Mike Williams caught lying – again
Once again the Labour Party President has been caught lying. He denied repeatedly on camera that he had said something, and TVNZ have produced a tape recording of him saying the exact words he denied.
Let us look at what he said on Agenda this morning:
GUYON A delegate at the Congress last weekend suggested using public information campaigns like Kiwisaver and information from government departments as an electioneering tool, why did you think that was a quote “damn good idea”?
MIKE I didn’t think that was quote a “damn good idea” and let me…
GUYON But that’s what you told them though isn’t it?
MIKE No it’s not what I told them and let me get this clear.
Okay note here that Guyon said he was quoting what Williams said. And note Williams absolutely denies he said it. Lie No 1.
MIKE There was a seminar between 8.30 and 9.30 in the morning which I conducted. The hall was set up so I was right at the back of the stage on a lecturn almost behind the proscenial arch in the Wellington Town Hall, I’ve got 400 witnesses who’d tell you the first thing I said when I took the lecturn was that I could neither see nor hear them, the acoustics were terrible and the lighting was such I couldn’t even see the audience, okay. I gave my address, it lasted about 50 minutes. There was then discussion. Now what I heard the delegate say and I wasn’t hearing him clearly was that if somebody asks you for a Kiwisaver brochure the IRD’s got good ones. Now according to people there I did not respond that is a good idea, I simply moved on to the next question which was the last one. So the whole thing is an incredible media beat up, it arguably never happened.
Lie No 2 is his claim that the delegate merely said if people ask for a KiwiSaver brochure the IRD has got good ones. Lie No 3 is that he did not respond and simply moved onto the next question. And then he has the temerity to state the whole thing is a media beat up.
MIKE Well she hadn’t spoken to me. It was a surreal experience and something you’d tell your grandparents about. At five o’clock on Monday morning I went to Tauranga, I didn’t see a Herald and I got a text from Helen when I got there saying what did this person say, and I responded as I remembered it that if somebody wants a Kiwisaver brochure send them to the IRD, I certainly did not hear anybody say go down and get some, and I’m in good company because Annette King, Phil Goff never heard that either. I then went to a meeting in Tauranga which went till about three o’clock when I went on a tour of the Port of Tauranga and that turned into…
Lie No 4 is that the comment by the delegate (it gets watered down each time) wasn’t even that one should hand out IRD pamphlets, but that if someone wants one, you should refer them to the IRD.
Lie No 5 is claiming that King and Goff never heard it either. Annette King had already used the Helen Clark No 2 excuse and had previously said she didn’t hear anything at all as she was engrossed in conversation with someone. Now Williams is citing her in his defence.
MIKE Absolutely, I’ve spoken to her after the event, she did the right thing. Now look make it clear it was my session and I take absolute responsibility to anything that was said there, but I do not believe anything like that was said and I certainly did not hear anything like that said and neither did I endorse it.
Lie No 6 is his claim that nothing like that was said. Lie No 7 is that he did not hear anything (unless you believe he endorses something he never heard as a damn good idea) and Lie No 8 is his claim he did not endorse it.
MIKE Absolutely, and the idea is a bad idea not for the reason you gave, you can’t hand out government information but it’s also a damn silly idea, if you’re going canvassing you don’t hand out IRD pamphlets that’s just dumb, but that’s also not what I heard him say.
And that is Lie No 9.
Now let us look at what TVNZ revealed on One News tonight. Williams never though a Labour Party delegate would tape what he said, so he thought he was safe lying repeatedly about what happened:
Delegate: “hand those out when you’re going around and you can say this is what the Labour Government broguht in and by the way the National Party voted against it … In fact they’re better than having Labour Party material because they’re informing people about things they may not already be getting.”
Williams: “Well that’s a damn good idea” … applause
Williams lied to TVNZ and to the public of New Zealand, not once, not twice, but nine times. He lied about what was said, he lied about what he said, he pretty much lied about everything.
This is of course not the first time Mike Williams has been caught out lying. He lied in January when he denied any donations from Owen Glenn since the last election. Also he would have signed off on the letter last election to the Chief Electoral Officer in which they agreed to include the pledge card in their expense return, and then weeks later lied and reneged on their word.
Now normally one would raise the question of whether Mike Williams could continue as Labour Party President after having been caught out lying nine times in the one interview. But I predict this will in no way make Helen Clark reconsider his position. After all she will conclude, his only sin was getting caught. They will not be angry at Williams for lying. They will be angry at the Labour Party delegate who recorded what he said, and exposed his lies.