots MPs that reflect multicultural NZ, not a bunch of Wellington based careerists.

        • geoff 4.1.2.3
          12 March 2013 at 7:29 pm

          I thought you’d had a moment of clarity recently and gone off Shearer and Co? Fallen off the wagon, TRP?

          • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.3.1
            12 March 2013 at 7:43 pm

            I was never ‘on’ Shearer, geoff, I just pointed out the blindingly obvious for a month or two about his besting of Cunliffe. I don’t much care who leads the party. Politics is about policy, as far as I’m concerned. Lange was a shit hot leader, but his economic policy … not so good. HC was the exception, a good leader with good policies, and we won’t see the likes of her again for a while, I suspect.

            • Pascal's bookie 4.1.2.3.1.1
              12 March 2013 at 8:14 pm

              Well how would describe Shearer then. For me I think he’s shit on the leadership thing, and I still have no idea about what he’s like on policy.

            • geoff 4.1.2.3.1.2
              12 March 2013 at 9:31 pm

              You were so ‘on’ him it was embarrassing to watch. Children were told to avert their eyes.

            • geoff 4.1.2.3.1.3
              12 March 2013 at 9:36 pm

              You were so on Shearer that Shane Jones paid to watch it with a tax-payer funded credit card.

            • geoff 4.1.2.3.1.4
              12 March 2013 at 9:37 pm

              You were so on Shearer that…..no I got nothing

        • Anne 4.1.2.4
          12 March 2013 at 7:36 pm

          The fact that Shearer took the risk that his front bench would have no maori or polynesian MP’s if the report was adverse to Jones suggests race was not an issue at all.

          Correct. The issue was… whether they voted for Shearer in 2011. That’s infinitely more important than having a few brown faces in the top team – unless they voted for him. Shane Jones did. Mahuta and Wall voted for Cunliffe.

          • Anne 4.1.2.4.1
            12 March 2013 at 7:38 pm

            The fact that Shearer took the risk that his front bench would have no maori or polynesian MP’s if the report was adverse to Jones suggests race was not an issue at all

            Correct. The issue was… whether they voted for Shearer in 2011. That’s infinitely more important than having a few brown faces in the top team – unless they voted for him. Shane Jones did. Mahuta and Wall voted for Cunliffe.

            • Te Reo Putake 4.1.2.4.1.1
              12 March 2013 at 7:46 pm

              Precisely, Anne. That’s the post, right there. Not some wannabee Whale Oil dribble about skin colour.

              • Bill …
                12 March 2013 at 8:30 pm

                Is there a deep cynical irony in Anne’s comment that you’re missing TRP? Hmm, yup – I think there is.

                • Te Reo Putake …
                  12 March 2013 at 8:35 pm

                  I’m not missing it, Bill. Hence my comment in reply.

                  • marty mars …
                    12 March 2013 at 10:26 pm

                    I think it is a fair point you are making in this thread TRP because identification as tangata whenua is not based on skin colour but whakapapa – skin colour has fuck all to do with it.

    • black fellah 4.2
      13 March 2013 at 2:34 pm

      Skin colour? wtf, haven’t you guys heard Tariana Turia asking Hone why his cousin “Shane” is a Maori when he looks too white.

  5. Anne 5
    12 March 2013 at 8:07 pm

    Let me make it clear. I don’t applaud Shearer for his apparent vendetta towards anyone who voted for Cunliffe. I consider it pathetic, and it causes me to have concern for the future of the Labour Party. The huge irony is: if he was smart and astute (like Helen Clark) and had shown himself to be all inclusive in his dealings, he’d have most of us eating out of his hand by now.

      • Colonial Viper 5.1.1
        12 March 2013 at 11:02 pm

        particularly since Shearer was sold to us as such a good team leader and uniter. There’s more than a slight gap between the expectations that were set and the reality methinks.

    • Te Reo Putake 5.2
      12 March 2013 at 8:39 pm

      Quite right, Anne. Perhaps hanging out with warlords can have a negative affect on an otherwise liberal, pc kinda guy?

      • JK 5.2.1
        12 March 2013 at 9:24 pm

        to TRP – who says Shearer is a “liberal pc kinda guy” There’s not much evidence that I can see, yet.

