What was English up to with his Barclay text storm?

Written By: - Date published: 8:47 am, August 2nd, 2017 - 43 comments
Categories: bill english - Tags: , ,

WTF is this? Winston to PM: I know about your text messages to Todd Barclay staffer

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters has accused the Prime Minister of sending hundreds of text messages to the woman who complained to police about National MP Todd Barclay.

“Why did he send over 450 text messages to Glenys Dickson, many early in the morning and late at night, in the 12 months before she resigned on 7 February 2016?” Peters asked.

English declined to comment, saying the matter was one for which he had no ministerial responsibility.

“If he had no responsibility as he says, why did he send Glenys Dickson 31 text messages in the days immediately before her resignation?” Peters asked.

“Why does he say he has nothing further to add, because Glenys Dickson received 22 text messages on the 6th of February, the day before she resigned. And a further 26 text messages in the six days after she resigned. Why didn’t he add that when the media asked him what he knew about it?”

English is in this mess up to his eyeballs.

Asked if he knew the contents of the text messages, Peters said “you will have to wait, won’t you”.

43 comments on “What was English up to with his Barclay text storm? ”

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  1. Paul Campbell 1
    2 August 2017 at 9:00 am

    It seems to me it’s quite obvious that texting at all hours he was trying to harass her into something like quitting, or maybe to get her to keep her mouth shut about Barclay’s behaviour

    Remember that just because Peters can’t ask the question in parliament doesn’t mean that journalists can’t ask the exact same question, and expect an answer, when sitting down with English in the run up to the election – go for it Paddy.

    • Gabby 1.1
      2 August 2017 at 11:00 am

      I’m sure he was urging her to hang in there, and that he knew where the Toddger lives and would sort the bugger out by having a chat with his mum’n’dad.

  2. Robert Guyton 2
    2 August 2017 at 9:03 am

    Swapping swede recipes? Yarning about sheep? Anguishing over their wayward love-child, Todd?

  3. The decrypter 3
    2 August 2017 at 9:08 am

    Must be something big. I notice that the tories have engineered Jacinda into the mix now,- as a distraction?

    • Marcus Morris 3.1
      2 August 2017 at 9:35 am

      Are you serious or a visitor from Kiwi Blog – they are claiming that the “left” is blaming MSM and the Tories for Andrew Little’s resignation – absolute hogwash of course and a denigration of Andrew Little’s undisputed integrity.

  4. Robert Guyton 4
    2 August 2017 at 9:11 am

    In any case, ask Simon Lusk.

  5. ianmac 5
    2 August 2017 at 9:13 am

    Maybe Bill was closer to Glenys than was thought. Oh dear.

  6. Cinny 6
    2 August 2017 at 9:15 am

    What was on the tapes Todd?

    Why exactly were you tapping Glynis?

    Todd you and I both know it wasn’t a staffing issue.

    Was their a senior female political figure involved? Was there? Tell us about it Todd…

    Bill why have you been lying and covering it up, bullying and trying to silence media? Paying hush money… mhmm we both know it’s a major scandal, and after a good month in the media it’s still not going away anytime soon. The public deserve to know the truth.

    Todd, you and I also both know that the reason why you were tapping Glynis and the contents of the tapes are far more shocking than making a secret recording.

    Looking forward to the public being able to learn more. And huge up’s to NZ1st for keeping on top of this.

    That’s a large volume of texts to be sending an ex staff member Bill, tried to hide it, but what a fail.

    NZ is a small place, did you really think you were all going to get away with it? Really?

  7. The decrypter 7
    2 August 2017 at 9:20 am

    Oh please do tell,- someone. As my hairdresser keeps saying to me.-I don’t repeat gossip, so listen carefully as i’ll only tell you once.

  8. Tamati Tautuhi 8
    2 August 2017 at 9:24 am

    Peculiar behaviour by a PM ?

  9. David Mac 9
    2 August 2017 at 10:22 am

    Listening to Bill English in the Hive over the last few weeks it seems telling the truth about the Barclay affair is outside Bill’s area of responsibility.

    • greywarshark 9.1
      2 August 2017 at 1:24 pm

      Please don’t start using ‘The Hive’ derogatorively? of just short for Beehive – it is now the name used by Scoop for their citizen driven focus group on important topics to us.

