Peter Goodfellow has finally seen the writing on the wall for his presidency but in his usual backroom secret-deal fashion he has announced his resignation just days after nominations for his position closed and, more importantly, has announced that, while he won’t seek the presidency, he wants to hang around like the bad smell coming off the bag of week old Chinese takeaways you left in the inside bin. Maurice Williamson, however, has delivered Goodfellow a swift kick in the balls.
Former National MP Maurice Williamson says National Party president Peter Goodfellow’s retirement announcement after nominations for the party’s board had closed reeks of protecting the “old boys network”.
And Williamson has called for the party to re-open nominations for the National Party board, saying others would have put their names forward had they known earlier.
Goodfellow announced this morning he would retire as president at the party’s annual conference in August – but still intended to seek re-election as board director.
There are three spaces on the board as the terms of Goodfellow, Rachel Bird and Sir Graeme Harrison end, but all three said they were seeking re-election. No other names were put forward by the time nominations closed on June 21. The president is elected by the board after the party’s membership elects the board members.
Williamson said the board should now re-open nominations, saying more people would have put their names forward had Goodfellow’s plans been known.
“A lot of people didn’t put their names forward because, as David Carter has found, it’s impossible to get rid of [Goodfellow]. But they wait until it’s all closed and then ‘Surprise!’
“After nominations closed on June 21 and nobody could do anything about it, he has now declared he’s not seeking to be president any more but is going to stay on the board to ‘give help and guidance’ to whoever the new president is.
“That is just internal self-management of the very worst I’ve ever seen. The straight process of that is shockingly internal management of keeping the old boys network running. Kim Jung Un could learn a thing or two, he really could.”
NZ Herald
Good on ya Maurice, dropping truth bombs and swift kicks to the goolies with gay abandon. Maurice is dead right though. This behaviour has all the hallmarks of patch protection for the good old boys of National. John Key made Peter Goodfellow look good; as soon as Key went, Goodfellow was exposed as the jobsworth president he always was.
A spokesperson for the National Party said nominations will not re-open. Goodfellow said he did not want to respond to Williamson’s comments.
Confirmation of the stitch-up. The word on the street is that Goodfellow resigned because he’s got wind of the embarrassing links to the dodgy Chinese money he has, in light of the forthcoming SFO trial about National’s donations. Links that show the trail of money right the way back to CCP-controlled assets.
But Maurice’s kicks to the nuts just keep on coming.
Williamson also believed Goodfellow should step down altogether rather than stay on the board under a new president. He said it was akin to a chief executive of a company staying on to steer their successor.
“I’m sorry but that doesn’t fit with any organisation. When you’re gone, you should be well and truly gone. It’s like politicians – you’re a rooster today and a feather duster tomorrow.”
He said he had no interest in the role himself. “Oh no, no, no. I’d rather apply for a job as an explosives expert to disarm bombs on the side of the road in Belfast than that. I’ve never sought or want to be involved in the party at that level.”
NZ Herald
Again he’s spot on: Goodfellow should not only step down, he should be tarred and feathered then run out of town on a rail. You can’t lose two elections in a row as president and keep your position. A more humble person would have quietly resigned after that, but not Goodfellow. His hubris knows no bounds.
National Party delegates now know what they have to do. And that is to deselect him from the board.
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