Glenn on Labour
September 10th, 2008 at 1:03 pm by David FarrarThere are multiple stories from the Press Conference. First on Stuff re Helen Clark:
“She’s very self serving … I am expendable. I wouldn’t want them in the trenches next to me. It’s not the money, its the way you are treated, then you turn the dogs on me … toothless dogs.”
The last straw would have been Mallard and Cullen casting doubts on his mental fitness.
He said Mr Williams visited him on his luxury yacht off the French coast in mid-year.
Mr Williams asked him for a job as an “administrator”, he said.
Mr Williams told him that he was a good administrator and he was “articulate”.
Mr Glenn turned him down.
But Mike is earning almost $200,000 a year from his board appointments. Why would he need a job?
And who paid for his trip to Europe to target donors? Did taxpayer money fund it through one of his boards?
Glenn described Labour Party chairman Mike Williams as a liar and a bagman for the party.
“Mr Williams is wrestling with the truth,” he has told a press conference.
It is harsh to call someone a liar, but Mike Williams has a track record. He told nine lies on Agenda about what he said at the Labour Party Conference. If you are willing to lie about what you said in front of 500 people, why wouldnt you lie about what was said at a private lunch?
In another story, Williams says:
Mr Williams said he did not discuss the donation with Prime Minister Helen Clark.
“There is never any discussion between me and Helen Clark about any political donations except those that are public.”
Now I could accept this is true for donations to your own party. The two big parties do try and shelter the leaders from this. But it would be quite another matter concerning a donation to an allied party. You see the question being asked isn’t one of money as much as one of relationships. What Glenn wanted to know is does helping Winston help Labour. Now that is very much a question for the political wing, and the Leader. And Glenn has testified that Williams and Clark speak several times a day.
How credible is it that Williams would not have mentioned to Clark in 2005, that Glenn was interested in donating to Winston?
Last night he disputed Mr Glenn’s version of events. “Mr Glenn asked me [in December 2005] whether I thought Mr Peters had any chance of winning the Tauranga petition and I said that I thought he did.
“I have no recollection of being asked or offering any comment on whether or not Mr Glenn should provide financial assistance to Mr Peters, and I certainly did not discuss that possibility with anyone else.”
Well the meal with Williams took place immediately before Glenn phoned Peters to say okay. Regardless of what Williams claims (and he is a proven liar) Glenn obviously placed huge significance on checking with Williams, and was crystal clear that he only donated because Williams said it would be helpful.
The Herald has a collection of quotes from Glenn:
“I don’t think people with forgetful memories should be Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
To be fair to Winston, I don’t think his memory is in any way flawed.
“I think people in elected positions and privileged positions need to act ethically and be trusted and I doubt he can be.”
Except with Helen, still hanging on waiting for the innocent explanation. Never mind she has known the truth for six months and could have had the facts established back in February with a phone call.
On Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen
“He’s a bully. I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about him. He’s not the sort of guy I’d want to spend a weekend with on an island but he’s just following orders.”
What can one say.
And then the main Herald story:
Mr Glenn said by February this year the Prime Minister was fully aware of his donation to Winston Peters.
When asked if Helen Clark knew what the money was used for Mr Glenn said “she already knew that, Mike Williams would have told her”.
Asked what he thought of the Prime Minister, he described her as “very self-serving”, while Mike Williams, he said, “wrestles with the truth” .
And it is a myth that the PM had no choice but to accept Winston’s word. Says who? She could have asked Glenn to substantiate his claim he donated to Peters. He could have done so within hours. The fact is she chose deliberately not to inquire further, because she knew what the answer would be.
Basically Clark’s position is that she does not mind having a Minister who she is almost certain has lied to her, she just doesn’t want to have it proven he lied to her. So she just sat on it and said and did nothing.
Mr Glenn said he decided to fight back after a New Zealand First MP called him a liar in Parliament.
He said prior to being attacked, he would have “slid away quietly”
This morning he told Radio New Zealand that Labour might not have been in government without his $500,000 donation to it; “and here they are attacking me, and frankly attacking my credibility and my integrity.”
Mr Glenn said the Prime Minister had behaved out of self interest and wanted to keep Mr Peters on-side to get legislation through “and I was expendable”.
