ACT Leader Richard Prebble says he's received disturbing reports that Winston Peters is gay bashing, particularly when addressing elderly audiences.

"It has been reported to ACT that Winston Peters, in his tour of the country's rest homes, has been launching vitriolic attacks on gay people and suggesting Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark 'spend their time debating whether gays should be able to adopt children'.

"Mr Peters is saying to his audiences of largely retired people that Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark's credibility has disappeared because they are prepared to discuss the issue of gay adoptions.

"I have to say I've never heard either leader discussing the issue, although both acknowledge adoption is a serious issue," Mr Prebble said.

"In fact Parliament has been quietly getting on with looking at our laws to remove discrimination against gay people, with almost no public controversy.

"I don't believe there's any public benefit in Winston Peters now turning his scapegoat approach to gays," Mr Prebble said.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>