Banks: Dreadlocks equals gridlocks

Auckland City Mayor John Banks has slammed the Green Party for its opposition to Transfund’s announcement today of $300 million for extension of the western SH 20.

“If they believe that the answer to Auckland’s transport problems is more meetings, more reviews and more naval gazing, then let them put up a candidate for the Auckland mayoralty,” said Hon John Banks tonight.

“We have pandered to these Neanderthals for too long. Of course we need maximum environmental mitigation to minimise adverse affects, but to suggest we now need a judical review is ludicrous given the many hoops these projects have been put through.

“I look forward to debating these issues with Keith Locke or ‘Dreadlock’ on the local government election hustings. I trust the Green Party will have the courage of their convictions to publicly test their luddite beliefs come October.

“My mayoralty is committed to motorway network completion for Greater Auckland within 10 years. Today’s announcement brings us a step closer to realising that dream, but once again the Green Party is promoting paralysis.”

Mr Banks said while Auckland needs a substantial investment in modern public transport, the reality is the number of cars in Greater Auckland is set to double in the next 20 years.

“I look forward to hearing what the Green Party’s preferred candidates, Cr Hucker and Mrs Fletcher, have got to say about today’s good news,” Mr Banks said.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>