They have done more than attack his integrity and credibility. They attacked his mental sanity through backroom whispers to journalists.
And finally we have Monaco:
Earlier today, Owen Glenn told Radio New Zealand he was vetted for the position of honorary consul to Monaco and that Winston Peters supported his bid.
Mr Glenn said he had met New Zealand’s ambassador to France Sarah Dennis in Paris at her invitation where she had told him she was vetting him for the position.
“I said OK what’s your decision, she said `you seem to be alright”‘, Mr Glenn said.
In February Mr Peters rang him the day he was leaving for a trip to South Africa, Mr Glenn said. Mr Glenn was in Raglan at the time and says he has a witness to the call.
“He (Mr Peters) said; `I’m still supporting this, I want to push it through, I need a letter from you confirming that you are going to live in Monaco…”
And this is where Clark and Peters have both made huge errors of judgement. Helen Clark knew that Owen Glenn had donated to Winston Peters – he had told her. Winston was pushing for his appointment within Government. MFAT staff were vetting Glenn. And Clark did not disclose the donation to anyone – to MFAT. to the Cabinet Secretary, to the Electoral Commission, to her own colleagues who sign off on appointments, to the Registrar of the Register of Pecuniaryinary Interests. That was a huge conflict of interest. Clark as PM is meant to uphold the integrity of Government, and instead she stayed silent and set a new low.
September 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I lo0ved this bit: ‘He can’t remember if the man who answered actually declared “I am Winston Peters” but there was “no doubt” he spoke to Winston Peters. When Cullen raises the same question, he says: “I knew it wasn’t you Dr Cullen. You already had your $500,000.”‘
Whatever happened to not biting the hand that feeds you? Has Dr Cullen been away from school for too long to remember even the simplest lessons?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
So if National gets in to government and makes OG a Honorary Consul to Monaco would that be seen as political pay back?!
This is incredible – Labour has gone feral on one of its biggest donors and supporters and over WINSTON? Are they mad? Clark’s role in this stinks – even on the most generous of interpretations she new of likely pork pies in February and stayed quiet. And she has the gall to call Key slippery?
Have to admire Labour – they attack National over their biggest weakness. Now that is giving new definition to attack being the best form of defence.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I didn’t know the going rate for being a “good administrator” was $200k. I should have studied “sending emails 101″ and “getting others to do stuff 102″ at university.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Mr Glenn’s line about not wanting to spend a weekend on an island with Dr Cullen was the best yet. Having once, in another lifetime, been lectured by Dr Cullen I can appreciate his view.
I hope that those considering offering funds to Labour that they consider what has happened in the Glenn saga. It really underlines how ungracious and graceless the leaders of the party are.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
What we have here is the most public example of bad governance the country has ever seen. A complete breakdown of ethics and morals by a Prime Minister a senior Minister a President of a major political party and various officials in a minor political party.
Anyone who cant or more importantly wont see this is a fool and an idiot.
There can be no excuse from nay of them
They have acted in a manner that is inappropriate to the office they hold.
They have betrayed the trust of the citizens to an extent than they now deserve the contempt of every voter.
It will be intertesting to see if the professional bodeis that at least some of these people are members take the cppropriate action as regards their Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct
If they refuse to act then they will condemn their professional bodies to be regarded as complicate in the immoral and unethical behaviour of these members.
The ball is in their court
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:25 pm
its just a dam shame that he donates to the left. he seems like a good guy. and rich. how did he get so misguided???
id bet money he donates to labour again once helen & co are gone.
i think his comment that they wouldnt have been in power without his 500k is wrong.. they woulda just stolen 1.3 million off us.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I think Owen Glenn donated to the Center, thinking that’s where Labour was at the time. I guess he was taken by their duplicity.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
It’s all well and good to call Williams a liar, but Glenn doing it is a little like the pot calling the kettle black. He was caught fair and square lying to the DomPost about Clark offering him a job as Minister of Transport. He is just as prepared to lie when it suits him as anyone else. Its one thing to be a liar, but to be add sanctimony makes Glenn seem like a bit of a knob-end.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
“wrestles with the truth” is pretty tame compare to his later statement that Mr Williams “is an unmitigated falsifier of veracity”.
