Hey Tracy Watkins – Judith Collins was not “cleared” of dirty politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, December 8th, 2015 - 33 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, Dirty Politics, john key, Judith Collins - Tags: , ,

Yesterday Tracy Watkins gave us a classic example of the rewriting of history to suit one’s agenda:

Why John Key opened the door again to Judith Collins
…
But it had become increasingly difficult for Key to justify keeping Collins out of Cabinet after she was cleared of any wrongdoing in the Dirty Politics allegations that forced her resignation.

Judith Collins was never investigated and never “cleared” of multiple serious issues raised in Dirty Politics.

She was investigated over the “SFO smear campaign” due to a letter later released by disgraced lawyer / blogger Cathy Odgers. The scope of that whitewash investigation was kept so narrow that a “cleared” headline could be achieved, but too many questions were deliberately excluded.

In short, Judith Collins was up to her eyeballs in dirty politics. She abused her position as a Minister. After a token year off Key is happy to have her back because he has precisely as many principles as she does.

33 comments on “Hey Tracy Watkins – Judith Collins was not “cleared” of dirty politics ”

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  1. mickysavage 1
    8 December 2015 at 7:43 am

    Thanks for writing this.

    Audrey Young said basically the same thing in the Herald. She said:

    “[Collins] resigned from the Justice portfolio last year when emails stolen from blogger Cameron Slater implicated her in a campaign to undermine former Serious Fraud Office head Adam Feeley. She was subsequently cleared, but after Mr Key had picked his third-term cabinet.”

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11557363

    It really is as if dirty politics and Oravida did not happen.

    National gets the lines, Key constantly regurgitates the lines and the press meekly repeats the lines.

    • Sacha 1.1
      8 December 2015 at 9:21 am

      Disgrace to the profession of journalism. And it was an email released by Odgers to the PM’s office that got Collins stood down, not ‘stolen’ from Slater or anyone.

      Make up your own opinions, Audrey, but leave the facts to those capable of relaying them honestly. What a hack.

      • mickysavage 1.1.1
        8 December 2015 at 9:31 am

        Yep right you are Sacha. I wrote this last year (http://thestandard.org.nz/well-that-deteriorated-quickly/) which gives some of the background.

        Collins was sacked so that Key could cauterise the wound that the Feeley disclosure planned by the SST was going to cause.

        And the weird thing? Key apologised to Slater for breaching his privacy by receiving the Odgers email …

  2. repateet 2
    8 December 2015 at 7:49 am

    Judith Collins was the Minister of Justice but couldn’t tell the truth about Oravida.

    Judith Collins will be the Minister of Police.

    When truth and honesty are not base to those areas of our system and not held to be bulwarks of our core values we are stuffed.

    The reappointment of Collins is understandable as part of National internal political machinations but it is also a most symbolic gesture of and signal about an intellectually and morally corrupt government.

  3. savenz 3
    8 December 2015 at 8:22 am

    +100 post.

    At least her immoral actions will further highlight to those that have not already twigged on Natz are CORRUPT self seekers who will stop at nothing to further their own ends and change the law and justice to suit themselves.

    Collins is Slaters best friend, we know it will only be a matter of time before the police turn into her errand boys in an even bigger way than currently.

    Key’s probably just using her to get TPP off the agenda while they ram that through, as Collins will not be able to help herself and get into trouble so that Key can still look moderate and take the heat off Natz actions on talk back.

    Amazingly they have found someone who appears less honest than Key to take the heat off him! She is a patsy!

    And that is something!

  4. ianmac 4
    8 December 2015 at 8:47 am

    It is breathtakingly amazing how “they” have dodged all the fallout from Dirty Politics. And in a way Key is rubbing our noses in his ability to be corrupt and avoid consequences. Just like a Mr Big in mafia movies.

  5. Skinny 5
    8 December 2015 at 9:31 am

    I doubt very much Hooton is on John Key’s box of JK wine list after his Collin’s cheerleading this morning. However he will probably receive a case of chocolate milk and a slab of Kauri for Xmas from Judith and Mr Collin’s 🙂

  6. Smilin 6
    8 December 2015 at 9:40 am

    Why has Collins still got legal credentials and not being investigated by the law commission or suspended by . Is this process a thing of the past? ie written off by Keys administration with their assumed presidential power of 1

  7. Anne 7
    8 December 2015 at 10:00 am

    For goodness sake Anthony Robins it’s all in the past didn’t you know. Dirty Politics was oh so last year… we in the media have “moved on”. I mean nobody cares anyway cos we’ve all forgotten what actually happened. Most of us didn’t even bother to read the book cos it was too boring like… everybody in it was so bad and sad. So, be a good lad and move on like the rest of us.

    lol (lots of love)

    Tracey W.

    • Tautuhi 7.1
      8 December 2015 at 10:20 am

      Anne your right, onwards and upwards, the past is irrelevant, just look to the
      “Brighter Future” under the National Government, we don’t need the negativity.

      Open and transparent Government is what it is all about with National.

      • Macro 7.1.1
        8 December 2015 at 10:34 am

        Yep! “Open and transparent” is what you get with National – Openly Corrupt, and as Transparently Dishonest as you can get – and they are so arrogant they – don’t care.

  8. Muttonbird 8
    8 December 2015 at 10:31 am

    Meanwhile, Mr Little said Mr Key had done the opposition a favour by reinstating Ms Collins. Mr Little said Ms Collins did not have a good track record as a minister.

    “As ACC Minister she presided over one of the biggest privacy breaches and then sort of blamed everybody else. I think she will go down as one of the worst justice ministers we’ve had … she’ll be great fodder for us.”

    Nice solid kick in the nuts for John Key there by Andrew Little. Loved it. 😎

    She hasn’t changed at all. She can’t even apologise to the public for her corruption and getting her to admit a lessoned learned from her demotion is like lifting Kauri out of a swamp…

    …oh, wait.

  9. weka 9
    8 December 2015 at 10:53 am

    National taking the piss again. This is their great achievement, to have altered the culture within NZ so much that this degree of corruption goes largely unheeded. Long live The Standard and other media that can name what is happening.

    • Tc 9.1
      8 December 2015 at 11:01 am

      +1 nact are rubbing nz’s nose in their corruption now with arrogance being passed off as jusitication by their media poodles like audrey, watkins etc

    • Sacha 9.2
      8 December 2015 at 11:11 am

      It will take quite some time to repair the moral rot they have presided over.

      • Tc 9.2.1
        8 December 2015 at 2:19 pm

        Thats a key part of why they are doing it this way.

        Leave a huge clusterf^%k that effectively dictates what a caring responsible govt has to do which Keeps them busy cleaning up and recovering areas like R&D, education, environment etc.

        Pretty solid strategy with the goldfish memory and lack of critical thought the electorate displays as shown by the brighter future bs they sold.

  10. JonL 10
    8 December 2015 at 11:55 am

    A long time……the moral rot has seeped into the wider community (unless it was always there). NZ is not the place I grew up in, and I’m not sure I want to return to…….

  11. Penny Bright 11
    8 December 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Help make history!

    PROTEST against NZ corruption on International Anti-Corruption Day!

    WHEN: Wed. 9 December

    TIME: 12 noon till 2pm

    WHERE: Outside Aotea Square, next to Ak Town Hall, Queen St Auckland.

    Unhappy about Judith Collins being reappointed as Minister of Police and Corrections?

    Unhappy about NZ ‘anti-corruption legislation’ still allowing ‘facilitation payments’ (BRIBES)?

    Unhappy about Trade Minister Tim Groser being rewarded for his dismal deal for NZ, being rewarded with the job of NZ Ambassador to USA?

    Unhappy about PM John Key being a shareholder in the Bank of America, while advocating for the TPPA (from which the BIG banks will benefit)?

    Unhappy about the lack of transparency in the spending of public monies by Auckland Council and CCOs?

    Got your own issues with NZ corruption?

    Come along!
    Bring your placards!
    Have your say!

