Overreach

Written By: - Date published: 10:32 pm, March 9th, 2014 - 33 comments
Categories: david cunliffe, Media - Tags:

Last week when Patrick Gower went on about David Cunliffe last year failing to declare a personal trust in time while he awaited the official opinion on whether he had to (along with a number of other unmentioned MPs), I thought things were getting a bit silly in the personal attacks on the Labour leader.  The National Party Smear Research Unit was in full swing.

But today we had story in The Herald accusing him of visiting an expensive property in Omaha.  He promptly admitted he had visited.

Shock. Horror.

Clearly anyone who’s been to an expensive property in Omaha is not fit to be Prime Minister.

Imagine if someone owned a property there – that would be even worse!

But back in reality, David Cunliffe helped out a wealthy mate from his time working as a consultant at BCG.

Shock. Horror.

An ex-business consultant has wealthy business consultant friends.

Clearly anyone with wealthy friends who live overseas is not fit to be Prime Minister.

Imagine if someone was really seriously wealthy themselves – that would be even worse!

But back in reality, David Cunliffe failed to mention having visited the property when asked 2 weeks ago if he had any involvement with the trust that bought the property for his wealthy mate.

Shock. Horror.

Clearly whenever there’s any question to a politician they should write out a thesis on the answers of all possible questions a journalist might want to know in the future slightly related to the question being asked.

Failing to do so would be lying by omission, and we couldn’t have a liar as Prime Minister.

Imagine if we had someone who lied about things straight out – that would be even worse!

They might start saying things like “GST will not rise” and then just go ahead and raise it anyway.

And then there might be a real story, about things that actually affect us…

33 comments on “Overreach ”

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  2. David 2
    9 March 2014 at 11:36 pm

    Yep: whether its media desperate to beat up a story, or Labour’s enemies desperate to pin whatever to David, they really have gone over the top, and overdone it. Lots of people are shaking their heads, and wondering either why anyone would want to overcook stuff like this, or whether these people simply dont get it, or want to get it. Either way, it blows back on them: them being ‘tricky’, them being ‘hypocrites’, them being in bed with the wrong rich folk. Above all, them being anxious that David and Labour might actually change the game when we get elected.

    • Tom Gould 2.1
      10 March 2014 at 8:44 am

      There’s a very disturbing picture forming around the National Herald and the ‘connections’ to Slater and Collins and the media cronies and the money boys. It’s starting to feel like what I imagine it is like to live under a one-party state, where they just get so arrogant and untouchable they simply don’t care about even the pretence of ethics and fairness any more, knowing they can destroy the character and career of anyone who dares question them, with ease. Scary stuff, folks. At what point does it become fascism?

      • Sosoo 2.1.1
        10 March 2014 at 10:48 am

        Yes. I too have been thinking that for a while.

      • Sosoo 2.1.2
        10 March 2014 at 10:59 am

        The answer is to go after Slater. He’s been involved in some dodgy dealings already, with regard to his ongoing court case and his treatment of Bevan Chuang.

        He’s the first domino.

        If I were the left I would have billboards displaying photos of Slater with National MPs and then quotes from his blog next to them.

  3. fender 3
    9 March 2014 at 11:40 pm

    This has to be the last straw, how could anyone claim to be a friend while helping them acquire a property that has such a dodgy neighbour.

  4. McFlock 4
    9 March 2014 at 11:58 pm

    Two things spring to mind:

    Firstly, the nactoids are repeatedly plugging the line against cunliffe that failed against turei, specifically that anyone who opposes poverty must not be rich or have rich friends otherwise they’re hypocrites. The nactoids believe that standing up for those less fortunate than yourself is a moral failing – says everything you need to know about them, really.

    Secondly, they seem to be down to chucking the silverware at cunliffe. They still haven’t actually found any actual dirt. They’ve basically given him a steep learning curve, so he and Labour will be pretty solid in the campaign.

    • Murray Olsen 4.1
      10 March 2014 at 2:09 am

      It is the same shit they threw at Metiria, and the Greens handled it much, much better. Maybe McCarten should pop down and have a chat with them?

      • McFlock 4.1.1
        10 March 2014 at 12:35 pm

        we-ell, it turned out that the so-called “castle” wasn’t.
        I’m not sure Cunliffe showing the media around his home would be as helpful as it was for Turei.

  5. swordfish 5
    10 March 2014 at 12:22 am

    Let’s forget the MSM Cunliffe witch-hunt and move on to something genuinely dodgy……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaEXa202Q6M

    And……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeJSFVWKnsE (Feel free to indulge in a wee chuckle at John’s body language 0:26 – 0:39 when the penny finally drops that he’s been caught out).

    And for a wee laugh at just how dweebish Key was as a 25 year old, have a look at this Close Up doco – and at exactly 0:4:00 click on pause (not 0:3:59, not 0:4:01, but EXACTLY 0:4:00). Try and pause it immediately before the shot of the bloke with the phone – you should see a bi-focal Key with dweebish smile displaying relatively poor dental work…….http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/close-up-big-dealers-john-key-1987

  6. irascible 6
    10 March 2014 at 7:17 am

    My reading of the Herald beat up on Sunday was that it was seriously eregerious and warranted a complaint to the Editor and to the Press Association…. however, my experience in making such complaints usually means that it falls on deaf ears.