        • Anne 5.2.1.1
          12 March 2013 at 10:12 pm

          He was til he hung out with warlords…

          • Chipman 5.2.1.1.1
            13 March 2013 at 7:18 am

            …and Shearer hung around with both Civilian and Military Intelligence Officers
            of an number of countries,
            and Diplomats of countries with an interst in the region he worked.,
            and execs from from private operations that wanted to provide security services to the UN or the highest bidder,
            and the crew in the IISS

            That can make a lad see the world in a different light.

  7. Olwyn 7
    12 March 2013 at 8:26 pm

    “Fun fact: David Shearer originally pushed for the Auditor General to investigate David Cunliffe (some even say Jones was actually collateral damage).”

    Supposing that this is true, I cannot take much more of this spiteful nonsense. It is not as if the people presently running the party have a build-up of momentum that Cunliffe might weaken, or a strong progressive program they are determined to action, that Cunliffe and his supporters oppose. In fact I am perplexed as to what it is they are willing to stoop so low to defend.

    • Anne 7.1
      12 March 2013 at 8:50 pm

      In fact I am perplexed as to what it is they are willing to stoop so low to defend.

      Pure, unadulterated ambition Olwyn – a desire for power that transcends all else. What else could it be? I don’t know David Cunliffe all that well, but I imagine he does not gladly suffer fools. That would spell disaster for certain members of the “mallarfia”, and therefore they’ve decided they don’t like him.

      • Olwyn 7.1.1
        12 March 2013 at 9:50 pm

        The thing is, though, that the past four years have not exactly proved a raging success for them. So if your answer is right, then their ambition amounts to controlling the shape of the Labour Party and retaining their positions within it, whether the party is politically successful or not. This does not seem enough to go to such extremes over.

        • Anne 7.1.1.1
          12 March 2013 at 10:38 pm

          Well I suppose they’re banking on NAct losing the next election. Remember Trevor says he wants to be Speaker (when he grows up).

          The shenanigans during and after the last Labour conference suggests to me there’s been some ‘understandings’ between a few MSM journalists and the mallarfia. A quid pro quo type of thing where Labour has promised when they take over the treasury benches we’ll see you right mate, and in return you do the dirty on Cunliffe for us

          .

          • Colonial Viper 7.1.1.1.1
            12 March 2013 at 11:08 pm

            Inspirational; the kind of Labour leadership which will see this country through the unimaginably hard times coming up.

  8. QoT 8
    12 March 2013 at 8:47 pm

    I remain deeply confused whenever people talk about Shane Jones as being a major Labour talent, even potential leader. What the hell has he actually done in politics besides constantly slag off his party’s best hope for a coalition partner and ordered porn on the ministerial credit card?

  9. tracey 9
    13 March 2013 at 8:08 am

    Qot, a friend watching the news with me asked the same thing. I have no answer. What happened to kelvin davis?

    • Chris 9.1
      13 March 2013 at 11:57 am

      He lost to Hone Harawira again and not sure what he was on the list but from what I have read Labour needed about 31% of the vote for him to get in.

      Long story short he missed out on a seat and announced his retirement

  10. Adam 10
    14 March 2013 at 10:38 pm

    Audit Office on Sky City: John Key can have as many dinners with directors as he wants and it doesn’t affect the decision, it’s all the officials’ fault.
    Audit Office on Shane Jones: Bad advice, officials lying or keeping information from the minister, but it’s the minister’s fault for not asking for information he wasn’t told existed. And he rushed to judgment, even though he took a month to make his decision. Not mentioned that officials kept leaking and lying all the way to the High Court, until the judge told them to shut the f up if they couldn’t come up with evidence.
    Shane Jones as Minister: Got a Building Act through, so you can do your own limited modifications to your house (about what you can afford in the current climate) without being screwed by the RMA.
    Shane Jones in Opposition: Not much of a chance really. Out of action first term after Phil Goff failed to protect his team from John Key’s ministerial expense reporting scam (of course it wasn’t about openness, Key has never been a fan of that, merely an excuse to trawl for ammunition against Labour). The second term has been David Shearer muzzling not just Jones but everyone else because he thinks anyone shining will show up his own inadequacy, and then siccing the Auditor General on him.

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