Nash is goneburger

Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, March 29th, 2023 - 42 comments
Categories: chris hipkins, labour, political parties, stuart nash - Tags:

I was accused recently of being a Nash supporter.  This was after this post where I attempted to put into context a previous example of Nash’s stupidity and suggest that on the scale of things his stupidity was mid range.  Nothing could be further from the truth and I always thought he was one impulsive step away from disaster.

Recent events suggest that his stupidity varies depending on context.  If donors are involved his stupidity can be extreme.

Breaking news from yesterday that he had previously disclosed to private donors what happened in Cabinet on a vote that directly affected their business interests has been met with a summary response from the Prime Minister.

Chris Hipkins has front footed the issue and sacked Nash, not allowing him to resign.  From his press release:

This evening I have advised the Governor-General to dismiss Stuart Nash from all his ministerial portfolios.

Late this afternoon I was made aware by a news outlet of an email Stuart Nash sent in March 2020 to two contacts regarding a commercial rent relief package that Cabinet had considered.

In the email he sets out both his opposition to the decision Cabinet reached and the position that other Cabinet members took.

This is a clear breach of collective responsibility and Cabinet confidentiality.

Stuart Nash has fundamentally breached my trust and the trust of his Cabinet colleagues and his conduct is inexcusable.

In addition the two recipients of the email were donors; Troy Bowker and Greg Loveridge, via GRL Holdings Ltd, have both donated to Stuart Nash.

They are also commercial property owners who had an interest in the Cabinet decision.

That crosses a line that is totally unacceptable to me.

Questions will be asked about who leaked the email to the press.  I suspect it might have been Troy Bowker who has attracted the attention of the Standard previously.

In 2021 I responded to claims that he had breached draft hate speech legislation by suggesting that he was exceedingly stupid but not in breach of the law.  I also noted some disturbing connections he had with Nash.  From my previous post:

For instance in 2014 Bowker paid for a report strategising the setting up of a centrist party in competition with the Labour Party.  Simon Lusk, he of dirty politics pedigree, was commissioned to write the report and Stuart Nash was implicated in elements of the attempt.  Nash said he torpedoed the idea and did not know about it until the report had been prepared.  Bowker disagreed and says Nash told them to see him when the report was completed. Why Nash was having anything to do with one of the people most implicated in Dirty Politics is hard to understand.

And why Nash would still accept donations from Bowker?

I am not sure.

Bowker also had significant links to New Zealand First and was a major donor.

In the past I have also expressed concerns at Nash’s performance as Fisheries Minister which I thought was sub optimal.

His demise highlights the power of money and the need to reform campaign finances.  Donations should never create the perception or feeling that highly sensitive information needs to or ought to be disclosed to donors.

Labour has a quandary.  If Nash has been confirmed as the candidate for the next election the New Zealand Council may want to review this.  Quickly.

42 comments on “Nash is goneburger ”

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  1. Cricklewood 1
    29 March 2023 at 8:15 am

    Wealthy businessman donate to politician, said politician leaks confidential cabinet discussions to them.

    That'd be corruption wouldn't it?

    • Chess Player 1.1
      29 March 2023 at 8:19 pm

      NZ is consistently reported as one of the least corrupt countries in the world.

      https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022

      I guess for NZ to hold that position, virtually every other country in the world must be incredibly rife with corruption.

      • Thinker 1.1.1
        30 March 2023 at 2:15 pm

        Always read the "…lines between the lines…"

        We are not reported as one of the least corrupt, we are reported as being one where the perceptions of corruption are low.

        It says we are either not corrupt or most of our citizens are too trusting.

  2. Visubversa 2
    29 March 2023 at 8:26 am

    Nash has always been an arrogant and hubris filled fellow. I was involved in an early campaign of his where he tried very hard to make it all about him and not about the Labour Party. He talked about running a "Nash" campaign and of importing a campaign manager from the USA. As the electorate organisation had only recently finished paying off the bills from a previous "Show Pony" candidate we were just not impressed.

    He was not going to get elected in Epsom – no matter how much he tried to make himself "Tory Light". He got told in no uncertain terms what his job was – which was mainly to get the billboards up on the major arterial routes and get the leaflets out.

  3. tc 3
    29 March 2023 at 8:35 am

    Finally he is sacked yet I can't help but think of the far superior mp's who have gone during his tenure.

