English coverup of Barclay scandal gets worse

Written By: - Date published: 6:42 am, August 30th, 2017 - 32 comments
Categories: accountability, bill english, national - Tags: , , , , ,

David Fisher in The Herald has more on the Barclay scandal – Bill English fought to have his police statement over Todd Barclay affair withheld

Prime Minister Bill English fought to have his police statement over the Todd Barclay affair withheld from the public despite arguing in Parliament it was a police decision to keep his involvement secret.

So he lied to Parliament, and therefore to the country.

Documents released under the Official Information Act show police believe English’s statement should have been released.

But all mention of English was removed from the file when it was released to the Herald in March.

It later emerged the Prime Minister had been interviewed as a witness in the police investigation into allegations Barclay secretly recorded a staff member, raising questions over how his involvement had been hidden from the public.

English distanced himself, saying the decision was one for police. He told Parliament he was aware an OIA process was underway but he did not really take part in it.

“I am sure that all discussions were conducted consistent with the Official Information Act, and the police, in the end, have statutory independence. In addition to that, like any other agency, it makes the decisions about what information it releases, taking into account whatever factors it thinks are relevant.”

The new OIA documents show an advocate for English pushed hard – successfully – to have the Prime Minister’s involvement scrubbed from the file.

This is the report on events that English told reporters he “couldn’t remember” – Bill English had answers, but four hours too late. He lied to the media, and therefore to the country.

Fisher goes on with more detail. The summary on Stuff – PM’s office sought to have his Todd Barclay police statement withheld

Prime Minister Bill English’s office fought to have his involvement with the Todd Barclay affair withheld from media and the public.

New Police documents released to NZME under the Official Information Act show that the original release of their file on Barclay – which made no mention of English’s involvement – was subject to heavy pressure from his office to keep him out of it.

The Barclay scandal has been a huge self-inflicted wound for National – PM Bill English accused of cover-up over Barclay

Slumped in his seat for much of question time, a grey-faced English tried to defend his actions and lack of actions, but ended up being pummelled over why, despite knowing of Barclay’s illicit recordings, he tolerated his re-selection and the payout to keep it quiet. Bridges’ attempts to stifle questions from all three Opposition leaders simply delayed the inevitable and made English look even weaker and more diminished.

The trouble for English is that in the 16 months after hearing directly from Barclay about the secret recordings he did nothing to make Barclay talk to the police and sat by as Barclay was re-selected in a bitterly contested process that tore his own National Party apart in his home electorate. Barclay’s decision on Wednesday not to stand again has not changed those facts, or that English initially said he could not recall the now famous face-to-face conversation with Barclay – even though he gave a police statement on it in Dipton in April last year.

But the inquisition was not over for English as potential coalition partner Winston Peters attacked the Prime Minister personally and called for his resignation. The New Zealand First Leader also suggested in Parliament that English himself may have commited a crime.

“Is it not a fact that he deliberately did not tell the truth when first questioned yesterday because he himself was deeply complicit in trying to avoid legal action, with taxpayers’ hush money, and he knew full well that a confidential agreement or contract to cover up a crime is an illegal contract?” Peters asked.

Billshit, coverups, lies, English is unfit for office. We have the chance, in a month, to remove him.

32 comments on “English coverup of Barclay scandal gets worse ”

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  1. Doogs 1
    30 August 2017 at 6:54 am

    This is what the bulging coffers of Natzi election money is used for – cover-ups!

    • tc 1.1
      30 August 2017 at 8:46 am

      No that was taxpayers money from the prime ministers budget.

      Not the first time weve paid for their dodgy dealing either with years more to come cleaning up their crony deals and flogging of assets.

  2. philj 2
    30 August 2017 at 8:14 am

    Is this an example of NZ being a police state?

    • tc 2.1
      30 August 2017 at 8:47 am

      Another example of the ‘flexibility ‘ police display over national party matters.

      The law being applied seems to take a back seat whenever damage to national is a potential outcome.