That’s straight out calling him a complete liar. Yee ha.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Wait for the spin people:
Glenn will be painted as a bitter and twisted man, whose testimony is nothing more than retaliation for a “perceived” snub at the opening of the business school.
The loony left will eat this up – thus galvanising labours support. It will certainly galvanise the blue rinse brigade for WRP.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
scary thing, is on the stuff poll on “who do you believe”, there is showing 13% still believe Winston! That’s fairly scary!
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Owen Glen On Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen
“He’s a bully. I don’t have a warm and fuzzy feeling about him. He’s not the sort of guy I’d want to spend a weekend with on an island but he’s just following orders.”
A redhaired hooker on Dr Cullen when asked how much would it cost him to spend some time with her
“If you can get my skirt up as high as my taxes, my pants as low as my wages, get that thing of yours as hard as the times we are living in, and keep it rising like the price of petrol, keep me warmer than it is in my flat and screw me the way you have the NZ public, then it isn’t going to cost you a bloody cent”
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
One question that has always intrigued me.
Vote:Why did Owen Glenn make an unsolicited $500,000 donation to a party he regarded as “all things evil”?
[Cactus Kate said of an interview with him in 2002:
“I didn’t hold back on the government of the day and Mr Glenn was extremely supportive of the idea that they were all things evil”]
September 10th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
adc … 2% desiccated ‘blue rinsers’ + 11.9% of Labours (rapidly shrinking) core vote + philu + roger nome + Jum + the office cat = 13%.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Glenn is good. Totally credible. And smart, very smart, and amusing to boot. Hey, the guy’s a star. Now compare his persona with that of HC, WP, MW et al. And let’s thank our lucky stars those poor buggers silly enough to provoke such a shattering retaliation. What were they thinking?
I’d still love to know more, like some further details on the meeting that HC requested in Feb (we haven’t been told what she wanted to discuss, have we?), and what else was dropped into the conversation between OG and MW during the latter’s recent visit to Monaco (like what HC was on about with those four calls to MW’s mobile).
.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
As an aside, I am watching the general debate, speaker after speaker from Labour are banging on about the Exclusive Brethren.
FFS, that was three years ago, if that is the best that Labour can come up with then they are well and truly fucked.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
so because the former leader of the national party, who is no longer in parliment, met with the EB… its ok to lie, cheat, steal now? wtf?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
It’s a pity Mike Williams wasn’t born a Pinocciho, he could travel to all the Liarbore fund raising festivitys and as a side line sell broomhandles.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
“It is harsh to call someone a liar”
Yes, but we have a public duty to do it – when true.
Generally speaking, the left are plausible liars, while the right are unconvincing truth-tellers. It’s time the truth-tellers told it like it is.
The public needs to have Labour’s and NZ First’s lying clarified in words of very few syllables and quite a few centimetres. Hang the truth about Luigi and Clark in every city square the way the Italians hung Mussolini and his mistress.
The liars who have been defrauding our country for years need to be publicly shamed for all time, not just shown the door. The opportunity cost of having to deal with their lies instead of running the country has been huge.
That’s why Rodney Hide is the hero of the hour: his words are short, sharp and straight as a die (except for the bit about feeling sad!).
We need to reward him for delivering us the head of Winston Peters. Shame on us all if we don’t.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
John Ansell, you are as full of your own shit as the rest of them. Glenn told a first class piece of bullshit (now admitted) about being offered a ministerial job but now he is the National Party poster boy for honesty. He is as slippery as a fat John Key.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
John
I am sad. Sad for New Zealand.
Rodney
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Get over it Rodney, you’ll be fine!!
Vote:Have a beer instead of being sad.
September 10th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
OK, thought number two.
Vote:Rodney be pleased, it looks like we may just finally get rid of one piece of scum that has pulled the entire political system into disrepute. So don’t be sad for NZ, be pleased for Audrey and yourself for pointing the right people in the right direction. For me however, the only correct thing to do if Winnie is “found” guilty is to put him in the sing sing. HE MUST BE PUNISHED WITH MORE THAN A WET BUS TICKET!!
