I have just lost a post because IE7 isn’t compatible with Ministry of Economic Development sites. Let’s see, to recap, as I hate retyping: happy New Year. Have been away. Personal reasons. Work more fun. Blog: originally for escape during dark times at company. Dark times: because New Zealand law prevents you firing people. They drag down company. One former employee can be investigated for fraud, says police officer.
   I might as well elaborate on those. The first is personal. As some of you know from my last episodes of Good Morning in 2006, certain developments have taken place in my personal life. And long-time readers here will know that when my romantic life has been discussed here, it has consistently been in defence of one woman’s honour after certain exaggerations on television.
   About six weeks ago, I received a series of very curious emails containing lies and accusations from a gentleman (if that description may be used). I am yet to get answers about their motives, though I imagine he bears some envy toward my relationship, and attempted to damage it from the UK end.
   I should not care, since I have lived a good half-decade or more in the public eye, but the fact there are people who can manœuvre themselves so close to one of us and claim to be a confidant is disturbing, even if he cannot spell her name and chose to play on her emotions. I realize this is cryptic, and I would prefer it remain so for the time being. However, 2006 may be remembered as a year when I could no longer keep my private life private, something I had successfully done for most of my career. Television saw to that.
   Fortunately, those close to me know that I always speak and write as objectively as I possibly can. If I say I am courting a girl, it is because I have her permission to use that term, and, in the present case, her mother’s written blessing. If I begin referring to it as a relationship, it is because the young lady has begun to, too. It is a pity that some imbeciles are so pathetic that they choose to interfere in the lives of two people, with their hidden agenda. Thus, it seems fortuitous that she asked me to remove the posts with her name that same day, which I have done. I may have missed the odd one. At least I know my truth.
   Sadly, televised exaggerations may have to go undefended in future, but is there any point to defending one’s honour when so few even understand that concept?
   This hit home when hanging out with some friends and acquaintances over the New Year period. I have friends with very unconventional lifestyles, but they are still my friends. I do not judge them. I judge myself—inasmuch as I know that their lifestyles are not for me. But looking around the bars on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, one truth remains self-evident: not every man is a gentleman, not every woman is a lady. Dignity and self-respect are in short supply.
   Next time television networks wish to interfere with my private life, they should think twice, and maybe hassle the Foreign Minister outside Cabinet instead. Now, he loves being in front of the cameras.

Now on to the work matter. With hindsight, my regular blogging was due to my wish to mentally escape from one of my businesses, which was being dragged down by its staff. And New Zealand law forbids firings, even if the employee has been dishonest. In one case, a police officer tells me that there is a prima facie case for a fraud investigation; yet these people can continue to bleed you if they so wish.
   This is Labour’s legacy for New Zealand business, and the primary reason I wish to see them out of power by 2008. There is more in my print ‘Persuader’ column in the 22nd New Zealand issue of Lucire. The law may be “good enough” for the Deputy Prime Minister, but business should never be “good enough”. We should excel, and that is something this administration does not permit us to do. It would rather we submit, and that is not what a real liberal party should be wanting for its citizens. It smacks of communism.
   Now free of negative influences, I find myself presiding over profitable businesses once more. So much so that we are looking at some M&As in 2007. It has started off to be a pretty good year at work. Be happy for me, readers, even if it means fewer blog posts. Five hundred in 2006 is going to be hard to beat.

A footnote: yes, it was me on p. C1 of The Dominion Post on January 1. Very nice of Fairfax to give me a whole page—a big thanks there to Julie Jacobson at the paper. Interestingly, the Robert Kitchin photograph of yours truly does look like a massive advertisement: glasses by Panos Emporio, watch by Omega, suit by Mandatory, shoes by Dayton. Thank God the socks are no-name. You can read the story, as I originally wrote it, here. Posted by Jack Yan, 09:32  permalink

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