Why Luxon and Seymour’s refusal to denounce Winston’s disgraceful false accusations is so dangerous
Incoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon kept a low profile on Thursday as his likely governing partner Winston Peters continued to post inaccurate information about the response to the March 15 terror attack in Christchurch on social media.
Luxon had no media engagements planned on Thursday, but his staff would not put him up to comment on Peters’ remarks.
They referred all requests for comment to remarks made by National MP Simeon Brown on TVNZ’s Breakfast on Wednesday morning, where Brown said Peters’ remarks were “ultimately up to him”.
The National Party’s silence comes as negotiations to form the next Government, one that will possibly include Peters, dragged on.
One of the issues with the election is how middle class work activists generated culture war ammunition for the Right that we on the Left could never win.
When we failed to de-escalate the Dumb Lives Matter Parliament Lawn Protest, I said at the time that the vast majority of protestors were Labour/Green voters and that we had lost them forever.
They left bitter and hateful towards the Left and their dark treacle oozed into the dark spaces with dark demented energy.
We have not calculated the full political price yet of this culture war. We see it in the lifted National and ACT vote obviously, and we see it in NZ First over the threshold, but also look at that dark energy below the threshold…
…a bitter mix of Christian extremism, Qanon nonsense, antivax madness and reactionary anger.
That’s 2.63 of the vote lost to spite.
NZ First is a vehicle for anti-Māori identity activism, the gambling industry, the fishing industry and antivaxx acolytes.
Winston has to flirt with that Conspiracy Theory electorate to remain politically relevant and his despicable tweet insinuating Jacinda knew about the white supremacist before the shooting is evidence of that new conspiracy theory extremism.
Look who Winston is flirting with…
…on the radically toxic Voices for Freedom Radio which has become an important media vehicle for hate politics hosted by the most radioactive Hate Blogger in the game.
Within that toxic world of primordial swamp there are feverish conspiracies where the NZ Government allowed the terror attack to occur so that the State could remove guns as part of a Global conspiracy to take over society.
Winston’s insinuation that Jacinda knew something 8 minutes before it happened feeds this dark conspiracy hatescape that Winston now draws political energy from.
The insinuation is beneath the mana of Jacinda to even respond to and the fact that Seymour and Luxon have said nothing highlights how much power Winston now has over them.
Look at what NZFirst operatives said to Matthew Hooton to defend this sleaze…
NZ First insiders are unapologetic. They told me yesterday it’s all about upsetting people like me to draw attention to Peters, and to signal to Luxon that “he better refresh his gantt chart”.
That would suggest to me a despicable new level of cynicism that we have never seen before in New Zealand, even when Peters was launching his most vicious attacks on new immigrants in the 1990s.
…that they would openly decide and lie just for attention is a horrific indictment.
This is a man who claimed falsely that Harry Tam took a covid positive prostitute through Northland checkpoints and Matthew Hooton reminds us again of the long history of smears spoken by Winston…
Ardern can take comfort that she isn’t the first person Peters has so falsely and contemptibly smeared.
As early as 1996, the courts found in a defamation action that “Mr Peters was at best reckless or even worse he knew the words used were false. Either way he acted maliciously.”
That case concerned one of the false allegations Peters had made over several years for which — to use his own cynical slogan — he provided “not a shred of evidence”.
He has never changed.
After happily selling the Government’s shares in Auckland International Airport as Treasurer in July 1998, he led a performative Cabinet walk-out only weeks later over a similar sale of shares in Wellington Airport.
That forced his sacking and the collapse of the National-NZ First Coalition, in my view allowing him to play martyr.
In 2008, the Spencer Trust scandal disrupted the Clark Government’s final year, with the Privileges Committee finding Peters had knowingly provided false or misleading information to Parliament and the public about an undisclosed $100,000 donation.
Matters concerning donations to the NZ First Foundation, which marred Ardern’s first term, remain before the courts.
…look, there are many reasons to be critical of how the Christchurch terrorist gained his guns and managed to pull off the Christchurch atrocity.