September 10th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Jesus Rodney, don’t be sad man, you have done a great job in helping to rid the country of a corrupt foreign minister and corrupt govt.
Now get your arse out there and drum up more votes, you already have mine but we need a few more.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Some questions:
- Is Helen Clark really a direct descendant of Pontius Pilate?
Vote:- How many porkies does Mike Williams have to tell before he gets kicked out as President of Labour?
- How long before someone inside NZ Poodles First cracks and really spills the beans about this whole mess?
- How feral will Peters go if Clark plucks up the courage to boot him up the arse and sack him?
- When was the last time in NZ political history that someone did such a demolition job on a Govt as Glenn has just done?
- Will the Beehive air conditioning system be able to cope with the intense smell of bullshit that is coming out of the place?
September 10th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
ernesto
“John Ansell, you are as full of your own shit as the rest of them. Glenn told a first class piece of bullshit (now admitted) about being offered a ministerial job but now he is the National Party poster boy for honesty. He is as slippery as a fat John Key.”
You really are a bitter and twisted little pinko, get used to it arsehole, you have a whole lot more pain to come.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I’m with you Big Bruv – ACT have my vote.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Agree Rodney, good job done because all boils need lancing. Next step to put the fear into Key so he takes a tougher line with Helen the Hag. His missed more chances to tip her out than any other politician has ever had at removing a govt.
Vote:Chin up, get out there and get the message to the voters. Two ticks ACT or at least the party vote.
September 10th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
ONE THING that doesn’t seem to have come out properly.
Vote:Owen Glenn made it clear today, he came here to clear his name.
But not because of all the crap going on etc, but because…..
DDDDDail Jones called him a LIAR in the house!!!
So what happened here was Winnie’s own man dropped him in the biggest cow paddie ever!!
September 10th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Have you just seen Glenn on TV1? He just described Williams treating in South Auckland last election!!!!!!!!!!!
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
The problem with the treating allegation is that there would be hundreds of witnesses: the people who were allegedly bribed.
But for the past 3 years nobody has mentioned this (and there are plenty of disaffected ex-Labour voters out there). So at the very least, Auckland’s investigative journalists should all be fired!
I’d suggest this one may be a stretch to believe. But let’s see what turns up.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
FTC I was just about to post the same thing.
He claimed Williams brought KFC for a hundred or so Manurewa people to get them to vote Labour.
I have heard of Labour going around with mini vans to collect people from pubs and RSA’s to get people to the polling booths, but this new claim is sensational.
I think the wheels are about to fall off the Labour machine very quickly. Glenn may start an avalanche of people coming forward to tell the truth.
I dare the MSM to go to Manurewa to follow this claim up.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
gee90
I don’t know about that, remember Mike Williams has already been caught telling bare faced lies twice this year.
My money is on Owen Glenn’s version of the story.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Big Bruv
You’re missing the point. Of course Williams may be lying. But it’s an easy allegation to substantiate. Persuading one or two people to say nothing is possible … but hundreds? Where have they been? Actually, where has Glenn been? He had a duty to report this 3 years ago.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
You’ve also got to remember gee90 that most voters have no idea that this would be anything illegal, or anything other than the nice Labour Party, who I will now vote for cos they bought me KFC!
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Well, it will be investigated, and Glenn should testify at the trial. (Got to go now, Winston time on TV …)
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Well I hope someone does investigate this. I always thought they stole the last election by overspending, I never thought they overspent more with KFC…
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
gee90
Don’t get me wrong, I am not one of those on the right who thinks that Glenn is a man of honour, lets face it the bastard would not have said a thing about the donation or Labour’s involvement if they had not treated him so badly.
This has only come out because he did not get what he wanted, despite that he has no motivation to lie and that is why I would take his word over anybody else’s from Labour.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
This is so typical of Winston, his appearance is supposed to be at 7.30 and the bastard still keeps everybody waiting, I honestly believe he thinks he can bluster his way out of this and return to Parliament after the election.
Thank fuck we will be rid of him soon.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
JUST IN ANOTHER BOMBSHEL
Bill Ralston has just claimed that Peter Williams QC is the 3rd trustee of the Spencer Trust.
