John Tamihere: Jones tested the system - and failed

Shane Jones had built a large number of MPs supporting him as a future leader of the Labour Party. Photo / Northern Advocate

Opinion

As a previous minister, the normal course of ministerial conduct is you always have your private secretary organise all travel and accommodation. In that regard, everything is charged back. The requirement for use of the ministerial card, therefore, should be limited.

When reaching for the card to pay a specific expense, we all make a clear determination as to what card that expense should be charged to. The net result of the recent disclosures shows not just a lack of judgment, but something now looking like gaming the system - because you know you're waiting to be scrutinised and if you get through the scrutiny, you have beaten the system.

This is where Shane Jones, Chris Carter and company have failed miserably - not on a call of judgment, but on a call of standards and ethics.

The problem Mr Jones has is that he had, firstly, a clean skin up until now. Secondly, we know he had built up a large number of MPs in caucus supporting him as a likely successor to Phil Goff once the 2008 election was lost.

Mr Jones has a crossover of skills. He is fluent in Maori and Pakeha, he comes from a business background, has a masters degree in public policy from Harvard and has been a senior advisor to ministers on both sides of the house. We now know that he is a repeat and serial watcher of pornography by himself in his own room.

The women's division of the Labour Party will never forgive this. They are powerful and they cross over the gay division and the union division of the party. He will likely be demoted from the front bench and his ability to survive in politics full-stop is yet to be seen.

* Former Labour Cabinet minister John Tamihere is a talkback host on Radio Live.