Polity: Losing count of Judith’s lies

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, March 19th, 2014 - 58 comments
Categories: john key, Judith Collins - Tags:

polity_square_for_lynnYour New Zealand Herald reports on the latest lie of Judith Collins:

Justice Minister Judith Collins’ “cup of tea on the way to the airport” at her friend Stone Shi’s company in Shanghai involved a 30km detour in the opposite direction, it was revealed yesterday…

Yesterday the cup of tea was looking even less casual after Labour MP Grant Robertson asked whether she was aware “that Oravida’s headquarters are 30km in the opposite direction from where her hotel and business meetings were held and not on the way to Pudong airport at all?”

Ms Collins said she had never been to Shanghai before except for the airport transit lounge.

“So I had no idea where I was.”

That’s pretty embarrassing for Collins. Caught, red-handed, again, lying in the Parliament and misleading your boss.

And the I-don’t-even-know-where-I-was defence is pathetic.

58 comments on “Polity: Losing count of Judith’s lies ”

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  1. Tracey 1
    19 March 2014 at 11:18 am

    i think he will wonder how HE keeps getting away with his lies.

    over 150 and rising.

  2. ianmac 2
    19 March 2014 at 11:21 am

    Sometimes I am not too sure where I am or where I parked the car or whether I have already read that book. So I have some sympathy for poor old Judy. Hang on though. I am well into my 70s and I don’t hold positions of great power except it is my decision on which weeds should go.
    Judith Collins is a highly paid highly arrogant holder of great power. Huh!
    (Damn. Strike through didn’t strike.)

  3. Te Reo Putake 3
    19 March 2014 at 11:21 am

    Because they are so very consistent, I’m expecting howls of indignation from the right about this. After all, when Helen Clark was driven through Canterbury at high speed, and said she didn’t really notice because she was head down concentrating on her work, the right called for her head.

    Of course, there is a small difference; Clark said she was working, Collins said she was goofing off because she had nothing better to do while waiting for her flight. Gosh, it’s so hard to tell which is worse, eh?

  4. ianmac 4
    19 March 2014 at 12:21 pm

    Just published!
    Oh dear! Another “lapse of memory” from dear Judith. Herald reporting “Judith Collins makes about-turn on information that ‘didn’t exist'” re discussions over judicial funding talks. Wasn’t she a silly sausage to not record such an important meeting.
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11222454

    • toad 4.1
      19 March 2014 at 12:34 pm

      You beat me to it, ianmac. It beggars belief that she, or her staff, didn’t record such a meeting in her diary. This is yet another lie from a Minister who is becoming notorious for lying.

      • Jim Nald 4.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 12:52 pm

        “didn’t record such a meeting”

        this is neither a one-off nor the first time and it is about bloody time that the things she has been doing and saying “off the record” come to light

        • ianmac 4.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 1:46 pm

          Remember that during Sky City negotiations there were no minutes kept by Key/Joyce. Deniability and all that.

          • freedom 4.1.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 2:02 pm

            an aside– these guys are paid hundreds of thousands of tax dollars, have a staff (who are also paid hundreds of thousands of tax dollars) that are paid to do nothing but keep track of what their Minister is doing and these clowns are negotiating deals involving billions of dollars yet none of them can be bothered to keep notes of what they do with their day.

            But these same people expect beneficiaries to repeatedly produce detailed receipts for the previous month’s shopping and living expenses if they want to receive an already budgeted and legally entitled food grant of $80.

            • felix 4.1.1.1.1.1
              19 March 2014 at 9:26 pm

              +1 freedom. The arrogance, hypocrisy and sheer out-of-touch-ity is staggering.

    • Tracey 4.2
      19 March 2014 at 2:43 pm

      another oia from the herald… they are drilling deep on collins yet the alleged lies of key are more numerous and easy to collate.

      target collins, key sacks her or she resigns(an peolle will say he told her resign or i sack you). he looks like he is acting with integrity?

      otherwise not do simple fact checking on keys numerous porkies and expose them?

      • Jackal 4.2.1
        19 March 2014 at 3:30 pm

        All National MP’s are liars! It’s just that Collins’ blood is currently in the water. Her and her office are notoriously bad at providing official information. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if she has instructed her staff to ignore OIA requests entirely. That’s because the Ombudsman is a toothless dog that let’s Crusher get away with breaching the the act whenever it suits her.

        • Tim 4.2.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 4:03 pm

          You said All National MP’s are liars! I say All MP’s are liars regardless of party affiliation

          • Tim 4.2.1.1.1
            19 March 2014 at 5:57 pm

            I’m not sure I’d agree with the ‘ALL’.
            …. plus it looks like I’ll have to get myself another handle to avoid confusion – you appear to be posting on a more regular basis.

