He became a Liberal Unionist member following the ructions of 1886. This fight, described in the song as "ructions", "put an end to Lanigan's Ball". The Slaters were said to cause ructions among the already-established characters. Notably, there were deep ructions between coach Alan Jones and influential half-back Nick Farr-Jones. Lee caused ructions in the Auckland Labour Party ahead of the 1935 mayoral election.