If you're not backing Sideshow Bob you're blocking the Christchurch earthquake recovery process! That's the crazy talk of Earthquake Recovery Minister, Gerry Brownlee.In an astonishing attack on local democracy, Earthquake Recovery Minister Gerry Brownlee has attacked certain Christchurch City councillors for supposedly holding up the earthquake recovery process.
He claims that 'several people' have asked him to sack certain councillors although Brownlee conveniently neglects to tell us who these 'several people' are. Mrs Brownlee and family perhaps?
Although Brownlee hasn't got the guts to come out and say who he is attacking, we all know its the councillors (many of them Labour-aligned) who have decided to do their jobs and represent the interests of their communities - and not simply be Sideshow Bob's pet poodles like Sue Wells, Barry Corbett and Ngaire Button (and who are all, like Sideshow Bob, supporters of the National Party).
Sideshow Bob has, not surprisingly, failed to defend the councillors under attack from his mate. Sideshow has never stood up to Brownlee and he's not about to start now - especially when he's expecting something 'special' in the New Years Honours list.
In fact Sideshow has come out in support of Brownlee's comments, declaring that "This is not a time to be embarking on Don Quixote political exercises, and there's a bit of that going on.' You're guess is as good as mine as to what Sideshow Bob is talking about here but once again it reveals his lack of loyalty to the entire council - and not just his flunkeys.
This is a politically driven attack on Sideshow Bob's political opponents by Brownlee who is dishonestly trying to portray the councillors as slowing the quake recovery process when they are simply doing the jobs they were elected to do.
As Councillor Tim Carter has said: 'Delays should be avoided, but this did not mean supporting the mayor unconditionally'.
Of course Sideshow Bob is not known for respecting the democratic process so he may like the idea of the council turning into a simple rubber-stamp operation, where he and Tony Marryatt can get on and make all the major decisions without having to consult anyone else. And Mussolini got the trains to run on time as well...
Remember the words of former Hamilton Mayor David Braithwaite, who described Marryatt as having "created an environment of fear and bullying" in his time as that City's Council CEO. Or of anti-Marryatt business lobby spokesman Mike Dormer on his group's concerns over Marryatt's propensity to undermine CERA chief Roger Sutton:
ReplyDelete"If Roger tries to get things done, they won't get done, because he [Marryatt] has a record of delaying things or tipping them up."
It's pretty obvious that Brownlee doesn't want Sutton to perform beyond overseeing the restoration of basic infrastructure, and to act as 'nice guy' window dressing for his brand of rampant cronyism. The rest, thanks to a cowed and fawning media, is so damned murky that rumours flourish like maggots.
Keep ya fat greedy fingers off our council gerry ! They may be crap but they're OUR crap .
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