    An egotist who never belonged in a party that's meant to represent the underdog before you consider his piss poor ministerial efforts.

    • Chess Player 3.1
      29 March 2023 at 8:03 pm

      Labour hasn't represented the underdog for decades.

      If they had, parties such as the Greens and TPM wouldn't have been able to gain the footholds they have.

      Mainly they've been trying to undo all the damage they did in the 80s, in a gradual manner, while positioning to be the safe, central, party of choice.

      In that context, Nash was the perfect choice.

      • tc 3.1.1
        30 March 2023 at 1:26 am

        'meant to represent' didnt say they did. Agreed Nash was the perfect choice along with other placeholders like Faafoi, Curran, Shearer, O’Connor etc etc it’s quite a long list

  4. Right is right 4
    29 March 2023 at 9:41 am

    That is the one that got caught. How many others are there? What about Marama the racist? Things are looking good for Labour and the Greens.

    • Incognito 4.1
      29 March 2023 at 9:58 am

      This Post is about Stuart Nash and the Labour Party. If you wish to comment on other topics then take it to Open Mike, thanks.

  5. Anne 5
    29 March 2023 at 9:55 am

    This is what happens when a politician's self-importance gets in the way of their brain. We have seen it across the political spectrum over the years – just to counter the puerile contribution from Right is right @ 4. 🙄

    Luke Malpass puts it in a nutshell:

    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/131630318/the-tragedy-of-stuart-nashs-sacking-and-labours-troubled-times-ahead

    It is a tragedy to be sent packing like he has, but he has no-one to blame but himself. Stupidity is not a positive attribute.

  6. Obtrectator 6
    29 March 2023 at 10:20 am

    Time for Eddie's suggestion to be implemented?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsohPbnp1b8 (skip to 3:20).

  7. Ad 7
    29 March 2023 at 10:42 am

    Parliament is going to be so crap for another week.

    Hipkins will be reminding Labour caucus that their jobs and salaries are on the line in this next 6 months.

    Hipkins will have to rebuild the last two months of trust he had generated with the public because of Nash.

    It does point to the need for highly trusted and secretive donor bundlers that can keep the fundraising cash come in, completely separate from policy formation. Last really good bundler I've seen in action was Sir Bob Harvey when he was Labour President.

  8. Patricia Bremner 8
    29 March 2023 at 10:56 am

    If Nash had a shred of decency, he would resign, but he is determined to stay, even if he taints all.
    imo he should go.

  9. Mike the Lefty 9
    29 March 2023 at 11:43 am

    Never particularly liked Nash, always thought he was an under performer and so centrist that he could just as well have stood for National in Napier.

  10. James Simpson 10
    29 March 2023 at 12:20 pm

    How did this leak?

    Smells very much like a National Party black ops job. Dirty politics V.2023

    • bwaghorn 10.1
      29 March 2023 at 1:08 pm

      Probably been kneecapped, but it's good the news got our

    • Incognito 10.2
      29 March 2023 at 1:12 pm

      What evidence do you have for that allegation?

      Forestry slash has been blamed for a lot of the recent cyclone & flood damage and Nash too by association, if not more. I’d say Nash has not made any recent friends recently.

  11. RedLogix 11
    29 March 2023 at 2:58 pm

    Sean Plunket goes a little deeper:

    • tsmithfield 11.1
      29 March 2023 at 3:44 pm

      Very interesting. I wonder who the parties were he was referring to. Not too many to choose from I wouldn't have thought. And, before people get to sanctimonious, I remember a certain trip to Australia by a Labour personality (Hee Fee anyone?)

      I think Cam Slater was right when he used to say there isn’t dirty politics. Just politics.

      Not that I was ever a fan of Cam Slater btw.

      • RedLogix 11.1.1
        29 March 2023 at 4:00 pm

        It's the old story about the democracy sausage. It feels naive to ask the question though – can we do better?

        Part of the problem I believe is the party system, and the unremitting confrontation built into it. And not just between parties, but within cliques within parties.

        If you look carefully every successful politician surrounds themselves with a group of powerful loyalists, who will act to protect their leader regardless. In return the leader has to ensure this group get to grasp the levers of power at least some of the time.

        Once a politician becomes isolated within their party, no matter how well intentioned or decent, they are effectively finished.