    • David 6.1
      10 March 2014 at 7:55 am

      I think this whole thing needs a hashtag or whatever, so we can recognise and point to it instantly, as soon as it happens again (and again and again). something like BeatupDavid# . What do you think? the (media)beatup that’s a (political and personal) beatup too.

      • blue leopard (Get Lost GCSB Bill) 6.1.1
        10 March 2014 at 12:01 pm

        It would be good to have a place we can go to have the lies of the media/Nat uncovered for the lies they are – however what I would really like to see is a list of all the rubbish we have put up with under National – I know there has been a lot – and I can’t recall them all – we need our memories jogged.

        Things like

        Asset sales – their effect on the economy now and into the future
        The GCSB bill – the effect on peoples’ rights
        The retrospective legislation that made corrupt/mistaken practises of the police legal
        The RMA reforms – the removal of public consultation
        The sacking of Ecan
        The whole dishonest fiasco around the many irrigation schemes
        The removal of funds for people learning to read (community education)
        The removal of funds for higher education for those over 40.
        The removal of funds to the Dept of Conservation and how that creates costs in the future.
        The tax drops for the wealthy
        The tax hike for the poor
        The welfare reforms – and how that has led to people just not being able to get help
        The effect of National’s approach on unemployment
        The giving of contracts to overseas companies and forgoing NZ companies
        The poor response to the Rina Disaster
        The poor response to the safety issues in forestry and mining
        The poor manner in which Pike River disaster was dealt with
        The privacy breaches and how that links to the cavalier culture Key has bred
        The Novo pay debacle
        The illegalisation of protest
        The response to protest by Key ‘uninformed’ ‘rent-a-crowd’ and how protest holds a legitimate place and helpful effect on democracy
        The real state of the economy – sans the spin Nat have been adding
        The real state of wealth disparity and how that ties in with the Nat govts approach to the economy and its people.

        A comprehensive list of all these and how they would have been unlikely under a Labour led government would be most helpful – people forget – and there has been many many dodgy things go on…far more than I have listed…

    • Jenny Kirk 6.2
      10 March 2014 at 8:47 am

      Irascible – I thought the same. And its worthwhile putting in your complaint ….. the more the merrier to make ’em squirm.

  7. Ad 7
    10 March 2014 at 8:00 am

    Finally after Cunliffe has got all his shit out, he launches some fresh policy in the form of the “digital bill of rights”.

    It’s such a slow news cycle at the moment while Labour and the Greens await the Government’s Budget 2014 announcements. And of course no-one wants to launch too much fresh policy until that’s well out of the way and people start in reality to take interest in politics again.

    It’s like evereyone’s pulled their guns back ten miles each at the Somme but the citizenry are stuck in no-man’s land.

    I sense it’s last week of March and we get the budget onslaught. Except there’s going to be stuff all of it while English has essentially nothing to give, other than to Christchurch and roading.

    Cunliffe did well this weekend to get to both Pasifika and the Kumeu A & P show; that’s a good many thousands of handshakes and greets. Keep it up my friend.

    By they way watchout for next weekend if you’re in the top half of the north island – serious post-tropical storm coming. see: http://www.metvuw.com forecast.

  8. BM 8
    10 March 2014 at 8:27 am

    I though this post from Kiwiblog summed up the situation nicely.

    I work for the GCSB and therefore have access to the spy tapes we record from Cunliffe’s lounge. We intercepted this exchange at around the time of the sale. Don’t spread it around because we didn’t have a warrant.

    Keenan: Thanks for helping me out David. I like the property and want to buy it.

    Cunliffe: No problems Perry. But I’m going to have to deny any involvement in the purchase. I’m a man of the people and most people don’t know anyone living in a $4million house. Also, we’ve been saying for months that wealthy foreigners are driving up real estate prices and making homes unaffordable for locals. I wouldn’t want people to think the reason foreigners buy all our prime coastal real estate is because I help them to buy it.

    Keenan: Relax David. Do I look Chinese? Hey, aren’t you lot going to bring in a capital gains tax for real estate? That is going to sting.

    Cunliffe: Why not have a trust buy it? That way you’ll be able to avoid the tax.

    [Deleted – You are a fuckwit BM. Amongst other things Keenan is a New Zealander (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11216495). You should understand also that Lange v Atkinson does not apply to comments about someone which is not discussion about their political views – MS]

    • Psycho Milt 8.1
      10 March 2014 at 8:48 am

      Thanks for offering such an extensive illustration of McFlock’s points in comment 4.

    • BM 8.2
      10 March 2014 at 9:10 am

      My apologies there, MS.

      Going by that Kiwiblog post I was under the impression Keenan wasn’t a Kiwi. Obviously that is not the case.
      It’s a shame David denied involvement as he’d done nothing wrong and by doing so made a story when there was nothing there.

      • freedom 8.2.1
        10 March 2014 at 9:19 am

        please BM. learn to read, or, like chris73, are you another omniscient mystic with powers to read/see/know the content of unpublished interviews?

