Todd Barclay hiding under Bill English’s desk
Audrey Young is no card carrying member of the Labour Party so her vicious take down of National when comparing Labour’s supposed scandal up against National’s actual scandal this week is devastating…
Audrey Young: No comparison between Labour’s intern strife and National’s crisis
The crisis that has afflicted National over the past week is not remotely comparable to the headache facing Labour over its foreign campaigning interns.
Yes, the poorly-run intern programme has weakened Andrew Little’s ability to talk convincingly about Labour’s immigration policy.
But he admitted its failure quickly, acknowledged it was an embarrassment, and the party is trying to make good on the experience that the young travellers were hoping for.
In Matt McCarten, Little’s former chief of staff, Labour has someone it can credibly blame.
In his exuberance to change the Government, he overreached and may have cut corners.
By contrast, the National Party crisis has undermined its leader internally and externally when leadership and judgment will be a huge factor in the election.
The resignation of Todd Barclay was the bare minimum needed after evidence emerged that Barclay had recorded his electorate agent’s phone calls criticising him, and that English knew about it.
Little’s response this week has been measured. There was no need for him to over-egg the position in which English found himself because it simply spoke for itself.
It was not just English’s worst day as Prime Minister, Tuesday was National’s worst day in nearly nine years of Government.
Barclay’s resignation was essential but it was not the circuit-breaker that gets English off the hook. That is the trouble for English.
…At some point people are going to admit this 2 month old story about a Labour intern ‘slave scandal’ was just a distraction from Bill & Todd.
Scandal was just a distraction from Bill & Todd,
Even the Natz supporters in the media can read it for what it is. Nothing.
What can one expect with an active pro-National news media.
Until the left can claim significant inroads into news media and redress the current imbalance, this kind of politically motivated false reporting will continue.
Anyone want to set up a left leaning newspaper, radio station, or TV channel?
The solution is social media
No! It isn’t. Social media is at worst a sea of echo chambers, and at best, a useful way to talk to people who already agree with you and motivate them to get off the internet and actually do something to advance a cause. It’s no substitute for communicating with the wider public(s), especially those who look at the world very differently, but with whom we can create common cause with some organising effort (not just tweeting about stuff).
WTF? You think RNZ is a pro-National news media? or the Dominion Post?
Sweet and sour Jeezus, haven’t you ever listened to RNZ’s “The panel with Jim Mora”.
“The Press ” has been left wing for some years now.
Very quiet about how the mayor is screwing the city with closed entry roads and cycleways.
Nothing to do with earthquake repairs.
All to do with her signing on to “resilient Cities” which 90% of ratepayers have never heard of, which The Press has also failed to publicise.
Dirty politics at work prior to the election, as a cover up for the Natz (Barklay, Key & English) criminal behaviour.
Labour seems to have their issue sorted. Whereas Natz still ducking for cover!
100% Mary. Labour and Little took ownership. National and English now say they did’t know it was illegal. Why then did they try to hide it for so long?
Yes Bert. I think Little showed some credible leadership the way he handled the Campaign for Change issue.
No BS, beating around the bush, laying blame, denying, diving for cover etc etc. Just fronted up and took full responsibility for what happened and dealt with it the way a strong leader should. That in itself has to make English’s leadership look very weak and dishonest!
Natz in trying to discredit Labour and Little, only made English look like the pathetic, lying, crooked toerag he is! Backfired well and truly there!
As he was PM at the time, now we wait for Key to be questioned on the Barclay affair! Let’s see what msm has the guts to challenge him on his part in the sordid business!
Looks like Dirty Politics is going to get a good airing over the next 3 months, The NZ Herald and Mike Hoskins on 7 Sharp will start going ballistic beating their war drums ?
The dirty trick brigade will be out in force plus Textor/Crosby . Labour will have to answer all these dirty comments. How the hell can we counter these professionals at these dirty tricks ,They have been at it for years and I must admit I do not know the answer.
Dirty Politics 3
National’s dirty trick brigade will now be at full strength backed by Crosby/ Textor .We need to be completely alert and answer every lie they come up with.
