A sobering reflection on Aaron Gilmore's refusal to resign

You know who else refused to go quietly when his time was up?

Adolf Hitler.

Could it be happening all over again?

More dirt from Aaron Gilmore's past emerges

A dinosaur, a dragon, and Aaron Gilmore.
Only one of these is a monster.

More shocking revelations have emerged today about embattled National Party list MP Aaron Gilmore.

In the latest dramatic twist, a man has told Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking that Gilmore once told him he would no longer be his friend.

In defence of Aaron Gilmore

 Attendees gather for the "Bottom of the National Party
List" annual picnic

Well he didn't kill anyone.

Actually, that's all I have. I'm empty. Can anyone help me with this post?

An apology

Aaron Gilmore is sorry that John Key is trying to muscle in on this picture

I just want to say that I have apologised for any offence anyone took from the behaviour of my group on Saturday night.

A day in the life of Aaron Gilmore, MP

3:21 pm

What a great day for a few drinks and a nice meal with some friends, after another tough week at the office.

I’ve crammed a lot of amazing things into my 39 years of living, but nothing is more important that spending time with friends and family. Saving the world can wait a few hours.

Charismatic humanitarian returns to Parliament

The retirement of Lockwood Smith from politics has allowed former MP Aaron Gilmore to return to Parliament.

Gilmore was an MP between 2008 and 2011. Although not a household name, Gilmore made a huge impact during his time in Parliament.

Effective Representation, Not Politicking

There's not much about the Christchurch earthquake that has got me really angry. The dominant emotional response has been sadness and despair.

But I reached boiling point when I listened to an interview on National Radio tonight with a couple of National MPs.

The radio clip is here, and part-way through it (about 12-13 minutes I think) National MP Aaron Gilmore is interviewed. He accuses Labour MPs of politicking over the earthquake, and says 80-90% of people are happy with the compensation packages being offered by the Government to those in the red zone, before concluding that many of the rest of them probably wouldn't be happy with anything offered. His tone is dismissive, as if people who've lost their homes should just be quiet and stop whingeing.

He then goes on to explain why, based on the average rateable value in 2007, the package is a good one. The trouble with that is the fact that for many people the property value before the 2010 earthquake was likely to be significantly higher than the 2007 value. There will be losers with the package being offered, and to pretend otherwise is insensitive.

Gilmore then bleats because "politicking" by Labour has forced the announcement of the Government's package to be bought forward. Well diddums. I would have thought that was if anything a good example of MPs working hard for the benefit of their constituents.

Let us hope that Mr Gilmore remains at best a list MP. From what I've heard he's clearly not fit to represent the folk of Christchurch East.

Unjustly accusing your opponents of politicking is itself politicking. I've not seen evidence that any of Labour's Christchurch MPs have played politics over the earthquake recovery, and I doubt any of them would be stupid enough to do so. What they have done is give a voice to the enormous sense of frustration and anger many people are feeling, firstly over the lack of information being provided by government agencies, and secondly over the problems with the Government's compensation package. These problems are real.

Finally A Fantasy Story That Doesn't Involve The Hobbit

John Key has said there is a risk that other fantasists might be lurking within the public service, after an official investigation into the appointment of Stephen Wilce determined that he should not have been appointed.

Never mind the public service. Key need only look at his own caucus to find a CV fantasist. 

When is Aaron Gilmore going to resign?

Don't Blame The Help

There's nothing I dislike more than when someone blames the staff for their own wrongdoing.

From the Herald:

National list MP Aaron Gilmore says the Parliamentary Service is responsible for an error that credited him with a high-level finance-sector qualification he does not have in a CV posted on his Parliament web page.

Until yesterday, Mr Gilmore was listed as a member of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute.

Last week, however, the institute told the Herald that was incorrect.

Mr Gilmore said the error was introduced when someone at the Parliamentary Service wrote the biographical material for the page.

"I've never been a member of the CFA institute. I've been studying towards membership and that's what I've always said and that's what my CV says."

He described the error, which he had corrected yesterday, as "a cock-up by somebody else".

An unlikely story. I can't see why or how Parliamentary Service would have created a membership of the organisation when one didn't exist.

A spokesman said the Parliamentary Service did not discuss matters affecting individual MPs but biographical information about MPs published on its website was supplied by them and approved by them as correct.

So in other words, it seems likely that Mr Gilmore approved the CV that was posted online. Not the fault of Parliamentary Service at all then. It could just be carelessness on the part of Gilmore (though surely he should know which organisations he belongs to), or it could be something else.

Mr Gilmore's online CV still makes the current claim about one of his supposed qualifications:

Postgraduate Diploma (Accounting), Massey University (75% complete)

How can you claim to have even part of a diploma when you haven't completed it? You don't get any part of the diploma until you complete the course. If you pull out half-way through they don't get a certificate out, cut it in half with a pair of scissors and then say "oh well, at least we can give you this bit."

This ludicrous CV entry does taint his claim that that the CV error was unintentional.

If I had time I'd like to look at all of the MPs' CVs to see if anyone else is making statements about having part-finished qualifications. I suspect Gilmore may not be the only one.