          • felix 4.2.1.1.2
            19 March 2014 at 9:55 pm

            “All MP’s are liars”

            Really? Which Green MP has their pants on fire dyareckon?

  5. Tigger 5
    19 March 2014 at 12:48 pm

    “So I had no idea where I was.”

    Sums her up perfectly at the moment. When a liar is unmasked they tend to feel lost.

    • PapaMike 5.1
      19 March 2014 at 2:22 pm

      If you have not been to Shanghai I do not think you would understand
      I have been to Shanghai a number of times – I am still totally confused where I am in a taxi.
      I have wondered whether the taxi drivers know – one I was in got totally lost and I had to get out and contact another one.

      • One Anonymous Bloke 5.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 2:44 pm

        She was quite happy to imply she knew where she was when she lied about “popping in for a cup of tea on the way to the airport”. Anyone listening would have thought the National Party’s clients’ offices were on the way to airport or something.

      • Tracey 5.1.2
        19 March 2014 at 2:48 pm

        nd did you say to the driver

        ” i just need to drop in for a few minutes at…. insert address… on my way to the airport?”

        the car does a u turn and travels for 30kms…

        did you not otice cos your head was down cos you were working.

        this is the least of the problems with this whole debacle and you know it.

      • Te Reo Putake 5.1.3
        19 March 2014 at 3:17 pm

        You should have stopped at “I’m totally confused” Papamike. The airport Collins used is close to downtown Shanghai, next to the river. She admits to already having been to that airport and, unless she was a complete idiot, she would have spotted immediately that she was being driven in the opposite direction. But then, she’s not an idiot, she was just lying.

  6. Clemgeopin 6
    19 March 2014 at 12:52 pm

    Some thoughts:

    [1] Cup of Tea Collins says, “So I had no idea where I was.” Does she know where she is at now?
    [2] Key said she was on her final warning. Hasn’t she passed it now? Will Key sack her now or just swallow?
    [3] Key said the Cabinet office ‘cleared ‘her! How do we know that to be true? Why then does he not release the advice?
    [4] Key’s and Nat party response so far is a clear indication that Collin’s Oravida BS has already harmed and will continue to hurt Key and the National party.
    [5] Key today advised Labour saying, “Oravida focus bad for votes”! Since when was Key a well wisher of Labour party? Is he saying that Labour should simply concentrate on their policies but even though they are the main opposition party, they should simply ignore the corrupt goings on with regard to Oravida and Collins? I think Key is actually very worried that the Oravida scandal and knows that it is bad for ‘National’ vote, not Labours!
    [6] Some NAT/ACT supporters are deliberately or cunningly missing the point: It is the corruption angle for personal gain that is paramount in this scandal here.
    [7] Also, now in China they shoot the bribe taking corrupt officials. Hence that custom official’s presence at the dinner is so significant. Something is rotten in the states of China and New Zealand!
    [8] It is obvious and any fool will know that it was a pre-arranged dinner, not something she just happened to ‘pop in for a cup of tea’ on way to the airport. This sort of crap explanation to justify BS is unforgivable and insulting to our intelligence.
    [9] Seems like a tax payer funded misuse of official position/trip for personal/family financial benefit and also party’s benefit in donation. Definitely serious conflict of interest.
    [10] On the one hand, I think Collins very unbecoming behaviour with the Oravida saga is definitely a sackable shameful offense, but on the other hand, it would be good if she remains until the election so that every time we look at her or Key, we will be reminded of how discredited and corrupt this coalition regime has actually been!

  7. captain hook 7
    19 March 2014 at 1:09 pm

    this government is a cabal of fib tellers.
    I mean Shifty Key wont even tell us where he got the $50-90,000,000 from.

  8. Wairua 8
    19 March 2014 at 1:59 pm

    Capn’Hook – that’s just what he admits for public consumption.

    With a known network of residences in Omaha, London (UK), Honolulu, Parnell, and possibly New York it is probable he has accounts in all those locations .. leading to interesting questions of accountability. In short – NZ, UK, and US jurisdictions afaik. Yet no mention of tax shelters ..

  9. Not a PS Staffer 9
    19 March 2014 at 2:05 pm

    Collins has been shafted by the Attorney General on another matter.

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11222454

    Collins had denied she had meeting about funding for Judges, despite OIA requests.

    Impeccably up-straight Chris Finlayson says his office and hers were in “constant contact” with Mrs Collins on the subject.

    Collins has to retract!

    OOOOUch! She is not Miss Popular with Chris!

    • Tracey 9.1
      19 March 2014 at 3:41 pm

      do you get the sense the nats have turned on her, her days as minister are numbered?

      • risildowgtn 9.1.1
        19 March 2014 at 3:57 pm

        Seems like theyre hanging her out to dry alrite

        question is:

        What will this vindictive callous and nasty Minister do back if she is pushed?

        be honest and tell NZ what they’re really up to?

        bahahhaha yeah rite

        • Tracey 9.1.1.1
          19 March 2014 at 4:07 pm

          she might move on but there is a vindictive wildcard in this mix….. slugslick.

        • Pascal's bookie 9.1.1.2
          20 March 2014 at 6:27 am

          Garner buried a lede here:

          http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Duncan-Garner-Clark-sacked-Ministers-for-lying/tabid/674/articleID/41170/Default.aspx#.UyJYOThQ4KE.twitter

          Little wrinkle in the story that has recieved no attention whatsoever aprt from his aside:

          It took a late night meeting and some tough questions to get the truth out of her. Actually, sources have told me it took foreign affairs officials to release documents about the trip to the PM for her to finally be upfront.

          He’s talking there about, it appears, the dinner meeting, or perhaps the cup of tea or amybe both. Presumably the dinner. Also, presumably, these dox getting to ‘the PM’ proabably accounts for the visit from the PM’s CoS which resulted in the tearful weepy mea gulpa.

          But;

          i) who told Garner (nb: sources; plural)?

          ii) Why did MFAT officials give dox to PM, and what exactly are these dox and what do they say?

          We know that whatever is in them, the PM knows. Mebbe that’s why in her mea gulpgulp Collins blurted that she has to use the words the PM gave her because saying too much might have blowback in China, ( where meetings with ‘senior officials’ have become, sensitve, corruption wise).

  10. The Pink Postman 10
    19 March 2014 at 4:13 pm

    All these ghastly scandals , high unemployment ,interest rate rising ,the list of disasters rising every day ,Yet the polls still favour the Nats .
    ,I am seriously begining to believe that these poll results are Crosby-Textor’s way of keeping voters away from the polling booths,

    • tc 10.1
      20 March 2014 at 7:33 am

      Yup worked in 2011 so why not go again, especially when you control the msm its an obvious play.

      That and try and smear all parliament with your own corrupt behaviour, with alot of folk looking to granny, radio rantland and tv to see how they vote its always been a vital plank in the house if lies.

  11. Stuart Munro 11
    19 March 2014 at 5:16 pm

    Key will do nothing – it’s the only thing he’s good at. It is a tragedy for a country to be run by a pack of thieves and liars – not just for their direct damages and failings, but for the mischief they lay up for future generations. Key chose Muldoon as his role model – probably the stupidest thing he ever did, and a fatal lapse of judgment in an aspiring politician. Somewhere out there in NZ a horde of ignorant and thoroughly untalented kids are thinking “I can do that – I can lie like a bastard and steal everything that isn’t nailed down – I could be PM”. We’re going to need more prisons.

  12. freedom 12
    19 March 2014 at 10:52 pm

    cue spot – downstage left

    It’s a fabulous evening here at The Standard, hope you have all enjoyed yourselves, now here’s a little something for the night owls. All the way from Hamilton and fresh from her disastrous day that does not seem to be getting any better….

    dim spot – downstage left

    ……. take it away, Judith

    slow cue spot – downstage centre

    raise curtain

    It won’t be easy
    You’ll think it strange
    When I try to explain how I feel
    That I still need your love
    After ll that I’ve done
    You won’t believe me
    All you will see
    Is a girl you once knew
    Although she’s dressed up to the nines
    At sixes and sevens with you

    Things just seem to happen
    It’s all so strange
    Wouldn’t say that my life is a dream
    Looking out of the window
    At the things that we’ve done
    We built our fiefdom
    Running around with the monied up crowd
    Deciding each day what is news
    The sheep they all think it is true

    Don’t cry for me Oravida
    The truth is I never met you
    All of those empty days
    My diary’s silence
    I give my promise
    My word’s reliance

    And as for fortune and as for fame
    I seem to have ushered them in
    To help build a world
    Based in avarice and lies
    I wove illusions
    Though not the solutions
    They promised to be
    The answer was here all the time
    I love you and hope you love me

    Don’t cry for me Oravida

    Don’t cry for me Oravida
    The truth is a little complex
    All of those dinner dates
    The crystal clinking
    It helps my cash-flow
    Why aren’t you listening?

