The King stay the King … the pawns, in the game, they get capped quick

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:00 am, May 11th, 2013 - 113 comments
Categories: john key - Tags: aaron gilmore, power

So, Key wants Gilmore gone. Gilmore lied to Key about the whether he threatened the waiter with the wrath of the PM’s office. Bringing Key’s office itself was bad enough but Key accepted Gilmore’s lie. When that lie was exposed, Key knew his authority as leader had been trifled with. Gilmore now has to go. But Key can’t boot him. So, out is coming the dirt.

It shouldn’t have played out like this, of course. Key should have grabbed hold of Gilmore when this first broke and got him to write out and sign a definitive account of what happened with the waiter there and then. If it had been revealed to be false in any way, Key would have waved it and Gilmore would have been out.

But Key, it appears, still hasn’t met with Gilmore. When the scandal broke, Key relied on phone calls and emails between Gilmore and Captain Panicpants to sort it. If Panicpants was a Malcolm Tucker – the clenched righthand fist of the leader – that might have worked. He’s not. He doesn’t have the mana. Gilmore lied to him where he might not have lied to Key, and it wouldn’t have mattered if he had because Key would have had his signed statement to hold against him if he did lie.

Instead, Gilmore lied. And like always happens in these scandals, it was the lies that did him in. The lies unraveled when the texts came out. Key, know his character, should never given him the room to lie.

Key, at this point, had to either say to his party and the country: ‘I’m the kind of leader whom my people can lie to and I am too weak to do anything about it’, or he had to boot Gilmore out. And so he made it crystal clear that Gilmore should resign.

Problem is, Gilmore doesn’t have to go – only death, incapacitation, or a serious conviction can force him from Parliament (and that is the same whether an MP has an electorate or is on the list, so don’t blame MMP).

Most MPs would display enough loyalty to their party to go when told to go. Worth did. But Worth didn’t have Gilmore’s ego. The whole ‘Gilmore for PM’ thing didn’t come out of nowhere. Gilmore, I’m told, genuinely believes he is destined for the top job. And he’s not going to get there if he resigns from Parliament, is he?

This is now a very high stakes game for Key. He’s told a member of his caucus to leave Parliament. Gilmore hasn’t gone. Key can’t kick him of out Parliament because his actions make you think that there’s better than even odds he would stay on as an independent, and he holds in his hands Key’s majority on rightwing policies. Key’s mana is under serious threat here. What kind of PM is so weak that he has to keep in his caucus someone that he has told to leave? Through lax initial crisis management, so typical of Key’s lazy style, a small scandal has ballooned into a question of Key’s leadership.

Key’s been playing too long to rely on goodwill, though. The warnings were coming all week to Gilmore through the blogs, through questions planted in the media (it was Tuesday that Gower was asking him about MBIE complaints). The warning was this: if I decide you’ve gotta go, you better go or all the shit we have on you is coming out.

Now, National, they’re the best dirt operators in the game. They put the others to shame with their ability to amass dirt and then feed it out through the media and their tame blogs. And that’s what we saw yesterday with the release of the MBIE emails.

Oh, you didn’t think that MBIE just happened to release emails between an employee and a contractor in record time without National’s say so, did you? Open your eyes.

1) Just yesterday morning, journos were lamenting that MBIE had informed them that their request for the emails would be treated as an Official Information Act request, which equals at least a 20 working day delay.

2) Those emails in any normal OIA would be classed as exempt from the OIA in the interests of protecting ‘free and frank advice to ministers’. They never would have seen the light of day (and, frankly, rightly – Gilmore was a tool in those emails but should every civil servant now worry that they can’t have an argument via email with a colleague over work without it becoming public?)

3) you might not realise this but ministers sign off on any sensitive OIAs before they go out. Ministries don’t just release stuff like this – emails where a member of the government comes off looking like a dick when he’s already in a dickhead scandal – without getting the nod from the minister. It’s called ‘no surprises’.

Anyway, only hours after the journalists had been told that the emails were going to be weeks coming, they were given them. Do you think that was MBIE operating off its own bat? Like hell, it was. The Minister (Joyce) told them to give the journos the dirt. Hell, it was clearly National ministers who told the journos to ask questions about Gilmore’s time at MBIE in the first place.

Key played it ignorant for the camera – ‘nah, I haven’t seen those emails, don’t know what’s in them, but, yeah, I reckon Aaron’s gotta go, gee, I wish we could all talk about how great I am instead of this’. But, then, he didn’t have to stare down the camera lens at Gilmore and say ‘see what I did to you today, boyo, well there’s more and worse tomorrow unless you fuck off’, because the message came through loud and clear.

The only surprise was journalists pretending to accept Key’s feigned innocence when, having put his reputation on the line telling Gilmore to go, he’s clearly in charge of the bomb-throwing to make sure it happens. They’ll even run Key saying that the media should move on at the same time as receiving dirt on Gilmore from Key’s people. I guess that’s the price you pay to be the journo who gets the next leak.

Slater’s already hinting that the next round of shit Gilmore will find himself in is personal.

Now, personally, I love to see Key’s leadership in question and I don’t give a damn if National has to turn its dirt machine on one of its own to no effect. And there’s no doubt that it was Key’s poor handling, allowing Gilmore to lie and lie poorly, that has created the current situation.

But it doesn’t matter. Gilmore might want it to be one way, but it’s the other way. If I was Gilmore, I would sit down and watch The Wire this weekend. I would realise who’s the King and who’s the pawn. I would realise that he’s going down easy or he’s going down hard but, with Key’s mana on the line, he’s definitely going down – so he best get it over with.

113 comments on “The King stay the King … the pawns, in the game, they get capped quick ”

Comments are now closed

Dv 1

11 May 2013 at 8:20 am

OR he could really get pissed off and resign from the nats and join up with Horan and vote against the govt
AND there is Banks who may get jail time, thus there is the Nats majority for a while.
One Anonymous Knucklehead 2

11 May 2013 at 8:26 am

Aaron should stay. He has lied to the PM? The PM lies to Parliament. After all, the party could have turned its dirt machine on Riches. If they had Gilmore’s back.
mickysavage 3

11 May 2013 at 8:33 am

You are right about National’s ability to undermine and destroy reputations by leaks even if it is against their own. They make a certain Labour MP look like an amateur …

This morning’s Herald listed a series of stories about Gilmore that will appear over the next few days. (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10882882) Do not be surprised if it is alleged that Gilmore:

1. Was not a high paid CEO before entering Parliament as he claimed.
2. Did not serve in the SAS as he claimed.
3. Has a poor reputation about his treatment of women.
4. May not be as wealthy as he says he is.
5. May have sent an unusual photo of himself by text.

