To Kill A Fantail – What the latest Labour Party sexual assault scandal says about Jacinda’s office

By
Martyn Bradbury
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33
3032

So those unhappy with the manner in which Labour have handled the latest accusations of a staffer who has been either inappropriate or a functioning rapist, (depending on who is whispering the gossip), are starting to leak to Paula Bennett.

That’s about as bad a meltdown as you are going to see.

It highlights the incredibly poor Executive oversight of this Government who are supposed to foresee such events and cauterise them to minimise the political damage.

Jacinda is an incredibly decent person. I remember arguing with her years ago when the allegations against Darren Hughes had surfaced and her defence of Phil Goffs handling of that was principled as is her handling of this now.

Allegations have been made, an investigation has progressed, those allegations weren’t borne out by the investigation. Jacinda defends that.

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Unfortunately principled values doesn’t wash in a post MeToo cultural landscape of subjective rage.

Allegations are the new evidential threshold and due process is cis male privilege. In a Millennial micro-aggression policing culture, any unwanted attention can become a hate crime. Fourth wave feminist mantra dictates that Jacinda side with those making the accusations and cast out the accused.

The speed and ease with which allegations can spin out of control has already been well witnessed in NZ recently. The law firm that was painted out to be a den of sexual abuse was investigated and found to have some bad pockets of unprofessional behaviour. Anihera Zhou Black claimed her husband was part of a pedophile sex ring that went to the highest levels of NZ politics and Jami-Lee Ross had 4 anonymous women annihilate him with allegations some of which had political motivations.

These latest allegations about this Staffer were emailed to a large list of journalists a few weeks back, and why didn’t anyone pick up those allegations then? It was because the letter was, how does one say this, very, very, very emotional and it detracted credibility. So the journalists didn’t run with it until Newshub and Paula Bennett got involved this week.

The staffer in Jacinda’s office has had several complaints regarding his behaviour, he required a friend to sit down with him and suggest that it was time to resign because it doesn’t matter if he is innocent or not, once the allegations are made of inappropriate behaviour in this environment, you are guilty.

Is that unfair and cruel? Sure, but this is where we are now.

The Leaders Office needs to be the one facilitating that oversight and have perilously opened the PM up to allegations of hypocrisy by dropping the ball on this.

 

 

33 COMMENTS

  1. As if pull the benefit of others while getting it herself really cares about this so called victim dotn trust her she tells porkies

    • If true this is appalling. But also a bit of context. I have little doubt Bennett sought this out rather than the other way around. Given her determination and language to destroy Jamie Lee Ross behind closed doors, why is she now up front and out in the open. Come on people, use your brain, Bennett is vile and a abhorrent.

  2. How can Jacinda allow herself to get manipulated like this. What concerns me is anyone one could accuse Her or Grant Robertson or who ever of sexual assault and no one would believe they’re innocent because after all everyone is guilty until proven innocent in a woke world.

  3. I do wonder why anyone in their right minds would go to the publicity seeking of media junkie Paula Bennett to tell her(of all people)that they are being harassed by someone in Jacinda Ardern’s office?
    Why did the employee(whether she be on the parliamentary payroll or the Labour Party payroll)go to a National MP who did not raise a voice of concern when John Key was sexually harassing a waitress?
    Surely Bennett’s credibility is called into question with her past actions eg telling the NZ media the names of beneficiaries that criticised the previous National government and her lack of a voice of concern when it came to office staff in Paul Foster Bell’s parliamentary office having to contend with his bullying?
    Methinks Paula Bennett is the last person on the planet a worker in parliament should squeal to because she(Bennett)just cannot keep her mouth shut for long.
    If this incident is correct then Jacinda needs to deal with it and get rid of such a person who resorts to sexual harassment in the workplace. But if it turns out to be wrong then it’s time Bennett was shown the front door of parliament and made to resign.
    I wouldn’t trust Paula Bennett as far as I and probably many others would like to throw her. I am sure she does not have a squeaky clean past especially after entering politics and rising through the ranks abit too quickly than a more longer term Judith Collins ever achieved. Would Bennett be willing to tell the NZ media who she flirted with to get to where she is today???!!!!
    Right now Bennett is trying to give the attention seeking impression that she is the champion on the workers(of NZ and of parliament)but given her track record she didn’t give a toss about Amanda or anyone else.
    The office worker who was or is being sexually harassed is just a pawn in Bennett’s vindictiveness and need for Upmanship.

  4. Paula Bennett comes across as being so obsessed with HER image of being in front of the camera at ALL TIMES that she is addicted with being seen.
    She is more concerned with being on camera with her “LOOK AT ME. AREN’T I FANTASTIC?’ that I am sure she wouldn’t give a toss about a mere little office worker(in her opinion). It’s all a publicity stunt for Bennett because but because of HER obsession to appear sanctimonious she is being vindictive as well as disgusting.
    If a mere little office worker approached her due to say workplace bullying or sexual harassement in a private company we can well be assured Bennett wouldn’t give a toss about that employee. In fact could her words well be “Well you made your bed and you have to sleep in it….”?
    Why Bennett is all of a sudden after so many years whilst she was a minister in the previous national government(deliberate lower case applied here)trying to come across as the champion of the ordinary worker is so suspect.
    As I said earlier I wouldn’t trust Bennett. No-one can trust her. She is OUT FOR NUMBER ONE IE HERSELF.

  5. “Allegations have been made, an investigation has progressed, those allegations weren’t borne out by the investigation.” Paula Bennett’s claims have to be weighed against this.

    Paula Bennett does seem to have a track record in this area, including floating her fistful of anonymous complaints against J-L R. My first reaction to Paula Bennett’s current claims against an alleged miscreant in Labour’s office, was that Paula may be trying to position herself as virtuous old confidante for put-upon younger women – and that my chances of winning Lotto are higher.

    No-one wants to accept anyone ever having to work in in a damaging workplace, and that applies to all of the protagonists, who can all end up victimised.

    That is why, if I were Paula, and I genuinely believed that bad things were happening to good people, and that the processes for dealing with them had broken down, then I would have advised the alleged victim(s) to see an employment lawyer. I have done it myself, more than once, and know that issues can be resolved confidentially without any sort of public or media exposure. In Wgtn at least one employment law firm only charges if they win the case – and good lawyers don’t take on hopeless cases.

    As an older woman, and having worked in management, I am fiercely protective of all our young people, and I don’t see advancing this as a media issue as the best way of achieving an optimum outcome for anyone. It is a way to take pot shots at Labour, and if the allegations have been shown to be unfounded, the person against whom they were made, could consider taking action against Paula Bennett and Newshub – if they aired it.

    This looks a bit like another variant of the dirty politics which emanated from Key’s office where terrible things happened to undeserving people for political gain by unprincipled people irresponsible about the effects of their activities. Hope it’s not happening as it did before.

    For a non-politician, being lied about is utterly horrific, and the effects are often irredeemable once that info is out there in the ether.

  6. I don’t recall Paula being the slightest bit concerned about her previous leader assaulting a member of the public on numerous occassions. Or the fact her party conducted a review of her party in relation to appropriate conduct and safety, yet apparently never consulted with any females during the process.
    Paula needs to get down off her high pony, and stop pulling the other one

  7. Part two of Dirty olitics by Natiomnal Party Strategist Steven Joyce no dobt.

    The silly election season is beginning really early this time so get ready for many sessions just like this as the election year advances. “Part two of National Party dirty politics”

    Jacinda get your cabinet together for a war conference and get the Intekllegence unit to srawl all over national party MP’s history and all their activities to find dirt on them.

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