National MPs and ministers have been debating for some time what to do about the "Auckland Problem". Impatience with the Auckland Council and the lack of progress on issues which create nationwide headaches has been growing, and there is equal frustration at the performance of right-leaning councillors. Labour and National have shied away from direct links with local body politics, but the unified Auckland Council is becoming too big to ignore. Senior National Party members are now leaning towards an informal association with selected candidates, who would get campaign assistance in exchange for working on like-minded policies. There is still some debate about whether this might extend to backing a mayoral candidate. National's Maurice Williamson has been touted as a possible contender, but he might be more of a maverick in dealing with the government than Labour's Phil Goff.
Good luck ...
Tourism bosses have their work cut out for them as they continue knocking on doors around Parliament to oppose the new border levy. The Coalition Against Travel Tax is headed by the Tourism Industry Association, and says it will fight the "proposed" tax on people crossing the border. The problem is, the law has been passed, the regulations are being drafted and the Government is factoring the expected revenue into new border security spending. It would take an awesome lobbying effort to turn things around at this late stage.
McCully's secrets
One surprising thing about the Saudi sheep affair is that any material at all was released under the Official Information Act. Foreign Minister Murray McCully's disdain for this law is widely known, and what has been released shows his disregard for process and keeping the Prime Minister and Cabinet colleagues fully informed. Despite ministers standing by McCully in public, privately there is a great deal of disquiet over events and what they were told about them. Still, McCully is in the perfect role to discover lots of urgent business overseas that needs his attention.