I cannot find Movement for Change Limited in the companies register.
https://www.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/
It is an offence to represent a company that does not exist.
I remember the tedius and boring “Paintergate” where Helen Clarkes signature was “forged” for a charity auction.
Typically biased coverage by the NZ Herald.
What lies in the Pike river mine will bring this government down.
– we all need to keep the pressure on and expose the truth.
It wasn’t just the mass protests over the TTPA , it was also the recognition that when Trump won he would put the boot into the TTPA as well.
It wasn’t just the ongoing discrepancies at Pike River that Key knew was going to emerge , it was also that the Panama Papers started getting too close for comfort.
It wasn’t just that Operation Burnham was signed off by Key and that the recent lapdog Governor General went along with it , and nor was it simply McCully playing skulduggery with a Saudi Arabian businessman.
And finally , when the Barclay incident first occurred , Key was briefed and KNEW FULL WELL that it was illegal.
ALL OF THESE THINGS conspired in convincing John Philip Key to mysteriously ‘abdicate the throne’ and hand in his resignation.
John Philip Key.
The most fraudulent, treasonous globalist con man who ever posed as a New Zealand NON PRIME MINISTER.
+100…interesting
Most of the 45% of Nationals support base will go ‘” meh ” to this latest appalling behaviour and vote for them all over again.
They are more interested in safeguarding their economic position than caring about this whole Barclay affair and know full well that English and the others are corrupt and full of shit but hey ” they all do it. ”
This whole affair will be forgotten by the election because most kiwis have accepted that as long as it does not affect them directly they really just don’t care and its the price you pay for economic reward and Key forever changed what was acceptable behaviour and turn the lies and deception into a popular marketing campaign.
The moral compass we once had is dead.
I disagree.
The moral compass is just awakening. And the more it awakens, the greater the sense of outrage there will be. You cannot have blatant disregard for our laws or it brings into question why we bother to have laws in the first place. Especially by those who claim to debate and pass laws that govern the behaviors of the citizens of this country.
We pay for the salary’s of these people and the least we can expect is for them to scrupulously follow the letter of the law in good example. Bill English , Todd Barclay and a number of others have not. In fact , it appears some individuals besides Barclay have broken the law and willfully obstructed justice.
And that’s serious.
One of the FIRST things you will learn on any self respecting security / private detective course is that the taping of conversations you are not a part of is illegal.
It is that basic.
And these are the supposed ‘ legislators’ of our society.
Im sorry but this lame excuse for not knowing basic New Zealand law is BULLSHIT.
IGNORANCE OF THE LAW IS NO DEFENSE.
Fundamentals of NZ Law .
101 .
Now English doesn’t even know if the tape exists. Well that doesn’t quite add up to text he sent. You know the text he sent, saying National will have to make a bigger remuneration tax payer funded payment, because Barclay said he taped the women!
Jesus you can see why Key didn’t want the teapot tapes released. What sort of scandal was hidden there?
100% Martyn,
Nactional needed a diversion to the GCSB undermining of MP and Todd Barclay’s issue and are hoping that the people will be fooled!!!!
But it leaves a very bad smell all around the PM and his carry on operations now.
THIS PM IS NOW BUILDING A SHODDY LIST OF ERRORS AS HIS PREVIOUS LEADER DID.
Mate ,… Bill English was the back room man. Key was just the front man , … the con man for the PR work.
You know that. I don’t have to tell you.
I know you know . 🙂
And ALL through these years… it was Bill English the back room man , the Globalist. The Planner . The Operator. The unspoken Jesuit.
You will recall that Bill English led National to its greatest election defeat ever.
They needed a front person with Charisma. Someone who could lie and think on his feet and present an affable , non threatening ‘ I’m one of the boys’ persona.
They found it in Key. Key the Globalist.
Key who meshed perfectly with Bill English the Globalist. The perfect match. The Architect and the Salesman to sell the idea. The Team.
But it got too hot. It started to unravel. Simply put… just too many deceitful , unethical , – and finally – illegal incidents to be able to guarantee Keys safety any longer. So , … they nominated him for a Knighthood because it would be that much harder in the public perception for the authority’s to challenge not just Key … but those powerful lobby groups and corporate interest groups that backed him.