The issue for National must be though, is Gilmore that removed from reality that he will not respond to National the way they think he should? Maybe they could give him a position such as head of ALAC to smooth his exodus from Parliament.

[You’re right. The danger for National is that Gilmore just keeps on refusing to go. Every piece of dirt they fling hurts them too, he’s their MP, he reflects on the party, and ups the stakes in getting rid of him. And this issue won’t go away until he’s gone. If he stays he’ll haunt Key through to the election. Eddie]
- One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 8:36 am
  
  Staying in Parliament would really boost his profile.
  - Jim Nald 3.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 9:57 am
    
    “Was not a high paid CEO before entering Parliament as he claimed”
    
    Bill English can free up a position like the CEO of the Federated Farmers and parachute Aaron into the job? Or John Key himself can arrange to have Arrogant installed as the NZX CEO?
    - AmaKiwi 3.1.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 8:11 pm
      
      After Susan De Void they can put a retarded monkey in charge of anything.
      
      Great system we have! I am so old I remember a time when we had a scarp of local government and a few decisions were made by people outside Wellington.
    - McFlock 3.1.1.2
      
      11 May 2013 at 8:22 pm
      
      Nah. According to the Wire, those are jobs you get if you go nice.
  - infused 3.1.2
    
    12 May 2013 at 1:34 am
    
    Not in the right way. He is pretty much unemployable now.
- One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 8:41 am
  
  As for the Gilmoregate material due for release, it doesn’t sound that bad: he’s threatened to have a few people fired perhaps? Cheated on his partner? Makes wild boasts when he’s had a few? Lets it all hang out from time to time?
  
  Sounds like a pretty mild list to me, for a Tory. It’s not like he managed the department responsible for creating collateralised debt swaps or something.
  - alwyn 3.2.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 2:32 pm
    
    I would agree that his misdeeds don’t seem to be terribly significant. I do wish he would quit of course but that is just because he is a total waste of space in Parliament.
    The person he most reminds me of is Charles Chauvel. The drunken drivel of Gilmore’s seems to be very like Charlies, apparently rather hungover, rant at a young kid on an Air NZ flight from Auckland to Wellington in early 2010. Our up-him-self Charlie didn’t think that children should be allowed up the front of the plane with important people like himself.
    At least Labour, and New Zealand are finally rid of him of Charles from our public life. The sooner Gilmore follows his example the better.
    - Colonial Viper 3.2.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 2:42 pm
      
      Lol that’s funny, you can’t get any more irrelevant.
    - One Anonymous Knucklehead 3.2.1.2
      
      11 May 2013 at 2:45 pm
      
      Nah, he should stay: he may be a self-aggrandising authoritarian bully, but he has a considerable way to go before he gets as low as his party leader. Sauce for the Shonky goose, sauce for the Gilmore gander.
- BM 3.3
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:17 am
  
  After reading that, it’s fairly obvious that Gilmore is a fantasist and is mentally unwell.
  
  He reminds me of a chap that I met years ago , this guy seemed to have been involved in all these incredible situations and done all these amazing things.
  Very intelligent and convincing so much so he managed to convince the government to shell out around 1.5 million to study parapsychology.
  The reason he manged to achieve that was because he believed his own bullshit, wasn’t until the shit hit the fan that his family came forward and explained he was suffering from a mental illness.
  Think he got 1.5 years inside for fraud, if I remember correctly.
  - North 3.3.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 11:36 am
    
    That’s a desperate spin you put on matters there BM.
    
    It’s all down to one man’s mental illness and none of it reflects on ShonKey Python.
    
    Oh My God LOL 1,000 times ! I feel sad for you 1,000 times !
    
    Get real. This is a mirror reflection of Shonkey Python……..the cheapness of the “smile-and-wave-then-rave” demeanour, the cargo-cultism, the prevarication and bullshitting, the smirking determination to do what “we, the movers and the shakers bloody well like !”, the “entitlement” of the wide-boy, the trotting out of the underlying nastiness when it comes down to it.
    
    All I can say to you BM in the winter of your bewilderment is this: stop making pathetic excuses and manfully accept this deliciously karmic reality………Brand KEY has become Brand SHONKEY has become Brand ShonKey PYTHON has become Brand MONTY PYTHON.
    
    Putting aside the glaring copyright and intellectual property issues in this hapless snaffling of someone else’s insanely comedic while dark concept, it would appear BM that you’ve altogether lost your KEY.
    - BM 3.3.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 11:49 am
      
      I’d lay off drinking in the morning, if I was you.
      - North 3.3.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 12:18 pm
        
        Marty Mars I too have a very bad feeling about how this might end. A close-up of Gilmore’s eyes when he turned away from Power Trip Gower on a TV3 clip last night betrayed gripping terror.
        
        ShonKey Python is the real dog in all of this. If Aaron Gilmore has preciptated the further unraveling of the monstrous lie which is Brand Key then I am grateful to him and hope that in the end he can move on not utterly damaged.
      - North 3.3.1.1.2
        
        11 May 2013 at 12:23 pm
        
        I was never into Key Kool Aid, morning or night BM.
        
        Thanks anyway for your characteristically profound contribution.
  - Linz 3.3.2
    
    11 May 2013 at 11:41 am
    
    Narcissistic personality disorder. http://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder. He’s to be pitied rather than pilloried.
  - Stephen 3.3.3
    
    11 May 2013 at 6:36 pm
    
    A certain K B in Hamilton, perchance? Yeah, I remember him too. My first experience with a genuine con artist. (in reply to BM at 3.3)
    - BM 3.3.3.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 8:39 pm
      
      Yep in Hamilton.
      Can’t remember the guys name, but I do remember him having really long finger nails which was a bit weird for early 90’s NZ.
- David H 3.4
  
  11 May 2013 at 12:04 pm
  
  Or he just scuppers Keys one vote majority on a vital piece of legislation, as the big 2 fingers back to Key. Now that would cause more than one problem for Key and Co.
  - Colonial Viper 3.4.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 12:17 pm
    
    it seems like Gilmore could play a pivotal and strategic role in shaping each piece of legislation the House considers over the next 18 months.
North 4

11 May 2013 at 8:34 am

It’s all rather ugly really. Emblematic of the way ShonKey Python proceeds. Poor little Aaron, his idol teaches him how it’s done, he does it, then gets called a slut.
- rosy 4.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:27 am
  
  You’re so right North. Poor Aaron, I’d feel sorry for him – and his family. But there are more deserving poor out there. Like ones that have their benefits slashed while people like him click their fingers at waiters while ordering champagne (not that I don’t mind the odd glass myself), and threaten to get people sacked.
Paul 5

11 May 2013 at 8:42 am

The Wire. Best. T.V. series. Ever.
Paul 6

11 May 2013 at 8:46 am

“Now, National, they’re the best dirt operators in the game. They put the others to shame with their ability to amass dirt and then feed it out through the media and their tame blogs. And that’s what we saw yesterday with the release of the MBIE emails.”
Yup, they’re such good citizens those Nats. Full of the milk of human kindness.
- Jim Nald 6.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:49 am
  
  Ya know all that ‘smile and wave’ political capital built up by the Prime Mincer?
  
  Who would have thought he would have flushed some of that down the toilet with Aaron?
Dan1 7

11 May 2013 at 9:16 am

Why all the NACT fuss about Gilmore’s lies when it is the PM’s modus operandi?

[because this is Key being lied to, publicly. He can’t pretend that hasn’t happened. Eddie]
Tangled up in blue 8

11 May 2013 at 9:18 am

Problem is, Gilmore doesn’t have to go – only death, incapacitation, or a serious conviction can force him from Parliament (and that is the same whether an MP has an electorate or is on the list, so don’t blame MMP).

So had this situation occurred under STV; Key wouldn’t be able to sack Gilmore??
- Lanthanide 8.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:58 am
  
  That’s like asking:
  
  “So had this situation occurred under paper scissors rock; Key wouldn’t be able to sack Gilmore??”
  - Tangled up in blue 8.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 1:29 pm
    
    It is? There seems to be a lot of political commentators blaming MMP for Key not being able to give Gilmore the boot. I read Eddie as saying it’s not because of MMP. Hence my question about whether anything would be different under the next best electoral system.
    - Pascal's bookie 8.1.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 1:55 pm
      
      The problem isn’t MMP, just as it wouldn’t be FPP under FPP, or STV under STV.
      
      The point is that he is an MP, duly elected. Whatever system you have to elect the MPs wouldn’t change that.
      
      Unless you are going to say that duly elected MPs serve in parliament at the whim of their party, then the ‘problem’, such as it is, remains.
      
      If we want to say that MPs do serve in parliament at the whim of their parties, then we have to think about the consequences of that. Would it be better? Or is it better to leave it as it is and try to encourage parties to be more careful with candidate selection.
      
      I go with the latter because it seems to me that the with the former we would be giving the parties a veto over the electorates decisions on election day, and rewarding them for selecting fuckwits.
      - Draco T Bastard 8.1.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 2:19 pm
        
        Unless you are going to say that duly elected MPs serve in parliament at the whim of their party, then the ‘problem’, such as it is, remains.
        
        That would definitely be true of list MPs. They are only an MP because the party got voted for and not because they got voted for. As such they really should be representing what the party has decided.
        
        The other point is that, in this case, it’s not that he’s getting kicked because he crossed the Rubicon or for not representing the party but because he showed himself not suitable for the position of MP by being a self-entitled prick and then lying about being a self-entitled prick. We really do need a way to get rid of such people from our parliament. The Waka Jumping law gets rid of such MPs if they leave the party for any reason and recall can be used by electorates to get rid of electorate MPs.
        
        Pascal's bookie 8.1.1.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 2:36 pm
        
        That would definitely be true of list MPs. They are only an MP because the party got voted for and not because they got voted for. As such they really should be representing what the party has decided.
        
        I disagree with this completely. The distinction between list MPs and electorate MPs on these terms is minimal. Electorate MPs are overwhelmingly elected because of the party they are standing for.
        
        That is why we have ‘safe seats’. That is why we have no independent MPs. It is why candidates who are deselected know it is futile to run as an independent.
        
        None of those things would be true if the overwhelming majority of voters were not voting for them based on party affiliation.
        
        Electorate MPs are just as beholden to the party for their seats as list MPs are. Why do you think they fight for safe seat selections? Why are so many MPs not even resident in the seats they represent?
        
        The other point is that, in this case, it’s not that he’s getting kicked because he crossed the Rubicon or for not representing the party but because he showed himself not suitable for the position of MP. We really do need a way to get rid of such people from our parliament. The Waka Jumping law gets rid of such MPs if they leave the party for any reason and recall can be used by electorates to get rid of electorate MPs.
        
        You are conflating very different things by bringing up the waka jumping law. That had nothing to do with the bahviour of an MP other than them jumping out of the party.
        
        And as for the rest of it, what exactly has he done? His crimes are :
        
        1) Being an arsehole
        2) Lying to his party leader
        
        The ‘suitable to be an MP’ issue is well covered by law already. If he has committed an offense against the law, then someone should lay a complaint with the police, and if he is convicted, he will be slung from the house.
        
        But other than that his crimes are political. They are matters for the party to deal with, and how they deal with it can, and should, be judged by voters. But having party leaders and cliques in caucus expelling MPs from the house because of ‘crimes against the party’* is simply abhorrent.
        
        *and that’s what we have here, he has done things that do not reflect well on him as a person, but the political crime is that they transfer to his party who selected him. As a voter, I would prefer that we punish parties for selecting arseholes rather than reward them with more power.
        
        Descendant Of Sssmith …
        
        11 May 2013 at 11:51 pm
        
        If the party could get rid of elected MP’s there would be nothing to stop them putting up safe candidates people would vote for and then replacing the entire list the day after the election with who they really wanted.
        
        Once elected for the term you should stay elected for the whole term subject to criminal offences.
        
        Keep it simple and parties take care with their list.
- pollywog 8.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 1:29 pm
  
  My money’s on the threat of incapacitation by getting whaleoil to sit on him…
irascible 9

11 May 2013 at 9:31 am

While Gilmore has been told to stay away from the Nactional regional conference in Wanganui what’s the betting he’s so thick – skinned and intellectually – that he’ll make an appearance somewhere in its vicinity and try doing a JohnTamihere and claim entry rights (rites) when clearly either inelligible or unwelcome?
Key’s involvement in this messy Nactional internal politics is obvious to all observers, especially seeing that the scandal has taken the shine off his licenced theft of the State assets and the killing the foreign asset strippers are now making on the stock exchange.
- ghostwhowalksnz 9.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 10:20 am
  
  No way . Its a North island event , its no place for a South Islander.
  
  Whats interesting is how they are spinning the lines hes been’ told to stay away’ when he wouldnt normally go anyway
  - veutoviper 9.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 10:49 am
    
    He was due to be there to take part in an Ask an MP session this afternoon.
    - Arfamo 9.1.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 1:44 pm
      
      Frankly I’m saddened that he wasn’t allowed to go. I’m sure the questions and the answers would have been well worth reporting.
dumrse 10

11 May 2013 at 9:42 am

A more succinct article might have explored how the rules allow a dick head to remain when the party has no further use for him/her. How Key played the hand he was dealt is a fair question for debate however, IMHO he did what I would expect a highest level CEO to do. Leave it to the CoS. Gilmore was, after all said and done, at the very bottom of the list.
What now needs to be done is to rewrite the legislation so as the party can rid itself of dick heads in short order.
- lprent 10.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:55 am
  
  That has already been done once before – see waka jumping. From memory National voted against it, and certainly didn’t try to support it when it expired.
  
