Thursday 2 May 2013

One gay rainbow does not a mayoralty make

It’s astonishing how quickly Maurice Wimpianson’s star has risen. From a bumbling politician sacked by his leader and unsure which way is up to a man everyone wants to talk up. It seems one big gay rainbow and the charming inability to pronounce the word “celibacy” was enough to give him delusions of adequacy, catapulting him to international fame and, now, a tilt at the Auckland mayoralty.

The only good thing about that is that i she he won he would leave parliament.  That’s the only good thing.

Why do I say that? Well, as I see it the biggest problem facing Auckland is not making it liveable—it’s already that—it’s making it affordable.  And as Building Minister for the last five years, Maurice’s every act—from licensing builders to his “guarantee regime” to banning D.I.Y. to over-complicating the ever-growing Gordian knot of building regulations—has driven housing costs and building costs higher. Deliberately. He took the leaky home issue and as minister proceeded to make it worse by using it as an excuse to corral builders, designers, Tom Cobley and all into what amounts to compulsory state unions. (Not to mention how, as Transport Minister, he imposed on us his lifetime licence and waffled airily before the 2008 election about imposing $50-a-week tolls on drivers.)

Maurice is a one-speech wonder. If he’s your answer, then Len Brown must be a hell of a question.

4 comments:

Ruth said...

Williamson has done absolutely nothing for East Auckland in all the years he has been an MP.

The leaky buildings all over East Auckland were ignored, as were the transport problems ie Eastern Corridor.

He really is like the Jonathan Hunt of my youth in New Lynn. Safe seat. Do nothing.

Looks like his 'Ellen' date may have been cancelled, so You Tube is his 15 minutes of fame, which he will continue to milk.

Anonymous said...

Be nice to Maurice, every dog has his day and that day was as good as it will get.

Peter Cresswell said...

@Anonymous: Nice? You just called him a dog. You dog.

@Ruth: Subcontractors renovating Maurice's own Pakuranga house talk very highly of him however. Apparently his complete ignorance of what's going on with it allowed several to become independently wealthy at his expense.

Verla said...

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