  10. ianmac 10
    2 August 2017 at 10:26 am

    Knowing Winston and watching Bill’s response to his questions I would suspect that there will be more to come. After all Winston can ask the questions with the facts exposed and though Bill can avoid answering, the Pandora box is open. Must look for Question Time today.

    • David Mac 10.1
      2 August 2017 at 10:31 am

      I think Bill will continue dancing on the head of a pin. “I have no parliamentary responsibility” etc. The fireworks stand a better chance of being ignited if the texts Winston has fall off the end of his desk and into the MSM’s pocket.

      • ianmac 10.1.1
        2 August 2017 at 10:47 am

        But you do see that by asking the questions, and knowing that Bill won’t answer doesn’t matter? The facts are “out there.” Damage done and by not giving an innocent explanation just deepens the curiosity. Winston knows that.

        • David Mac 10.1.1.1
          2 August 2017 at 10:56 am

          Yes, creates stewing intrigue for the few that follow politics closely. For it to create cut through impact it’ll need to manifest into a few days of sensational headlines. I can see strategic value in Winston keeping that powder dry for now.

    • greywarshark 10.2
      2 August 2017 at 1:21 pm

      Ianmac
      Yes please let us know what is happening. Got to try to keep up with all this – like meercats.

  11. greywarshark 11
    2 August 2017 at 10:37 am

    beansprout wrote a good piece on this. Glenys had been in the Gore office for 17 years, so why should she be picked on like this? She must have had a close working relationship with Bill English over the years, and he must have thought she should ease the young ‘Turk’ into his old electorate.

    Beansprout mentions the tendency we NZrs have to be determined to get our own way, with passive violence which results in bullying, which incidentally the comment states, we are second in the list of nations studied for this unpleasant behaviour.

    Glenys Dickson was a very well respected employee, serving Parliament and MP Bill English as an electorate agent in Gore for 17 years. She was known to be principled and caring and did much to help those in the electorate, no matter what their political leanings or backgrounds. She was a strong supporter of the Blue Greens and cared deeply about the declining quality of the Mataura River.

    The fact that Glenys was subjected to shouting and regular dressing downs by the new MP shows extreme arrogance on his part and a lack of respect for someone who knew much more about the electorate that he was supposed to serve than he did. The secret taping of her conversations on a dictaphone was an illegal offence and should have resulted in a criminal conviction. Barclay abused his position as an MP by refusing to cooperate with the police which resulted in the case being closed through lack of evidence.

    Even after the large financial settlement, to buy Dickson’s confidentiality, she was still subjected to bullying from Barclay’s team. She relates in an interview that someone rang to warn her that she would not be welcome at Todd’s 2017 selection meeting. To ensure that she would stay away, the caller ended with a sinister reference to her son’s partner (a “pretty little thing”), implying a threat of harm.
    http://localbodies-bsprout.blogspot.co.nz/2017/06/todd-barclay-exposes-national-party-as.html

    • Cinny 11.1
      2 August 2017 at 2:33 pm

      Glenys is a lovely lady, so well thought of in her local community that she is now an elected member of the Gore District Council. 3rd highest polling candidate I might add.

      What happened to her is freaking disgusting no matter which party one supports.

      $100k is a lot of money

      Media need to ask, what was on the tapes and why was Todd recording to start with, because it’s not just an ’employment dispute’.

  12. marty mars 12
    2 August 2017 at 11:02 am

    Lead item on radionz at 11.

    Bill is going down!

  13. Gabby 13
    2 August 2017 at 11:12 am

    Hard to imagine that misplaced money isn’t somewhere in this. Do wonder if there’s a direct Southland Trust shenanigans connexion.

  14. Psych nurse 14
    2 August 2017 at 12:32 pm

    Surely the Natz wont need new election billboards 6 weeks out from an election, please dont release Bill and Paula bombs at the same time.

  15. NZJester 15
    2 August 2017 at 1:42 pm

    How ever you look at what happened it is a bit of a crack into the hidden world of the infighting between different National Party factions. A world where money is used to hush things up to keep it out of the press normally.

  16. Gabby 16
    2 August 2017 at 1:57 pm

    No Toddger questions for Bingles today.

  17. Cemetery Jones 17
    3 August 2017 at 11:34 am

    So nobody’s putting their money on time-lapse dick pics documenting progress towards arousal?

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