Posts by Russell Brown
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The whole meeting is being streamed live here:
http://www.allaboutauckland.com/
Turning into a bit of a circus with noise from the gallery + Dick Quax being Dick Quax. People need to respect the process.
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Hard News: Public Address Word of the…, in reply to B Jones,
Woohoo!
Congrats! Can you email me asap by clicking the icon at the bottom of the post?
We'll get that schwag to you soonest.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Hilary Stace,
Several pro-Brown comments read out on Morning Report just now. Segue from Russell’s announcement of Word of the Year before which was the previous item.
And then Christine Fletcher came on Nine to Noon and appeared to countenance an eCan-style government takeover of Auckland Council. I think we're through the looking glass on this thing now. Completely nuts.
Somewhat inevitably, last year's register includes no declaration from Fletcher either.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Craig Young,
Who were those anti-Brown protestors from yesterday?
No idea. About a dozen older folk, by all accounts..
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This morning's story opens with the words "Auckland Deputy Mayor Penny Hulse is refusing to back her boss" before eventually acknowledging that she'll vote today to allow him to carry after a motion of censure. And that most councillors are, like Hulse, declining to share their position in advance of today's meeting. And that the five councillors proposing the motion of no confidence won't have any luck.
But before that we find out:
The overwhelming majority of hundreds of responses to the editorial have backed the Herald, which is believed to be the first time the newspaper has called on a city mayor to resign.
There's even actually a count of how many commenters on the Herald site and Facebook page thought Brown should. That must have been a fun job for the junior.
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Extra for irony-lovers: Stuff’s January story about Brown delivering on his promise to establish the council’s register of interests.
Yes, that’s correct. Len Brown pushed through the accountability measure that has undone him. You’d think that might have warranted a line in a report or an editorial. Oddly, no.
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This morning, the Herald decrees that Brown must go because otherwise democray might happen:
Two months on, that sentiment is no longer sustainable. An issue far more important than the mayor's private life is now at stake. Tomorrow, Auckland councillors will not only formally censure Mr Brown but begin a process designed to clip the wings of the mayoral office. If that happens, the Super City may no longer have a leader with the independent authority to drive things forward. The only means of avoiding that outcome is for Mr Brown to resign. He must go in the interests of Auckland and Aucklanders.
This is a very weird argument. Almost as weird as the trite, ham-fisted wordplay in the concluding paragraph:
Some of the prurient details of Mr Brown's affair with Ms Chuang probably ought to have been censored. He is about to be censured by the city's councillors. Now, it is surely time for him to come to his senses - and go.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to Craig Young,
but misuse of council funds does render the issue more serious
The total of which is making personal calls on his work phone. Which no one ever does, clearly.
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Hard News: We need to talk about Len, in reply to wendyf,
Well said, Susan. I don’t think much of his personal behaviour either. But the last few years have cheered me up, watching my old student days’ city shed the will-we-won’t-we return to trolley buses/ open up the harbour front/ celebrate diversity/ disease.
There's a sense that the city is growing up, finding identities, laying plans for the future. It's far from perfect, but the idea of surrendering it all to the likes of Cameron Brewer is extremely dispiriting.