And those lobby groups and corporate interest groups extend right back into the USA and beyond.
Sounds incredulous?
No more incredulous than the 5 eyes spy network and Key aping Obama in destroying civil liberties and introducing state surveillance with the XKEYSCORE program that Key denied ever existed.
He lied about that too until he was forced to admit it actually existed in the end…
“Little’s response this week has been measured. There was no need for him to over-egg the position in which English found himself because it simply spoke for itself.”
This is a very important point. Tempting as it is to go for the jugular when a rival is on their back, there’s a risk of provoking sympathy (usually undeserved) for the underdog, and having onlookers look at you sideways for a while afterwards, wondering what might happen if they ended up on their back.
It’s better practice to speak your mind about the facts of the matter, without putting the boot into the people caught with their pants down, the original crop of Green MPs (for example) were very good at this. I think we could all benefit from taking a leaf out that book, and it’s good to see Andrew Little doing so.
There is definitely a case for the dignified approach , especially in the delicate arena of winning the public’s hearts and minds.
And to say the unspoken thing… lest they too ,.. become caught up in an unforeseen and similar situation down the track should they find themselves in government.
However.
Be that as it may for the intricacies of political maneuvering , that is the politicians concern.
I have an interest in flamboyant Wartime leaders like ‘ Blood and Guts ‘ General George Patton , who always led directly from the front , bullets flying , shells exploding all around, veteran of the First World War – who went beyond any sense of what was expected of him and his troops and called a spade a spade.
………………………………..
When Patton received a message instructing him to bypass the city of Trier because it would take four divisions to capture it, Patton replied, “Have taken Trier with two divisions. Do you want me to give it back?”
George Patton | United States general | Britannica.com
https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Smith-Patton
………………………………..
Don’t we just rejoice when bold men and women and their teams prevail against entrenched and organized evil and corruption for the greater good ?
Even if that means being somewhat rip , shit and bust?
It seems there is a place for the stoic dignified approach but there is ample place for the warriors and activists to do their jobs as well.
I was mildly impressed with Audrey Young speaking as she did, … was she not one of the commentators who traveled with Key on several overseas engagements ?
However , I just wish she had bothered to be more analytical and circumspect on the myriad of equally obvious – if not more so – incidents that marked that corrupt politicians term in office as PM.
personally i can’t get enthusiastic or outraged about either of these two ‘scandals’..or even bother to follow them ( so excuse my ignorance):
1.) it doesn’t surprise me in the least that Nactional spies on their own as well as everyone else ( even if they are little old Nact lady office workers)…in fact it would surprise me if they didnt ! ( call me cynical)
2.) and somehow the Labour Party mess and all its ironic permutations doesnt surprise or shock me either …with its bringing in of foreigners to campaign for it ( where are the NZ working class /Maori enthusiast campaigners?)…and holing them up on a marae which some of the ‘exceptionalist ‘ privileged exotics find substandard ( I bet Hone is having a good laugh)
….what I do know is that some stalwart Labour Party voters are going to vote Winston NZF next time around
Not so much ‘ stalwart ‘ Labour voters as mildly ‘adhering to’ Labour voters , I would say…
And what of it?
NZ First and Peters would hardly go with National anyways , apart from continually having to quote the bottom line as being ‘ Reentry into Pike River’…. which National wont do for obvious reasons of subterfuge ,… there is the small problem – in the public’s eyes at least – of all the dishonesty allegations now building against National.
I would hardly think Peters would risk his nationalist legacy with a crumbling, tired , dishonest 3rd term party like National whose leadership have clearly demonstrated a consistent Globalist , anti sovereignty ideology that is diametrically opposed to the best interests of the people by which they are paid and elected to serve….
I would pick Peters to be backing the ‘ reformers ‘ instead , the party that finally vanquished the jaded , stumbling , out of touch and increasingly scandal ridden status quo if anything.
by ” stalwart ” I mean ALWAYS voted Labour, no matter what…time will tell
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