Written By: - Date published: 3:05 pm, July 12th, 2008 - 74 comments
Categories: election funding, nz first -
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It appears, as everyone suspected, that Owen Glenn did give a donation to New Zealand First. There is nothing illegal or immoral in that. Under the law at the time anonymous donations of any sum were legal and National was the biggest exploiter of that fact, receiving over $2 million in secret donations in 2005 (thankfully, the Electoral Finance Act now makes those practices illegal).
But Winston Peters should not have lied when asked. He would have been totally within his rights to stick to National’s line: ‘we don’t discuss donors’. Better yet, he could have done what Labour did and tell the truth.
So what now? Peters was talking in his capacity as leader of New Zealand First, not Foreign Minister and, while he may have lied to the media, he didn’t mislead Parliament. That means calls for him to be sacked as Foreign Minister are just politicking by opportunists.
If Peters has lied to the public as New Zealand First’s leader, then it is for his party and the voters to punish him. And voters should punish him, as they should punish any politician who lies to their faces.
At least, now the EFA is in place, we won’t have to go through this rubbish over secret donors again.
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Scoopit!
Lew: “Clark will (as Key’s supporters say) reveal her party’s position in the fullness of time. Serious allegations like this require full consideration. Clark doesn’t have a record of going off half-cocked; nor should she in this case”.
Fair enough. And I agree. I should perhaps have suggested that it would be appropriate for Clark to make a statement along the lines of “If Mr Peters is found to have misled the public in denying the receipt of monies from Mr Glenn then – particularly in light of our dedication to campaign finance reform as reflected in our support of the EFA – I shall be asking for his resignation”.
Similarly, I agree with AndrewE above, though Key should phrase it in exactly the same way.
We know what the sentence is if you or I are found guilty of fraud, Lew. Surely our political leaders can make plain the sentence for committing a fraud upon the public, even if they withhold judgement as to guilt?
Why wont Helen force the issue with Winston. Glen gave to the Labour Party we know that Glen gave to Peters so he says, Then a big overseas money person offered Maori Party 250k before last election if they sided with Labour. Smells real fishy here clean politics Yea right!!
They refused at least they were honest. It all makes the exclusive brethren saga look a bit weak really doesn’t it when we have big money trying to force other parties to vote with Labour.
I think the public deserve to know and Helen Clark has to bring him to account he acting as a Minister in her Government.
Now that the EFA is in place, Labour won’t get a donation of $500,000 from Owen Glenn like they did last time, will they?
The biggest donation in NZ’s political history.
Swampy.
a) the $500,000 was a total figure of a number of donations of several years. The largest single donation in that was $150,000
b) the largest donation in NZ political history is the $1.8 million the Waitemata Trust gave to National.
c) of course, that donation from the Waitemata Trust is a pooled donation from people who gave their donations to National via the Trust to hide their identities. We don’t know who gave the money or the size of the donations, although it’s said the Insurance Council gave a million.