TV3 has details and footage
August 26th, 2008 at 5:27 pm by David FarrarThe TV3 site has details and video footage of question time.
ACT leader Rodney Hide was ejected from the House today after trying to ask Prime Minister Helen Clark whether she would think it appropriate if her Minister of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, had allegedly received payments in 2002 from businessmen acting on behalf of Simunovich Fisheries. …
Hide’s ejection prompted a debate led by Bill English, Gerry Brownlee and Michael Cullen regarding the appropriateness of the Speaker’s decision. Brownlee questioned whether or not the Speaker should also accept Hide’s word that he had received evidence against Peters. However, the Speaker ruled that because of his direct association with any case currently before the courts, Peters’ word must be trusted ahead of that of the ACT Party leader. She also noted that if Peters was found to have misled the House, he would then be the recipient of applicable consequences. …
Early in the investigation against Simunovich Fisheries, Peters had been one of those accusing the company of corruption. However he later withdrew his allegations after claiming that the corruption case did not stand up to scrutiny.
Peters has previously asserted in 2004 that both he and NZ First had not received any donations from Simunovich Fisheries. However, more recently Peters could not confirm or deny that any donations had been made to NZ First by Simunovich Fisheries or its owners. During the 2003 inquiry the fishing company told the select committee that it had not offered any “campaign funds” to Mr Peters or his party.
Busted Blonde also has details.
The TV news tonight should be interesting.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
The news was indeed interesting. 3News was all over it; One News ran the story after the first ad break and after the story about the Greens supporting the ETS, and they seemed more intent on rubbishing Hide than discussing the very serious allegations against Peters.
Vote:August 26th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Indeed, I thought the footage on Campbell Live probably gained Act a percentage point or two in the party vote. And did the reverse for Labour.
It was madness. These are actually the sort of questions the public want to see answered in Parliament – Lord knows they’re not going to be asked anywhere else.
Vote:August 26th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Winnie looked nervous, I really hope Hide has something rather then cheap talk and the protection of parliament. If it is provable that Winnie has been getting his fish under the counter then poor old Winnie is in very deep poodle poo.
Vote:August 26th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Yes, SSB, he did. I thought that as I watched his eyes blinking uncontrollably. Go revisit the footage. Then go read what eyes blilnking uncontrollably signify. Then draw your own conclusions.
Vote:August 27th, 2008 at 6:21 am
I too noticed Winston’s blink rate. Perhaps it was a signal to Margaret Wilson in Morse; “SOS…SOS…SOS…SOS…SOS…SOS” . Hopefully Rodney has another go today.
http://www.kiwipolemicist.wordpress.com
Vote:August 27th, 2008 at 7:04 am
You guys are a bunch of idiots if you think the general public will give a fuck about this. If anything, it makes people think Rodney Hide is a rude MP and turn them off voting for him for being repetitively deliberate in not listening to the Speaker.
But go ahead, show your disgust and horniness over this issue as if it’s the most outrageous thing that’s ever happened since your child was raped and killed by a pedophile, to the 90% of ignorant centre voting average Joe they really couldn’t give a shit.
Seriously, I’ve noticed a pattern here – everytime something happens that is supposedly incredulous and the biggest threat to democracy there’ll be 100 comments on how horrible Labour are and how there’ll be blood on the streets, but in reality outside the blogosphere people just see it as another day in Parliament where Rodney Hide got kicked out for being loud. Freedom of speech? It’s the kind of shit academics and political pundits like to wank over but that’s it, no-one else cares.
If anything my prediction is that NZ First will go up by a few percentage points after seeing Winston Peters defending himself and shutting him up. Then Labour will do some universal student allowance policy announcement and be back neck and neck with National again and no-one will remember this incident after two weeks or so.
Vote:August 27th, 2008 at 7:17 am
The answer is Reb, shaft Winston, shaft Winston and then shaft Winston.
Winston has what no Labour MP has – huge balls and a fuck you charisma, obviously anyone like that is purged from labour as being ‘not the right stuff’.
Winston needs to go.
Vote:August 27th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Since watching TV3 News last night I have been trying to decide who Winston Peters reminds me of.It finally came to me.Joe Bjelke-Peterson Premier of the most corrupt administration Queensland has ever had.[And thats saying something]
Vote:Bjelke-Peterson’s mannerisms,incoherent statements, persecution complex, blinking, deriding of the news media,inherent corruption and determination to remain in power at all costs are a mirror image of Winston.
And we use to think Australian politics was corrupt !!!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 9:57 am
If anything my prediction is that NZ First will go up by a few percentage points after seeing Winston Peters defending himself and shutting him up.
Ummm, correction – Wilson stopped him talking, not Winston. Your man is fucked, Id say you need to start the greiving process now, sycophants normally take a while to get over loosing their idol.
Vote:August 27th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Reb – slipping back into your old persona?!? You had managed to keep rape and pedophilia out of your posts since returning from exile…
As for the pattern, you’re right: Outrage in the blogosphere doesn’t currently translate 1:1 to debate around the smoko table, but it’s more effective at encouraging discussion than it was 5 years ago. And it will be more effective next year, and the year after etc.
Vote: