From larrikin to bully
November 28th, 2007 at 2:55 pm by David FarrarThe Dominion Post calls out Trevor Mallard over his vicious attack on Erin Leigh. Mallard has got off far too lightly over his actions, so it is good to see an editorial highlighting the issue:
If nothing else, Environment Minister Trevor Mallard’s savage attack on the former government contractor who alleged political interference within his ministry has shown one thing. Mr Mallard’s contrition over his assault on National MP Tau Henare was not genuine, The Dominion Post writes.
If it was, he would not have lashed out so violently against a political non-combatant a few weeks later.
I think it is obvious Mallard has an anger problem. And I think his entire contrition line was an act – confirmed by Clark giving him far more senior portfolios.
True, the assault on Mr Henare was physical. He was punched on the jaw. Erin Leigh, the public relations consultant who resigned her job after a Labour Party activist was hired to rewrite her work, was subject only to a verbal assault.
But the verbal assault is likely to have longer-lasting consequences than the punch. It was nothing more nor less than a calculated attempt to damage Ms Leigh’s future earning power by destroying her professional reputation.
Yes. And it was a warning to all other public servants – this is what you will get if you speak out.
If the Madeleine Setchell affair is anything to go by, the less courageous of the public service’s bosses will have already drawn a mental black line through her name. But the reverberations go wider than that. Private sector employers will also think twice about hiring a woman a senior government minister says had “repeated competence issues”.
Think how much she could win in damages if he said it outside the House, and she successfully sued. This smear was covered in almost every media outlet in NZ.
It may be that Mr Mallard is right. It may be that Ms Leigh was so incompetent she had to be asked to fix the same piece of work six times.
But the comments of her former boss, Neal Cave, who has said she was “the best comms person I’ve ever worked with”, and of former ministry chief executive Barry Carbon, who has said he had no problem with her work, suggest otherwise.
And good references from three other Ministers, don’t forget.
So does Ms Leigh’s contention – yet to be denied – that it was Prime Minister Helen Clark’s chief of staff Heather Simpson who kept ordering alterations to a draft communications strategy. Put those things together and the suspicion must be that Ms Leigh’s true failing was not one of competence but a refusal to churn out Labour Party propaganda while employed by a government department.
The lack of denial has spoken volumes.
… in the meantime, Mr Mallard should accept Ms Leigh’s challenge to repeat outside Parliament the comments he made inside it about her.If he was right, he has nothing to fear. If he was wrong, Labour’s tough guy should not try to hide behind Parliament’s skirts.
Any bets on whether Trevor will do the right thing and repeat them outside?
It is one thing to make war on political opponents. It is another to use parliamentary privilege to trample over non-combatants.
Indeed. It exists to allow MPs to reveal wrong doing by powerful interests. It isn’t meant to be used to destroy the professional reputation of someone who reveals misconduct in Government.
Mr Mallard is a capable minister who for a long time enjoyed grudging respect from all sides of the House as a fierce opponent.
But he is in grave danger of being remembered not as the likeable larrikin he once was but as an unpleasant bully. He should think again about the way he is conducting himself. And Miss Clark should find him a different anger management course. The one he’s on is clearly not working.
Knowing Clark, she’ll give him even more powerful portfolios as a reward. Sure she’ll tut tut about it afterwards – but Mallard has achieved what he set out to do – fire a warning shot to scare off any other former public servants from speaking out.
Related posts:
- Helen Clark on Erin Leigh
- Environment Ministry apologies to Erin Leigh
- Defending Erin Leigh
- Erin Leigh wins in Supreme Court
November 28th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Mallard is a wimp.
Like the rest of the limp wristed left.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Disagree with the line that he is a capable Minister LOL I wont employ him or any of the others to put my garbage tin out.
He is a coward and a bully of little ability and like all cowards and bullies lacks any ethics or morals . He is but a serial philanderer with a serious anger management problem..
He wouldnt last 5 minutes in any competent private sector organisation as he would be exposed for the light weight that he is.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Clearly Our Dear Leader is positioning Mallard as her strong right arm to smite the ungodly in 2008. He is a blatantly agressive bully who will use any tactic he can to strike at anyone who threatens Labour’s hold on the levers of power. H1 and H2 see the environment as an area where having no credentials, dirty tricks and lies spun by Trev will be all important and where plausable denial will be necessary. Having an unmuzzled pit bull will be very useful to them.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
With a bit of luck, he’ll bad mouth the wrong guy and they’ll punch Mallard out, at last, and well overdue.
Professionally, he epiomises the filth of the left.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
It will be interesting to see what the rabid socialists over at The Standard and Kiwiblogblog have to say about this.
Sunny and windy in the capital. The socialists getting smacked around. A month until Christmas. All good.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:12 pm
I actually enjoy Mallard’s rants, as everytime he opens his mouth it makes Labour look even worse!
