Unbelievable
December 23rd, 2010 at 9:00 am by David FarrarThe Herald reports:
Independent MP Chris Carter was going to use his international travel perk for an overseas holiday but cancelled it after media found out, it was reported tonight.
Mr Carter booked flights for himself and his partner Peter Kaiser, business class to Colombo, Sri Lanka, just before Speaker Lockwood Smith last month stopped MPs from using the taxpayer subsidy for holidays, TV3 News reported.
It would have cost an estimated $13,900 – with 90 per cent paid for from the public purse.
Would have been somewhat fitting if the last use of the MP perk had been by Chris Carter.
Mr Carter is quitting politics at next year’s election, and as a former MP he will be able to use the international travel rebate for the rest of his life, without media scrutiny.
It may give him the incentive to quite before the election, so he can start using it earlier.
And Kate Chapman at Stuff also reports:
Mr Carter was not keen to discuss details of the trip when contacted last night. “We have cancelled it. We’ve lost the deposit. We’ve cancelled. We’re not going. Ok, fair enough? You guys have had yet another victory. So thanks, that’s the end of the discussion.”
Poor Chris. This transparency thing is a real burden.
Mr Carter has accused Dr Smith’s office of leaking the details of his trip.
“The leak had the date I was leaving, the hotel I was staying [at] in Singapore, the flight numbers – the only people that know that are Parliamentary Travel and the Speaker’s office, I’m quite sure that Parliamentary Travel wouldn’t have leaked it, so that only leaves one suspect,” he said. The leak was ” incredibly pathetic, vindictive and spiteful”.
Dr Smith has denied leaking the documents and said he did not even know about Mr Carter’s planned trip.
“I didn’t want to comment because I didn’t want to lend dignity to his accusation, but I didn’t even know he was going anywhere, so there was no way I could possibly have leaked anything.”
I have no idea who leaked it, but I agree unlikely to be parliamentary travel. The parliamentary travel office probably have awarded Chris the title of “Most Valued Customer” for his outstanding contributions to their sales targets.
December 23rd, 2010 at 9:12 am
If he wasn’t gay it wouldn’t be an issue
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 9:12 am
Just had a look on the Trade me travel section and saw an Auckland couple were auctioning a couple of air tickets.
SHIRT LIFTING IN CEYLON
Vote:Two business class tickets available to Sri Lanka where you can party with a really adventurous UK couple. We are unable to go due to a funding snafu though this will be well and truly rectified later next year.
December 23rd, 2010 at 9:26 am
Snort, grunt, trough, snout, Labour.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 9:39 am
He didn’t get it then.
He doesn’t get it now.
He will not get it in the future.
His sense of entitlement beggars beleif. Pansy Wong at least had the decency to resign!
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 9:44 am
I wonder how he’s going to mow the lawns at his rental property now?
Whoops, sorry ….. wrong freeloading politician.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 9:44 am
Le Grande Fromage: Is “rectified” the result of a gay orgy?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 9:58 am
The leak was ” incredibly pathetic, vindictive and spiteful”
….sums up Carter to a tee.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:01 am
Anybody else feeling a bit icky about his preferred holiday destination?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:04 am
I still don’t know why they should be given this perk for life after they leave. When you leave a job in a real world you don’t get to keep driving the company car. I think this lifetime perk should be abolished.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:04 am
“Mr Carter is quitting politics at next year’s election, and as a former MP he will be able to use the international travel rebate for the rest of his life, without media scrutiny.”
This annoys the hell out of me, IMHO it is the duty of every single tax payer to question Carter and his “partner” as to who is paying for their travel should they be unlucky enough to share a flight with this parasite.
And why Sri Lanka?, is there some special attraction about that country that I do not know about?, it’s not as if Sri Lanka is on the top ten “must visit” places on earth.
Or….am I missing something?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:06 am
Silly him, thinking he was entitled to the provisions set out in his employment contract.
Silly him for choosing a holiday destination I wouldn’t choose, also.
His big episode of spleen to the Herald reporter is a bit unfortunate though
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 am
“Anybody else feeling a bit icky about his preferred holiday destination?”
I am sure it wasn’t his first choice Barnsley, but Gary Glitter has wrecked the Phillipines for everyone.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:07 am
Sri Lanka’s a pretty popular spot right now, but not so much with Kiwis, who prefer deathly boring destinations like LA or the Gold Coast.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:08 am
My heart leapt for joy when I read this story. Another reminder of the petulant poof and his sense of entitlement. His connections with Labour will be another turn-off for the voters. He truely is the gift that keeps giving. Long may he keep it up. Goff will be spitting tacs that yet again Chris Carter and tax funded trips has made the headline – a very bad year for Goff.
But what is also interesting is the destination. That made my ears prick up a bit – why would a couple of gay guys go and have a holiday with another couple of gay guys in Sri Lanka. Maybe a google search of Sri Lanka, gay, hotel, and holiday would provide some answers???
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:12 am
I wonder why Carter cancelled his holiday, after all, he could have paid for the trip out of his own money.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:13 am
What I can’t believe is that the dim-bulb cancelled the trip. Surely the best way to prove you had your snout in the trough was to demonstrate you can’t afford to pay for the holiday you booked for yourself.
Chris has just strongly reminded us he lives above his means at our expense, Resign!
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:14 am
Was he going to stay here?
Vote:http://www.dickmanresort.com
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:22 am
I don’t really think the nature of his travel is the issue here. For all I care this could have been Rodney Hide sprung trying to get his honey-moon paid for or English paying for his entire family to fly first class,
The issue is he booked a holiday at our expense that he couldn’t afford to pay for himself – resign!
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:25 am
I don’t think it has anything to do with his [deleted by DPF]
Vote:Its got everything to do with his blatant taking advantage of the system and endless mostly subsidised trips paid for by the tax payer.
Pansy Wong’s abuse of the system pales in comparison to Carters excessive abuse yet he is still in office.
If he wants to travel overseas with his partner to party with another pair of bum buddies then thats his business…but we shouldnt have to foot the bill!!!!
FFS.
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:29 am
Megatron
Because he’s a Labour MP and Helen showed them that when you get caught spending money you shouldn’t the way out of trouble is to deny, delay and denigrate then retrospectively validate, change the law going forward and move on. Chris didn’t notice he was in opposition, it’s been a tough time and all that with Helen moving away.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:35 am
burt..couldn’t agree more. Poor Chris diddums…he obviously needs yet another holiday. My heart bleeds.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:42 am
So he throws a tanty and cuts off his nose to spite his face. What a wanker!
Vote:But we poor taxpayers will have to keep on paying and paying and paying…
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:46 am
BeaB
I guess the good news is he booked business class fares which would most likely be refundable. Wonder what sort of deposit he made for the accommodation… umm, perhaps that needs re-wording.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:47 am
I don’t have an issue with him using his contractual travel. It is his right to do so, as it is with other MP’s from all sides of the house.
I disagree with the provisions of his employment contract, but they are what they are, simple!
He is using his “entitlement” as per his conditions.
If we don’t like it (and I don’t) change the bloody rules.
We should be grateful that he has been such a prolific abuser of the travel, it has bought the issue to the public eye for serious scrutiny, and it has been acted on and changed.
Sri Lanka is a great holiday destination, beats the Gold Coast hands down.
What I dislike most of all is the blatent hypocrisy of the Labour party who hounded Patsy out of parliament (amongst a whole lot of other hypocritical acts lately).
F..k em all.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 10:56 am
Bloody hell, is that the best you Nat types can manage against that complete bloody tosser.
Vote:Christ in the good old days he would have got a complete bloody roasting, idle buggers.
December 23rd, 2010 at 10:59 am
grumpyoldhori
We are all relaxed and enjoying our tax payer funded holidays – did you miss out ?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:08 am
It is more a case of not wanting to upset the “helen clark for president” campaign manager who runs the joint.
And it was Vietnam that Gary Glitter ruined for the pedo sex tourists, not the Philipines.
