Love him or loathe him, it's hard to deny that the New Zealand political landscape is a much more interesting place when Sir Bob Jones makes an appearance. And so our ears pricked up when Jones appeared in print yesterday to lambast the government over the Electoral Finance Act.
Describing the EFA as "the most despicable thing I think I have seen in my lifetime in this country", Sir Bob has set the stage for a showdown with the government. And who would bet against him doing it?
Jones says that he will vote National for the first time since 1981. So it's also worthy of note that Jones has a habit of backing winners. His first foray into politics was in 1975 where he helped propel Sir Robert Muldoon to victory after setting up a group of Muldoon supporters to nullify Citizens for Rowling. He later fell out with Muldoon, and is probably best remembered for having formed the New Zealand Party in 1984, taking enough of National's vote to allow the Lange-led government to take power. He is just the kind of foe that Labour could do without right now.
5 comments:
"the most despicable thing I think I have seen in my lifetime in this country"
A close contender for me would be a picture of an angry political figure giving the fingers to the camera. Utterly contempible man. Let's see, what was his name...?
Point taken JP, but seriously, do you think that Labour ever felt that its opponents would get this kind of mileage out of the EFA? I get the impressions that they thought that there would be a bit of short-term fallout, but that it would soon be forgotten. Patently, that hasn't happened.
JAFA....I can understand the Liabourites feeling a little put out. Jones has made a fortune due to the massive expansion in Public Service Numbers and the corresponding demand for Office Space. National have promised to reduce both....Baxter
Baxter - I'm sure that Sir Bob will have his leases well and truly locked in on terms which are particularly favourable to him!
Yes, I find Bob Jones very self interested. He has argued consistently against any attempts to control inflation because his business (and all the profits he has made from them, in property ownership and management) depends on inflation to prosper. That is why he got out of the business (sucking in the punters to do so, and his employee share trust fund which he controlled) when inflation was targeted and was brought under control. He's probably feeling a bit happier now, and the expansion of the public service has undoubtedly benefited him.
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