  It is the usual problem of there being no good solutions. Obviously electorate MP’s in at least part
  
  There are cases where you do not want the temporary leader of a political party (all party leaders are temporary) to be able to expel members of parliament (which is what they are first in a legal sense) whenever they feel that they may provide some objection to their leadership. The trend line when you look at that is to have beleaguered and incompetent party leaders simply kicking people out of parliament until they get down to themselves and a few favoured brown nosed cronies.
  
  That doesn’t sound like a responsible behaviour to the voters of NZ who voted the MP’s including the party list MP slate into parliament.
  
  So rather than whining about it, why don’t you exercise your brain (for once) and suggest alternatives to the current system. I’m sure there will be great delight in improving your political education as people point out the flaws.
  - dumrse 10.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 1:28 pm
    
    My brain was well exercised unlike your own. Nowhere did I suggest that the leader have an executive power to dismiss. I twice used the term party. Further, “That has already been done once before – see waka jumping.” Clearly waka jumping did not solve the problem, hence my suggestion that the legislation needs a rewrite. What that means is…..fix it so that errant dicks can be expelled. In all probability thats why National did not vote in waka’s favour as they observed that rewrite effort was not going to work.
    
    “Obviously electorate MP’s in at least part…”. What happened here, ……. Just pointing out the flaws.
- North 10.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:50 am
  
  So the deeper societal ramifications are tossed right out the window are they DumbArse ?
  
  Just find a solution that fixes ShonKey Python’s dilemma. Change the law, sell the law, whatever.
  
  Unwittingly you’ve illustrated how utterly deserving you are of your DumbArse. You are a scion of the same !
jpwood 11

11 May 2013 at 10:03 am

Do an OIA request about the OIA release of the Gilmore dirt.
- Shaz 11.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 6:48 pm
  
  Good idea jpwood. The triangulation of the Prime Ministers’s actions in risk minimisation is quite a yawn – and a diversion when controversial legislation is going through under urgency but an OIA released in days to match the news cycle. Well there is a “must read” news story behind that!
  
  As for the PM’s recent statement “In the end, to make a contribution, you have to have integrity, and to have integrity there has to be a directness and fullness in your answers” (quoted here – http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/8656002/Defiant-Gilmore-digs-in) was a real beauty. if the opposition doesn’t make hay with that for the next 18 month’s there is no justice in the world.
Hayden 12

11 May 2013 at 10:19 am

He might as well stay, surely he’s stuffed for work outside Parliament, who would hire him now?
- ghostwhowalksnz 12.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 10:21 am
  
  Off to a brighter future in Australia ?
  - Jim Nald 12.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 10:29 am
    
    Jenny Shipley can pull some strings and get Aaron a short stint as CEO of the Employers and Manufacturers Association.
    
    ‘Short stint’ – that is until emails get mysteriously and swiftly leaked in relation to the third point that Mickysavage has noted.
    
    In the meantime, can someone please tell Judith Collins to never never never even have the urge to appoint this mad dog to a public service ‘watchdog’ job.
RedLogix 13

11 May 2013 at 10:30 am

While I’m quite appreciative of all the political angles on this, especially around Key’s sloppy management… the rest of it is just ugly.

To me this is looking like a nasty mobbing.

Gilmore looks like he really doesn’t fit in; clearly he probably should never have been on the Nats list, and it would be in everyone’s best interests if he resigned. But that’s not what is playing out here. Why not?

My instinct is that the left would be best served by showing a some compassion towards Gilmore.
- Colonial Viper 13.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:05 am
  
  To me this is looking like a nasty mobbing.
  
  A very public lynching, in other words.
  - QoT 13.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 11:51 am
    
    … except that it’s a bit squicky to equate a well-to-do MP getting criticised for being a lying dickhead with the systematic extralegal murder of societal scapegoats.
    - Colonial Viper 13.1.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 12:40 pm
      
      true, I didn’t mean a literal ‘burning cross on the front lawn’, but I’m also not referencing Gilmore being criticised “for being a lying dickhead” which is par for the course if you are in the political arena.
      
      I’m talking about people fast tracking documents and innuendo about you on to the front page of the MSM and assuring you that you have zero job prospects inside and outside of parliament regardless of whether it is in the private sector or public sector.
      - QoT 13.1.1.1.1
        
        12 May 2013 at 4:55 pm
        
        Personally I’d go with a knife-between-the-shoulder-blades metaphor.
- marty mars 13.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:17 am
  
  yes red the pack bullys are into it. They don’t really care about his arrogance or stupid statements – it is a political game now and he is cannon fodder and collateral damage to the bigger agenda. I have a bad feeling about the eventual outcome of all this.
- Lanthanide 13.3
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:52 am
  
  As a taxpayer, I resent this incompetent buffoon being paid a salary of $144k when he clearly doesn’t deserve it.
  - Pascal's bookie 13.3.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 1:00 pm
    
    Well, quite right.
    
    But the point as I see it is that he didn’t develop his faults sometime in the last few months.
    
    The National party selected him and put him on their list, in a winnable spot.
    
    They are now saying, ‘He was waaay down the list blah blah MMPs fault wagh wagh’, but that’s bullshit of the highest order.
    
    When they formulated their list they knew who was borderline to getting in and who wasn’t. They had the polling data that was looking like them getting around if not over 50%. They knew which MPs high up on the list were V.Likely to win electorate seats. His effective list ranking is much higher than his nominal one, and the fact that he was next to come in when Lockwood left, and that National lost support during the campaign shows that they put him in a winnable spot.
    
    Short version, as Lew says in this humdinger of a post:
    
    http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2013/05/gilmores-ghosts/#comments
    
    the Nats bought Aaron Gilmore, they own him. We should judge the entire party by his actions.
    
    The fault of Gilmore being a dick is Gilmore’s, but the fault of him being an MP is entirely National’s, and as long as the ‘throwing him out’ process doen’t hurt the party responsible, the problem will not go away.
    
    If parties can get rid of bad MPs easily, (and even look tough in doing so), there is no incentive for them to not pick them in the first place, and they will continue to do so.
    - Pascal's bookie 13.3.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 1:05 pm
      
      ooops, I see veutoviper already linked t Lew’s post.
      
      *read the whole thread*
      *read the whole thread*
      *read the whole thread*
      - veutoviper 13.3.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 1:50 pm
        
        No problem – and I agree with your comments.
- Alanz 13.4
  
  11 May 2013 at 12:56 pm
  
  You are a good person, RL.
  
  Over brunch and a couple of cups of Saturday morning coffee, what you’ve written have arisen in my mind a few times.
  
  Yes, for the sake of Mr Gilmore and his family, and for common human decency, I hope the Nat bullies do not take the next step of playing dirt by making the personal emails come out.
- Chrissy 13.5
  
  12 May 2013 at 10:58 am
  
  RedLogix.
  I totally agree. He needs to be left alone now.I am sure he will go eventually but in the meantime this is not just about him but also his partner and children. john key should be ashamed of himself for ever putting gilmore into Parliament. It’s obvious he is not suited to be an MP and key should have seen that.
veutoviper 14

11 May 2013 at 10:42 am

According to a new article on Stuff, Gilmore has not showed up at the Whanganui conference and has texted National Party organisers that he plans to fly to Christchurch.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8661339/Gilmore-no-show-at-conference

Another earlier Stuff article stated that Gilmore was due to take part in an “ask an MP’ session at the conference this afternoon.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/8660018/Gilmore-warned-to-stay-away

Even Dotcom has got in on the act and has tweeted

Hi Mr Gilmore MP, don’t rush with the resignation. Lets talk about the new GCSB Act first. I have an idea 😉

Actually, I am feeling a bit sickened by the way this is panning out. Much as Gilmore appears an arrogant …….. , I am also wondering whether there are much deeper mental health issues here and I would not like to see it end tragically as I understand he has two very young children.
- Colonial Viper 14.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:22 am
  
  His friends and family need to stay close by him and walk with him during what is going to become a very tough time.
- Roy 14.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:15 pm
  
  I agree, he seems to be not entirely compos mentis. I actually find myself hoping he really does have a few million salted away as he claims, because he is going to be well and truly unemployable, but I rather doubt that those millions exist. He doesn’t seem to be grounded in reality.
  - Anne 14.2.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 9:53 pm
    
    Yes, I’m starting to feel sorry for him too. It doesn’t absolve him from his arrogance and rudeness,
    but it sounds like he lives in a bit of a fantasy world where he actually comes to believe his fantasies are real. Such people can be quite dangerous in the sense they can damage people’s lives and reputations with their fantasy fuelled claims. It happened to me years ago. They invariably get found out in the end, but often it’s too late for the victim/victims to be able to seek some form of justice or restoration.
    - Roy 14.2.1.1
      
      12 May 2013 at 10:59 am
      
      Magical thinking: If they believe it firmly enough, it is true or will come true. Magical thinking is very often found with narcissism. Stalin was a textbook narcissist, and his belief, against all the evidence, that Germany would not invade the USSR was an example of magical thinking. When reality failed to match his magical thinking and it could no longer be denied that Germany had invaded, he cracked up and disappeared to his dacha for four days. Narcissists often have a temporary breakdown when reality fails to match their magical thinking, but they tend to have enviable resilience and bounce back, not visibly sadder and seldom any wiser.
      Magical thinkers make very convincing liars because the first person they convince of their lies is themselves.
Wayne 15

11 May 2013 at 10:58 am

Well Iprent, I agree with you. Removing List MP’s from Parliament is not a power to be given to any Party Leader , or Caucus, or political party. Sure it might be embarrassing to have a wayward member from time to time, but that is far better than giving this sort of power to the people in Parliament.

I guess the current situation shows the limitation of a Leaders powers, and that is no bad thing as a general proposition.

Parliament is where we, the people send our representatives. Obviously parties choose their candidates, but once the people have actually elected them, either directly through electorates or indirectly through the Party vote, then they have our mandate.

Clearly the whole system is based on trust. We expect parties to implement the policies they campaigned on (if they are the government). We expect members to be loyal to their party (except in exceptional circumstances). Clearly both Jim Anderton and Winston Peters thought that their parties had tested them too far, but they were willing to be tested by the voters in that regard. And that is how it should be.

So I don’t have a solution as such, just my views on the constitutionality of things and the importance of limited power.
- One Anonymous Knucklehead 15.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 5:58 pm
  
  Agreed. Once an MP is elected only the electorate (or for the likes of John Banks, the courts) can remove them.
  
  In any case, Aaron Gilmore is a perfect expression of everything the National Party represents.
  - dumrse 15.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 10:02 pm
    
    How so ? Or, is that just another unintelligent rant ?
    - One Anonymous Knucklehead 15.1.1.1
      
      12 May 2013 at 11:09 am
      
      Arrogance, contempt for fellow citizens, a sense of born-to-rule entitlement, an inflated ego, a dismal lack of grace, zero self-awareness, epic cognitive dissonance and of course, John Key levels of transparent mendacity.
      
      Didn’t you know that’s how you people look to everyone else? I suppose that’s the lack of self-awareness coming out.
freedom 16

11 May 2013 at 11:00 am

double bonus level unlocked
what began as a tongue in cheek poke at the PM unearthed a startling discovery
The PM was not the first to try the three way, though he did fail at it
http://www.infinitelooper.com/?v=auBmM_cDvqM&p=n#/101;124
veutoviper 17

11 May 2013 at 11:02 am

Lew’s post at Kiwipolitico is well worth reading for its suggestions of the real issues that should be focussed on in this situation.

http://www.kiwipolitico.com/2013/05/gilmores-ghosts/
- mickysavage 17.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:20 am
  
  And, I can’t believe I am saying this, but Matthew Hooton has an insightful column on Gilmore’s difficulties …
  
  http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/why-aaron-gilmore-should-resign-wont-ck-139636
  - Colonial Viper 17.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 11:47 am
    
    Better than Michelle Boag’s fantastic analysis in the same rag that the answer is simply to get Gilmore to hand over his vote to Louise Upston chief whip and sit quietly for the rest of the term if he wants a job anywhere else in the country after leaving parliament.
    - Lanthanide 17.1.1.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 11:54 am
      
      She said the same thing on an interview on Morning Report. I thought it was a bit silly.
      - Colonial Viper 17.1.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 12:43 pm
        
        And somehow, she’s considered a leading National party operator.
        
        Lanthanide 17.1.1.1.1.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 12:44 pm
        
        I guess this reflects why she was turfed out after just one term?
        
        handle …
        
        11 May 2013 at 8:46 pm
        
        After she had put Key in place.
        
        Colonial Viper …
        
        11 May 2013 at 8:55 pm
        
        Well, she did something right (for National) there.
  - veutoviper 17.1.2
    
    11 May 2013 at 12:14 pm
    
    Agreed, MS. I don’t often put much store on Hooton’s opinions but I also found his NBR column insightful when I read it a few days ago – and reread it today.
    
