MEDIAWATCH: WOW – Labour MP Dr Gaurav Sharma writes his own resignation and political suicide note at the same time

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
86
3512
Hamilton West Soft

Wow.

Just.

Wow.

Labour MP Dr Gaurav Sharma writes his own resignation AND political suicide note at the same time…

Opinion: Labour MP Dr Gaurav Sharma blows whistle on Parliament bullying, takes aim at officials, party whips

Much has been said this week about bullying and the abysmal culture of our political parties which, in my opinion, continue to betray the trust of our voters. Over the last few years and under the outgoing Speaker Trevor Mallard there have been a lot of press releases to indicate that the broader work culture in the halls of Parliament is being changed for the better.

…I’m sorry, who are you…

While this does sound like the right thing to do, it is – in my experience – a PR exercise to placate some of the backlash from the public in recent years. If there was any serious intent or effort to make a genuine change in Parliamentary culture, the current Speaker and the powers that be would have included Member-to-Member bullying in its terms of reference, if not initially then at least in response to the Francis Report which flagged this as a serious issue after interviewing MPs who spend upwards of 30-35 hours on the Parliamentary precinct over the three or more days we are based in Parliament on sitting weeks.

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…again, who the hell are you…

What makes this worse is the unusual legal relationship where the MPs are not employed directly by the party or Parliamentary Service, but by their own constituents who would be appalled if they saw even half of what their elected representatives have to bear in terms of harassment from inside the Parliament without anyone specific taking legal or moral responsibility for addressing these concerns.

…yes it’s called Parliament, it’s stressful, they call it the bear pit, war by other means, yes, filled with psychopaths…

For those who need an example, Louisa Wall talked in her valedictory speech about how she was bullied by a senior Labour Party MP early in her career and despite being one of our most outspoken MPs she found out that she had no agency in the halls of Parliament when it came to her own wellbeing. If any of my more recent colleagues could speak freely, I am sure the list of similar stories with no support for MPs being bullied and no consequences for MPs bullying their colleagues would easily fill a book or two.

…ok, where’s this going…

Crucial to addressing the bullying issue in Parliament is the role of the Parliamentary Service – which is supposed to be an independent and neutral organisation to provide support to MPs. Their own mandate states that “due to the nature of the organisation, Parliamentary Service staff must uphold the highest standards of integrity and trust. We take pride in the fact that we assist members of Parliament to carry out their roles. As well as displaying high levels of integrity, the Service looks for people with political acumen, exceptional customer service skills and an ability to work collaboratively”.

In my opinion, if only this was true.

…are you fucking kidding me? Have you run this past anyone before you submitted it for publication…

The above Member-to-Member and Party-to-Member bullying rampant in Parliament is – I believe – promoted and facilitated by this very organisation by working behind the scenes with the Whips Office, the Offices of the Leaders of various Parties, along with the Office of the Leader of the Opposition and the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Parliamentary Service’s lack of accountability to both the MP and their constituents and the meddling of political parties in a triangular relationship where they end up being the fourth wheel is cause for much concern, in my view. With the way the current Parliamentary Service is run, you can go weeks and months before getting a reply to urgent issues and when they do have an answer it is seldom in writing and often from behind the desk of the party whips who – in my opinion, and based on what I have seen in my time in Parliament – use the Parliamentary Service to bully and harass their MPs “to keep them in line”.

…cue open mouthed ‘are-you-fucking-kidding’ shocked look now…

The Parliamentary Service, established in 1985, is headed by a chief executive in a supposedly non-political role, accountable to the Speaker for the running of the Service. In order for our democracy to be strong, it is important that the Parliamentary Service is led by people not interested in their own long-term careers but by public servants interested in upholding one of the most crucial offices in the country.

If this was a ‘real-world’ organisation run like any publicly owned or privately operated company it would be, in my opinion, long defunct.

The CEO, as well as the Deputy CEO along with the rest of the leadership team, would be long gone and replaced with people who would not only understand what the role entails but also have significant experience in dealing with their own parliamentary staff as well as MPs.

…you are pulling this shit right when all this focus is on National screwing up Uffindell???

WTF ARE YOU DOING?

As things stand, parliamentary staffers are leaving in droves – some haven’t had their expectation settings done for almost two years, others haven’t had annual reviews for nine months and have been consistently underpaid.

Where concerns have been raised with Parliamentary Service about staff or MP colleagues showing unacceptable behaviours in some cases there does not appear to have ever been any investigation or an intent to investigate. If anything, in my experience, when an MP raises serious concerns the Parliamentary Service steps back, stonewalls the conversation, ghosts the MP and throws them to the Whip’s Office to be gaslighted and victimised further so that the party can use the information to threaten you about your long-term career prospects.

Politicians especially at top of our current system and from parties across the political spectrum often talk about “changing the system” and “kindness,” but as the saying goes “charity must start at home”.

* Dr Gaurav Sharma is the Labour MP for Hamilton West. He has been in Parliament since winning the seat from National’s Tim Macindoe in 2020.

…is he a millennial because it all seems to be about him.
The good Dr deserves some special medicine.

Goodbye, Dr Sharma
Though I never knew you at all
You had the ego to hold yourself
While those around you brawled
They crawled out of Khandallah
And they whispered you are lame
They set you on the Wellington treadmill
And they made you ashamed of your name
And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a Millennial in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When Parliamentary Services set in
And I would’ve liked to know you
But I’m just a prick
Your career burned out long before
Your legend ever did

Loneliness was rough
The roughest role you ever played
Labour created a superstar
And kindness was the price you paid
Even when your career died
Oh, the press still hounded you
All the papers had to say
Was that Dr S was stupidly rude
Like a Millennial in the wind
Never knowing who to cling to
When Parliamentary Services set in
And I would’ve liked to know you
But I’m just a prick
Your career burned out long before
Your legend ever did

I think it’s safe to say the next candidate selection in Hamilton West will be hotly contested.

All those on NZ Twitter who have been very vocal re virtue signalling over Uffindell will find climbing down off that high horse in light of Dr Gaurav Sharma very uncomfortable.

 

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86 COMMENTS

  1. Hahaha this is great. Maybe he’s had a gutsful. The tide is slowly turning as MSM report damaging side shows…like that it took an extra 3500 new public servants to deliver Robertson wonderful budget. Why would they make that a story??? Do the maths…3500 x 60..80..100k per annum….budget gone to public servants. ROBERTSON IS OUT OF CONTROL. LABOUR. IS..TOAST. if Jacinda wants another term she has to ditch Robertson.

    • Just to add to my post…maybe he’s ultra clever. If they touch him now, then the MSM will slaughter Labour and the (Un)Kind One. I think he’s pulled a brilliant move at the right time. Only one person can save this situation…BERT.

      • Could be that he couldn’t stand by and watch the hypocrisy of the Press and more importantly the hypocrisy of Parliament.

        • Dunno Bert, has the msm investigated his going ons as a university student or whether he once went over the speed limit in a Bunnings carpark?

          • No but not every blue blood brutally bashes another, does that fit your narrative?
            And someone playing Barry Manilow and having a water fight is chastised by the right, go figure.

            • Yes bert, Sour Kraut and Bob the First, the tweedle-dumb and tweedle-dumber of National and ACT party trolling budget.

              These two are so fucking dumb, the National Party and ACT will be wanting a refund. Neither of them could find nor scratch their own arse without a road map and an instruction manual from NACT HQ. No evidence, no links or proof. They just pull NACT right-wing tripe out of thin air. They are down in the dirty politics gutter with young NATS Eggstien and Donnadumbass.

              Shows that Dirty Politics is still alive and ingrained in the very DNA of National, ACT and their right wing alliance. Keep up your great work bert,

          • No BG probably not but they did say that Ardern would have to resign over a non existent rape case because of what she supposedly knew. Give it a rest. The MSM go nuts over this stuff regardless of the tribe

    • New public servants? The best idea of course is for Robertson to not announce anything in the budget which is to be done, anything costing money.

      Just about every day there’s a story which suggests somewhere there isn’t the staff to do what needs to be done. How are things to be done? And people demanding enquiries for this and that while rubbishing money spent on enquiries. And people lambasting ‘Working Parties’ investigating the viability and direction of projects then rubbishing the government when they ‘ploughed ahead without full investigations.’
      And wanting stuff done, going crazy about getting consultants doing the work, but not wanting public servants employed for the work.

  2. I think he maybe saw that with out a very good list placing, he was toast anyway, and might as well go out with bang, because, there is no staying after this,

  3. It’s not exactly new news from Labour though. And to think that the Queen of Kindness and Compassion rose through this and arrived at the top of the heap.

