More mud backfiring
Not that anyone except Sonic and Selma actually thought there was anything to Labour’s H-Fee attacks on Key, but a former SFO Director has come out and said:
Mr Key was simply one in a “vast array of innocent people, potential witnesses, in a massive fact-gathering exercise. I feel compelled to fully support the reported comments of John Key in relation to the H-Fee transaction. It should not need to be said that John Key was completely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever. For any politician to hint or suggest otherwise would be absolutely rubbish and pure mischief-making”.
This latest attempt has so backfired that Labour now denies they knew anything about it. Oh except for the fact Trevor Mallard kept referring to it in the House. And Mike Williams claims no knowledge at all – the same Mike Williams heard boasting on planes about dirt they had on John Key.
Fran O’Sullivan writes that Key has emerged unscathed from the smears:
If they are to ram home an allegation implicating Key in the H fee fraud, Labour will now need to produce cast-iron evidence – not simply a guilt by association smear. Right now the public sympathy is running with Key.
John Armstrong sees this as Labour self-destructing:
Is it a destructive mixture of fear and bravado coupled with blind panic which has driven Labour to turn what had been a slow-burning campaign to undermine John Key’s credibility into a full-blown and foolhardy character assassination job?
How else to explain the behaviour of Pete Hodgson, the kamikaze pilot who forgot to pack his aircraft with explosives?
His resorting to smear tactics without providing any substance to justify them reeked of the truly desperate.
Labour crossed a major threshold this week in switching its focus away from Key’s supposed policy inconsistencies and on to matters of personal character.
Like the junkie who is ever increasing the dose just to get the same hit, Labour’s failure to get any bounce in the polls out of its anti-Key onslaught is seeing it scrape the bottom of the barrel even harder to turn up something, anything, it can chuck in the direction of National’s leader.
Don’t expect it to stop though.
August 25th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Two minor points:
Why attempt to stop Labour when they are acting like such asses [or 'arses' , if you want]
and
When and if they do get something on John Key, who will believe it – the boy who called wolf just once to often?
Go, Labour!
August 25th, 2007 at 9:09 am
Hi all
You gotta laugh about all of this, Labour are digging such a big hole they won’t get out of it.
Why is head muck raker Trevor Mallard being so silent?
Also, I heard from a friend that a relative of hers dies last week in a hospital corridor, Golum should be more worried about this than wondering about garbage men.
Regards
Peter Bickle
August 25th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Meanwhile, New Zealand politics’ answer to Vicky Pollard keeps digging in the DomPost:
Labour is blaming National leader John Key for bringing attacks on himself, after he claimed the Government was planning another assault – and then took the unusual step of predicting what it would be and proclaiming his own innocence.
“This story was both started and finished by Mr Key,” Labour strategist Pete Hodgson said yesterday.
(Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4177087a6160.html)
Grown ups take responsibility for their actions, and the consequences that flow from them. Hodgson, meanwhile, has moved his office to the Parliamentary creche while he has a tangi because that nasty John Key took his toys, and it’s just not fair!
August 25th, 2007 at 9:17 am
And it’s about time journalists started asking the likes of Mallard and Williams why anyone should believe anything they say.
Just look at this:
<i>Yesterday Labour Ministers were denying any knowledge of the H-Fee rumours and Labour Party president Mike Williams said the news was “a bolt from the blue” for him.
Mr Mallard admitted using the term in interjections in the House but refused to comment any further.
Health Minister Pete Hodgson said he did not know of the H-Fee rumours and said Mr Key had “clearly got spooked. I’m obliged to take him at his word but you can’t help feeling there’s more coming”.</i>
Sorry, but its impossible to escape the conlusion that Mallard and Hodgson are flat out liars, and its about time the Press Gallery stopped being patsies.
[DPF: Well unless we believe that Hodgson doesn't listen to what Mallard interjects]
August 25th, 2007 at 9:26 am
Mallard and Hodgson and the rest of the sorry car crash of a party are liars.
They have cooked their own goose. No one will believe these arseholes over anything.
Predict high 20 polling in the next poll, rumours of leadership change within 6 months.
August 25th, 2007 at 9:41 am
The MSM should now start holding Clark accountable for all this silly nonsense. She IS the leader.
I agree with frederico re the leadership, the turmoil will start soon inside Labour.
August 25th, 2007 at 9:49 am
All these Hollow accusations are made in that Holy of Holies, Parliament, under privilege, where one cannot impugn the integrity of another Member, whose word must be accepted?
Just some of the old fashioned, archaic and corrupt procedures used to uphold the so called integrity of the House.
Members are so steeped in these quaint traditions and protected by their “Minders” in this hypocritical atmosphere, that they do not realise they have dragged our so called democratic system into disrepute over the years.
Extraordinary how at long long last, the Media are now engaged in a face saving exercise and are latching onto matters that we bloggers have known for years?
August 25th, 2007 at 10:07 am
The Hodgson interview on Morning Report mentioned by John Armstrong is on http://tinyurl.com/265lmu (Windows Media Link). The Minister for Health claims he personally wasted time doing research on this rubbish.
August 25th, 2007 at 10:09 am
DPF: Well unless we believe that Hodgson doesn’t listen to what Mallard interjects
If that’s true, then it’s the best judgement Hodgson has shown in months.
August 25th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Bring on the next poll
August 25th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Frederico:
Nah… I think there’s a longer game in play here. If Labour goes into the Christmas recess still on the wrong side of a double digit poll gap, who the hell is going to want to knock Clark of and become the next Mike Moore? Doesn’t mean there won’t several people working the phones and counting heads for the leadership contest if Labour loses – becuase I just don’t see Clark wanting another go-round as the Opposition leader. Can’t see the party wanting her either.