        Cunliffe did not disclose his visits when the Herald on Sunday inquired about it on February 22. This weekend, he said he had checked his recording of the interview and he had truthfully answered questions about any beneficial ownership of the property. “If you had asked me whether I had visited the property, then my answer would have been yes,” Cunliffe said.

        Two weeks ago the Herald went fishing, got nothing, so came back to shore. After sitting at a barren table for a few nights watching course after course of empty plates get set, they eventually dumped the tacklebox on the table and scream about a nibble that turned out to be a gumboot.

      • RedLogix 8.2.2
        10 March 2014 at 9:22 am

        Cunliffe denied any financial interest when asked. Immediately and emphatically.

        So what are you talking about?

      • One Anonymous Bloke 8.2.3
        10 March 2014 at 9:25 am

        You got the wrong impression from Kiwiblog? Now there’s a surprise.

        It’s a shame you can’t tell the difference between news and character assassination. Are you dishonest or just stupid?

      • Tracey 8.2.4
        10 March 2014 at 10:35 am

        which is why a blog post is not ‘evidence” of anything.

  9. amirite 9
    10 March 2014 at 9:08 am

    I think the public is starting to get sick and tired with the shit being served to them, hence the substantial fall in support for the PM in the latest poll.
    And the MSM have to decide – it’s not OK for Cunliffe to receive donations and be friends with rich people, and it’s not OK to receive donations form unions, so which is it? As for National, it would not matter to them even if they received donations from the Mafia or the Triads.

  10. Populuxe1 10
    10 March 2014 at 10:30 am

    Well then, if having rich friends isn’t a crime, you might want to dial back on the rich prick crony sentiments when discussing Key. The reality is that regadless of their ideological or political affiliations they are much of a muchness socially and see each other at parties you will never be invited to.

    • freedom 10.1
      10 March 2014 at 11:11 am

      being rich or having rich friends is not the issue

      being a bunch of selfish manipulative profit motivated money hoarders pulling ladders up after you, is

  11. shorts 11
    10 March 2014 at 10:39 am

    the opposition to Key have made a lot of his Omaha and Hawaii homes, so national turn that round on DC…

    There’s a theme here – smear Cunliffe by inferring he’s a “rich prick”… which is odd given how badly thats worked for Labour over Key – the difference, National do this way better with help from the feckless media and Cunliffee has yet to work out how to shut these attacks down

    Labour have to sort their communications and tactics around dealing with these smears – or the standard et al will be very very dull reading this year as these sorts of posts appear with the usual comments in support (and against)… ie voters WILL be turned off if these are the stories that litter the media and those engaged in politics will lose faith in the parties they favour (looking at you labour)

    Cunliffe has got to have a better means to deal with these diversions
    Labour has to have better ways to combat these tactics

    Either come up with some strategies or mimic the greens… but please for the sake of the country stop with the methods you’re using, they’ve contributed heavily to two election losses thus far (ie they aren’t working)

  12. captain hook 12
    10 March 2014 at 11:07 am

    so how did shifty key get $90,000,000?
    this question needs to be abswered asap.

  13. Welovethelibrary 13
    10 March 2014 at 2:45 pm

    You all seem to be avoiding the point. This isn’t about other people, it’s about Cunliffe.
    Cunliffe has been labeled “tricky” (correctly or not) and shown to be doing things that his own party fought to stop others from doing with trusts and donations recently.

    Helping a wealthy friend buy some property is fine.
    Visiting or not visiting a property for a friend is also fine.
    But splitting hairs so carefully when answering questions by the media is just silly and pointless.
    We all know all politicians tend to do this around sensitive topics. But it never comes off very well, and why in this instance…? It was bound to be a mess later… why create a problem over this?

    Why not just say:
    “Sure, he’s a friend of mine who was overseas and he needed someone to look at it for him. I was just helping him out.” Yes there would probably be momentary rumblings, but nobody would really care. There are more important things to worry about.

    Someone was bound to follow up on this though…. and now he just looks like he was being deliberately tricky and finessing the media.

  14. Anne 14
    10 March 2014 at 3:42 pm

    …he just looks like he was being deliberately tricky and finessing the media.

    Bullshit. That’s the way the media are wilfully presenting it and idiots like you fall for it every time. He answered their questions honestly and directly… What he didn’t do was answer questions that he was never asked. Apparently that was his crime.

    Now off you go back to the library and get yourself properly informed.

  15. whatever next? 15
    10 March 2014 at 5:13 pm

    I actually like that David Cunliffe, DESPITE being very well off, and having some very well off friends (wow) is still interested in the greater good, which is alot more than can be said for the also very rich Mr.Key (who also has some very rich friends no doubt, or is he just posing with people who don’t actually know who he is?)

    • McFlock 15.1
      10 March 2014 at 5:23 pm

      that’s the thing. Rich pricks think they’re hated because they’re rich. It’s because they’re pricks.

      Poor pricks are pricks, too, but they don’t have the wherewithal to be so in-your-face about it, and they don’t have the power to fund their prick mates into government and shape policy around their prickishness. Poor pricks are just pricks you can move away from.

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