RNZs attempt to ‘Santamaria’ Uffindell fails: Winners & Losers
Doing a ‘Santamaria’: When anonymous allegations are used to smear a person and insinuate their behaviour was ‘unsafe’ or ‘inappropriate’.
Dropping an investigation into one of your MPs historic bullying allegations on the day the Queen is buried is just so National isn’t it?
Crisis management at its most banal.
Te Puke Public Relations 101.
The investigation into Sam Uffindell has concluded (surprise, surprise) that the breathless one side of the story ‘journalism’ perpetrated upon Sam didn’t in fact live up to, what’s that pesky legal thing again, oh that’s right, basic evidential threshold.
If only we on the Left were as good at solving child poverty and inequality as we are at shredding a National MP for things they did as a 16 year old.
The tsunami of outrage as every single person ever bullied in their entire lives had a group therapy counselling session by screaming hate endlessly at Sam has been a fun and exciting time for everyone, but now the evidence is in and it turns out that the wolf that was cried might have in fact been a large cat. Maybe.
Could have in fact been a rustling bush.
No actual eyewitness accounts of a wolf.
That didn’t stop everyone from inventing a homicidal ManBearPig.
There are of course political winners and losers.
WINNERS:
Luxon – He actually comes across as strong here. He’s pushed back on allegations made with an investigation that hasn’t shown any evidence to back those allegations up. This is such a repeated cultural process post Me Too and in the hyper triggered world we now live in, due process and enforcing it will appeal to far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, more voters than the woke can comprehend.
LOSERS:
National’s policy to bash disabled beneficiaries – I think it will be very difficult to be forgiving to Sam while demanding disabled teens get cut off welfare if they don’t find a job fast enough.
National’s policy to bash young criminals – I think it will be very difficult to be forgiving to Sam while demanding criminal teens get punished harsher than he did.
RNZ – How on earth did they manage to get away with using an anonymous source to smear an MP? The new woke newsrooms B-E-L-I-E-V-E all women. Always! Is this really ‘journalism’ from RNZ or is it weaponised gossip? Is this the kind of ‘Journalism’ we will be getting from the new TVNZ/RNZ merger?
Sam – Despite him passing this investigation, his reputation is shredded. He was upfront with the selection panel, but where he should have been more upfront is with his actions to the wider public.
If he had opened with this and what it did to change him, then that would have been a compelling story that people could have rallied to and around.
But the decision to hide it damaged him and worse, it made his Maiden Speech where he attacks young men who have fallen to the same urges he did sound callow and drenched in self serving hypocrisy.
He was upfront with the panel, it was clearly the panel who decided to hide it, from that moment they cursed their own candidate.
National Candidate Selection process – What the hell happened again? Sam tells the panel about his violent history and the panel didn’t tell Luxon (who is on the panel)? How on earth did a selection process that was supposed to prevent these very issues occurring be structured in a way that allowed it to happen again? The National Party couldn’t organise a drink at a pub!
CONCLUSION:
This petty, spiteful event says so much about what we is now and gives an unflattering insight into what passes as journalism.
Hearsay that has to be believed on a religious level or else you are as bad as the person accused of wrong doing is not journalism.
That’s the Salam Witch Trial evidential threshold.
But it’s not journalism.
RNZ were allowed to use an anonymous source with nothing more than their side of the story, which an inquiry concluded simply didn’t stand up and RNZ got away with it!
The feeding frenzy we on the Left were prepared to go to damn a person for actions they committed as a child is so fucking ugly and hypercritical.
Boys are different. They develop mentally and emotionally in their 20s. Their brains are wired for risk and adrenalin and violence. They need the guard rails of older males.
The issue isn’t that Sam was shown mercy and didn’t face a Police prosecution, the issue is that mercy is seldom given to poor kids, brown kids and rarely ever to poor brown kids.
We should be showing all kids more mercy, we should be prepared to put the extra time and resource to rescue, heal and forgive young men for their fuck ups, because if we don’t, we are creating a generation of unforgivable men and the carnage their shame will wrought!
This conclusion isn’t some thunderbolt from above, it’s basic sociology!
Normally the Left preach this, but the second it was Sam from National, all our wisdom was wiped aside for vengeance against heteronormative white cis male privilege.
Watching the NZ political media and activist glee club whip themselves into moralistic fury over Sam’s transgressions while 27 000 wait on emergency housing wait lists, 200 000 kids live in poverty, more children living in cars since the Left came to power in 2017, 100 000 food parcels handed out a month and entire generations locked out of home ownership all stand by waiting for the left to engage with as much passion as shitting on Sam.
Can we please, for the love of fuck, get back to the issues that matter if we’ve all finished trying to goad Uffindell into suicide?
Our brittle weakness is collectively beneath the challenge of our times.
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“We on the left”? I don’t think this is exclusive to one side or the other. Most of the right leaning posters on TBD believed every word that fell out of Sharma Bananarama’s mouth and he repeatedly produced no evidence at all
I think Sam U probably did behave like an a hole at university, but he would have had lots of company
Frank the conclusion was ‘events didn’t transpire the way the flatmate said they had recalled’ or something of that nature. That’s an interesting answer in itself but Friday release versus funeral for a monarch that reigned for 70 years? Interesting comparison.