    If you haven’t already, you might be interested in reading Tim Watkin’s latest on Pundit – and in particular, Geddis’ comments on bribery and the law as it relates to MPs.
    
    http://pundit.co.nz/content/gilmore-game-about-numbers-not-lies
    
    Enough said by CV and Lanth re Michelle Boag’s fantasies which she has been espousing on RNZ National for the last few days – is she getting paid for this?
    - Pascal's bookie 17.1.2.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 1:09 pm
      
      And this, from all around good bloke Peter Aranyi, on the role the media play is well worth reading as well:
      
      http://www.thepaepae.com/in-the-service-of-the-9th-floor/29907/
    - Rhinocrates 17.1.2.2
      
      11 May 2013 at 10:07 pm
      
      NBR column insightful
      
      Bah, humbug. He’s trying to position himself, saying things his betters have said already… better. Just a few days ago he was saying “leave the poor widdle fellow alone”, now he’s saying “I always knew he was a bad egg.”
      
      With Wormtongue, always remember this: under the grease, there’s slime.
      - Rogue Trooper 17.1.2.2.1
        
        11 May 2013 at 11:01 pm
        
        Bogard this! post-Panopticism III, my friend.
  - ianmac 17.1.3
    
    11 May 2013 at 8:49 pm
    
    I think Matthew should be taken seriously most of the time. His views are pretty carefully expressed. He is never rude in spite of some pretty tough responses from some of us. It is not that I would agree with his philosophy, but it is very useful to understand where “they” are coming from. I don’t think that I could ever vote for the right but I would like to know what they think
    - mickysavage 17.1.3.1
      
      11 May 2013 at 9:53 pm
      
      Aye ianmac, know your enemy …
    - Rhinocrates 17.1.3.2
      
      11 May 2013 at 10:03 pm
      
      Don’t be naive. Even Slater calls Wormtongue a “Corporate Whore”, and for once, he’s right. Never mistake the camouflage for reality.
travellerev 18

11 May 2013 at 12:03 pm

Little psychopath, big psychopath. Here is my two cents on it
Penny Bright 19

11 May 2013 at 2:20 pm

Please be reminded that Arrogant Gilmore is not facing Court proceedings for an offence for which he could be jailed for up to 2 years, unlike the Defendant John Banks.

Why has Prime Minister John Key, not yet stood down John Banks as Minister of Regulatory Reform, Minister of Small Business, Associate Minister of Education and Associate Minister of Commerce?

Arguably not a particularly ‘good look’ for New Zealand, ‘perceived’ to be the ‘least corrupt country in the world’ (along with Denmark and Finland, according to the 2012 Transparency International ‘Corruption Perception Index’?

Seen these?

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201165223716343&set=p.10201165223716343&type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10201165224476362&set=p.10201165224476362&type=1

Penny Bright
‘Anti-corruption / anti-privatisation’ campaigner

2013 Auckland Mayoral candidate
- ianmac 19.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 8:51 pm
  
  links don’t work Penny.
  - Rogue Trooper 19.1.1
    
    11 May 2013 at 8:55 pm
    
    while I think of it ianmac, concerning UFB, even though it is laid at the door, a telco still needs to be up and running with offering service; eg, NOW at my home, yet not Vodafone till later in the year.
    (and with NOW, the subscriber must own the property or receive approval from the landlord.)
- xtasy 19.2
  
  12 May 2013 at 2:14 am
  
  We all know why Key has not sacked Banks!
  
  Dotcom even made a song about it.
  
  As for Gilmore, that can prove to be the one member in Parliament that could cost the government the ability to govern. Key knows this, so he and the Nats are trying to pressure and scare him into resigning. A party expulsion process would take time and could prove to be highly embarrassing and damaging to the National Party.
  
  Yes, Gilmore just made a fool of himself, being drunk and arrogant. He is one who is too much up himself, and that is his main and probably only real problem. Being that does not mean he breaks the law.
  
  Banks could be “managed” with amnesia, but Gilmore cannot be now, as that is now too much of a case of problems adding up, and Key facing the loss of ability to govern.
Treetop 20

11 May 2013 at 4:47 pm

Gilmore needs to give himself a reality check and stand up and publicly say that he is not cut out to be a politician. This would then enable him to have some self respect.

90 day trial is over Mr Gilmore, good bye and good luck.
rod 21

11 May 2013 at 5:10 pm

I have always thought that being an arrogant smiling dickhead, was a mandatory trait to become a Tory MP. Hang in there Aaron, you are in great company,
- Alanz 21.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 6:08 pm
  
  Company like Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi and Melissa Lee 🙂
- paul andersen 21.2
  
  11 May 2013 at 9:45 pm
  
  no its not a mandatory trait ,but it gets you extra bonus points.
Chrissy 22

11 May 2013 at 5:46 pm

john key must realise by now that by looking at aaron gilmore and the way he has been lying,dissembling,denying the facts that have been proven to be true,being antagonistic under pressure from media and so on, that he is in fact looking at a carbon copy of himself.Therefore he should also go. It’s time the media pursued him with the same vigour with which they are pursuing gilmore.
- xtasy 22.1
  
  12 May 2013 at 2:07 am
  
  Yes, Key has probably not wanted to talk to Gilmore in person, because Gilmore may just have answered back to him, challenging Key on his handling of the truth.
  
  Also was Key quoted as referring to Gilmore as actually being quite a “smart guy” – underneath or behind all the recent scandal about his conduct at the Hanmer Springs hotel, when it first surfaced.
  
  When the story first broke, Key did not seem to be intending to get rid of Gilmore. He rather seemed to be apologetic about Gilmore’s conduct. Key only got angry and changed his position when the media made more embarrassing information public, and when it became apparent that Gilmore had not told the whole truth to Key and the public.
  
  Maybe Gilmore has some sensitive info about Key, that could prove to be highly embarrassing and harmful to Key. Perhaps we will soon learn more about this?
Tazireviper 23

11 May 2013 at 6:35 pm

Weasel ME and Weasel DUMB
karol 24

11 May 2013 at 7:38 pm

You say “Cow Power”; I say, “Bull Dust”.
- Rogue Trooper 24.1
  
  11 May 2013 at 11:30 pm
  
  tragically, that man is coasting down the decline now.
xtasy 25

12 May 2013 at 2:01 am

“Now, National, they’re the best dirt operators in the game. They put the others to shame with their ability to amass dirt and then feed it out through the media and their tame blogs. And that’s what we saw yesterday with the release of the MBIE emails.

Oh, you didn’t think that MBIE just happened to release emails between an employee and a contractor in record time without National’s say so, did you? Open your eyes.”

Indeed, Eddie, and top marks for writing this here! I could not believe what I heard, when I watched the television news on Friday early evening. There they talked about these emails having been released under the Official Information Act. Well, I was lost for words, as I have NEVER heard of any OIA request having been processed and delivered on so swiftly – within days.

Surely, this is not the way OIA responses are delivered, and as you stated, either the top manager or CEO of any agency involved has to have a look at the request and response on it, or even the Minister her- or himself.

So this was intentionally sped up to hit the media headlines. This is the National led government that inofficially treats many OIA requests by ordinary citizens with contempt, by allowing Ministers and heads of departments to drag their feet on them. I have ample experience with this, having requested a few OIAs. MSD are also dragging their feet more and more, and they use every possible section or clause in the law, to not deliver sensitive information, that may expose what some of their departments are really up to.

And who is the Minister for the MBIE? Steven Joyce, is he not?

Dirty tacticts this is, it is nothing short of a public media assassination of an MP they want to get rid of. In traditional dictatorships they committed real assassinations, with bullets through the head and so. In New Zealand under the Natzi government, using almost dictatorial means to push their agenda through, they assassinate by feeding sensitive, exposing and harmful information to the media.

Lest we forget also Paula Bennett’s “assassination” attempt on two solo mothers over 3 years ago, exposing private details about their benefit payments.

As much as I have NO TIME for Aaron Gilmore, after this, I almost started feeling sorry for the guy.
- Colonial Viper 25.1
  
  12 May 2013 at 3:08 am
  
  They’ve made a mistake with how they’ve managed Gilmore. They went to guns too early and too publicly against Gilmore, and now, as many have observed, National has eliminated a lot of its own options.
  - Alanz 25.1.1
    
    12 May 2013 at 8:31 am
    
    +100
    
    Of course, you had the likes of their so-called experts in media sinisterly beating their drums on the internet such as The Standard and in print on NBR and tripping themselves up to stick the knives in, saying Gilmore’s position was untenable.
    
    John Key has been looking more like a lacklustre, chagrined assassin who has been trying to put the blame somewhere else.
BLiP 26

12 May 2013 at 2:35 am

‘

Anyone else enjoying the irony of John Key having to deal with a liar. I mean, when it comes to telling lies, Aaron Gilmore is an amateur compared to the Prime Minister. After all . . .

– I promise to always be honest

– We’re not proposing to change the Employment Relations Act in a way that weakens unions

– we are not going to sack public servants, the attrition rate will reduce costs

– there’s no way one in five New Zealanders will lose their jobs

– we are not going to cut working for families

– I firmly believe in climate change and always have

– We seek a 50% reduction in New Zealand’s carbon-equivalent net emissions, as compared to 1990 levels, by 2050. 50 by 50. We will write the target into law.

– National Ltd™ will provide a consistent incentive for both biofuel and biodiesel by exempting them from excise tax or road user charges

– I didn’t know about The Bretheren election tactics

– If they came to us now with that proposal [re trans-Tasman Therapeutic Goods regime], we will sign it

– I can’t remember my position on the 1981 Springbok Tour

– Tranzrail shares

– I did not mislead the House (1)

– Lord Ashcroft

– National Ltd™ would not have sent troops into Iraq

– Standard & Poors credit downgrade

– the double-down grade doesn’t really matter and its only about private sector debt

– I did not mislead the House (2)

– I didn’t say I want wages to drop

– I can’t remember why I voted against increasing the minimum wage

– the real rate of inflation is 3.3 percent.

– the tourism sector has not lost 7,000 jobs

– no I have never heard of Whitechapel

– I won’t raise GST

– people who are on the average wage and have a child are $48 a week better off after the rise in GST

– the purchase of farmland, by overseas buyers will be limited to ten farms per purchase

– the Pike River Mine was consented to under a Labour Government

– no promises were made to get the remains of the miners out of the Pike River mine

– I did not provide a view on the safety of the Pike River coalmine

– I did not mislead the House (3)

– capping, not cutting the public service

– raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will cost 6000 jobs

– north of $50 a week

– privatisation won’t significantly help the economy

– wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones

– I never offered Brash a diplomatic job in London

– Tariana Turia is “totally fine” with the Tuhoe Treaty Claim deal

– Kiwisaver

– National Ltd™ is not going to radically reorganise the structure of the public sector

– tax cuts won’t require additional borrowing

– New Zealand does not have a debt problem

– New Zealand troops in Afghanistan will only be involved in training, not fighting

– the wage gap between New Zealand and Australia has closed under my National Ltd™ government

– It took 9 years for Labour to make a complete and utter mess of the economy

– National Ltd™ has changed the Overseas Investment Act to include 19 different criteria

– the price of goods and services has risen by 6 percent since the last election, while the after-tax average wage has actually gone up by 16 percent

– no, although its a week ago and here I am being interviewed on television about them, I havn’t seen Gerry Brownlee’s comments regarding demolitions in Christchurch and which caused such outrage, but I can talk all about them

– our SAS soldiers were not involved in the Kabul Hotel gunfight

– the use of the Vela brother’s helicopter was required so I could attend meetings relating to national/international security concerns

– the DPS makes the decision about accompanying the Prime Minister or not, I had no choice but to take them on holiday to Hawaii

– I did not mislead the House (4)

– oh, maybe our SAS soldiers were in the Kabul hotel gun fight but they weren’t wounded by friendly fire

– New Zealand has lost $12 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . oh, it might actually be around $15 billion from GDP due to the Christchurch earthquake . . . Blinglish said what?

– 10,000 houses will have to be demolished in Christchurch due to the earthquake

– 14,000 new apprentices will start training over the next five years, over and above the number previously forecast

– Our amendments to the ETS ensure we will continue to do our fair share internationally

– we are committed to honouring our Kyoto Protocol obligations

– any changes to the ETS will be fiscally neutral

– New Zealand has grown for eight of the last nine quarters”

– National Ltd™ will tender out the government banking contract

– we will be back in surplus by 2014-15

– Nicky Hager’s book “Other People’s Wars” is a work of fiction

– unemployment is starting to fall

– we have created 60,000 jobs

– we have created 45,000 jobs

– the 2011 Budget will create in the order of 170,000 jobs

– I don’t know if I own a vineyard

– no, I did not mislead the House (5)

– the Isreali spy killed in the Christchurch quake had “only one” passport

– the Police will not need to make savings by losing jobs

– first I heard I heard about Kim Dotcom was on 19 January 2012

– first I heard about the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was in September

– I did not mislead the House (6)

– I voted to keep the drinking age at 20

– New Zealand is 100% Pure

– I’ve been prime minister for four years, and it’s really 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year

– baseball in New Zealand is attracting more government support

– the decision to buy brand new BMWs was made by the Department of Internal Affairs without reference either to their minister or to me

– I didn’t have a clue that Ministerial Services, which I am in charge of, was going to buy brand new BMWs

– even though two of my ministers knew all about it, I didn’t have a clue that brand new BMWs were being bought.