    • eco Maori/kiwi 2.2
      30 August 2017 at 5:52 pm

      The best example of New Zealand being a National police state .
      All the laws past since this incident should be scraped as illegal

  3. Robert Guyton 3
    30 August 2017 at 9:58 am

    Last night I dreamed of Southland and a huge cloud formation looming over the region. It looked, for all money, like the grinning face of Judith Collins.

    • The decrypter 3.1
      30 August 2017 at 1:42 pm

      Cloud nine.

    • Stuart Munro 3.2
      30 August 2017 at 2:04 pm

      Are you prepared for acid rain?

    • mary_a 3.3
      30 August 2017 at 4:26 pm

      Sorry to hear about your awful nightmare Robert (3). Must have been very traumatic for you. God Almighty the hideous, repulsive spectre of Judith Collins in cloud form grinning, visiting your slumbering mind during the night …. that’s an invasion! Have a nice hot drink tonight, so you sleep well.

  4. ianmac 4
    30 August 2017 at 10:00 am

    Of course English could claim to have been truthful. The Police did make the decision to with-hold English involvement.
    But only after repeated lobbying from the English Team.
    (A bit like a confession after being tortured. See? He confessed willingly.)

  5. Ed 5
    30 August 2017 at 10:03 am

    There seem to be a lot of stories ATM where the honesty of government leaders is under investigation.

  6. Treetop 6
    30 August 2017 at 11:05 am

    Another collision is about to happen with the Commissioner of Police and the PM. This occurred with striking events in November 1976.

    • tc 6.1
      30 August 2017 at 11:45 am

      Putting foward his CV is he to act as if hes interested in the law being upheld, the evidence suggests its not been a high priority so far for them.

  7. Cinny 7
    30 August 2017 at 12:07 pm

    Dear Media….

    Female cabinet minister at the time involved

    DO SOME MORE WORK, this story is MASSIVE, David Fisher, thanks for keeping it going and your work so far.

    Yes Barclay recorded Glenis on the phone, did he ask Glenis to LIE for him as well? She wasn’t comfortable about being asked to lie to cover someone elses arse.

    When your family is being threatened if you don’t keep quiet, what’s a girl to do?

    Ask the questions, not everyone is covered by the confidentiality agreement

    • Robert Guyton 7.1
      31 August 2017 at 10:56 am

      “Within weeks of laying her police complaint, Dickson says she spoke to a National Party board member.

      “I was told if I didn’t withdraw the police complaint I could potentially take down the National Party, and there was an [implication] that if National didn’t have Barclay in Parliament they were one short to pass legislation.”

      Dickson said she was also told that it would be difficult for her and her family if she had to appear in a high-profile court case.

      “The board member explained to me if I withdrew my complaint I would be considered a hostile witness and the police would have not had a case.””
      Fischer

    • Robert Guyton 7.2
      31 August 2017 at 10:59 am

      “After graduating from Otago University and being admitted to the Bar in 1998, she established a successful career practising commercial and environmental law.”
      Sarah Dowie – profile

  8. carl peterson 8
    30 August 2017 at 1:26 pm

    How many other party leaders have skeletons in the closet to hide? The fact is that every party in power since the Bill of rights was enacted in 1990 have disdainfully disregarded the Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights our government signed in 1948. For examples: the income tax act is illegal and against human human rights for the servitude and debt slavery it causes. And even our supreme court ignored the bill of rights in refusing compensation for those innocent persons jailed and abused for crimes they did not commit. It’s always about the money, and ensuring that the executive has supremacy over parliament and the people. The courts pay homage to the executive whenever money is involved. More precisely, every thing is done to ensure that income taxes remain, inflation is constant, and people are too caught up in surviving to ask the right question: where does our money come from?

    Check out Democrats For Tax Reform on facebook for more information.

    • Draco T Bastard 8.1
      30 August 2017 at 3:31 pm

      For examples: the income tax act is illegal and against human human rights for the servitude and debt slavery it causes.

      That would be a lie.

      And even our supreme court ignored the bill of rights in refusing compensation for those innocent persons jailed and abused for crimes they did not commit.

      And another lie.

