As the Minister for Resources, Shanes Jones is happy to declare that he’s on the side of the mining companies, proclaiming that no one “should doubt that I am the megaphone of industry in this government.”
Great read thanks Bryce and very good work by David Williams spotting the missing entry in the first place. Let's hope he maintains his eagle eye as the NZ public of course need to know about what our elected politicians are up especially those such as Shane Jones who appears to think that he is above all the mundane rigmarole and can just please himself as to what he does. Is he really that popular?
I wrote about it when the scandal first emerged. And then this week further information came out about just how much the mining meetings were orchestrated, so I wrote more given that it is such a good case study about (lack of) integrity and transparency, and the powerful role of vested interests in politics. I hope you liked it.
Thanks for this longer piece laying out the saga to date - Jones has proven himself to be a loose canon & a stranger to good governance in his past iterations in other political parties before a desperate NZ First took him on board. I have known of him for decades, & have learned not to trust anything he says that is not backed up by evidence that would stand up in a Court of law. I support MMP, but sometimes it gives minor parties & their accidental Cabinet Ministers outsized power in relation to their actual electorate base of voters, and some, like Jones, choose to abuse that. (Don't get me started on Seymour!)
Wake up and smell the roses Bryce, we are now July and all the media can focus on is an unrecorded diary entry that occurred 6 months ago. This reminds me of a class tattler, surely there are bigger issues to focus on..
"Bigger issues" than possible public corruption of a govt Minister? And one article on a site you obviously chose to follow is hardly "all the media can focus on", given ALL the other articles all the other media are producing every day on completely different subjects, although personally I find this behaviour from Jones not unexpected given his past behaviours & utterances while part of several other political parties with whom he parted ways due to .... ????
The "unrecorded diary entry" would only be a "cock-up" if transparency & honesty about the meeting & discussions followed the fact of it's omission from the legally required public record had followed - so keep it up media! The public need to know what back room meetings & possible deals our elected representatives are involved in with OUR resources & climate change futures.
I agree Keith. For goodness sakes, let the man get on and get the industry rolling again. He's been elected, sit back and trust. If he hadn't asked the mining reps to pay for their own dinner, everyone would have been upset about tax dollars been spent on them. He can't win. Let him do his job!
"His job" is to act in the interests of the people of Aotearoa - NOT in the interests of whomever he is having secret meetings with and/or his personal wants & wishes. He & his party were "elected" by a tiny minority of voters as a power-sharing coalition partner to enable National to govern. Jones has no mandate from the NZ electorate
"Our economy" did one of the best around the globe coming out of COVID - actions taken by NACT1st since have caused the current problems by reversing policies that were working, & now we have record numbers heading overseas to work rather than stay here. "Trust"??? I know Jones of old & wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, & I am kinda small compared to him - I trust him to be untrustworthy & he doesn't disappoint!
I call his party "Corruption First". Thanks for another great read, Bryce.
Great read thanks Bryce and very good work by David Williams spotting the missing entry in the first place. Let's hope he maintains his eagle eye as the NZ public of course need to know about what our elected politicians are up especially those such as Shane Jones who appears to think that he is above all the mundane rigmarole and can just please himself as to what he does. Is he really that popular?
Very interesting revelations! Thank you Bryce!
Another job for Mr Luxon - disciplining Mr Jones?
Looks like he's been on a good paddock ... must be all those unreported dinners.
'in the middle of nowhere' - I thought he was a champion of the provinces?
This is such old news! Why the delay in writing about it?
I wrote about it when the scandal first emerged. And then this week further information came out about just how much the mining meetings were orchestrated, so I wrote more given that it is such a good case study about (lack of) integrity and transparency, and the powerful role of vested interests in politics. I hope you liked it.
Thanks for this longer piece laying out the saga to date - Jones has proven himself to be a loose canon & a stranger to good governance in his past iterations in other political parties before a desperate NZ First took him on board. I have known of him for decades, & have learned not to trust anything he says that is not backed up by evidence that would stand up in a Court of law. I support MMP, but sometimes it gives minor parties & their accidental Cabinet Ministers outsized power in relation to their actual electorate base of voters, and some, like Jones, choose to abuse that. (Don't get me started on Seymour!)
Wake up and smell the roses Bryce, we are now July and all the media can focus on is an unrecorded diary entry that occurred 6 months ago. This reminds me of a class tattler, surely there are bigger issues to focus on..
"Bigger issues" than possible public corruption of a govt Minister? And one article on a site you obviously chose to follow is hardly "all the media can focus on", given ALL the other articles all the other media are producing every day on completely different subjects, although personally I find this behaviour from Jones not unexpected given his past behaviours & utterances while part of several other political parties with whom he parted ways due to .... ????
The "unrecorded diary entry" would only be a "cock-up" if transparency & honesty about the meeting & discussions followed the fact of it's omission from the legally required public record had followed - so keep it up media! The public need to know what back room meetings & possible deals our elected representatives are involved in with OUR resources & climate change futures.
I agree Keith. For goodness sakes, let the man get on and get the industry rolling again. He's been elected, sit back and trust. If he hadn't asked the mining reps to pay for their own dinner, everyone would have been upset about tax dollars been spent on them. He can't win. Let him do his job!
"His job" is to act in the interests of the people of Aotearoa - NOT in the interests of whomever he is having secret meetings with and/or his personal wants & wishes. He & his party were "elected" by a tiny minority of voters as a power-sharing coalition partner to enable National to govern. Jones has no mandate from the NZ electorate
We need to fix our economy. He's the right man to make a good start at that. Just trust...
"Our economy" did one of the best around the globe coming out of COVID - actions taken by NACT1st since have caused the current problems by reversing policies that were working, & now we have record numbers heading overseas to work rather than stay here. "Trust"??? I know Jones of old & wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him, & I am kinda small compared to him - I trust him to be untrustworthy & he doesn't disappoint!