No conflict of interest there?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Lawyers are parasitic well paid professional liars.
Vote:Does QC mean Qualified in Corruption?
September 10th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
On the TV he had no supporting evidence and just keep on saying my records show or my recollection is.
He also tried to claim he or NZ First received no money from Glenn, but stayed well clear of saying that the Spencer Trust didn’t receive any money. He is playing games when we all know it doen’t matter what bank account the money came into first it was always funnelled through to the Winnie or NZF
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
I thought Williams’ take on the KFC issue was credible. He responded on Campbell Live that he called Glenn from near a Manurewa polling booth while he was eating KFC to say that there was a long line of brown faces waiting to vote. Definitely hard to hide a widespread KFC incentive to vote as just one person saying they received a voucher or whatever would bring Williams’ house of cards tumbling down. I’d say Glenn misheard.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
Did TV3.co.nz server crash with the load of people trying to watch the continuation?
Did PW QC not front because he didn’t want to be asked if he IS the 3rd trustee?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Alan, live stream also on TV1
We are expected to believe Winston Peters claim that this is an entire conspiracy, which Owen Glenn has to be involved. This is after Glenn has paid in excess of $700,000 of his own money to ensure the conspiracy against Winton is effective. I didn’t hear anyone ask Peters what he believed is in it for the billionaire Owen Glenn, or what his motivation could possibly be.
Interesting Peters now says, “He may have spoken to Glenn to provide him Henry’s bank details” but didn’t enquire what for. – of course, that explains it!
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Arghhhhhhhhhhhh
The fucking TV 1 link keeps crashing
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Peters is finished after that performance tonight.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
The parts I saw boiled down to an attempt to show that everyone’s memory including mine is flakey it was so long ago.
By the end of it Peters looked pretty shattered. He wasn’t as aggressive as I expected.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
What an extraordinary performance!
Peters treats the people of NZ with utter contempt if he thinks that load of rubbish constitutes any sort of defense, despite promising to offer compelling evidence that would clear his name the man offered NOTHING that contradicts what OG said yesterday, furthermore I cannot see how Klark or even the idiots at the standard can keep defending Peters after that display.
It is great that we got to see that play out as there can now be no doubt that the committee is indeed biased, any Labour or Green member of that committee who does NOT find Peters guilty as charged proves that there is a bias along party lines.
Edit….Did anybody else notice how much his hands were shaking when he was reading out his prepared statement.?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
BB. Yeah, I did. First thing I noticed.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I’ve truly never seen anyone quite like it. Winston manages to highlight irrelevant points as crucial, take out of context, confuse, manipulate exploit, manoeuvre baffle, bewilder, disconcert, disorder, disorientate, entangle, fluster, muddle, mystify, puzzle, stun, stupefy, bluster babble, bully, intimidate, rant, threaten
Owen Glenn is quite correct that this man is in need of help. He’s a sociopath
If any of the privileges committee find in his favour then they should join him on the psychologists couch
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
I also thought it revealling that Peter’s could recall many details of the phone conversatiion he had with Glenn, but gee, golly wow, he can’t recall whether anything about a donation was discussed? What a fucking, lying tosser.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Peter’s has couched his words to give himself wriggle room. If the subject of donations had not arisen, Peter’s would have been absolutely definitive.
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
One Question I would love to have an answer to…….
If as Peters asserts, the only contact that Glenn had regarding the donation was with Brian Henry, and the phone call in question discussed various subjects such as a consular role, and the form of his racehorse in the melbourne cup and in his own words “it is quite possible that he asked for Brian Henry’s details, and the sequence of events tends to suggest this occurred.”
Why would Mr Glenn call Winston to get Henry’s details, if Henry was alledgedly the only point of contact, as both Henry and Peters assert, then why did Glenn call Peters, and not Henry?
Vote:September 10th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
V good question, slightlyrighty. Though isn’t it common ground that Peters called Glenn’s office earlier?
I also wonder if PW didn’t show because not only might he have been revealed as the 3rd trustee but then asked if the Spencer Trust was in fact Brian Henry’s “client” – since PW wouldn’t have the excuse of client privilege.
Vote: