This afternoon, Local Government Minister Rodney Hide and his loyal squire, John "Sancho Panza" Carter, ride into Auckland trying to sell the latest "improvements" they've made to the Super City legislation.
If they're expecting to win our hearts and minds with a few tinkerings to the draft legislation, they might as well just saddle up and ride straight back out of town.
Their only chance of a good reception is if they were to stand up and admit the whole revolution from the top being imposed on Auckland is a huge mistake and is off, and that by way of apology they're pledging $400 million for a national convention centre in the central business district for putting us through all this trouble.
Our troubles so far are nothing compared to the political backlash the National and Act parties are risking if they continue to rile a third of country's voters by persevering with this experiment.
Disillusion is already widespread. This month, a Herald-Digipoll survey showed only 32.8 per cent of Aucklanders thought the new city would be a better place to live in if the reforms took place, compared to 48.5 per cent who said it wouldn't.
Just on 53 per cent said a single council would be worse for them personally, compared to 32 per cent who thought it would be better.
This widespread scepticism is reflected across the political spectrum.
In February, Regional Council chairman Mike Lee declared: "Aucklanders have been bilked. Most of the powers of the present local government in Auckland will be devolved to unelected, unaccountable council controlled organisations - no doubt to be stacked with the usual businessmen."
Equally critical has been his right-wing political rival, ARC deputy chairman Michael Barnett. Though chief executive of business lobby group the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, Mr Barnett complains that Auckland will end up with Government appointees driving the city as opposed to a council giving effect to the vision of the mayor and the Auckland Council.
Ratepayers and current political leaders are not the only ones turned off by the proposed reforms. So, it appears, are the new leaders who were supposed to emerge to take us into the brave new era of world-class city status.
With just over four months before the ballot papers go out, only two heads have popped up as candidates for the mayoralty. Neither are newcomers. One's a recycled cabinet minister cum recycled mayor, the other a first-time mayor with a touch of the evangelist.
As for contenders for the 20 key positions of councillor, each representing as many voters as an MP, early indications are that we're going to be asked to choose from a selection of the more venerable and assertive of the region's current councillors.
I hasten to say I'm not against either age or experience - in my position, that would be a foolhardy stance to take.
But once again, the new blood that proponents of reform were pushing as an incentive for radical change seems hard to spot.
My guess is this new blood is not stupid and is just biding its time.
If 75 per cent of Auckland's services and most of the cash is going to be controlled by the unelected and unaccountable CCOs, why would you put yourself through all the time, effort and expense of standing for an elected position, which you mightn't win anyway, when the real power lay elsewhere.
Better to get your political cronies to appoint you to the board of one of the seven CCOs which are going to run the place anyway.
Today, the two ministers are expected to try to win hearts and minds by announcing changes to the legislation to emphasise the CCOs' accountability to the elected council. This misses the point.
As for the 21 local boards which are supposed to ensure the "local" remains part of Auckland local government, their powers and linkages with the council and the CCOs are still a matter of mystery.
Unless these are specified in legislation - and we're told not to expect that this afternoon - they risk being as vestigial as the tuatara's third eye.
Of course, as I suggested to begin with, there's another option - to say whoops, sorry, all a mistake, and ride out of town while we're all too busy cheering to notice.
Who knows, we might even forgive them.
<i>Brian Rudman:</i> Stop tinkering just drop the whole idea
Cartoon / Peter Bromhead
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