Comments on: Garner coy on accusations

By: peterthepeasant

peterthepeasant — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:10:08 +0000

Since when do reporters remove parliamentarians?
Garner thinks he can force labour to remove Carter?

So called political journalists are pretty damn arrogant (they mix with politicos, it is contagious).

Garner, like the Heralds Armstrong, is obsessing about his fav politico.

They actually think we (the great unwashed) care what they think.

By: RobertM

RobertM — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:56:40 +0000

Well strangely of late, Chris Carter has been effective against whaling and mining issues of central importance to the Government. The suspicion must be that Carter is still a mouthpiece for Helen on her well known areas of issue. Like Rodney, Carter deserves a bit of stick. In the asexual NZ political world active sexuality of any time is a matter of media interest. Rodney had an attractive girlfriend, extraordianary. The Act opponents of Rodney who thought active hetrosexuality would detract from the act vote. Extraordinary. Also what was Garners level of vino when he scripted the piece. From my experience the best journalism is always written well lubricated. I always had 4 at the bar and a couple of wines before writing my anti frigatory and pro F-16 pieces in the l990s.

By: Ari

Ari — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:43:34 +0000

Claiming money you’re not entitled to sounds a lot like misappropriation to me.

By: lprent

lprent — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:45:06 +0000

Now it does. I tried it several times before and it failed.

By: 123

123 — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 01:10:46 +0000

That’s strage lprent, it works for me. Here’s a Herald article in which it talks about the charity being St John.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/dance/news/article.cfm?c_id=169&objectid=10381228

Hide donated his personal fee (which all contestants recive and is not the charity component) to Remuera Rackets Club – all seems above board to me. At the time I think I remember reading something about it going towards a sporting exchange for some young sportspeople..? What did Geogina Beyer do with her personal fee? Fair enough if she kept it – it’s a personal fee, after all. Just interested.

By: Gooner

Gooner — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:06:40 +0000

Hide never misappropriated any money. That is flat out bullshit.

By: Pascal's bookie

Pascal's bookie — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 23:11:32 +0000

Try this one.

By: Danyl Mclauchlan

Danyl Mclauchlan — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:47:55 +0000

But he is an electorate MP with a safe seat.

You’re right – I totally forgot about that. I still think Garner is trying to force Labour to remove Carter from the party. Safe seats don’t mean an MP is safe – ask David Benson-Pope.

By: 123

123 — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:38:13 +0000

Way to introduce a baseless smear. The charity was not a squash club; it was St John Ambulance.

http://www.stjohn.org.nz/files/200986_200737118.PDF

[lprent: The link doesn't go anywhere...]

By: Jum

Jum — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:19:23 +0000

Garner is the same as Clifton. They play a neat little word game starting any article or interview with a sort of objective statement then slowly the knives start going into the left side of the political spectrum. The last sentence always ends up punishing the left even though the subject matter involves the right doing something bad.

By: ghostwhowalksnz

ghostwhowalksnz — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:13:26 +0000

Drop him down the list ?
So you know hes an electorate MP , or is it a Wellington thing to be a back channel for Garner but not know a thing about Carter

By: mickysavage

mickysavage — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 20:58:44 +0000

Garner seems to have taken umbrage at all this and decided to target Carter on his news show I suspect he wants Labour to drop him down the list so that he’s forced out of Parliament after the next election.

But he is an electorate MP with a safe seat.

I don’t think it’s because he’s gay, I think they do play up the gay angle to try and hurt Labour, and thus encourage the party to dump Carter.

There is a difference? Isn’t that playing the gay card?

By: Danyl Mclauchlan

Danyl Mclauchlan — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 17:52:52 +0000

Of course the simple explanation to all of this might just be that he’s a biased reporter looking after the right

I don’t think that’s it at all – Garner went hard on stories like Hide’s trip and English’s housing allowance, something he wouldn’t do if he were ‘looking after the right.’

My understanding is that a couple of years ago Garner was in Beijing covering Clark’s trip there to sign the FTA, and that Carter showed up with his partner and press sec, didn’t appear to do any work and couldn’t explain why he was there. It was subsequently revealed that the trip cost the taxpayer tens of thousands of dollars, was one of many very expensive and seemingly pointless trips made by Carter, and Carter was not particularly contrite about this claiming that the media were picking on him because he was gay.
Garner seems to have taken umbrage at all this and decided to target Carter on his news show – I suspect he wants Labour to drop him down the list so that he’s forced out of Parliament after the next election. I don’t think it’s because he’s gay, I think they do play up the gay angle to try and hurt Labour, and thus encourage the party to dump Carter.
I think this is terrible journalism – the Carter story was covered at the time, it’s not a political editors job to run a personal attack campaign against an opposition MP. But I also think Labour should dump Carter – the guy is a walking symbol of everything that’s wrong with the party.

By: lprent

lprent — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 09:30:53 +0000

The assumption I work on is that there are no absolute ‘facts’ (having a science background mediates against ever believing that), but that there are more probable options than others.

That is why there is a general rule that if asked, people have to produce supporting material for their assertions. That is to allow other people the opportunity to asses how probable and credible that they find it themselves.

It is noticeable that when challenged like that there is often an awful lot of diversionary tactics that suddenly happens. Of course if I have to get involved, I tend to be a bit obnoxious as part of the potty training for the perpetrator.

Stating something as being an opinion lets you off the hook considerably… IMHO is usually the easiest way…

By: illuminatedtiger

illuminatedtiger — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 09:18:23 +0000

Always have to add the “My Opinion” clause. Right wingers are a rather litigious bunch. Lynn, is this part of the Rules here? You might want to add it if it isn’t .