I wasn't going to broach this subject quite so soon but since Bob Harvey, the Mayor of Waitakere City thought he'd campaign on behalf of Sideshow Bob on Q+A this morning, I don't feel I should keep my powder dry until another time.
Twice on Q+A Harvey used the Christchurch earthquake to talk about Parker in glowing terms, even describing him as a 'great mayor'. As an aside, I note that blogger Martyn Bradbury seems to have swallowed Harvey's line as well.
Given that he's languishing far behind Jim Anderton in the polls it was going to take something big to save Sideshow's mayoralty and they don't come any bigger than an earthquake.
It may gave him a bit of temporary 'lift' but I don't think Bob has done anything other than what a mayor would normally be expected to do in circumstances like these.
Indeed from where I'm sitting Civil Defence and the police have put their well-rehearsed plans into action and Bob has largely been the frontman - with his mate John Key by his side for good measure.
But Sideshow has been all over the media while he's been doing it and he's much too calculating a politician not to have recognised that he's been provided with an unexpected opportunity to garner a few more votes.
It's been galling to hear Bob talking about 'our people' as if he's on first-name terms with everyone in Christchurch. These are the same 'our people' who he has consistently trampled on over the last three years.
Of course Bob Parker is genuinely concerned for the welfare of the good people of Christchurch in these very difficult days but we shouldn't let that blind us to his dismal track record as mayor.
Some may regard this post as churlish but I'm only pointing out that Bob's backers won't be slow in coming forward to hail Bob's 'leadership abilities'.
Will it be enough to save his mayoralty?
I totally agree . This DOES sound churlish but I did have visions of Parker waking to an earthquake and punching the air and yelling " YES!!!!! "
ReplyDeleteKey and Carter are certainly working hard to Canonise the guy ... sticking close, praising him at every opportunity , they REALLY do want to keep their grasp on Canterbury's water don't they ?
It's not likely to save him if photos of the white-jacketed waiters carrying silver platters of tasty nibbles to the council workers in the CCC Lichfield St call-centre become public! Three times a day they are in and out, through the cordons, making sure that while the common-folk out on the streets in the hard-hats are wondering where they can find a toilet, the CCC staff will never go without morning and afternoon tea. It has been quite surreal to watch how the other half live.
ReplyDeleteI'm also betting Marryatt is rubbing his hands with glee at the funds he can imagine CCC skimming off the top of all rebuilding work over the next year or two! Fees for this, fees for that ....