SIDESHOW BOB AND THE 'HOUSE OF HORRORS'

Yes, when there's an opportunity to raise his media profile, Mayor Sideshow Bob Parker is not slow in coming forward.

His announcement that the Christchurch City Council might buy what the media have labelled the 'House of Horrors' (a none too subtle reference to the Yorkshire Ripper) appears to have been made on the hoof.

Sideshow's inclination to make announcements and then tell his councillors afterwards about it, is a common Bob trait.

It's news to many councillors that 'they' are thinking of buying the Aranui house where two bodies were found buried in the basement.

They are merely onlookers as Sideshow Bob appears all over the national media expressing his concern for the needs of the local community. It's the 'caring and sharing' Sideshow Bob!

Remember, this is the same Sideshow Bob who tried to put up council rents a massive 24 percent last year. Bob and his cronies clearly have an agenda to sell off council housing stock so its ironic that he now wants to buy a house.

But its for a good cause after all - boosting Mayor Bob's re-election chances.

Sideshow Bob was also instrumental in formulating plans to cut council funding to community groups. The Christchurch City Council is proposing to cut $30m in real terms from its community grants funding over the next ten years. Not a whole lot of 'community concern' displayed here either from Mayor Sideshow Bob.

Given that the Aranui state house hasn't a future and runs the risk of being vandalised or worse, then something will have to be done about it. But it's also ironic that Sideshow Bob who has also shown an inclination to try and offload much of the responsibility for social housing on to central government, is now keen as mustard to see the Christchurch City Council play a direct social role by purchasing a state house and redeveloping the property.