"I THINK YOU'RE IN THE REALMS OF FANTASY AGAIN HERE JONES"

JONES

Shane Jones has always been an embarrassment. His stint with the Fifth Labour Government was marred by controversy. He got himself in bother over the use of a Crown credit card and made a mess of a Chinese businessman's citizenship application. He failed in his bid for leadership of the Labour Party and later jumped ship to New Zealand First. As eighth on the list he managed to get into the coalition government and holds the portfolios of Infrastructure, Forestry and Regional Economic Development. I'm interested in his role as it effects Northland and am hanging out for improvements to rail and roading for the area. I won't hold my breath for development of the port though and time is running out for the coalition and for this guy.

He's one of those people who thinks that he's smarter than he actually is. and has a high opinion of himself. Winston Peters and Jacinda Ardern both need to keep him in check and I guess give him a telling off behind closed doors.

Last month the PM had to give him a lecture on electioneering and appropriate use of position over comments he made in a speech to the forestry industry in Northland. She told him to take a break and to read the 'Cabinet Manual' while he was away.

"Minister Jones is about to take a short break over the [two-week Parliament] recess and we've agreed that he'll take the Cabinet manual with him," Ardern said at her post-Cabinet press conference.

The Cabinet manual states that ministers are responsible for ensuring that no conflict exists or appears to exist between their personal interests and their public duty.


Now, instead of reading the 'Cabinet Manual' Jones, while on holiday somewhere in Asia was photographed firing an AR-15 – one of the guns banned in New Zealand after the March 15 terror attacks.

While not illegal to do this outside of New Zealand it shows that Jones is tone deaf in the extreme. PM Ardern hasn't censured him but said:

"Would I have done it? Absolutely not," 

"But the most important thing for me is that that Minister Jones supports what this Government has done, and he does."

Jones, along with all NZ First MPs, voted in favour of the law which banned most semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines in New Zealand earlier this year.

Winston Peters, predictable chose not to censure Jones either but instead to go on the attack against the media for reporting the story.

What's wrong with this guy? He is a senior member of the government and is in a position of power and influence. Sure he's entitled to have a holiday and to have a bit of 'fun' while he's away but, given the atrociousness  of the very recent Christchurch mosque shootings, the fact that the perpetrator is yet to be prosecuted, and the fact that guns like the AR-15 are prime on the ban list you'd think that this buffoon would have thought better. Obviously not.