Hard News: Jones: The contender leaves
187 Responses
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
I’m inclined to go with Paddy Gower’s assessment: it has McCully’s pawprints all over it. I would not be surprised if the timing was McCully’s.
Yeah, Russell, I really get McCully is Satan Incarnate to you and Gower but it's equally plausible to me that Jones cashed the reality check that he was going nowhere fast a long time ago, was quietly fishing around for a soft landing spot and this came up. And Gower's still pushing the delusional theory that Colin Craig is just going to walk into East Coast Bays -- how about he stop interviewing the Press Gallery liquor cabinet and do some actual reporting?
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Idiot Savant, in reply to
I don't think some sort of "roving ambassador" post counts. The only way they could elevate that role would be to create a special government office on some Pacific island, and even then one could argue that a "post" is the sole NZG diplomatic presence in a state, so could not be in a place where we already have one.
Or if the appointment is really to an international fisheries organisation.
But even then: while heads of misison/post are appointed by the G-G (which means on Ministerial Advice), that doesn't mean that the decision is entirely in the discretion of the Minister. To point out the obvious: these people are employees of MFAT. And that means that the decision on who to employ and on what terms is rightly one for the Chief Executive, on which they are statutorily independent. McCully can say "we need a new ambassador to X", but he can't say "and I have just the man for the job".
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Murray McCully has appointed many High Commissioners and John, Carter was appointed by him to the Cook Islands. He's back as Mayor to the Far north now. They might need a new High Commissioner to the Cook Islands.
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Craig Ranapia, in reply to
Here's a serious question, is the lead from John Armstrong's usual curate's egg of a column actually true?
Shane Jones' shock decision to quit as a Labour MP will lead voters to draw one conclusion and one conclusion only: that he thinks Labour cannot win the September general election.
Orly? Voters could draw the equally plausible conclusion that Jones long since cashed the reality check that even if Labour wins the next election, his rise up the greasy pole is severely curtailed by a good proportion of his own caucus and party who think (fairly or not) he's a unacceptably high friendly fire risk who doesn't play well with others unless he's getting his own way in all things.
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Rich of Observationz, in reply to
these people are employees of MFAT
Are you sure? The legislation says they are appointed and dismissed by the G-G. Aren't they like ministers - semi-political appointments at the whim of the government of the day?
(Ministers are"employed" in that they get paid a salary, but there's no accountability as to who gets chosen and no employment protections).
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
I’m inclined to go with Paddy Gower’s assessment: it has McCully’s pawprints all over it. I would not be surprised if the timing was McCully’s.
If correct, it is a spectacular misuse of taxpayers money for National Party political gain.
A salary in the order of half a million plus expenses and a staff of how many?
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You cannot be serious. Even if you believe the party is better off without Jones, having him go rogue and publicly blindsiding Labour with his resignation has done nothing to enhance the status of Labour as a serious and stable party.
How did he "go rouge"? I feel kind of sick defending Jones, but he's a list MP who (unless I'm seriously mistaken) has announced he's leaving Parliament. The way some people are carrying on, you'd think he'd flounced out of the room and accepted a winnable position on the National list in the middle of the campaign. I know the usual suspects are trying to turn a transitory headache for Labour into a terminal brain tumor, but the only weird thing here is that Jones didn't go the usual route and line up a set of cushy board appointments to walk into in after the election.
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Bart Janssen, in reply to
He’s saying the right things, even if they’re not all the things
Exactly.
Not being able to fix all the problems is no reason to stop trying to fix some of the problems. And who knows maybe if you fix the problems one at a time you might find someday there isn't a next problem.
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Allan Moyle, in reply to
Shane Jones always felt like he was operating from an arrogant, detached stance.
Exactly how I've always seen him.
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According to McCully the job was created and then Jones was identified as the top prospect for it. Jones says it was purely his' decision to leave Labour, that he didn't want to be an MP any more.
The Pacific ambassador role is still open and Jones is not confirmed or signed up yet.
Is he a suitable candidate, and should he be offered the role?
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Shane Jones always felt like he was operating from an arrogant, detached stance
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Exactly how I’ve always seen him.
I don't think he said that though and, maybe it was more Robyn meant she always felt like, Shane was operating from an arrogant...etc . I don't think he thought that about himself .
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
The Pacific ambassador role is still open
And I see the high Commissioner to the Cooks is gone
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insider, in reply to
Winston Peters created the position of Climate Change Ambassador in 2006 without too much problem. Position still exists. No big dramas.
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Kumara Republic, in reply to
what I would like to know why did the Labour grandees put him so far down the list
Most likely because of 'dead wood' that's passed their use-by date. To do a Michelle Boag on them would risk much greater instability than what we have now. I suspect the last time it happened (1993-96), the guilty parties, well, switched parties.
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Sacha, in reply to
I might be be blinded be cynicism
Davis seems genuine about this and he has been a good person in the past.
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Sacha, in reply to
was quietly fishing around for a soft landing spot
Jones said something to that effect, and he has options. The guy was always better at business than politics, so no surprise he matched McCully's wishlist either.
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Sacha, in reply to
has announced he's leaving Parliament.
it's not the announcing, it's the way we are announcing :)
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andrew r, in reply to
'Think in a collective mindset and the problem disappears'
Brilliant. Comment of 2014.
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so Key said ," I like Shane..lot of respect....he's a welcome addition to the National Party"
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Japan's in the Pacific isn't it?
Shane has such a jones for big fish maybe he could get an important position as an observer on Japanese whale research vessels - when they come back......I know they are mammals, but he could count the bycatch in their stomaches...
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Can't even decide if I care about this. I don't think he was much of either an asset OR a liability to Labour. He probably attracted as many people as he repelled, and his anti-Green rhetoric was always obvious posturing that could only be dropped if Labour/Greens were in a position to court Peters, after Jones had picked up the rugged douche vote. Labour might be a bit more on message after this, although I'm still fucked if I know what message that is. We don't like coke snorters, whether their spouses choke them in public or not? Color me confused.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Can’t even decide if I care about this. I don’t think he was much of either an asset OR a liability to Labour. He probably attracted as many people as he repelled,
Yep.I think that's a fair assessment.
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Sacha, in reply to
thank you. it's what the Treaty offers us
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It;s so hard to think about who to vote for and I know we need to vote. But argh. Give us some solid choice--- social justice and >>>>////??????
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Cunliffe said "When a totara falls in the forest another totara grows to take it's place".
How rooted is the Labour totara?
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