    Have I said too much?
    There’s nothing more I can think of to say to you
    But all you have to do
    Is look at me to know
    That every word is true

    drop curtain

    • Tracey 12.1
      20 March 2014 at 8:58 am

      applause

    • greywarbler 12.2
      22 March 2014 at 9:52 pm

      freedom
      Standing applause.
      I was looking up Duncan Garner. Trying to remember what has been said about him as he has just been announced as the new columnist in this Saturday’s Weekend Press.
      And found your creative piece. Very nice. What do you think about Duncan Garner?
      Anyone’s opinion?

      The last bit I was looking at was where he was giving David Cunliffe a drubbing for having a trust.

  13. Jim47 13
    19 March 2014 at 11:21 pm

    When will you wake up NZ s not interested in character assignation .
    They want to hear what labour can do for the country not who they can destroy.
    Character assignation comes when a party has no idea on how to run a country .

    • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1
      20 March 2014 at 6:59 am

      😆 Character assassination? Just looking out for all the micro-dairy companies that aren’t slush funds for the National Party, who don’t have access to Chinese border officials, who haven’t bought their very own justice minister.

      Oh, and you don’t speak for the country, because the country would employ someone literate.

      • felix 13.1.1
        20 March 2014 at 7:24 am

        Character assignation = making up new trool handles?

        • One Anonymous Bloke 13.1.1.1
          20 March 2014 at 7:31 am

          😆

          Paging Dr. Freud.

          • greywarbler 13.1.1.1.1
            23 March 2014 at 2:43 pm

            Character assignation –
            Two soul-mate characters getting together.
            I’ve picked out a few characters that come to this blog – who would you match them to? Someone suitable and on the same wave length? Perhaps mix them all together. Don’t know about infoilhat – I caught him sounding sensible the other day.
            Could be a passing phase.

            srylands and ?
            tinfoilhat and
            The pigman and ?
            Phillip ure and ?
            peter george and ?

            • the pigman 13.1.1.1.1.1
              26 March 2014 at 2:31 am

              Poor greywarbler, still pursuing a fantasy that I am some sort of covert-RWNJ-operative. Let me know when you see me post something espousing vaguely right wing views (or anything in the vein of character assassination) and link me to it, please.

              I think it says a lot of your paranoia that 3/5 commenters you identified are consistently left-wing.

              Til then, politely fuck off with your McCarthyist bullshit! 😀

  14. tricledrown 14
    19 March 2014 at 11:55 pm

    Early election.
    Did she say she would resign if someone could prove that she lied.

    • One Anonymous Bloke 14.1
      20 March 2014 at 7:09 am

      No, she was very very careful with her form of words.

      If they discussed Oravida’s exports at that particular dinner, she’ll resign.

      Has anyone noticed the shot across Joyce’s bows at the end of her mea gulpa interview? “Just as people who work at the MPI are allowed to have dinner with their close personal friends.”

      Watch it, Joycey.

      • felix 14.1.1
        20 March 2014 at 7:32 am

        Yes lol.

        Also I particularly enjoyed watching her shapeshift from “sensitive sausage” into her true form during Winston’s questions.

        Just like Key. Probe them until they let the ugly out.

  15. gnomic 15
    20 March 2014 at 12:54 am

    “Caught, red-handed, again, lying in the Parliament and misleading your boss. I wonder what he will do now?”

    May I surmise once more that the weasel will do next to nothing? Possibly he may be jealous, and I believe he doesn’t dare anyway. Not that I know what is going on inside the Nats caucus. One may speculate that Crusher can roam the land, indeed the world, secure in her shoes. After all, some might think she has signally failed as MOJ, but what does that matter as long as the hidden agenda is fulfilled?

  16. idlegus 16
    20 March 2014 at 5:42 am

    JUdith Collins scuttles from Parliament 2 avoid debate. Probably going straight to her office via Petone cafe. #whenwillCollinstellthetruth – tweet from ruth dyson, ha!

  17. Whateva next? 17
    20 March 2014 at 7:06 am

    Key has no problem with personal gain in relation to politics, for him, why else do people go into politics??
    NZ is his company, cabinet are his directors, ” simple” as he says ( and as he is)
    Being a statesman is something he knows nothing about, so why do we expect to act like one?

  18. risildowgtn 18
    20 March 2014 at 8:46 am

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9846674/Key-backs-Collins-over-Oravida-dinner

    Typical Tory hypocrisy

    Grow a pair Key and sack her…

    What has SHE got on you?

  19. Tracey 19
    20 March 2014 at 9:03 am

    now it is revealled the charity golf key was playing with the orivada friend of collins, was for a charity known as the national party. again key happy to let people think it was one thing when he knew what the truth would look like, otherwise why not say.

    is this like signing a painting you didnt create for a charity you have no connection to, or benefit from.

    interesting to observe when the herald turns it is not on the nations leading political liar, key, or brownlee, or joyce… but collins.

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