CUNLIFFE HEAPS THE TUTAE ON JONES

We are with No Minister on this one. The NZ Herald has done a follow up piece on the Bill Liu Scandal Shane Jones passport scandal

We particularly like this bit from Cunliffe - it shows no loyalty to Jones. So, as we have predicted Jones is not going to look good once this investigation is over and its one of the reasons that he was not higher up the food chain when Goff chose his shadow front bench.

Mr Cunliffe would not discuss the case when approached by the Herald before the election but later, under the Official Information Act, the Department of Labour released to the Herald the following passage from Mr Cunliffe's decision: "I have decided that the most appropriate route for this case at this time is for it to continue to be assessed by BSG [Border Security Group - includes fraud and compliance units] as a potential prosecution file. I do not discount the possibility of reconsidering it in the future."

A source close to Mr Cunliffe told the Herald that the minister had erred on the side of natural justice for Mr Liu but was "somewhat surprised" when Mr Jones (delegating for the Internal Affairs minister of the time, Rick Barker), granted Mr Liu citizenship without first discussing it with Mr Cunliffe.

We first read Wisharts piece in Investigate Magazine we I an Wishart kindly let us have a preview and we could see then the story had legs. And we predicted it would be the story that still had to play out this year

And the Herald should have linked to Wisharts story. Fairs fair chaps.

crystal balls

Well if everyone else is doing it we will too.

Our predictions for 2009 are:

Annette King will leave the Labour Party but the exit wont be pretty. The leftys in the lefty party dont like her. And we have heard from more than one quarter that there is a smelly skeleton somewhere.

One of the Maori Party will fall from grace.

The Immigration passport for donation scandal will seriously damage Shane Jones political future.

The international financial crisis will continue to deepen and the tsunami will hit about May.

The Urewera Terror Raids court cases will show that New Zealand has a very nasty core of seriously weird and dangerous individuals.

IS IT THE IMMIGRATION DONATION SCANDAL THATS PRECIPITATING THIS?

MIKE WILLIAMS TIPPED TO RESIGN THIS WEEK. This from stuff

Best story of the week.

WISHART HAS THE HARD COPY ON SHANE JONES SCANDAL

We always knew that there was something in the immigration scandal swirling around Shane Jones that Ian Wishart broke on his new online news paper TGIF. during the election. Our seafood contacts told us there was some crap that wasn't tidy, the day before the story broke and Clark launched an inquiry into the affair to shut it down fast during the election. Then Jones was named as number 12 by Goff - not a real vote of confidence for someone who was once tipped to be the first Maori PM.

TGIF has forwarded Roarprawn a preview of their online edition. Wishart has the goods.

We reckon this has the potential to end Jones career.

SHANE JONES AT 12???

Shane's lack of elevation in the latest line up of Labour's shadow cabinet has the Kumara vine all a twitter. He was once seen as the great brown hope. but he remains mired at number 12.
He did himself no favours over the shower issue either and three years on the opposition benches will bore him shitless.
We also wonder if his lack of elevation past number 12 has anything to do with TGIF tonight and more on the immigration scandal. Of all the stories that Wishart has done - this is the one that has the most legs.

HIVE SAYS WASHINGTON FOR CLARK

We think that this would be an inspired move. She is a lefty, hes a lefty and we know how comfortable she is around Maori - Just ask Tariana. So she wont have any problem dealing with Obama.

And whats this? Jones up to his old tricks - the wily dali maori boy is doing the numbers - no surprise there, anyone of the Maori intelligensia will tell you that backroom politics is Jones forte.
And remember we still have the Bill Liu scandal to play out yet as well.

It is going to be an interesting week.

YANG LIU ROW GOES WIDER - SPOTLIGHT ON SHANE JONES

TVNZ has highlighted the involvement of Shane Jones in this affair - it doesn't surprise the Prawns.

Remember this is what its about

The guts of the story is that Yang Liu has a few passports and lots of money and may have donated to the Labour party and has already been prosecuted in Australia for money offences.

He was granted residency and citizenship by Labour

It appears that the Labour party have frequent fundraising parties at Jade Restaurant in Auckland. ( bloody good restaurant by the way )

A Labour candidate Raymond Huo thought Yang was a bit shifty.

Barker has issued a press release saying an investigation is underway into Yang Liu.

Shane Jones in involved as filled in for Barker because he had a conflict of interest.

And Dover Samuels is up to eyeballs in the scandal.

Seems that everyone visiting Roarprawn today has been using the search words Shane Jones, Yang Liu and immigration.

Bugger all were interested in Rick Barker

And we asked the question around the fishing link between Jones and Liu as well.
The PM has just been interviewed by Guyon Espiner and she says that Jones got advice not to grant the application for Liu and that he did not advise her of the issue.
Which is Helen Clark speak for " You're in deep shit and I'm really pissed off boyo"

And it appears that the Nats MP Pansy Wong was also supportive of his application. So what - she wasn't a Minister and didn't counter the advice of her officials.

Jones isn't taking calls - very odd for the Nga Puhi boy. But his friends will tell you he doesn't like fronting if he is in the crap.

We are glad that an inquiry has been launched - its a murky story and it needs to be sorted.

WHALE AND FARRAR ARE HAVING FUN

Thanks for the bill board guys good effort. Good to see you arent just drinking and oogling .....

now design a teeshirt !


Hat tip Whaleoil and Kiwiblog