He contends that Danny Williams "fastball to the side of John Risley's head comment is evidence that his comment about FPI is now proven. Essentially, Lono contends that John Risley should just have smiled quietly and gone on about FPI business rather than point out the obvious that Danny Williams changes to Fishery Products International's board and management won't have much of an impact other than drive up the company's costs.
He [Risley] stated the obvious truth: that these Act amendments are effectively meaningless. But now he's now left the door open for government to claim company resistance and impose real draconian measures. These comments can come back to haunt him.Here at Bond, there's a quandry. On the one hand Lono is dead right. On the other hand, we can also see an argument that Risley is merely belling the William's administration cat.
The lesson here is that public communications is partly theatre and the players are actors on a public stage; play your role to best advantage to your side. If you respect the Fourth Wall, you can use it to your advantage to further your goals.
If you insist on breaching it you do so at your peril.
What will make the difference in these two interpretations is whether or not Danny Williams actually can take stronger measures against FPI without in the process either incurring legal challenges from the company or, worse still, cementing in place a reputation for being as anti-business and anti-investment as any political leader north of the Panama Canal.
Around here, the guess is that Williams and Risley are playing chicken and that this little tiff is just two capable leaders playing some game of "Mine is still bigger." It creates an interesting display for the on-lookers but ultimately it doesn't move FPI any closer to resolving its issues. Williams reaction is proof that Lono is right: i.e. that Risley was inviting a comment. What it doesn't show - yet(?) - is that Williams can actually fire a fastball at Risley's head and avoid a ricochet that will deliver a pretty solid smack to his own goolies in the process.
If you put your gear on the table and start passing out the hammers, at some point someone's tackle is gonna take a hard blow.
Update: John Risley did another interview today, this time an extended one-on-one with Fred Hutton at NTV for the supperhour news. He made a number of comments about how he personally and the current shareholders and directors of FPI have been vilified.
this little exchange with the Premier is likely to go on for a few days. Time will tell whether there is a big hammer the government will drop of if FPI has called the Premier's bluff on legislative changes to FPI.