On Morning Report this morning (audio file), Cr John Morrison made some comments about the impact of the flyovers on the Basin Reserve, apparently in his capacity as the Wellington City Council's representative on the Basin Reserve Trust.

In his segment (at about the 1:37 mark) Cr Morrison claims to have been "in negotiation" with the Transport Agency. This is a very peculiar claim to make, given that NZTA claim exactly the opposite - in briefings to a wide range of community organisations, the Agency has said that there have been no special negotiations, and that all stakeholder groups are being treated equally. In fact, the Agency's communication people seem at pains to emphasise this very point.

So why is Cr Morrison apparently claiming to be party to negotiations that seem to have never occurred? Perhaps he can leave a comment and let us know.

And while I'm on the subject of Cr Morrison and his strange outbursts, I take exception to him describing the Save The Basin Campaign as "a political group serving it's own ends".

Perhaps John Morrison has failed to notice, but he's a politician. For him to criticise others as having a political agenda is an act of disingenuous hypocrisy, and it seems exceptionally unlikely that his reaction to the Basin Reserve flyover to date - one of lap-dog-like compliance with the Transport Agency's flyover plans - is motivated by anything other than his own political ambitions.

It's my view that Wellington's best interests would be served by Councillors who are attempting to save the Basin, rather than destroy it. I can only hope that Cr Morrison eventually comes around to the same view.