OPINION: Jordan Williams got quoted extensively by the idiot media on friday as a result of a APNZ newswire. As a spokesperson for the self appointed “Taxpayer’s Union” he has placed himself into the idiot level with this statement on the Auckland city council ordered audit of the Mayoral office.
However, the Taxpayers’ Union questioned why the council was not taking steps to recover the full amount.
“The councillors who have let Mr Brown off the hook for at least $200,000 need to explain how it is fair that ratepayers pick up most of the tab,” union executive director Jordan Williams said.
Is he actually a lawyer? He appears to have no understanding of the legal position of having one body (the council) doing an unbudgeted and unexpected audit on another body (the mayoral office) for what appears to have been purely political purposes.
As I understand the poorly written and thought through acts setting up the Auckland super city, I can’t see any authority for the council even being able to run this kind of unscheduled audit anyway. The ACT party through their representative Rodney Hide, the minister of local government at the time, produced some bad legislation that gave the mayoral office far too much power. It also wasted a colossal amount of ratepayers money in Auckland restructuring to a daft model and will continue to do so for a decade or more to come.
The apparent reason for Rodney Hide’s almost complete rewriting of the Royal Commission’s recommendations was to produce a city that was easy for people with money (like the mostly anonymous backers of ACT) to win control of a powerful mayoralty and have a small compliant council elected by money. Unfortunately (for them) Aucklanders overwhelming voted twice against that model to the immense disgust of the ACT infiltrated C&R political grouping – originally called “Citizens and Ratepayers“.
But it is all part of an old scam that has been run by the right in NZ for years. Plug the word “taxpayers” or “ratepayers” into a lobby group for the extremely wealthy and you can drag in a pile of suckers resentful of their supposed victimisation by direct income taxes. Somehow when any group with those words in the name talks about taxes, they somehow manage to forget all of the indirect taxes that make up the other half of personal taxation.
Taxes like tariffs, consumption taxes like GST, taxes like vehicle registration, etc etc all of which as a percentage of income fall overwhelmingly on those with lower incomes. They have a lot fewer choices about having to pay them because of what they have to purchase. Somehow none of the “Taxpayer” groups ever manage to look at any taxes except those that impact the wealthy.
But then when you start looking at the people involved in these types of organisations, it often seems that it is like the shuffling pea game. The same people keep popping up with different labels.
Since Jordan Williams hasn’t laid out his other associations, I’ll just lay out the few that I’m aware of.
In addition to fronting for the front of the “Taxpayers Union”, he also works as a lawyer for Franks & Ogilvie. The Franks part is Stephen Franks commonly known as an ex-MP for the ACT party – originally the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers when it started as a rapacious businessman’s lobby group in the 1990s.
He has fronted for several political lobby groups over the years – invariably those promoting the right of the right causes. Notably the recent Shirtcliffe/Lusk campaign against MMP and the coup in ACT when Don Brash shafted Rodney Hide. Both were ultimately miserable failures.
He was also the lawyer for Cameron Slater last year for a defamation case. The decision was released in late September. Last year also Cameron “exposed” the Len Brown affair after leaks from the John Palino campaign (managed by his father) in early October.
Given Jordan Williams’ previous track record as “a paid political mouthpiece” for the right was he involved with the attack on Len Brown? If so, Jordan Williams should disclose his involvement and associations. Having Jordan Williams popping up under the mantle of a “Taxpayers union” getting his opinions about Len Brown’s actions, just looks like an operator lifting the lid in a shell game.
For a journalist to be bothered asking them for their opinion shows a distinct lack of knowledge.
But hell, this self-proclaimed “representative” for the Auckland ratepayer lives in Wellington… That should have been the first tip off even if they didn’t know Jordan Williams’s background.
Brilliant research and analysis, Lynn!
Thanks for reminding us, and enlightening us, on Mr Jordan Williams, and what he really stands for!
Yes, I saw that clown and two of his female accomplices at a public meeting before last general election, where they were holding up their signs against MMP.
Now he tries to get “official” acknowledgment for leading the Taxpayer’s Union, a bizarre organisation claiming to represent the interests of tax payers in New Zealand.
I presume the idea came from the NTU in the USA:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Taxpayers_Union
The NZ version: http://taxpayers.org.nz/
Here the key persons behind it:
http://taxpayers.org.nz/pages/who-we-are
“We are New Zealanders who have formed a union to stand up for hardworking New Zealand taxpayers. We represent the common interests of all taxpayers. We want to become New Zealand’s largest union.”
“We are not a political party, and we don’t represent big business or special interests. As at the time of launch all of our donations have been from individuals.”
Take note of the CO FOUNDER, David Farrar, who also runs Kiwiblog, yeah right, not representing special interests, he surely is not, is he???
It sounds a bit too, like many “media personalities”, who on radio, television and in print and online media so often now claim they are “independent” and not politically aligned or party members. Yeah right again, we know who we are talking about, the ones that say such things, and straight after run down opposition politicians and parties, while John Key gets away with almost anything.
