Gower is correct – police must reopen Barclay case

Written By: - Date published: 7:05 am, June 27th, 2017 - 32 comments
Categories: bill english, Ethics, law, national, police - Tags: , , , ,

The Spinoff has a great list of the contradictory and inane comments that Bill English made during the debarclay affair. It makes for pathetic reading. No wonder English is now trying, far too many days too late, to shut up about the scandal in his old electorate and hope that it will blow over. It won’t. Too many loose ends. Here’s one big one:

Patrick Gower: Todd Barclay’s admission means police must reopen case

Why was the original police investigation abandoned so easily?

Todd Barclay has provided all the evidence police need to reopen the case against him. In his short statement last night, Barclay said “I have read Mr English’s statement and accept it”. That is an on-the-record admission by Barclay that he secretly recorded his staffer Glenys Dickson.
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In the statement, Bill English also verifies he sent a text, which we now know said: “He left a dictaphone running that picked up all conversations in the office… The settlement was larger than normal because of the privacy breach.”

By accepting the statement, Barclay has effectively accepted that text too.
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Police yesterday said: “If any new information is brought to the attention of police then that information will be assessed by the investigating officers as to its relevance to this case.” Barclay’s admission is surely the “new information” they need.
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Barclay has admitted the secret recording – the police must act.

Gower is correct – all eyes on the police now. Not that they will report back before the election of course. And there’s a silver lining for Bill – expect to get sick of hearing him say that he can’t comment on a matter that is under police investigation.

https://twitter.com/RobJStewartNZ/status/879198598554046464

https://twitter.com/HDPA/status/878855474950545408

32 comments on “Gower is correct – police must reopen Barclay case ”

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  1. Cinny 1
    27 June 2017 at 7:46 am

    Why was the original police investigation abandoned so easily?

    Over the last few years police credibility has gone out the window, so has their moral. Now is their chance to do something about it, to show some back bone instead of being puppets for possibly Glenda and who ever else wanted this buried.

  2. Draco T Bastard 2
    27 June 2017 at 8:29 am

    If the police did their job properly this should result in several Nat MPs being found guilty of crimes that would get them removed from office.

    Some of them should also find that they can’t vote either because they’re in jail.

  3. Red 3
    27 June 2017 at 9:01 am

    Police won’t waste their time on office politics they have better things to do,

    • dv 3.1
      27 June 2017 at 9:06 am

      Oh you mean like raiding news offices.

    • Cinny 3.2
      27 June 2017 at 9:10 am

      Red NZ is a small place especially the south island, there is more to come and it’s not office politics it’s so much bigger than that, no matter how you hard you’ve been trying to downplay this.

      • Red 3.2.1
        27 June 2017 at 4:03 pm

        Dont really care where it goes, it won’t affect the polls Cinny no matter how excited you get, that’s my point, The average voting joe see it this way, national trying to hide its dirty laundry (as most people do), politicians from all persuasions tell fibs, thus no reason to go full retard and lift unelectable labour from 22pc to 25pc

    • Stuff The Politicians 3.3
      27 June 2017 at 10:09 am

      Like sitting on the road sides collecting more revenue.

      • mac1 3.3.1
        27 June 2017 at 1:23 pm

        Another view, STP. Got stopped by police Friday night, speeding home with the fish’n’chips at 55km/h, a prize capture. Got a caution.

        Good policing, but not a revenue gatherer, sorry.

        • Stuff The Politicians 3.3.1.1
          27 June 2017 at 4:01 pm

          If you were going 55Km per hour you deserve to get a ticket.

          That is very poor policing indeed.

          • mac1 3.3.1.1.1
            27 June 2017 at 6:19 pm

            But the purpose of the story, STP, is to point out one example of where, in your belief, a voracious police force could have gathered some revenue- but didn’t. The story is not about the policing quality but about your belief concerning the police as revenue gatherers.

            Why, have you, or Red who agrees with you, been the donor of some revenue to the government recently?