Haha Frankie the whole Uffindell saga and Labour and Robertson are the losers. Bahahahahaha!
I’m surprised you didn’t roll out Barry Soper for his opinion.
Inquiry to remain secret, Selection Panel activity ditto, staff member likely under a bus as we write for not telling Mr Luxon. Todd McClay did not tell the leader either it seems.
So-NOTHING TO SEE HERE! folks.
Natzo culture is basically fine with bullies, misogynists and opportunists is the message.
Or Andrew Falloon and Jamie Lee Ross?
Well said TM.
Hopefully there’s support in place for the poor young woman and her father, God knows how they are feeling right now. She felt so threatened she climbed out her window to get away from SU?
“He was smashing on my door and yelling obscenities and basically telling me to get out – ‘hit the road, fatty’.
“I ended up climbing out of my bedroom window and ran to a friend’s house to stay the night. I feared for my safety. I was scared.”
The woman said it was not an isolated incident: “it was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Her father travelled to Dunedin the next day to help her move out, she said. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/472560/national-mp-sam-uffindell-stood-down-from-caucus-while-more-allegations-investigated
Did the Luxon secret report have support structures in place for the woman and her father after they were both shown a copy of the report?
I’d say there has been a “secret” payment made to keep her quiet, such are the dark arts used by the National party. Or did she get a late night visit from Cam Slaters goons.
@ CG …I’m afraid my namesake has not handled this as well as he could have.
The misogynists and right whingers posting here, are defending Sam Uffindell bashing on a woman’s door and telling her to “hit the road fatty!”. I’d say he’ll be a pinup boy for the right and alt-right of NZ/AO Politics. They’ll all be high-fiving and fist-pumping (sic.) out of the glare of the public over what the bully said and the fact he got away with it.
A 2 week secret investigation, with no thought for the woman and her family involved, no support structures set up for her. Then released on the eve of the Queen’s funeral!
Shonkey soulless outcome for all victims of the incident and for abused women in NZ. Not a good look namesake!
I doubt the two people who spoke to RNZ were even interviewed by the QC in her investigation. What was the scope of the investigation? We don’t know because it was all kept secret. Pathetic.
Then what sort of report was it Sinic? A Clayton’s Report!
What about the victims of his bullying after he was expelled from Kings College?
He continued his bullying and learnt nothing from it
The report you release on the eve of the Queen’s funeral?
Still waiting for the enquiry into covid handling from this open and transparent government
Still waiting for any enquiry into the handling of the Parliament protest.
Trev, you should be thanking Jacinda, Ash & Labour for saving you (and me) and the 15,000 other grumpy old Tory men. The review should also include the foolish, dumb, uninformed, conspiratorial, comments from the right wing politicians, media and radio talk/back, commentators.
Uffindell was EXPELLED from the private secondary school he attended. In my 70+ years I always thought any pupils expelled were unsavory, unpleasant, vile, low, dishonest, and so on. You don’t get expelled for a simple punch.
Why would you need an inquiry into covid handling? Labour got over 90% of the population vaccinated. They gave the environment a break from excessive tourism. They dropped the carbon footprint of international air travel. They kicked out all the temporary visa workers suppressing wages. They gave businesses more than enough money not to go bankrupt. They kept the wolf from the door of wage and salary earners, who couldn’t go out and spend, so got to pay down debt or build up savings. The middle class enjoyed a property price exuberance. The banks got their $5billion cut. The homeless and street dwellers got a “holiday” in a Rotorua motel. Oh, and 30,000 lives were saved – which wouldn’t have been the case under Nact.
You failed to mention the shouting from Maori Leaders how they were let down constantly then there was the debarkle about MIQ places late to,order vaccinations slow to move on stepping up allowing work force back in .
They did a good job of initial reaction but once pasted it’s peak have been very slow in picking up the pace and now we are well behind other countries .Much money was paid out unnecessarily to businesses just like the top up payment went to thousands that were not entitled to it. Millions are owed by people who went into MIQ which could have been collected at the time .
There will be other pandemics in the future and we need to be prepared.
It peaked interest with the school bully bashing of the impudent fag for one assumes, failing to pre warm the toilet seat for a prefect. Or whatever is a crime is at Kings. After that, lurid stories of unhygienic flats in Dunners as a student were petty and boring. Did he roll Jaffa’s down Baldwin St recklessly too, the scoundrel?
Uffindell is picture perfect National. No one honestly expects different or better.
He would make a truly ironic police or justice minister however!
Too bad, it would have been an hilarious precedent. Disallowing anyone who ever raised their voice in anger while flatting in their Uni days from being in parliament could really have cleaned house.
Once again, this type of behaviour mimics the antics of the left in US politics.
Who remembers the attacks on Brett Kavanaugh when nominated to the Supreme Court? The rape claims where the supposed victim couldn’t remember the year it happened or the suburb where it happened? Believe All Women! Yeah Right!