Sri Lanka is renowned for it.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:11 am
Ralphie May said it best, gays can take a dick in the ass but they can’t take a joke.
nothing better to do today yourself whorey?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:23 am
As RRM pointed out, he’s still entitled to this perk as part of his employment conditions. That makes it more interesting that he chose to cancel it when it became public, indicating he’s worried about the public perception. Will we see him running as an independent perhaps?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:30 am
Don’t we all feel sorry for the delicate Chris Carter being victimised by the press? Oh, the poor trougher.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:33 am
Yes Manolo..I understand why he does what he does..but I could never feel sorry for him..he is pathetic. If he had not threatened his party they would still be defending and dodging on his behalf…
Like I said above F..k em all!!
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:37 am
cater must accept the word of the Speaker that he did not and Carter must publicly acknowledge that least he face a breach of privilege.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:40 am
Bloody good point tvb…
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
Carter is an integrity free zone – he’s still trying to spin the “it’s because I’m gay” line.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 11:50 am
It’s all the media’s fault now, according to Carter
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-chris-its-your-fault.html
Will he EVER take responsibility for ANYTHING?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Hmm, perhaps holidaying with Ben Bradshaw MP might have had a good influence on Chris.
From http://www.benbradshaw.co.uk/ – Open letter to constituents (download doc)
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Carter is to be despised for his sense of entitlement and egocentricity, but …
Enough with the faggot jokes, you guys. It says more about you than it does about him. Also, “gay” does not mean “paedophile” or “sex tourist”.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Nakamai, Carter has always championed the Gay cause and lifestyle. Gays claim they just want to be excepted by modern society and treated as equals. If I was Gay I would be spewing, this prick has done more damage to the advancement of the gay cause by crying gay way to often and having an outright disregard for us the taxpayers.
Fucking Liarbore claim they fight for the working classes and the small man, fuck these hypocrites are so full of shit it’s a wonder they can walk upright. Fighting for the working classes, my arse , they are simply socialist suckholes full of themselves and cursed with a gigantic sense of entitlement.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Yeah but you’d be pissed off too if you had to spend Christmas in Te Atatu South instead of Sri Lanka wouldn’t you.
The poor thing and after he’s worked so very hard this year and everything. Aren’t we taxpayers just awful creatures. He’s probably praying that Hulun will give him a really good job in the UN for Christmas just so he can come up with something really nasty for us, since we all seem so very ungrateful for his massive contribution over the years. It must be very puzzling for him. Whyever are we behaving like this?
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 4:25 pm
reid said “He’s probably praying…”
Chris would feel compelled to commence with “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 4:42 pm
I’m not sure why he is cancelling the trip, if he thinks he should be entitled to go. It’s not like things could get any worse for him, careerwise.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Maybe he doesn’t want the NZ press tracking their every move on their holiday. Who knows what they had planned…
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 5:46 pm
Probably just going there to bum around on the beach.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 5:49 pm
@Put it away, I shouldn’t have laughed at that, but I did.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 5:50 pm
# nakamal – “Enough with the faggot jokes” – yes I agree he is a joke, and enough with him.
Vote:December 23rd, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Probably just going there to bum around on the beach.
Yes I was thinking particularly of the New Years ‘bash’ Put it away, but on reflection you’re quite right, there would have been a great deal of bumming around at the beach and everywhere else, one imagines. If he hadn’t cancelled.
What a sad Panda Chris must be at the mo.
Vote:December 24th, 2010 at 8:54 am
I’m waiting for pollywog to demand his resignation and yell NO F**ING TOLERANCE
Vote:December 24th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
kia said “I’m waiting for pollywog to demand his resignation and yell NO F**ING TOLERANCE”
You may be waiting a while as pollywog is having a period of involuntary exile from KB (probably for a week?)
Vote:December 24th, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Whats happened to philu.
Did Paula finally catch up with him.
I miss the scrabble, peck, scratch, scratch of a Magpie round here.
Merry Xmas philu.
Vote:December 24th, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I miss pollywog because he makes me laugh e.g. “cos no way am i anyones whoar phool, whatever the fuck that is”
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