Damien Grant’s evaluation of Judith Collins in today’s Stuff column is devastating intellectually…
The most telling anecdote was her meeting Milton Friedman, at the invitation of Don Brash, who was having the Nobel Laureate over to dinner. Star-struck to be meeting this icon of the free market, Collins made the effort to read Friedman’s most famous book, Free to Choose. Great, you might think, but Free to Choose is the 1980s version of Capitalism for Dummies.
If she hadn’t previously taken the time to even skim read this short discourse on the merits of the free market, it is a safe bet she thinks Hobbes is a cartoon tiger and Hayek is a Mexican actress.
…but most importantly ethically…
Lees-Galloway is guilty of nothing more than being human. Of seeking an intimate connection with someone who was doing the same. We do not know his personal circumstance, nor hers, nor do we have any right to inquire.
This is a private matter. Absent credible allegations of wrong-doing beyond infidelity, this matter does not belong in the public domain.
Collins certainly had no evidence of anything beyond this. Yet in the aftermath of the Andrew Falloon affair, Collins would have known that blurting out this made-up scandal would force the prime minister to act.
The National Party leader destroyed a man’s career, humiliated his family and brought unnecessary pain and stress to those affected. And she did this to briefly set the agenda.
It was an appalling way to behave. It was the politics of personal destruction to gain a tiny electoral advantage in a hectic news cycle.
…this is the true issue with the way Collins effortlessly executed Iain on Breakfast TV. The base desire to simply move the news cycle along is in now way justification for what Judith did. The willingness to destroy his career for nothing more than breathing space between headlines is horrific and Damien has the courage as a right winger to point it out for what it is…
This country faces incredible challenges. The opposition has a narrow window to demonstrate why the electorate should look past the scandals, missteps, and failures that the party has experienced in recent months and entrust them with our nation’s future. This isn’t the way to do it.
…and that’s ultimately what is at stake here. We face the largest challenge in modern NZ politics and what is National doing under Judith? Assassinating careers with the ease of a tinder swipe.
In one column, Damien Grant has shown more ethical righteousness than the entire National Party combined.
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A person that lies once will lie again it becomes easier the more you do it. Once a liar is discovered you cannot trust them again .This is not a moral decision it is one of perception about a persons character .
I am sure this would have come into the equation added to the ongoing problems with immegration it was a way for Jacinda to ride herself of an underperforming minister.
I agree. Kudos, Damien, for rising above political “correctness”.
Yep true that is Martyn.
Judith Collins tries to “look innocent but she’s as guilty as sin” as the saying goes; – ‘so if the glove fits then wear it’ Judith; – as we are not fooled.
She is simply dirty politics 2.0.
Judith was also Dirty Politics 1.0
It’s worse than that. Collins has possibly destroyed a whole family, inflicted pain which will last for a long time, if not forever. It was a cruel and terrible thing to do to someone elses’s children – their whole peer group and social milieu, now know shadowy things about their dad – things which adults may grapple to understand – and children can be cruel.
Children are our most precious taonga, and we owe them the world, we owe them our protection. It was Galloway’s prerogative to control the narrative here, not Collins’s. It’s about as low as you can go.
As a mother I cannot begin to understand how Collins, who is meant to be a woman, could deliberately choose to risk shattering wee kids’ lives to trade off political points for one of her team being a dirty bullying pervert.
This comes into the unforgivable category. She is beneath contempt. Unfit for leadership anywhere.
The excellent thing about all this is that it amply exposes many of the viscous, ruthless unethical lice that populate that odious party. The bad thing it has more than likely wrecked a young family.
Good one Collins, go read another book by the dead iconic A hole Big Milt. They say that those who rip off the working class together, party together. And you’ve just proven it.
It is a pity this man did not think what he was doing to his children when he had the affair. Did he think of them when he was in Paris.
oh shut the hell up
I do wonder what Collins thought she was doing in her ACC portfolio where she ruined many a life with her employing 2nd opinion Doctors whom dismissed original claims by way of “pre-existing injuries” theory.
Lee’s Galloway made a massive moral judgement call, Collins deliberately saw it to ruin hundreds of peoples lives by almost corrupt like practise.
i got sent to a doctor to assess my level of injury while she had the acc portfolio, it was at an std clinic, thats how hard up they were to find doctors to go along with their uncaring policies
The National brand is badly damaged – it will worsen further under Collin’s short tenure.
So for any right wingers out there – are you considering alternatives? Who on the right wing spectrum would you consider redirecting your support towards? Or will you not vote at all? Curious to know.
And Tracy Watkins is seriously deluded.
Everyone except Tracy has known this for quite a while.
Hmmm so it’s ok for the Minister of workplace relations to have an affair with one of his Staff (only if you’re a 19th century Tory)? And take her to Paris on the taxpayers dime?
The only person who has wrecked Lees-Galloway career and family is the bloke who couldn’t keep his zipper done up
I’m no great fan of Iain Lees-Galloway but unless ‘tk’ is a new pseudonym for Bob McCoskrie, what two consenting adults get up to is really none of your business (or anyone else’s for that matter).
And taking your lover to Paris on the taxpayers’ dime should be a criminal offence (just as illegitimate travel for private business interests charged to taxpayers should be too – Judith’s Shanghai Oravida junket being a prime case in point). However, all the evidence so far points to I L-G paying for his lover’s travel expenses himself, which, once again, makes it no-one else’s business but theirs.
Yes there are now innocent children out there now being exposed to the fallout from her child like tattletales . Nobody likes a narc.Blurting to the media was a shocking thing to and speaks volumes as to the shallowness of Collins .
She is clearly devoid of any emotional intelligence and her narcissistic traits don’t allow her to see how strictly average she actually is.Even Bill English once observed that she seemed to rate herself higher than her actual ability.
Nobody seems to have mentioned the train wreck of an interview she had with Jack Tame on Q&A a week ago.
It wasn’t even that hard hitting but she was floundering as soon as a bit of pressure went on. She is used to panel discussions with ‘Dunks’ and co. and Willie Jackson. she can talk any old rubbish and it doesn’t matter.
The big league is going to be problematic for her and then all will be revealed. The more people see the less they are going to like. As Nicky Hager said recently. The leopard is unlikely to change its’ spots.
We have just seen evidence of that first hand !!
One disturbing aspect of this is Ms Collins cold replies, that “Come Sept 19 I WILL be Prime Minister”.
Other politicians in similar situations say something to the effect of, “Well, we’ll wait and see”.
(Just not the one in the US.)
So, what is she saying?
– That she doesn’t give a stuff about what the people of Aotearoa want?
– That she has more really dirty tricks up her sleeve that she’s going to try out on us?
– That she has a way of changing the votes after they are cast?
– That she has knowledge of some event still to happen, which is designed to change our perceptions?
Creeeeepy.
Ahhh … Sorry. I just posted a comment under this Discussion, when it was intended elsewhere.
I seldom agree with anything Damien writes but on this we’re in lockstep. Granted LG didn’t behave well but it was his business not the nations.
Kiwijoker. Coudn’t agree more with you.I seldom agree or bother reading DGs column as just another ‘taxevader’s union’ member.
Funny how the one aspect of keeping human genes going is the downfall of so many.
Over rated is what judeath is and your right Grant the tittle tattle she mutters on the breakfast show was shallow and had no substance, if your going to criticise something back it up with hard facts and evidence.
What a biased load of rubbish….
Judith only passed information given to her and then told the giver to pass any further information on themselves, not via Judith…
What so wrong with that… he was the Minister of Work place relations …
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