– even though my Chief of Staff met with officials to discuss purchase of the the brand new BMWs, I didn’t have a clue

– even though I personally signed papers discussing the matter, I still didn’t have a clue

– Labour forced us into buying the brand new BMWs, its their fault

– ummm, look, sorry about that BMW thing , it was because I was so upset about the death of a New Zealand soldier, and Julia Gillard was visiting too

– the public demanded that we change the labour laws for The Hobbit

– “The Hobbit” created 3000 new jobs

– we have delivered 800 extra doctors in the public service

– I did not mislead the House (7)

– I wasn’t working at Elders when the sham foreign exchange deals took place

– I was starting School Certificate exams in 1978

– I don’t know who arrived on the CIA jet to visit the spies I am responsible for

– reducing barriers to property developers will increase the availability of affordable housing

– Labour left the economy in poor shape

– forecasts show unemployment will fall

– we have closed the wage gap with Australia by $27

– Ngati Porou and Whanau Apanui are not opposed to mining

– I have not had any meetings with Media Works

– our [NZ’s] terms of trade remain high

– the TPP is an example of democracy

– National Ltd™ will use the proceeds of state asset sales to invest in other public assets, like schools and hospitals

– New Zealand troops will be out of Afghanistan by April 2013

– overseas investment in New Zealand adds to what New Zealanders can invest on their own

– overseas investment in New Zealand creates jobs, boosts incomes, and helps the economy grow

– National Ltd™ will build 2000 houses over the next two years

– there are only 4 New Zealand SAS soldiers in Bamiyan and all working in the area of logistics and planning only

– selling state assets will give cash equity to those companies

– the Sky City deal will provide 900 construction jobs and 800 casino jobs

– the Sky City deal doesn’t mean more pokies

– there was nothing improper about the Sky City deal

– my office has had no correspondence, no discussions, no involvement with the Sky City deal

– SkyCity will only get “a few more” pokie machines at the margins

– any changes to gambling regulations will be subject to a full public submission process

– Sky City has approached TVNZ about the purchase/use of government-owned land

– the Auditor General has fully vindicated National over the Sky City deal

– there’s a 50/50 chance the Hobbit is going off shore unless we do something

– David Shearer has signed up for the purchase of shares in Mighty River

– Solid Energy asked the government for a $1 billion capital investment

– fracking has been going safely on in Taranaki for the past 30 years without any issues

– no frontline positions will be lost at DOC

– Iain Rennie came to me and recommended Fletcher for the GCSB job

– I told Cabinet that I knew Ian Fletcher

– I forgot that after I scrapped the shortlist for GCSB job I phoned a life-long friend to tell him to apply for the position

– I told Iain Rennie I would contact Fletcher

– for 30 years, or three decades, I didn’t have any dinners or lunches or breakfasts with Ian Fletcher

– I did not mislead the House (8)

– No, I did not say we would follow the US and Australia into a war against North Korea

– I paid for that lunch and I’ve got the credit card bill to prove it

– I called directory service to get Ian Fletcher’s number

– I did not mislead the house (9)

– I am honest and upfront

– cyber terrorists have attempted to gain access to information about weapons of mass destruction held on New Zealand computers

– the illegal spying on Kim Dotcom was an isolated incident

– New Zealand has an arrangement to have asylum seekers processed in Australian detention camps

– the law which says the GCSB cannot spy on New Zealanders is not clear

– the only way net new jobs can be created is by private investors putting their money into businesses in New Zealand

– an increase in the number of people looking for work indicates that confidence is returning to the economy

– the 10 percent of taxpayers in New Zealand who are the top earners pay 76 percent of all net personal tax.

– I did not mislead the House (10)

– the substantial wage growth under Labour was eroded by inflation

– National Ltd™’s 2010 tax changes were fiscally neutral

– I did not mislead the House (11)

– the bulk of New Zealanders earn between $45,000 and $75,000 a year

– Pike River Coal did not put profits and its production ahead of the safety and lives of those 29 workers.

– Radio Live had sought advice from the Electoral Commission about my show just before the election

– it is because of National Ltd™’s policies that the price of fresh fruit and vegetables has dropped.

– the length-of-the-country cycleway will create 4000 jobs.

– police training for next year has not been cancelled

– National Ltd™ has only cut back-office jobs in the health service

– The Crown’s dividend stream from the Meridians, the Mighty Rivers of the world is large and there is no motivation to sell assets; actually we’re about creating assets not selling assets.”

– National believes employment law should treat all parties fairly. It should . . . Protect employees and employers.

– I am not trying to tackle such issues in a “fearful” way ahead of the next election

– Wellington City is dying.

– the GCSB has been prevented from carrying out its functions because of the law governing its functions

– because the opposition is opposed the GCSB law ammendments, parliamentary urgency is required

– the increasing number of cyber intrusions which I can’t detail or discuss prove that the GCSB laws need to be extended to protect prive enterprise

– it was always the intent of the GCSB Act to be able to spy on New Zealanders on behalf of the SIS and police

– National Ltd™ is not explanding the activities of the GCSB with this new law

– National Ltd™ has been working on a number of things with New Zealand First on a number of things one of which has a financial component but I can’t talk about it

– the best way to get growth in the economy is to reduce public debt

– New Zealand mum and dad investors will be our number one priority in the allocation of Mighty River shares
- ghostrider888 26.1
  
  12 May 2013 at 3:40 pm
  
  would love to bump into you in the night; maybe we could scroll up together. 😉
- xtasy 26.2
  
  12 May 2013 at 3:55 pm
  
  WOW! Did anybody notice? Particularly amongst MSM journalists, I’d ask???
  - ghostrider888 26.2.1
    
    12 May 2013 at 4:03 pm
    
    cha know xtasy; I am concerned for you sometimes when following your postings; there were some excellent constructions immediately before the assault on Morrissey; assumptions and all that?
    - xtasy 26.2.1.1
      
      14 May 2013 at 1:58 am
      
      ghostrider888: “Do you know who I am???”
      - ghostrider888 26.2.1.1.1
        
        14 May 2013 at 11:46 am
        
        been following your concerns (many of them valid and topical) for 14 months xtasy.
        
        xtasy 26.2.1.1.1.1
        
        14 May 2013 at 12:10 pm
        
        My name is NOT “Aaron G” by the way, ha ha!
        
        ghostrider888 …
        
        14 May 2013 at 12:14 pm
        
        that is Very funny; just you wait til’ I get you home with UFB 😀
gobsmacked 27

12 May 2013 at 5:33 pm

Gilmore has gone – official.

Bugger … I mean, quite right too, disgrace he was an ever an MP, now we can get back to what matters, etc. But still …
- Arfamo 27.1
  
  12 May 2013 at 5:38 pm
  
  I wonder what the sweetener was and who’s paying for his departure.