No surprise then that the NZ Taxpayer’s Union gets to much “ear” and coverage by the media.
Wakey, wakey, New Zealanders, you are NO LONGER living in a true democracy, you are being taken for a ride 24/7, by such pseudo official, pseudo “independent” organisations and agencies.
Add that to the many “expert” opinions drummed into us by trading bank “economists”, by “political commentators” like Pagani and Mike Williams supposedly representing “the left”, and what else goes on. There is no balance wherever you look – only endless hidden interests and networks, all over the show!
Here’s something more important to chew on Lynn. If LB had done the right thing and resigned when this whole sordid business first came to light, we most likely wouldn’t be paying for his indiscretions now.
IV
The $200k is not for the indiscretions themselves, but rather; “an unbudgeted and unexpected audit on another body (the mayoral office) for what appears to have been purely political purposes”.
Learn to read before commenting.
“an unbudgeted and unexpected audit on another body (the mayoral office) for what appears to have been purely political purposes”…which was only necessary because of the mayors own indiscretions.
Here is something for you to chew on. Having a wet dick isn’t a crime. Otherwise Cameron Slater would have long since been jailed.
We have laws for a reason, they define the actual bounds of unacceptable behaviour in society. They also limit moral hysterics like yourself from taking illegal actions. You are just a member of the ‘moral’ minority, a group that in my experience is more noted by hypocrisy than consistency.
The point about the audit was that there was no evidence of any illegal impropriety in anything that Len did before or after the audit.
Perhaps you should look at exactly how perverted you are in terms of society…. You appear to be a pantie-sniffer to me.
“Having a wet dick isn’t a crime. Otherwise Cameron Slater would have long since been jailed.”
Slater didn’t stand for mayor trumpeting his family values now did he?
Who said anything about ‘morals’? This is about bad judgement, plain and simple. Aside from the fact that LB deceived his wife and the people of Auckland for 2 years, he displayed incredibly bad judgement in both the affair itself and the way it was conducted. If that’s the standard of judgement (and integrity) he displays in his private life, then we don’t want him as mayor.
“The point about the audit was that there was no evidence of any illegal impropriety in anything that Len did before or after the audit.”
There didn’t have to be. Even a suggestion of impropriety is enough to warrant an investigation, for the sake of the office of the mayor and LB’s mayoralty itself.
oh yes – the “right wing rent a mob” in council did it all because they care so much for LBs mayoralty
puh-lease
its funny – pretty much everyone can accept that len made a bad call – but the fact that some people cant separate that issue and the other issue of a dirty tricks campaign using rate payer money for their own ends is somewhat stupid
So you’re saying that when a mayor has been outed as having an affair with a council staffer, when there is a suggestion of financial impropriety in the conducting of that affair, that there should be NO investigation?
And would you hold that same view if the mayor was from the centre right?
umm… didnt say that did i
what is it with people like you who invent shadows to jump at?
im saying you cant ignore who the players are and that the actions of LB and the actions of the palino/slater team are two separate but linked issues
we know a lot about the people involved, especially lusk, slater and williams – we know they have a proud history or below the belt tactics – you can ignore these known factors if you want – but it will just make you look silly
i would also note that across several of your comments your flip flopping from claiming its a morals issue to claiming its a legal issue and back again
1. Can you show me where I have described this as either a moral or a legal issue. I have made it very clear that this is an issue of judgement, something LB lacks in spades.
2. You are running the line that the review was nothing more than an exercise in politics by LB’s political rivals. I asked you a simple question, do you think there should not have a been a review?
I await your answers.
“Slater didn’t stand for mayor trumpeting his family values now did he?”
morals
“hen there is a suggestion of financial impropriety in the conducting of that affair, that there should be NO investigation?”
legal
okay – i now all about the idea of perception is as important as anything else
“You are running the line that the review was nothing more than an exercise in politics by LB’s political rivals”
again – i didnt say that! Im being pretty clear that we cant ignore the players invovled. WHO is doing what is just as important as what is happening.
If you cant see beyond a limited black and white version of life then thats your problem not mine. Wont hold my breath for you to recognise that theres more to this than the single facet your obsessed with
@ IV;
Sure. Happy to assist you, IV.
I refer you to your comment at February 11, 2014 at 12:34 pm;
That reference to ‘deception’ was a “moral” judgement, to be sure.
You’re welcome.
By the way, IV, this is not one jot to do with “bad judgement”. Otherwise you should be commenting on John Banks, John Key, Hekia Parata, Steven Joyce, et al.
They’ve exhibited enough “bad judgement” for several lifetimes.
No, this is about you and your ilk exploiting Brown’s personal life for your own political gain.
Because really, if it was such a big deal, you would’ve mentioned certain former National Party leaders for their extra-marital affair(s).
You illustrate the hypocrisy of the Right Wing so beautifully.
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