        My challenge to anyone who cares about the quality of our political systems is – let’s imagine a better system. Because I firmly believe that most people go into politics are on the whole decent and well intentioned people – but it is the system that warps them into shapes they eventually no longer recognise.

        To some extent I imagine this is what happened to Ardern – one day she looked in the mirror and wondered “how did all this happen?”

        • tsmithfield 11.1.1.1
          29 March 2023 at 4:20 pm

          Red, I think we have chewed the fat on this before. And, it is a bit of an esoteric conversation, because nothing is likely to change, in the short to medium term, anyway.

          I don't think the adverserial style of politics serves NZ well. Neither does the length of term. For example, if National wins this time around, there will be eye-watering amounts spent undoing a lot of what Labour has been trying to impliment for the previous two terms. And vice versa if National goes out next time or whatever.

          I like the idea of doing away with parties and voting for roles. So, say voting for a finance minister etc. That should mean that the best qualified person for a given role gets elected. And, they are unlikely to be voted out unless they are doing a bad job.

          • RedLogix 11.1.1.1.1
            29 March 2023 at 4:29 pm

            Agree totally. I understand this is a wild blue sky conversation, but I am still prepared to indulge in it from time to time. yes

          • RedLogix 11.1.1.1.2
            29 March 2023 at 5:45 pm

            For what it is worth I found this interview pertinent at a number of different levels:

  12. adam 12
    29 March 2023 at 5:10 pm

    We Need! Need, to recall MP's and other elected officials if they prove to be this craven to select interest. Rather than doing their job of representing us all.

  13. Lukas 13
    29 March 2023 at 5:20 pm

    Interesting when listening to question time today- prior PMs office staff new about this circa two years ago and no action taken

  14. UncookedSelachimorpha 14
    29 March 2023 at 6:03 pm

    Another illustration of why political donations should be banned across the board, all of them.

  15. gsays 15
    29 March 2023 at 6:33 pm

    'had previously disclosed to private donors clients what happened in Cabinet on a vote that directly affected their business interests'

    If only he had retired and the next day set himself up as a lobbyist. Would have been kosher then./sarc

  16. Thinker 16
    30 March 2023 at 2:20 pm

    Going to the suggestion that Nash may be being set up to join a centrist party – a new one or NZ First, I can't work out what's being hinted – wouldn't he have to leave taking the moral high ground with him?

    I would have expected he would have to leave pointing out some flaw in Labour's policies or budget or hierarchy or ideology, which is what Gurav Sharma tried to do and even he didn't achieve it.

    Going by being dismissed by the Governor-General as less than honest seems a strange way to kick off an election campaign.

    Am I missing something?

    Or – here’s a curve ball based on my “..to deal with a garden snail, you need to put yourself in the mind of the garden snail…” book of dirty politics.

    Let’s say you back a politician in a left-wing party and you do all you can to boost his/her popularity, but then you decide you’d rather have a complete change in government instead. Suddenly, ‘your politician’ is a thorn in the side of the next-highest-polling politician.

    Totally my opinion and, to borrow from the tv (and wikipedia), “The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.”

  17. tsmithfield 17
    30 March 2023 at 2:41 pm

    I have heard the NZ First rumour as well. But wouldn't Nash still be stuck as a back-bencher, whoever he goes with? Afterall, who wants a leaky individual in cabinet?

    • Ad 17.1
      30 March 2023 at 3:10 pm

      If he stood for NZFirst and gained the Napier seat he would be Cabinet in any coalition agreement he wanted.

      In fact he could take the NZFirst leadership mantle from the genteel Winston with greater ease than Shane Jones.

      • tsmithfield 17.1.1
        30 March 2023 at 3:59 pm

        I am actually surprised about this talk of Nash resigning as an MP. There have been a number of occassions in recent times where cabinet ministers have transgressed, and demoted from cabinet and put on probation. Then brought back into cabinet at a later stage.

        I don't see anything in Nash has done that has been malicious, or for personal gain. Just that he has been a bit of a loose cannon. But, if he is capable of learning from his mistakes, then I can't see why he shouldn't be able to be back in cabinet again some time in the future.

        My comment in my previous post contradicts what I have just said. But that was based on the assumption that he has a permanent character flaw in that respect. But that isn't necessarilly the case.

        • Thinker 17.1.1.1
          30 March 2023 at 4:29 pm

          Yes, some people must know the answers but for most of us it's all speculation and we will probably be surprised when the truth is not what we thought…