Years ago, the Democrats, led by Biden, pulled exactly the same trick when applying a racist smear to Clarence Thomas during his nomination hearing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURHD5BU1o8
It was a political hit job typical of the dirty Nats and typical of the right wing.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/300693652/sam-uffindells-accusers-happy-for-report-on-mps-conduct-to-be-made-public
And the Natz are considering giving 16 y.o’s the…vote.
I find that hard to believe. When have National done anything that was to their disadvantage.
Reinstated knighthoods ds.
Child beaters and people farmers… it’s going to be gangs versus propertied cunts down the line… I know who my money’s on.
Best summed up here…
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/300692693/national-leader-christopher-luxon-not-keen-on-sam-uffindell-report-seeing-light-of-day
Frankie, National as transparent as a rock.
Right Frank. It could be a report on whether or not Sam left the toilet seat up or down in his flat. For the life of me I can’t work out why Luxon doesn’t even release the terms of reference or an executive summary which apparently is not unusual. This is doing Sam no favours at all.
Frankie, your assertion that he was ” the good doctor” is based on what? That Uffindell is of good character?
Frank the Tank says Uffindell was a rugbyhead. Martyn bangs has head against the wall (again) about the quality of our political journalism.
Be clear, if the story had been about an All Black the furore would have been three times as manic, six times as prolonged and any report about it never accepted. Especially if the player still lived and breathed.
To be kicked out of Kings you need to a special kind of ahole. In the five years I spent there no one was expelled or even suspended, I remember one kid rolled his car in the school grounds and nothing was said. 40k a year in fees buys you a lot of slack.
It will be up to “the good people of Tauranga” next year to decide his fate.
To be honest, it isnt really suprising about this — These all boys boarding schools are more or less Lord of the Flies type places. Interesting how the government closed down the Maori St Stephens school for this carry on, but not King’s.
Of course a mysogynistic of any colour would defend another….Uffindell is a victim as this won’t go away. Decent women won’t want him as their MP – although I am beginning to have my doubts as to whether ‘National’ has any ‘decent women’ supporters – my contemporaries excluded. Luxon is not strong – he is just being a ‘CEO’ which is all he knows. He will be gone ‘ere noon’.
Maaaaate!
https://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/94869389/sharon-murdoch-cartoons
That’s good enough for me in this space although I’m hoping to be further educated by the err ahh hipster Wall – err um Wall um err ass Chap – um err-ahhhh-Person. I’m hanging out to be able to formulate an opinion.
I type as I listen and the contributors to ‘The Panel’ are really really gorgeous. I know they think they are but I need a second opinion
Perhaps Martyn should consider if an opaque investigation has as much credibility as an anonymously laid complaint.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?extid=CL-UNK-UNK-UNK-AN_GK0T-GK1C&v=795642355009945
@Gus Exactly like SU? There certainly are some myopic right-tards commenting here Martyn!
The 4 white horsemen of National for Tauranga,… Sam Uffindell, Tom Rutherford, Kelvin Clout and Matt Cowley, the four white candidates National considered for the Tauranga seat (Source: Supplied) https://www.1news.co.nz/2022/06/19/sam-uffindell-new-tauranga-mp-wants-action-on-transport-and-crime/
…..and the best of the bunch white male they got …. was Sam Uffindell!!
FFS National, do you realise this is NZ/AO in 2022, not South Africa, post 1948?
Compared with Santamaria and Sharma, there was no accusers outed by media, mentioned or interviewed by RNZ in the Santamaria’s case, nor the Sharma Drama!
The woman in Dunedin outlined exactly what Uffindell said and did during his bullying incident, what Luxon initially called “very concerning”. RNZ report:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/472560/national-mp-sam-uffindell-stood-down-from-caucus-while-more-allegations-investigated.
And now Luxon has “seen the light” and praise the Lord, there’s nothing-to-see-here-move-along!
Fuck right off Luxon and the National White Party!
The Uffindell victims are happy for the report to be published: RNZ:
The RNZ report:https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/475174/sam-uffindell-s-accusers-happy-for-report-on-mp-s-conduct-to-be-made-public
I’m sure the National Party MPs, who accepted Luxon’s 3 word summary of “Uffindell’s been cleared” report without seeing it, should be as vehemently supportive towards “transparency” of the Labour Party-Sharma-Drama, as they were of their own National Party ‘Beaker’ Uffindell inquiry details going public.
Get a grip National – and Labour. ACT should be all over this to make sure that Terms of Reference and redacted findings are published, at the very least.
Otherwise, it’s a white wash, to match the white, male National Party candidates who put themselves up to take Simon Bridges’ seat in Tauranga. Te Pati Maori may be right – TAURANGA is RACIST. (“subjected to white supremacist leaftlet drops.”)
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2022/05/te-p-ti-m-ori-won-t-stand-candidate-at-tauranga-by-election-due-to-safety-issue.html
Tauranga and National got the member they deserve and I hope the electorate and around the motu vote in 2022 based on the under-lie-ing findings of the no-released report.
Misogyny, bullying, cover-ups and white privilege. National’s slogan for the 2023 election – nothing new to see here, move along! No need for any of you plebs to see the report!