    (Protest called by ‘Anti-Corruption / anti-privatisation Public Watchdog Penny Bright

    2016 Auckland Mayoral candidate.)

    • doug stuart 11.1
      8 December 2015 at 1:46 pm

      bribes like koha payments

    • acrophobic 11.2
      8 December 2015 at 2:17 pm

      Penny have you ever travelled overseas? Seriously, we have very little corruption in NZ society. We most certainly have incompetence, we have intransigence. But according to Transparency International, we rank 2nd out of 175 nations for our LACK of corruption.

      • Tc 11.2.1
        8 December 2015 at 2:23 pm

        Wow a favourable survey which suits you….jk styles.

      • Leftie 11.2.2
        8 December 2015 at 7:08 pm

        I wouldn’t take much credence from Transparency if I were you acrophobic. It’s pr bs, as TINZ run interference.
        New Zealand has a lot of corruption, particularly coming from the top at the government level. What do you expect with a dirty dishonest and corrupt money trader and his band of equally corrupt self serving thieves at the helm ?

      • Pat 11.2.3
        8 December 2015 at 11:58 pm

        it is a “corruption perception” ranking
        https://www.transparency.org/cpi2014/results

      • Jones 11.2.4
        9 December 2015 at 10:10 am

        Goes to show how low the bar has fallen globally then.

      • Brent Hutchison 11.2.5
        9 December 2015 at 7:02 pm

        So what do you call these ‘appeasement’ offerings to the offended Saudi multi billionaire businessman Acrphobic? If that’s not corruption at the highest level pray tell me what is?
        And what about some of you commentators use your REAL names and stop hiding behind usernames that mask who you are.
        Sheesh, cowards the lot of you, scared SIS might hack your mail account hmmm? GCSB? Pussies

  12. NZSage 12
    8 December 2015 at 2:28 pm

    Now she’s in the perfect position to ensure Slater and herself are never investigated by the police.

    This has to be the most corrupt western regime in a world full of corruption.

  13. Vaughan Little 13
    8 December 2015 at 3:16 pm

    what’s her staff retention rate like? better than parata?

  14. Penny Bright 14
    8 December 2015 at 3:19 pm

    Is that right Acraphobic?

    On top of some overseas travel, I’ve attended now 5 International Anti-Corruption Conferences, listened to and met the experts, read voluminous material, researched the NZ situation, and generally ‘put my mind’ to the issue.

    How about yourself?

    Ever heard of two forms of corruption which I believe are endemic in NZ?

    ‘State capture’?

    ‘Post-separation employment’?

    (For starters. ….)

    Cheers

    Penny Bright

  15. Reddelusion 15
    8 December 2015 at 9:48 pm

    Just pay your rates penny

  16. Observer (Tokoroa) 16
    8 December 2015 at 11:08 pm

    Hey You : Anthony Robins

    I am quite amazed that you expect columnists, least of all NZ Herald staff to actually write the plain unadulterated uncontaminated truth.

    Being bottom feeders in the scheme of things, on the lowest scale of integrity, is their chosen place in the planet. Truth to them is anathema; vomit and excrement.

    Nobility and accuracy is unknown to them.

    They wander around in their chosen muck so that they may get some sort of passing affection from their uneducated and uninformed targeted readers: namely people of low IQ who feed blithely on ignorance.

    I seem to recall that G K Chesterton described journos as “people who write on the backs of advertisements”. Which is of course decidedly true. even if it is an over generous observation.

    Mrs Collins so recently rewarded by a fellow dissembler Mr Key, will find herself comfortable with the at times mysterious and vindictive Justice Dept and also with the corrupt sector of our Police Force.

    The Money making, work shy, CERCO will be her pleasing play house. For sure. I hope Tracy Watkins gets a worthwhile cut for her efforts.

    Meanwhile the only straight thing in the Herald tomorrow is likely to be the Crossword.

  17. savenz 17
    9 December 2015 at 8:55 am

    What Nicky Hager has to say…

    http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/spinning-the-return-of-judith-collins

    I particularly liked

    “Discussing National Party internal politics, she wrote: “Personally, I would be out for total destruction…. But then I have learnt that to give is better than to receive.” She called this the Double Rule, meaning that if someone attacked, you hit them back twice as hard. “If you can’t be loved, then best to be feared,” she said. None of it looked like a person who should be a minister.”

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