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
I listened to Parliament when this happened and it wasn’t savage. It was restrained but clinical, and predictable as they had to raise question marks over her ability to discredit the story which was getting out of control. Fortunately she saw it coming and was prepared with the appropriate references so that the competence issue never gained traction.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
I’m struggling to think when anyone has EVER considered him congenial enough to be a larrikin even.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Agree with Insider, Erin Leigh was certainly competent enough to see this coming, and had the neccesary information to adequately refute this baseless allegation.
Not only that, but her comments were in open forum, and able to challenged legally.
Contrast the straw grabbing “had to re-do a document six times” from Mallard, uttered within parliament, and therefore untouchable by law.
Mallard, you are a gutless loser!
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
What a shame someone else’s good name has to get flushed down the toilet in a forum where she has precisely no right of reply or redress. And I wonder if one outcome of the ongoing SSC investigation would be some *cough* strongly worded advice to ministers about bruting selectively leaking confidential employment records (or just making shit up about public servants and state sector employees) in the House, as a political weapon of mass distraction? After all, I thought Tev and Co. were all about treating workers with fairness and good faith?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:32 pm
BTW, Mallard was a school teacher before he entered Parliament wasn’t he? I wonder what his reaction would be if, say, an unflattering performance assessment from his teaching days was released to an Opposition politician and selectively quoted in the House? I can imagine he’d probably need something a little stronger than an anger management session.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
mallard
malcontent
malevolent
malicious
maladroit
malafide
malacoderm
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:35 pm
Is this the same Trevor Mallard who Helen Clark wanted to see Tasered? It doesn’t exactly help the cause when the United Nations has decreed that Tasers are a torture device.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I sincerely hope as a public servant this Mallard is on psychotic medication to try and balance his mood swings ?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Well, I don’t think Helen Clark should think too hard about a post-politics career as a stand up comic. Perhaps comparing her neighborhood around Guy Fawkes to “downtown Kandahar” was meant to be a joke, but I think most people just went WTF? She’s not David Lange.
Anyway, could we get the UN to declare Trevor Mallard a torture device and have him put out of our misery?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
If Mallard is protected from being sued for defamation by privilege, why can’t he be held to account by the privileges committee? If he made statements that can be shown to be false, then hasn’t he misled parliament?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Now now, D4J, let’s not get down into the kind of sewer Trev likes to frolic in when he screeches that kind of trash at Nick Smith.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
What are the chances of Erin Leigh getting a substantial payout through the courts, or at least the Employment Court?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
And Spam, misleading the highest court in the land is perjury in any lesser court .Surely he must be sacked immediately ?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Wonder if Mallard has the balls to ride the Karapoti classic next year. Would be such a shame if while passing him I punched him for perving on some lycra clad woman. I was just defending her honour…. Dear leader would be very happy with me !
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:51 pm
Gerry
Vote:you forgot
malodorous
November 28th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Well … I’m prepared to partly go in to bat for Mallard in that I think he’s been an effective Minister. He’s decisive, and he gets things done. He’s someone that business people can deal with – and don’t underestimate how hard that is to find in Labour governments. And he’s prepared to act as a “Principal” and make decisions & commitments without equivocating and then having to run off to Helen or Cabinet to find out what he’s allowed to do.
That said … all the good he achieves in that context gets completely undone by his role as Labour’s designated bovver boy. The punching Tau, the completely unjustified attack on Erin Leigh … I think it’s unfortunate that a man of some ability will be remembered as a mindless thug who can’t hold his bottle.
But perhaps that’s exactly what he is …
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
National 51% and going North.
Labour 39% and going South.
And Mallard hasn’t the wit to realise he is part cause of that.
Well done that ‘man’.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
VirtualMark:
You surely haven’t forgotten the abortive waterfront stadium project? And any word on how the Rugby World Cup planning is coming along? Last media reports weren’t exactly favourable.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:06 pm
TC, yes, but don’t think he has got up Helen’s nose yet.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I would say mallard is a sniveling wimp, using his office and power to rubbish hard working New Zealanders ,and acting like a dick in the process, but then there are more arseholes, in the labour party, so lets VOTE THEM OUT
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:10 pm
POC … accepted. I was referring to it in the context of you can have a meeting with him, present a commercial proposal, and he’ll give you a straight answer and get his side together.
To be fair, I wouldn’t fancy trying to herd the various factions in Auckland local body politics & waterfront development … that was/is a hiding to nothing.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
virtualmark wrote:
As far as the waterfront stadium was concerned, you may be right. But Mallard certainly didn’t help matters with his cowboy ‘love it or shove it’ attitude; I think he was sincerely shocked that people insisted on asking for some straight answers to basic questions like: do you actually have access to the land, what is it going to cost and who is going to pay for it?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
God knows how the poor smucks that work in his office or any of the socialists can stomach it.
I have far too much pride to work with such a bunch of low life cretins The mere sight of them makes my skin crawl.
Those people obviously suffer from very low self esteem to want to associate and breath the same air.
What a bunch of sad little people they must be hvaing to forelock tug and suck up to these bloated egos
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Craig, I agree that Mallard should have got his ducks (!) in line with Ports of Auckland first. But from there perhaps the right way was to just say “Here’s an opportunity, take it or leave it”. The difficulty as I see it is getting North Shore, Waitakere & Manukau cities to shoulder a fair portion of the investment in what is a whole-of-Auckland asset. Herding those 3 is pretty hard, and meanwhile you have to keep your feet on the tail of Auckland city that’s squealing about how it’s being hit for an unfair portion of the costs …
I’ll admit, I don’t know what the right answer is for funding Eden Park or a waterfront stadium. I can see the need for it, but I can see the point of view of the different groups bickering about who’s going to pay for it.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
Virtualmark:
Just for your interest, as I didn’t know this, I’ve just checked who the Minister for the Rugby World Cup baton has been passed on to – Clayton Cosgrove.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 4:47 pm
Then of course wasn’t he also minding the Wananga when it was spending surplus tax money with the same gay abandon he intended to apply to the stadium..(select any meaning you like for “gay”…..A loud mouth coward well placed in his present gay cabal.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
I know where I’d like to insert the baton regarding the head mistress of the gay cabal .
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 5:15 pm
When Mallard goes electioneering I think he is going to hate the guy who keeps following him around with a megaphone……
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Captain Crab
Will that guy with the megaphone then want a chance to talk to the people gathered to hear Mallard (all 2 of them). And will that person complain when they get shouted down or will they be smart enough to realise that it’s not really all about them and they are gate crashers?
But hey: I do like the idea of giving the socialist control freaks a dose of their own medicine.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
burt;
Vote:Hell no, heckle, heckle and heckle. I think he deserves some public humiliation big time.
November 28th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Trevor Mallard is a discrace to himself and his electorate. I hope that with the combination of this latest incident, the punch in parliment and that fact that Kathrine Rich is standing against him he will lose his seat in 2008.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 5:46 pm
That used to work before Labour put all their “least worst” people (or is just H1′s favourite sycophants?) near the top of their List.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
feel sorry for the duck , the bitch witch says bash and jump at my command, and this stupid bully has to think, ,fight another mp or distroy another public servant or the witch will make my life a misery IE give me more work , shit its hard being a halfwit mp in a corrupt leftist party. VOTE THEM OUT
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 6:07 pm
It will be a shame to lose a man of Mallards undoubted abilities when National win the next election. Perhaps he could be donated to the Public Service, whom he has abused so badly. He could be set on a stand, (bent over) and used to open the Heinekens at the next staff function.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 6:51 pm
I witnessed Mallard at a “meet the candidates” meeting once, when a heckler threw in a cutting comment, he went from Mr Nice Guy to Power-wielding bully in 0.00001 seconds flat. In another life he would have been a “brownshirt” or similar.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 7:53 pm
I want him gone – he must have misled parliament.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
There’s a few Griffins workers in the Hutt who are wondering what the Lame Duck was doing as Minister of Economic Development and their MP while they were getting the flick…
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 9:22 pm
Buggerlugs:
You shouldn’t mock a hard-working and conscientious MP.
Under “Latest Local News” at http://www.labour.org.nz/labour_team/mps/mps/trevor_mallard/index.html
So two items of local news in early November, nothing in October and one item in September. It’s a fairly uneventful electorate then?
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Craig Ranapia Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 4:20 pm
virtualmark wrote:
To be fair, I wouldn’t fancy trying to herd the various factions in Auckland local body politics & waterfront development … that was/is a hiding to nothing.
As far as the waterfront stadium was concerned, you may be right. But Mallard certainly didn’t help matters with his cowboy ‘love it or shove it’ attitude; I think he was sincerely shocked that people insisted on asking for some straight answers to basic questions like: do you actually have access to the land, what is it going to cost and who is going to pay for it?
Craig
Mallard’s arrogance and ego leaves me breathless. I have no doubts whatsoever, that if Mallard was ever psychologically assessed he would not only be diagnosed as a pathological liar, but an individual who’s also lost his marbles.
In my view, such a malcontent has no business whatsoever in being a so-called ‘representitive of the people’ in the House of Parliament…passing laws by which all NZ’rs must abide.
Vote:November 28th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
“Is this the same Trevor Mallard who Helen Clark wanted to see Tasered? It doesn’t exactly help the cause when the United Nations has decreed that Tasers are a torture device”.
UN = socialist suckholes = Helen’s next job – so cosy ain’t it
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 4:53 am
Mallard has been an enforcer for Helen for years. A prominent insider in Mike Moore’s office when he was Leader of the Opposition had pegged Mallard (who, having lost his seat in the 1990 wipe-out of Labour, was working in Moore’s office as an Executive Assistant) as a spy for Helen.
The sisterhood had long plotted Moore’s demise throughout his term from 90 – 93 as Opposition Leader. Mallard acted as a 5th column feeding inside information on Moore’s office back to Clark as she plotted. Time and space does not permit the telling of the various dirty ops run by her team but when the coup was on, I was told Mallard was conspicuous by his absence as Mike’s team tried to work the last minute numbers.
H1 has rewarded Mallard with key front bench Ministries and has privately annointed his role as Knee-capper-in-Chief. Her inability (that is really lack of desire) to reign him in after the more blatant high jinks speaks volumes for the value she places on him as in-house bovver boy.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Hey, KIA… whereabouts in the US are you? I’m also a KIA. I’m in NorCal.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 6:41 am
Hey guys go easy on Mallard, he culdn’t help the attack on Erin, after all he’s under a lot of stress after the recent death of his father…….marriage break-up………….or was he ‘defending’ Erin’s ‘honour’ Oh it’s all so confusing.
If I were Erin Leigh I would wait for Mallard aoutside Pariliament and give him a slap. Better still if she has a Male partner or rellie that is up to the job. After all we’ve already established that a punch in the face is accepted currency for besmirching a woman’s reputation – ask Helen.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 6:56 am
Yeah whats to say a member of public going up to the Mallard Mauler and saying that your unexplainable outburst in a Parliament building was offensive to many lady friends, so he must be punished for such an abuse of power , then unwind a right swinging hay maker and knock the so called Klark enforcer into Gondwanaland . The git needs to be brought back to reality !!
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 7:22 am
Wow! Not one member of the labour faithful is prepared to defend Mallards thuggishness, see, there are limits even for them.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 7:26 am
KIA – interesting insight – so Mallard is really just one of the girls at heart ?
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 7:42 am
To endorse the comment of Andrew W above.
Just where are the snivelling apologists for the most corrupt Government in our nations history?
Or is it that finally, but finally, they have realised the futility of defending the indefensible.
Sonic – Tane – Toms – Sam – Ghost .. speak now or forever hold your peace.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 7:49 am
They’re probably waiting for the daily anti Kiwiblog crib notes to be delivered. Then they’ll all turn to page 13 and pick a random response or turn to page 17 and pick a random thread jack topic.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 8:23 am
Lee C . Nice call.
Vote:The duck is just a piece of shit. Imagine the creation if you put the duck over Annette King. Put a pitbull x rottie to shame.
November 29th, 2007 at 8:40 am
So… dislike of Mallard is unifying the political divide?
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 8:46 am
Lee C: If I were Erin Leigh I would wait for Mallard aoutside Pariliament and give him a slap. Better still if she has a Male partner or rellie that is up to the job.
I’m hoping you meant that in a joking fashion. Violence is never okay. Unless you’re Mallard.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 8:50 am
Maybe llew, why do people like Russell Brown go on TV and voice disgust against DV, but are shamefully silent when a nutbar Mallard loses his rag and fights a man in parliament ? Look llew , this is not twisted complicated communist bullshit , this is a simple socialist double standard.The obnoxious behaviour of these Liarbore creeps is beyond a joke, sad really, as they continue to sully our countries international reputation .
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Got anything to say about Mr DUCK – MR Brown ???
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Camryn
Vote:I’m in Arizona
November 29th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
I agree with Linda, see above, as Erin Leigh produced the evidence to show Mallard was being at the least extremly economical with reality, surely someone will take him to the Privileges Committee for misleding the House as D B-P did before him
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Nick C Says:
November 28th, 2007 at 5:39 pm
Trevor Mallard is a discrace to himself and his electorate. I hope that with the combination of this latest incident, the punch in parliment and that fact that Kathrine Rich is standing against him he will lose his seat in 2008.
Nick
Vote:Is this for real, Kathrine Rich standing in Hutt South?
November 29th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
I’m looking forward to rarking Mallard up during the next election campaign.
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
The office i’m working in at the moment has a copy of “Management” magazine in the reception area. It’s the [recent?] one with Mallards bright face all over the cover.
Someone has used a marker pen and applied the font-perfect word “Anger” above “Management”. LOL
Vote:November 29th, 2007 at 10:33 pm
The Mallard Mauler School Of Anger Management is being designed by prison authorities from the department of stuff ups and it will teach liarbour MP’s in art of inepitude, injurious behaviour , vulgarity , violence and profanity . Heather S designed the vigrous obstacle course that will see graduates particpate in happy clapping sessions while chanting to a one of the three gorgon witches standing on a dilapidated pile of duck pooh .
Vote: