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Wednesday 16 May 2012

Pouring Petrol On A Burning Man

I'm becoming becoming sick and tired of blogging about Regular John, John Banks and Kim Dotcom.  But with  parliament not sitting this week, it's still news.
There's been nothing to change my opinion, yet, and I've come to the conclusion that I should call for a pox on all their houses.  For the following reasons:

  • John Banks is perhaps the most obvious of the three.  His claims of lapses of memory, his evasiveness and obfuscation, his blatant attempts to subvert the spirit of the law and his lack of self-awareness about how immoral his actions are have been picked up by even the dullest of commenters.  John Banks is a joke.
  • Regular John has failed in his duty to properly investigate allegations of improper behaviour by one of his Ministers.  And not just any old improper behaviour, if Banks had been outed for using the services of prostitutes or taking illegal drugs I'd not have cared too much, beyond scoffing at his hypocrisy.  But his indiscretions have struck at the heart of the foundations of our society, and by failing to take a cautious approach, Mr Key has failed every single one of us.
  • Kim Dotcom's behaviour is quite outrageous.  He is, at one level, attempting to bring down a democratically elected government.  Now I won't pretend I like our present government; I hold a strong dislike for them.  And I won't pretend that I believe that there are never good grounds to try to bring down a democratically elected government, there are a range of good grounds.  Kim Dotcom is operating at the edge of one of those good grounds.  The principle of supporting democracy requires me to examine whether an attack on a democratically elected government is also an attack on democracy.  In this case, and I look forward to seeing how it develops*, I believe Kim Dotcom's actions could weaken our democracy.  I do not hold to the truism that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

*We have most certainly not heard the last of Kim Dotcom and John Banks.  Over the next few days, weeks and maybe months, more and more will leak out.  Mr Banks is the burning man, as mickeysavage pointed out (great photo mickey), Mr Dotcom is pouring the petrol.  The fire will consume Mr Banks and unless it is extinguished, it will also consume this government.  Before its time, but not before time.

Paul Kelly - Hidden Things, 1992

2 comments:

  1. Actually I think Kim Dotcom should be given a knighthood, his $50,000 might be the best spent money in politics ever - It shows what cheap naive and grasping leadership we have and how stupid arrogant and venal they can be and none more grasping and naive than the grasping greedy right wingers.

    The average good investigative reporter would have to spend a life time in the trade and never get close to what Kim DC bought for $50k. And good on Kim for calling his money in once things turned against him - you don't pay protection money to not be protected.

    Go Kim!

    We just need some of the others who have fronted with cash for favours to come out of the undergrowth and parliament will be cleaned up over night.

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  2. Knighthoods are for twats. So, good idea, let's give one to Kim Dotcom, and John Key too.
    If Kim Dotcom was doing this for a good cause I'd be happy to laud him, but it's all about self-interest. And fair enough, no one else seems to want to look out for him. It's all come to light because Mr Banks is a blow-hard and has failed to deliver on his promises, if he'd been as good as his word we are unlikely to have heard anything of this debacle.

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