“I’m sorry,” said Auckland Mayor John Banks yesterday, “It was a mistake for me to suggest that up to 40 percent of the city’s staff could lose their jobs.” Oh, he really didn’t mean it that 2700 council employees will be tossed out when the new Auckland super city is formed? It’s possible that the apology goes some way towards erasing this intentional or otherwise slip of tongue, but try as he might Mayor Banks can’t really take it back. This is because true or not the perception that mass redundancies will follow the seven council merger is now firmly on the agenda.
It’s just not that easy to retract words spoken in the media, as Paul Holmes knows only too well. The veteran broadcaster will be haunted by that ‘cheeky darkie’ reference to the United Nations head Kofi Annan until the end of his days. Christine Rankin too is bearing the brunt of the over-disclosure of her personal affairs. The Prime Minister has effectively put her on notice to stick to the issues of families and child abuse – not her private life. “That’s what I want to hear her talking about and nothing else,” Mr Key said at his post-cabinet press conference yesterday. No grey-area there.
Grey-areas further afield are causing the scandalous unravelling of the British parliament. The situation of MP’s spending has reached crisis point with Commons Speaker Michael Martin becoming the figurehead for the rancour. He has been described as the one “who has been dragging his feet on transparency and greater accountability in the way MP’s receive their expenses.” There are calls for Michael Martin to resign over excessive claiming; even the Queen has expressed disquiet. Not since the 17th century has a Speaker of the House of Westminster been forced out. It appears that the institution and the way its MP’s behave inside it has not kept pace with the current demands of accountability.
Our very own expenditure watchdog Rodney Hide would have a field day with the MP who claimed taxpayer’s coin to have the moat around his castle cleaned.
There are lessons to be learnt here, although long-gone are days of ivory towers and of men-only clubs. Westminster it appears is stuck in a time-warp. It needs to wake up, open the books and allow the public the level of scrutiny it demands. Because simply saying sorry no longer cuts the mustard.