Goodbye Len?

Can I be your No2, Tamihere asks Banks
Auckland City Mayor John Banks' campaign team is distancing itself from suggestions of an unusual alliance with former Labour Cabinet minister John Tamihere if Mr Banks wins the mayoral race. Mr Tamihere's team had sounded out Mr Banks' team on the prospects of Mr Tamihere becoming deputy mayor of the new Super City if Mr Banks got the top job, TV3 reported last night.

If Tamihere teamed up with Banks, it could be goodbye Len - that would be a partnership that could reach out to the right wing and the really right wing. If Bill Ralston hasn't fallen asleep at the wheel of running Banksies campaign, he'll be meeting Matt McCarten, Matthew Hooton and Willie Jackson pronto. Team JT and Team JB would need to convince the left that the enemy is Wellington and a 'unified' Left/Right ticket is needed to defeat Rodney Hide's more unpalatable aspects of the Auckland SuperCity. Problem is Tamihere has a lousy record of working within the 'left' and Willie and Matt will be damned to purgatory for the rest of their lives if they deny a decent bloke like Len a shot at the Mayoralty by unleashing John Banks upon Auckland with no tangible results.

For Banks the offer is almost too good to refuse, if he turns it down it confirms suspicions that Banks has his own agenda and those won't be slowing the plans of Hide and Joyce down. Lens team need to be thinking about offering Tamihere the same offer, they'll be annoyed they weren't spoken to first, but if they want to win they'll need to look beyond that, if Tamihere won't play ball, Len Browns Team need to take the idea up elsewhere and find Len a running mate - how about Judy Bailey as Len Browns running mate?