  4. Ok, let’s see how the lefties turn this into National party’s fault, ‘dirty politics’ lol
    The guy is a highly qualified Dr, he (unlike most of Labour MPs) will have no problem earning just as much if not more than his back bench salary…so he has nothing to fear by telling the truth, AND he is an elected MP not a list MP, how delicious to see.
    Now let’s see how St Jacinda will be missing in action when the reply to his accusations are given.
    Tova and Jessica know to not ask her questions on it lol

      • Is this Mike or Michelle?, I will never add an apostrophe, it annoys you so much….why the name change Mike/Michelle, so you can both use the same login? how very green for you both, recycling rubbish together!

        • You’re welcome, I’m right.
          You used 3 of them in your Slater-esque comment bagging the Labour Party when dirty politics has been at the very core and DNA of National, and ACT and right wing alliance. But, you’re not using them in your pseudonym?
          You dirty politics righties are schooled by your mentor Cameron Slater, and he didn’t know how to use apostrophes either?
          And your choice whether you use Im right, not I’m right.
          Just that every time you type, Im right, you’re wrong, no matter what you say. And I’m right
          Give up Im right and just change to IR, or I IS, or better still, put your own name?

          • Heehee….love it!
            Im never adding the apostrophe
            Im never changing my name on here (unlike Mike/Michelle hiding each time)
            Im right! Get used to it….it annoys you, im happy.

    • Being a doctor, he might have helped you with your “apostrophe” problem before he left, Im right.
      They can do incredible grafts these days.

      • He’s a Doctor, sure, but he spent almost no time being a Doctor before he left that career to do an MBA. An MBA that he has never used because he went from that to politics. He sounds like a bit of a flake to me. It costs the taxpayer a huge amount to train a Doctor, so it’s disappointing to see one quit medicine after so short a time practising. I suspect the guy has some personality issues.

    • The guy is a Dr. So what? Why do people assume that makes them automatically awesome. Very smart sure but it can also mean zero people skills. Why would Labour need to make it Nationals fault when he is talking about the place in general? This is nothing new.

    • Im right first please note out of respect no apostrophe.
      Yes it will be the fault of the National Party with Ardern and the Labour Government completely innocent of ever bullying or being party to bullying.Don’t mention Trevor Mallard.

  5. Bunch of no hopers. Nz politicians from both sides are a total joke. Winston Peters is the only real politician left.

    • Really Kirk28….Winston Peters the only ‘real’ politician left?
      He is sooo good he got booted out last election and when he goes the party goes, a one man band who belongs in a circus tent.
      Keep on your knees and keep praying.
      Next year will see him emerge with more xenophobic statements to entice the blue haired OAPs.
      But one thing I will never do, is write off his rhetoric to fan the flames of resentment, 4.5% on election night would be delicious.

    • If by real politician, you mean self serving narcissist then yeah.
      IK don’t think any of them are worth two ounces of dog poo.

  6. Just sounds like a load of waffle to me.

    If MP Sharma has a grievance – out with it I say! As Winston Peters famously says, “Put Up or Shut Up”.

        • Uffendel is getting canceled on an anonymous say-so. Sharma has put his name to his accusations and you say “put up or shut up”. Do you tell the Uffendel accuser to identify herself and “put up or shut up”?

          • Like The Daily Blog I did call out Uffendel’s rank treatment by Mr Luxon and State Media. None were more succinct than I.

            When I said “Put Up or Shut Up”, I was referring to his lack of examples of bullying. So far all MP Sharma has put up is the amorphous spectre of bullying on parliaments grounds..

            ..most have posited forever that such a spectre exists – due to ‘the human condition’.

            As I said, “if MP Sharma has a grievance – out with it I say!” Tell us what happened.

            I know nothing of MP Sharma, for all I know he’s being very brave. HOWEVER, until he’s brave enough to give details – it’s WAFFLE.

    • Zack Brando. Nope. After all, Parliamentary Services are the toadies who, allegedly, trespassed Winston Peters and other former politicians from the Parliamentary precinct for the next X number of years. That looked pretty much like bullying to me. Not all that democratic either. Not all that legal when none of the clobbered had been charged or found guilty of offences warranting being trespassed.

  8. Doctor …Who ?

    A no one of any consequence and a LINO to boot.

    How depressing that these people actually think they are relevant.

    • Mosa, someone with the gumption and discipline and application to obtain a medical degree is a few streets ahead of cheerleaders from the University of Waikato with waffly degrees in subjects that are either plain adolescent commonsense or a departure from any sort resemblance to any sort of sense at all.