So what do you do? Seems to me that Hodgson’s clearly signalled that Labour is committed to this line of attack, and praying it gets some traction. If it doesn’t, it’s just going to get uglier. Can’t can’t get Key directly. move on to his family, everyone he’s even had a cup of coffee with… If that fails its open season on every MP. every candidate, every National Party officeholder, their families. friends, co-workers (past and present) etc.
And I’m praying National has the stomach not to go tit-for-tat with these people, however tempting it may be.
August 25th, 2007 at 11:16 am
Craig R,
I agree with you 100% about the Labour leadership. Also they will have to think carefully about their list for the 2008 election especially as they are looking down the barrel at a serious spanking from the voters. The hierarchy won’t want to be stuck with the 80′s and 90′s mob who are past their use by date. They badly need a range of candidates that are from a broader background than the current mob.
The test for the Nats as you hint at is they have the political high ground on issues like the EFB so they must not wallow in the shit with Labour.
August 25th, 2007 at 11:36 am
UNEXPLAINED ?
Quite apart from the mess this now famous Electoral [Mugabe] Finance Bill has got Labour in another unusual matter raised my eyebrows yesterday.
How many of you listened to Nicky Hagar’s speech yesterday.
Anything else in there that made you think?
Did you notice what he said about all the National party’s emails and documents? – he said he was “given hundreds of internal reports and their emails” !!!
This has the appearance that :
A) The Police have not interviewed him about Brash’s stolen emails otherwise he probably would have been more circumspect what he said about them.
B) Have the Police considered charging him with making gain from stolen goods,
C) Have the Police interviewed Luigi Peters, Mickey Cullen and H1 & H2 about their knowledge and receipt of stolen property.
If this was a murder investigation the police would have poured serious forensic expertise into the case and made some arrests by now but when it cuts to heart of NZ’s government and political system and police don’t act – This is MUGABE again.
(IT IS NZ’S WATERGATE)
How about some proper investigative journalism about this.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
Calculus said:
What? And deviate from the standard ‘he said, she said’ take-my-pay-cheque-and-don’t-think-too-hard type of, ahem, ‘reporting’ that we’ve all come to love?
You’ve as much chance of that happening as you have getting Sonic to put in a full day’s work.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Calculus:”How about some proper investigative journalism about this”
As good as they are, you may well ask rhetorical questions
since
Media, Police and Politicians are all on the same team. Result – No answers.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
John Key has wanted to be a politician since a very young age. I would be surprised if he has done anything to jeapardise that long term desire. The Labour Party is very exposed to a full on character debate. I do not think the Labour Party has thought this through. Once the perception is there that Labour is finished then people will move away and turn their backs including the civil service who resent being seen as paid up members of the Labour Party. Labour supporters they tend to be, but that is not the same thing as being hog tied to the party. I have noticed in my circle there is a feeling of distaste among Labour supporters. But I want the political destruction of the Labour Party to be permanent, so that they never again form a Government in their present form.
August 25th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
They are acting like a party that has already lost and a Government about to implode, I couldn’t help laughing at the lines, “he’s like quicksilver” and “like nailing jelly to a tree”. Someone somewhere is sitting on some damning information.
August 25th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Well the desperation they are displaying at such an early stage is very concerning. Once they realise that smear campaigns dont work, whats next?
Bribery.
Get ready for Muldoonesque pork barrel politics. You thought interest free loans was irresponsible…just wait and see whats used to buy votes next year.
I have no doubt these self serving bunch of failed teachers and academics would gladly sacrifice the economic future and viability of this country to stay in power
August 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
I haven’t read any substantive commentary from jordan carter over these allegations.
He must be very sympathetic toward anyone who has been on the receiving end of a that kind of intrusion.
c’mon carter, sock it to ‘em.
xx
ps. bring me back some chocolate treats
August 25th, 2007 at 3:06 pm
Good call Calculus. Corruption is a horrible word to associate with NZ politics but there is no other way to explain how the emails/documents were stolen & the subsequent police investigation (or lack of it).
I suspect there’s some serious blackmailing going on & we won’t find out the truth till Clark is well out of office. Clark is, after all, the most powerful NZ PM ever & I don’t mean that as a compliment.
Just think… we wouldn’t be dealing with any of this crap if we had a Dr Brash PM & John finance minister.
August 25th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
Odd that Labour are criticising Key for the company he keeps and his fitness for office of PM as a result.
Have they never heard of David Benson-Pope (prima faciae case but no charges), taito Philip Field (Crown currently seeking to prosecute)? What does this say about HC’s fitness to be PM, if you are to be judged by the people you associate with?
August 25th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
The herald on-line poll has 87% of people seeing National as the beneficiary of these attacks.
August 25th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Fred:”Someone somewhere is sitting on some damning information”
Someone, somewhere equates to Police, Pollies and Media.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
One would of thought the Labour party would have a lot more to loose by getting in to mud slinging. The fact that they are would be a indication of the extent of their desperation. It is an extremely high risk strategy and they are no doubt budgeting on the fact that the public expects a lot more from respectable right of centre politicians than it does of immoral socialists
August 25th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
sonic and selma seem to have gone very quiet- off being reprogrammed with next week’s talking points?
August 26th, 2007 at 11:41 pm
Nicky Hagar on record as being given undreds of e-mails? Then he writes a book quoted fequently by labour party ministers in the house? Hmm.
So, in order to maintain the transparency that the Labour Party are so interested in, as evidenced by numerous answers in the house, we need to know where these e-mails were sourced from!