        • Stuff The Politicians 3.3.1.2
          27 June 2017 at 7:18 pm

          Obviously you were in a 50 Kph zone where there is more a likelihood of many people, either in vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians about.
          There is a vast difference on the open highways, where you see the police sitting on the roadsides , many times there is not another vehicle as far as you can see ahead.
          And they give out their tickets for exceeding the open road limit, maybe only six or seven Ks an hour over the limit.
          That is just revenue gathering in my view.

          And no, it is many years since I have been issued a ticket, in fact I hate doing so with a passion, so I obey the limit, whatever that maybe.

          I detest giving this Government any more dosh than I need.

      • Red 3.3.2
        27 June 2017 at 4:05 pm

        Fair point

    • mary_a 3.4
      27 June 2017 at 10:24 am

      @ Red (3) … That’s right. Such as raiding the home of an investigate journalist over a 10 hour period!

    • Cinny 3.5
      27 June 2017 at 11:14 am

      ahhh wrong Red, the investigation has just been reopened…

      Red, it’s OK to change your mind once more evidence and facts have been presented, that’s what wise people do.

      Remember that the truth has no agenda.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.5.1
        27 June 2017 at 11:38 am

        He’s not interested in the truth but about trying to make people think that the crimes that National seem to have engaged in wasn’t really all that much.

      • Red 3.5.2
        27 June 2017 at 4:09 pm

        Oh well can’t get them all right, it was 50 50 at best, police probably had to reopen to avoid screaming heads of the left crying political bias but still probably feel they have better things to do

    • Draco T Bastard 3.6
      27 June 2017 at 11:36 am

      It’s not ‘office politics’ but outright crime.

      Still, it is interesting how RWNJs will always excuse the immorality of their leaders.

  4. Anne 4
    27 June 2017 at 10:41 am

    Why was the original police investigation abandoned so easily?

    Obvious. There was political interference. The instruction to abandon the case would have been subtly delivered, and it would have come from a Nat. official who had good contacts inside the police force – like a certain Nat. Party board member.

    Edit: my suspicion is: it was abandoned soon after it started but they chose not to officially announce it’s closure until month’s later. The time lag would be less suspicious in appearance.

    • Red 4.1
      27 June 2017 at 4:14 pm

      I think pressure from the CIA probably shut it down, been a US lackey and all that, possibly aliens, as in extraterrestrial involvement is also an option, would not also totally discount one world order and memory’ wiping chem trails

    • John up North 4.2
      27 June 2017 at 4:30 pm

      Yep, agree with your suspicion that SFA went into the “investigation” but what we now hear every other time Billshit opens his mouth is – after a 10 mth investigation etc… As though to imply that the police have been working non stop on this very subject for 10 mths straight Hah! Load of cobblers Billshit.

  5. Tamati Tautuhi 5
    27 June 2017 at 10:42 am

    Hopefully no evidence is uncovered of political interference in this case, especially after the drama with John Key and John Banks at the Mad Hatters Tea Party in Mt Eden ?

    • Anne 5.1
      27 June 2017 at 10:55 am

      And don’t forget the police drama over Nicky Hager’s book “Dirty Politics”. The sheer impudence of the man daring to talk truth to power.

  6. Cinny 6
    27 June 2017 at 11:14 am

    BREAKING NEWS…. Police ARE re-investigating Barclay… more to come

    Front page on stuff

    Here is the statement via Scoop

    http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO1706/S00368/re-investigation-of-allegations-begins.htm

  7. Heather Grimwood 7
    27 June 2017 at 11:33 am

    One can but hope for a speedy resolution and the repercussions to follow.

  8. Dv 8
    27 June 2017 at 11:55 am

    I bet the tape no longer exists.
    So I suspect the cops will say no evidence.

    • Tamati Tautuhi 8.1
      27 June 2017 at 12:44 pm

      Todd would have had some professional advice on what to do with the recordings ?

      • McFlock 8.1.1
        27 June 2017 at 12:47 pm

        He might have been told how to “hypothetically” delete something, but I doubt anyone would have told him explicitly to destroy evidence. Crimes upon crimes…