Goff says Goff was wrong
March 25th, 2011 at 10:20 am by David FarrarI blogged yesterday on the huge inconsistencies between the statements of Phil Goff, Leader of the Opposition (PGLOTO) on Richard Worth and Phil Goff, Labour Party Leader (PGLPL) on Darren Hughes.
Reconciling the two stances seems to have proved impossible, so yesterday afternoon PGLPL came out and said that PGLOTO was wrong. In fact PGLPL said that PGLOTO didn’t understand how complicated these things are!
Andrea Vance at Stuff reports:
Yesterday, as criticism of his management of the latest scandal grew, he admitted he had mishandled the Worth affair: “I think I’ve learnt one or two things about the complexity of these situations. I am going to be the first to admit that I was wrong in the judgment that I made at that time.”
That’s quite the mea culpa.
I’m somewhat staggered that neither Goff, nor anyone else in Labour, thought to check back about what Goff said in 2009 on Worth. Instead he went on radio saying:
Earlier, talking to Newstalk ZB’s Sean Plunkett, Mr Goff said: “When a complaint was laid with the police against Richard Worth, I made no comment. No comment at all.”
Either Goff is not getting advice, or he is not taking it.
The Herald editorial is very critical:
Darren Hughes, one of Labour’s most promising MPs, has been ill-served by his party’s leadership. When he stood down yesterday as Labour’s education spokesman and chief whip, it served only to underline the folly of Phil Goff’s mishandling of the incident.
Indeed.
Tags: Darren Hughes, editorials. NZ Herald, Phil Goff
March 25th, 2011 at 10:26 am
Fran Mold Phil’s chief media person she must be spinning like a top, maybe asking “When will you resign Mr Goff When will you resign”
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:32 am
+1 for standing up and admitting a mistake.
Pollys rarely learn that the mistake goes away so much faster if it’s admitted & apologised for.
Imagine if H1 had said “Yes, in hindsight I should have sketched the picture myself. Still, it was for a good cause”. It would have been a much smaller issue.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Personally, I feel that Phil Goff’s personalities are the best leader of the Labour Party, ever.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:34 am
This is really too cute for Goff. He says something he said in the PAST was wrong when it is far too late for it to mean anything at all. It would have been better for Goff to admit that his handling of the Hughes matter is WRONG. He even kept the President of the Labour Party in the dark. Annette King must have known almost immediately as the Police executed a search warrant on HER house and took – what. I shudder. Underpants, sheets??? But Hughes has not been arrested, over 3 weeks later, so I assume from this, the complaint is at the low end of the scale at most.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:35 am
I saw this on the thread yesterday – I thought it was a joke. It’s a hell of a mea culpa, but it also comes across a bit as self serving. That is to say, it was all good to lambast someone else, but now it’s happening to him, he suddenly realises he was wrong.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:39 am
The question is would he still realise he was wrong if this incident didn’t happen? I bet not and it’s to little to late. He has already fucked this up on a massive scale. Rolling Phil has to be on the minds of some Labor MP’s even this close to an election.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:40 am
The real question is, who will replace him?
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 10:43 am
Oh Phil.. you have been such a silly sausage, but now that you have said that the other Phil, (you know the one who didn’t learn any lessons in the 969 years that he has occupied a possy in the roundhouse), has learnt a lesson about how wrong he could be, the nasty media will leave you and poor darren alone. Fran says so.
Too little too late I think, quite the mea culpa OK, but no one is listening, damage control too late.
Hey phil should I buy some of that -Goff will be off – stock on ipredict?
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:15 am
>Darren Hughes, one of Labour’s most promising MPs, has been ill-served by his party’s leadership.
This is true. But ultimately Hughes is responsible for his own behaviour. If the stories in the media (sourced from a colleague) that his private life has been a problem in the past are true, then there isn’t much that Goff can do to save him. Goff’s real failing is that he didn’t sit down with Hughes some time ago and tell him that a life of drinking and fucking teenagers wasn’t compatible with public service and would, sooner or later, bring the Labour Party in to disrepute. And that he should either clean up his act or resign.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Anyway, I am off to sleep.
Good news that aussies out of the cup.
Nz has a chance, bat boldly, slam it and you can win.
I will be watching, give it your best, even you lose give it your best, hit those fucking spinners! Is the only way to deal with them, hit them for four or six!
Good luck!
Out.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:23 am
First – I’d like to say that its nice to see a politician admitting when they are wrong for a change.
Second – unfortunately for Goff, this sliver of admiration (which basically amounts to a +2 Respect for the DAO nuts) is undermined by his previous hypocrisy, and his dithering on Hughes until the accusation became public (-50).
Goff needs to keep an eye out for large ‘Mad Butcher’ orders on parliamentary credit cards
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:34 am
I am confused..the media and a few people here are saying that Hughes was a rising star, a great addition to the house etc etc.
Excuse me, but what exactly has he done to deserve this adoration?
Never had a real job, plopped straight in to the roundhouse as a kid, learnt the art of lying early on as all pollies do.
Has obviously never learnt any of lifes skills due to his cloistered employment.
