Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More
Parliament

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | Video | Questions Of the Day | Search

 

Clark argues both sides of Peters' saga

Gerry Brownlee MP
National Party Shadow Leader of the House

29 October 2008

Clark argues both sides of Peters' saga

"Helen Clark is now asking the public to believe that she both accepted and rejected Winston Peters' story about Owen Glenn's donations and his appointment as honorary consul to Monaco," says National Party Shadow Leader of the House Gerry Brownlee.

"She's speaking out of both sides of her mouth. The picture she's trying to paint today is that of a deeply concerned Prime Minister who moved to intervene. But previously she told Kiwis she accepted Mr Peters at his word and saw no wrong-doing.

"She simply can't hold both positions at the same time. She either believed Mr Peters or she didn't. And if she didn't believe Mr Peters, why did she keep that to herself?"

Even now, Mr Peters still claims he did not push the process to appoint Mr Glenn as honorary consul, but Helen Clark has finally admitted she's known that to be false since at least February.

According to reports, she was so concerned that she instructed Foreign Affairs officials to refer any discussions about Monaco to her.

"MFAT will have a note or a memo that indicates the Prime Minister's interest in the consul appointment. In the interests of transparency, Helen Clark who is the acting Foreign Affairs Minister, must produce that piece of paper to back up her version of events."

Mr Brownlee says both Helen Clark and Michael Cullen knew that Mr Peters was pushing Mr Glenn's Monaco appointment, but they kept silent even as Mr Peters gave contradictory evidence to the Privileges Committee and issued denials in public.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

"As Mr Peters sat there holding his 'NO' sign, Helen Clark knew about the donation and she knew about the Monaco posting. She said nothing.

"According to Mr Glenn, Labour Party President Mike Williams had even waved the idea past Helen Clark who had no problem with him being considered.

"But today Helen Clark is feeding New Zealanders a different story. She was so concerned that she intervened, even though a few months ago there was no need to intervene so she hadn't.

"She can't have it both ways."

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.