      It’s always about the money, and ensuring that the executive has supremacy over parliament and the people. The courts pay homage to the executive whenever money is involved.

      You seem to have our political system backwards. We have a Supreme court but parliament sets the rules.

      More precisely, every thing is done to ensure that income taxes remain, inflation is constant, and people are too caught up in surviving to ask the right question: where does our money come from?

      Would probably agree with you on that but your lies are making it difficult to understand where you’re coming from.

    • Cinny 8.2
      30 August 2017 at 6:24 pm

      That is very boring compared to what could come out about De-Barclay

      If i was a registered professional, i would have had my registration struck off if i had done what Todd and his female collegue (not Glenis) did.

      • Robert Guyton 8.2.1
        30 August 2017 at 6:33 pm

        c’mon, Cinny? Judith? Sarah?

        • Cinny 8.2.1.1
          30 August 2017 at 7:25 pm

          sorry confidentiality agreement, but was able to discover the above correct information

          she was a cabinet minister at the time

          • ropata 8.2.1.1.1
            30 August 2017 at 7:49 pm

            wikileak it !

            pretty please ?

          • Don't worry. Be happy 8.2.1.1.2
            31 August 2017 at 8:18 am

            So are you hinting that you have information of criminal conduct which potentially involves the leadership of the National Party and possibly indicates Police corruption in irder to protect suspect pollies but, sadly, you also have a “confidentiality agreement” so sorry, you will remain silent?

            Ever heard of whistle blowing? Leaking? Courage?

      • Robert Guyton 8.2.2
        31 August 2017 at 10:57 am

        “Barclay’s former electorate agent Glenys Dickson was paid the hush money after learning of the dictaphone left running in the Gore office and then engaging an employment lawyer.”

        Mary Jane Thomas

      • Robert Guyton 8.2.3
        31 August 2017 at 11:06 am

        “registered professional” – struck off sounds like something that might happen to a lawyer, should things go very wrong for them.

  9. Draco T Bastard 9
    30 August 2017 at 3:17 pm

    Billshit, coverups, lies, English is unfit for office. We have the chance, in a month, to remove him.

    Considering that he unfit for office we should be able to remove without an election as he seems to have broken at least one law with a maximum jail term exceeding two years.

    • Cinny 9.1
      30 August 2017 at 6:30 pm

      Am guessing Media will be in Queenstown for the debate tonight, maybe they will catch up with some locals re Barclay.

  10. greywarshark 10
    30 August 2017 at 5:20 pm

    To trace English’s progress in one of his portfolios this is an interesting read and I imagine it is a factual one as it has numbers for notes where a factcheck can be made.

    It was on another thread here, someone kindly put it up and I can’t remember which one but took a note of the link and it is a riveting read.
    http://werewolf.co.nz/2017/08/bill-english-the-forgotten-history/

  11. Seaweed 11
    30 August 2017 at 10:15 pm

    Nobody calls this what it is… and that is a CRIMINAL Conspiracy to Obstruct, Prevent, Pervert or Defeat Justice in the Barclay illegal recordings matter…
    Is this why John Key fled the political scene in such a hurry ?
    He’s trying to avoid being implicated.. bad luck there Sewer John, the money came out of your fund so we have to assume that you knew about it…
    Then there is the Speaker who is the person in charge of Parliamentary Services who administer that fund, so we can assume that he knew…
    And so it goes on… and on… and on… including the Police who have become complicit in the cover-up
    Glenda Hughes was absolutely right, this has the potential to take down the national party
    https://www.change.org/p/the-governor-general-of-new-zealand-a-royal-commission-to-investigate-the-todd-barclay-scandal

  12. Treetop 12
    31 August 2017 at 10:34 am

    Murky waters, e.g. no surprises policy and extent the commissioner of police can interfere in parliamentary services or ministerial business.

    Character assasination of an MP is something that Bush cannot dodge.

    Who has the most power Bush or English over character assasination of an MP when a crime has occurred?

    Just cause Barclay aint wanted by his team don’t mean PM is not tainted by PMs actions.

    How much of a police state is NZ?