Has certainly not gained wisdom with age or experience.
Nope it’s got me stuffed.
(Sorry should this be in GD?)
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Labour makes much of the relative inexperience of John Key and some of his colleagues. If 27 years in Parliament hasn’t shown Phil Goff the right way to deal with these kinds of issues, then you’d have to say that a life outside politics may actually be advantageous.
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2011/03/ouch.html
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:36 am
You guys are missing the point…if Goff is so stupid as to not understand the complexities of an issue as simple as a rooting MP getting caught #pantsdown then how can he really expect us to ever vote for him to take the big chair and handle…oh I don’t know…let me a think…an earthquake…or perhaps a global financial recession…what about handling a coal mine disaster?
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:39 am
Velly good point whale..
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:43 am
You guys are missing the point…
I don’t think anybody is missing that point. I just think its taken as common knowledge that Goff couldn’t handle any of the things you’ve mentioned.
The phrase ‘couldn’t organize a piss up in a brewery’ constantly springs to mind.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:45 am
Whaleoil
I don’t think that point has eluded anyone for the past two years; its pretty much a given that Gaffey is the biggest fuckwit to ever stride the political stage with or without the silly stride. Normally you would have to pay the big bucks to see this sort of comedy but with Gaffey, its all free and its ALL good.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Whale is right though, while we may not have missed the point, God knows Goff makes it all too easy, the media while maybe not missing the point, most certainly will not raise it as an issue. So it is good to remind ourselves and others of the uselessness of Goff from time to time, even after an age longer than Methusela in parliament.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 11:52 am
davidp and whaleoil Spot on.
Darren Hughes’ behaviour is vile and repellent and he should leave public life though goodness knows what he would do with that ridiculous BA.
If Phil Goff can’t spin a simple narrative and make himself look good then he should be elected Labour Leader for Life (LLFL)
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
lofty
“So it is good to remind ourselves and others of the uselessness of Goff from time to time”
But lofty, the beauty of it is that you don’t have to remind yourself of anything. Gaffe does it for you. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy, although you need to be careful about having a drink near your lips or food in your mouth when you learn of his next foray into the public arena.
After this latest fiasco I’m now starting to think that the Truman Burbank character from the Truman Show might be based on him.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
Oh he had two weeks at least to have someone research his past positions on the issue and consider if this was different in any way – such as as involving someone in opposition and not government, his options were to stand him down from his portfolios while the matter was being investigated by police as soon as he heard (just for a cabinet minister?) or when it became public for someone in opposition?).
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Yes davinci it is all too delicious.
I want the labour party to revert to a party of principle and reasonableness, to discard the clark social agenda folowed blindly by the present lot of sycophants, bullies & self servers, who abandoned the party principles long ago for the sake of raw power, in the belief that they are the natural ruling party in NZ, and whatever they do is only ever for the good of the great unwashed.
I want all the rainbow wankers to stuff off, and for mature and wise people with life skills to inhabit the seats of the opposition benches, and the party to become principled once again, because democracy demands an effective and principled opposition, to enable the system to work within it’s boundaries.
And then and only then……. I will still never vote for them again!
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
Goff epitomises everything that is wrong about rating seniority over ability. Twentyseven years in parliament & he hasn’t even learned to lie properly. On top of this he is blind to the likely consequences of any action or comment.
I wish him good health & many more years as the Labour Party leader.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
So lofty what do you think of National’s support for civil unions and the AG’s work to replace the F and S Act with the new legislation?
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Can’t say I am over the moon about it SPC.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
Good point, but when you look at the rest of the lineup of corrupt and/or special-interest labour politicians, who would you replace him with?
Labour is a wasteland – if a lifelong (till last election) Labour voter from a staunch union family like me can’t stomach the thought of voting for the present bunch of Labour offerings, they’re in real trouble. National are relatively
1 more intelligent and with better judgement
2 more principled
3 more honest – they even came out rather better in the expenses scandal
No contest, even if they do replace Phil Goff.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Personally I don’t care so much about what sort of people politicians are and whether I respect them personally or not, I’m more concerned about policy/legislation outcomes. The same applies to anyone else doing their job of work.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 1:22 pm
SPC @ 12.53pm
I’d go along with you that the ethical standards of my mechanic or accountant are of little concern to me & indeed none of my business. I feel differently about who represents me in parliament because they can be deciding on laws which may bind me morally & compel me to act & react in ways alien to me.
If our representatives confined themselves to taxation,defense etc than it could worry me less who does the representing. If it is to be our lot to be socially engineered, our rights to bring up our children interfered with & our various natural preferences proscribed then the makeup of parliament becomes very personal to me.
To paraphrase…..if you wish to dictate my life make sure that you’ve got your shit in one sock first.
Vote:March 25th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Sure there is a connect when there is legislation impacting on private lives of the public. As to the matter of hypocrisy.
Just as there is a matter of interest to declare in some economic matters (and why those of Cabinet and parliament are supposed to have someone manage their business interests).
But even here “social policy” I still think it’s the outcomes that are important not what sort of people are debating it, so long as they debate it with the well-being of the public in mind.
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