      There’s more to science based degrees than sweet sounding words, much more, and I for one will assume that Sharma has a trained mind which is much more useful than the PR platitudes routinely trotted out by mindless politicians of all ilk and meant to impress the great unwashed – unwashed that is, unless powerhouse Trev decides to turn the hoses on them night and day. Awful people.

  9. Haha, I think you forgot to refute the premise of his assertion, Martyn; it all looked like personal incredulity from where I was sitting. So perhaps he’s right.

  10. Sickening to see Labour sycophants wanting to tear the guy down for whistle blowing.

    You’re a pick of hypocrites. Shame on you and your double standards.

  11. Changing the culture of even a small commercial organisation requires determination and years of effort; changing the culture of a parliament which by function is a political organisation would be a miracle. There is absolutely no evidence that Trevor Mallard can walk-on-water.

    • Certainly he thinks he can.To a degree he can given his disgraceful behaviour in the debating chamber and outside of the chamber has gone unpunished.

  12. Some mothers do ’ave ’em. What an outburst of naivety. He will be out of there, if not as soon as Ian Lees Galloway perhaps, but before the next General Election, or perhaps just not re-selected, as per Sue Moroney. Hamilton Labour does things differently sometimes.

    Not many are truly cut out for Parliamentary Politics when it comes down to it. I have known a number of MPs over the decades from various parties, and not too many of them leave the place content with their achievements to put it mildly.

    Gaurav’s middle name has to be Wallace.

    • He has a medical degree and an MBA.

      So he has more career choices than most in the Labour Caucus, and will probably earn more on the Outside.

  14. Bhahahahahaha.

    Maybe the good doctor has some skeletons in the closet or looked at the tripe in cabinet and went fuck me why aren’t I there when they are so shit. In any case

    Lol fucking lol.

    Jacinda dear this is your party and he is directly criticising YOU.

    Lol fucking lol.

    Bring back Winston – we need some adults in parliament.

  15. I see Dr Sharma is talented: Fulbright Scholar, and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from UoA. MBA from George Washington University

    Clearly not a good fit for a party run by union hacks and gender studies graduates!

    He’s a man with options and this makes him a loose cannon for the rabid ideologues now running Labour.

    These include:
    1. Kicking it into touch and continuing his medical career.
    2. Contesting his seat as an independent.
    3. Doing a deal with the opposition, spending a year maximising the damage he can do within Labour then formally crossing the floor.

    • Why does everyone think that intelligence to be a surgeon etc means you have all round talent. It can also mean you are on the spectrum with no real people skills.

      • But Cabinet is full of people on the spectrum with no real people skills. That is not a barrier to success in the Labour Party.

      • Wheel Do you speak from knowledge or what? Surgeons may be in the business of chopping things off or out but most would talk to their patients in a sympathetic, meaningful and practical manner which requires people skills.

        An interesting tv series called The Good Doctor is available and it is abut a young surgeon with autism. Fictional but the actor playing the part has had advice on how to convey the problem of a medical professional dealing with people under stress. You might be interested to see how he copes when he makes a boo-boo. It’s hard learning with a bump, but good watching.

        • I do actually. Spent many a year in healthcare and also had a surgeon tenant in the same building who, while clearly brilliant, had the social skills of a power poll. That said I am not meaning to generalise and put all surgeons in the same box, there just seem to be a number of comments here that associate “Dr” with “we’re not worthy”.

    • Haha, imagine having those qualifications and then sitting on back bench behind some tosser who’s CV consists of having worked at Hugh Wrights and being a stay at home dad. He has got nothing to loose by sticking the boot into Labour on his way out to a proper, well paying career.

    • Yes Andrew he doesn’t fit with the Union bullies and the Arts Graduates neither of whom no little if anything about managing an economy.

  16. Well, glasshouses/stones and all that.
    Go playing games with stupid historical shit on your opponents and don’t be surprised when someone disgruntled in your own party who will lose their list seat next year anyway – nothing to lose- points out some hypocrisy from the Labour party itself.

    To the general public all this crap does is show what utter flogs we have in parliament.

    I’d say Labour were truly desperate to have gone dirty on the plonker Uffindell and this is what blowing up in your face looks like.

  17. I guess the difference is that with Uffenwhatever there were flesh and blood irrefutable proof of his actions. The tone and timing of this has personal grievance written all over it. I would suggest the fact that you (or anyone else) hasn’t heard of him shows that he is just a seat warmer that never made any useful contributions and when he discovered he was out next election, he threw his toys out of the cot.
    I suspect he’s doing a Jamie Lee-Ross. Apparently he hasn’t provided any evidence and seems not to have approached anyone else in the party for support. Maybe he’s hoping for the national nomination for Tauranga.

    • I would “suggest” you spend 2 min doing a bit of research before throwing your Labour Party sycophant cards on the table.
      I would “suggest” you start with Wikipedia
      Then read a few of the stories published which detail very clearly what he’s done. And the stone wall he’s come up against.

  18. Gosh the commenters seem to be a bit like the Party Whips, not interested in the substance of the problem. I notice a number coming forward with their jaws chomping every time there is a chance to criticise a politician or whatever. I like your verse Martyn but I can do worse! I think Dr Sharma is doing the right thing for us all and his sanity. I think he would like the beautiful images that come with this song Vincent by Don McLean – the chorus is ideal.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk
    “Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)”
    …Now, I understand what you tried to say to me
    And how you suffered for your sanity
    And how you tried to set them free
    They would not listen, they did not know how
    Perhaps they’ll listen now…

    For they could not love you
    But still your love was true…
    This world was never meant for one
    As beautiful as you

    Like the strangers that you’ve met
    The ragged men in ragged clothes
    The silver thorn of bloody rose
    Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
    Now, I think I know what you tried to say to me
    How you suffered for your sanity
    How you tried to set them free
    They would not listen, they’re not listening still
    Perhaps they never will
    Songwriters: Don Mclean / Elysa Sunshine / Vinny St. Martin

    • Remains a strong song.

      Perhaps preface ‘politician’ with “Labour/Green/Maori Party”-because these commenters are Tory supporters through and through, and when some of them do claim they will not vote for NZ National it merely means ACT instead. They come here for a Labour Bash not to make positive suggestions.

      I usually critique the Labour Caucus and its adherence to monetarism and a neo liberal state rather than individual MPs. But I admit this chap got to me with his naivety, does he think he’s the first to stumble upon the arcane rituals, conventions, hierarchy’s and structures of the NZ Parliament? Not destined for a long political career this one.

      • I think he’s realised he has better things to do than be in the Labour Caucus…and put up with the bullying s**t.

        Maybe a long political career is not his life-long ambition and the full extent of his life goals?

        • No he should join National and put up with the bullying shit instead.
          Surely you don’t need proof of that.

      • He’s a straight bowler, and it was people like him who decried the cricket exploits of the Oz bowler who sent along an underarm ball!

        It’s a pretty good example really of the clear-eyed person who is not caught up in the network of fibs and servile flattery (crawling) indulged in by others whose career depends on following the regime of ‘doing as I do, not as I say.’

  20. Meanwhile Darien Fenton shows her true colours and that of the Union movement who purport to protect the interest ps of their members.

  21. If this man is being bullied by parliamentary services who employs these people as my understanding it is not the political parties themselves who employ them. Interesting how this has come out now I smell a rat.

  23. When asked about this story Jacinda will put her head to one side smile and say we are the party of openness and kindness and walk away

  24. Perhaps the most disturbing comment, regarding the situation, comes from Trevor Mallard

    The Herald reports;

    Speaker Trevor Mallard said he would not discuss individual MPs or staff relationships.

    “A practice was developed during the last Parliament and has continued into this Parliament where MPs who have ongoing staff relationship issues have been delayed in their appointment of new staff until the whips and Parliamentary Service are convinced they have sufficient skills to properly supervise them.”

    https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/parliament-bullying-claims-ex-labour-mp-attacks-gaurav-sharma-for-ill-discipline-and-mouthing-off-in-media/WRAFJWQBAOWYGB3HFFMKCVQZTY/

    In other words, our representatives will get support staff allocated to them as and when they have the required “skills” to supervise their staff 9as judged by whom?).

    One can easily see a situation develop where our representative is “frozen” out from having support staff on the whim of the speaker, the party whips, the PM office, parliamentary services. What level of “supervisory” skill is required?

    Is Labour in character assassination mode with hints the representative was not able to “supervise” his staff?

  25. He’s a Dr and a surgeon! Get him out of that dismal place, parliament, and get him working in the health sector where he can do something useful.

    I don’t think the guy is being a woke snowflake. I see hi. More as a whistle blower

  27. Pleased you’re out of class Bert but am confused by your suggestion.
    Think l must have lived a sheltered life compared to yours.

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