This is the list of NZ security apparatus, many acronyms you’ve never heard of, who are supposed to keep us safe with mass surveillance powers from this very type of terrorism…
- The SIS (Secret Intelligence Services)
- The GCSB (Government Communications Security Bureau)
- The NSG (National Security Group)
- The Police Intelligence Unit
- The CNSN (Cabinet National Security Committee)
- The ODESC (Officials’ Committee for Domestic and External Security Coordination)
- The SIB (Security and Intelligence Board)
- The CTCC (Counter-Terrorism Coordinating Committee)
- The NICC ( National Intelligence Coordination Committee)
- The IAD (Intelligence and Assessments Directorate)
- The NRU (National Risk Unit)
- The NSPD (National Security Policy Directorate)
…they collectively cost us in excess of $100million per year, and when it comes to spying on Muslims, Nicky Hager, Me, Greenpeace, Māori protesting oil drilling, environmentalists and the MANA Party, oh the State breaches our rights all the time without blinking, but a white supremacist terrorist who used white supremacy keywords online, with complaints from the Muslim Community itself and complaints from other gun owners,oh no, apparently our entire Intelligence Apparatus failed and didn’t have any idea whatsoever.
You can see why they’ve slapped a 30year secrecy clause on everything.
These Departments are supposed to be the ones who are asking ‘what if’, they are supposed to be the ones with the imagination to see where the next threat is coming from and they have enormous mass surveillance powers and resourcing to do this.
And yet, nothing.
There are more questions that demand answering:
- Why did the Waikato firearms officer issue a licence to an applicant who lived in Dunedin?
- Why was a licence issued so quickly to a new arrival in the country? When a friend of mine, who was a serving army officer at the time, was told by form letter that the renewal of his licence would take six months.
- Why were the applicant’s references not interviewed?
- Why were the applicant’s parents not interviewed?
- Why were Australian Police not contacted?
- Why were his unusual travel movements around the Middle East, including Pakistan not flagged as a risk factor?
- Why was he issued a permit to bulk purchase ammunition within weeks of his arrival?
So there are many questions about intelligence failure, but to insinuate as Winston has that the Prime Minister ‘knew something’ because she and 30 other agencies were sent the manifesto 8 minutes before the atrocity is such an egregious smear that highlights where NZ First is now politically.
The total silence from Luxon and Seymour to a smear they know is totally untrue infects them all.
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I think it may be suiting them that the silly old prick, that is Winston Peters, is creating a distraction from the fact that the voters are kept in the dark over what is going on.
Winston is over 5%.
That’s legitimate whether you like it or not.
Get used to it.
All that says is 5% of the voters voted for NZF, this does not make Winston’s remarks legitimate; if National and ACT want to retain legitimacy they should have quickly distanced themselves from Winston’s remarks. Really depends how much of his ‘soul’ Luxon is prepared to sell to become PM.
He hasn’t any left to sell. Luxon is an empty suit. Mark my words, NZ will have significant cognitive dissonance ere long.
Martyn does not disagree with the election results, all he wants is for politicians to be honest. You might be happy to believe lies but only the truth sets us free.
No one’s saying it’s not. It’s the bullshit conspiracy shite that’s illegitimate, whether you like it or not.
I expect facts, not made up shite that has far right fingerprints all over it.
Yep Krauts far right, the righties have dementia. Threatening Jacindas life and attacking her partner is all they had. The idiot Krauts comments are testament to that.
Never said he wasn’t legitimate. It’s possible to be a silly old prick at the same time.
In regard to the Wellington protests.
You keep lamenting the loss to the left of the most stupid and gullible loons in NZ.
On one hand I can understand the requirement in a democracy to appeal to the largest possible number of votes but are you sure you want the disproportionally loud voices of such loons to be identified as being representative of the left, which is surely how the right wing will, and have, portrayed them?
Democracy? The National Party wasted our time with a FLAG referendum, Labour wasted our time with a CANNABIS referendum. If this government does something stupid, such as suggesting that gang members should use makeup to cover their tattoos, or put Te Tiriti to a referendum; then FASCISM has arrived. This is not Palestine but the ignorant, detached, men currently negotiating the last three years of our non extinction cannot be allowed to continue the VIOLENT COLONIALISM that has already hurt us all for two hundred years, Pakeha and Maori.
Seriously these Muppet reakon Labour was the most incompetent? No plan? No financial management? Just give Luxon a couple terrorist attacks, some earthquakes, some volcanic eruptions and a few floods. Just give it a bit of time.
One thing we know for sure is this will be Winstone last hoorah and why is that he is starting to lose the plot.
As for the other two they will not want to upset the old fool in case they may need him, so they will be zipping the lip.
I hope u are right about his last tilt at power but I would not count on it .
Hopefully this outburst has weakened his case with Luxon.
I’m unsure why the Herald is so intent on honing in on Peters misinformation, when they were so busy peddling government misinformation after the shooting especially the police line that licensing had been done appropriately when it had not.
And repeating false police association statistics that overstated licensed firearms crime by 10x., all to rush through bad gun law that pushed guns underground and armed the criminals.
Winnie’s dementia is small fry to the damage done by MSM misinformation.
If msm was credible they would tell the public of nz they are more fucked under National than Labour let alone bringing in fringe looney parties like ACT and NZ First, only then can we believe the msm.
Clearly shows a complete lack of integrity from all three of them.
They are all as greedy for power as each other.
They don’t want what ordinary NZders actually need and expect from their leaders. None of them is capable or indeed interested, in delivering anything for the 90%.
Why are such people attracted to politics when it’s humble, honest people we need?
So many people are attracted to empty-headed, big talkers.
Even when their dirty politics behavior is made glaringly obvious, so many turn away and pretend it’s not happening.
Those 3 appalling men are not even in a government yet and already we see what useless leaders they are. Integrity has gone out the window.
Winston isn’t right, but he isn’t as wrong as the National/Labour uniparty.
What is being done to look into those who spread ‘counterjihad’ zionist propaganda, like the ‘israel’ ‘institute’ that pretends to be made up of New Zealanders but does nothing but spread Mossad lies? These people inspired the attack. They must be apprehended and charged for what they did.
No, us old fools, understand, how youth learning.
Shall, we.
Best ever our care, the B.N,Z, rusting in the Wellington, sky, its metal done. Tusker, never said, who, bombed, the Unions, place, and death created..
Best ever our care, the B.N,Z, rusting in the Wellington, sky, its metal done. Tusker, never said, who, bombed, the Unions, place, and death created..
I would rather have total chaos than any media personality or politician telling me that I am required to have a medical injection that I do not want or need.
“…. politician telling me that I am required to have a medical injection that I do not want…”
They weren’t. They were simply telling you that most others didn’t want you around them while unvaccinated, and enforcing the right of those people to the safer environment without the risk you impose.
The message was: remain unvaccinated if you choose, but away from the rest of us.
Capitalism, coming now, enjoy, or question.
I hope u are right about his last tilt at power but I would not count on it .
Hopefully this outburst has weakened his case with Luxon.
I think you probably meant ‘middle class woke activists’, not ‘work’ activists. ‘work’ activists were probably more likely to be a ‘dumb life’ at the protest btw
The main reason Luxon won’t be commenting is because he and the Mrs were dining with him that same evening (Wednesday). It’s even possible Luxon knew about it and went along with it. It’s going to be a long three years!
Best not yet.
Care.
Any picture with the slug, gruesome, horrid, corrupt Slater has to be the death nell. Even the ardernt right/ hard rightvwing supporters would agree?
I was hopeful Slater would just disappear from politics, but not surprised to see his new BFF would be someone like Winston.
It is a habit of conservative politicians to pretend to a reliability that, in recent times they have by no means justified. Even a cursory examination of the efficacy of the Republican party in the US shows that they have not delivered for the masses they employed Trumpism to deceive.
But they have not thus far been punished for it.
So, having no plausible populist policies of their own, National and their scurrilous allies cheerfully adopt Trumpism, assuming they will get away with it too.
They won’t – if the Left parties will only sidle away from unpalatable nonsense like gender theory and the mass low quality immigration that impoverishes the poor end of town. A credible Labour party will eat these clowns alive next term – if they clean house. I expect however that they will double down on the stupidity that made them unelectable instead. NZ will stagger further towards the abyss, giving every NZer the Chinua Achebe experience. Future generations will not be able to believe how stupid and irresponsible they were.