I’ve been reflecting on John Key’s instruction to Pansy Wong not to come to Parliament and explain her misuse of her international travel allowances. Key argues that she should wait until Parliamentary Services have completed their inquiry so that she has all of the facts. That’s simply not credible.
Is John Key seriously arguing that he doesn’t expect Pansy Wong to know how many times she has visited China in the past 14 years and how many times her husband has done so? Does he seriously expect us to believe that she wouldn’t know who had paid for those trips, and, even if she couldn’t recall on the spur of the moment, wouldn’t have been able to work it out during the past week?
As Phil Goff has pointed out, other MPs have been prosecuted criminally for doing what Pansy Wong has done. John Key should stop trying to cover for her and insist that she front up and answer for her actions. The media should stop buying into the National Party’s spin and start asking him the tough questions too.
I would hope John Key would wait until he had all the facts before taking actions against and MP .. goodness me Chris
Perhaps a quick look at stamps (and visa) in the passports would be helpful? Or is that too complicated for teh Nats?
When there were problems with Field (who is in jail for corruption) labour were more than happy to stand by him whilst investigations were happening.
Why is is fine for labour to do that and not Key?
Chris – what Philip Field did was wrong, and he is paying the price. I think the Labour Party will have learnt a lot from how it responded to those allegations, shame the National Party aren’t willing to practice what they were preaching at that time now that the shoe is on the other foot.
I believe thats the first time I have ever head anyone from Labour say he did anything wrong – certainly on this blog. Which says something.
Anyways …… Key is arguing that simply wait until Parliamentary Services have completed their inquiry. Its not a huge period – and it certainly dosnt mean she is getting let off.
Its reasonable to have information gathered to put specific questions allegations against her. Lets face it – Im pretty sure that the inquiry isnt going to do her any favors.
She will pay the price for her actions as well Im am sure.
I haven’t seen the same degree of Media frenzy, as journalists interview their word processors, to fire Pansy as I have seen when a Labour MP was under fire for any perceived misdeed. I wonder why there is no baying for Wong’s blood from the investigative journalists out there??
what perceived allegations are you talking about Alan?
Again Chris .. Key is waiting for all the facts before making a very important decision and well done to him. He isn’t hiding from the issue at all. Once he has the facts, I would suggest she will be seriously censored.
I think we should be with holding our judgement until Parliamentary services finish the investigation. sacking her from cabinet was the right thing to do, if there are more revelations then yes she should go as a MP. Lets reserve judgement.
If she does go one might ask why Shane Joes is still a MP and was only demoted, just like Pansy Wong.
I agree.
The longer the Wong odour hangs around Key the better it is for Labour.
I hope Key maintains a strong and relentless defence of his former Minister.
That will be sauce for the goose.
I have just read that Colonial Viper and before that, Loota, are both Clare Curran! Can this be true?
@Richard 1 No it’s not true that I am Colonial Viper or Loota.
I am Clare Curran MP. What you see is what you get. Though I’m flattered that people might think I’m CV or Loota coz they are quite brainy.
Chris – I find your argument about Field a bit confusing. Labour expelled Field from Caucus. You should be calling on National to do the same.
Sharon,
When the allegations were made. The Labour party defended Field. They said he was only guilty of working too hard.
And even after the full scale of his offending was made clear by the Ingram Report, Labour still stood by him.
But Labour never booted Field out for his criminal offending.
[B]He only got booted out when he talked of not standing for Labour.[/B]
Chris your recollection of recent history is hazy.
“sacking her from cabinet was the right thing to do”
She resigned. Heatley resigned from shame but then recovered, Worth resigned, Brownlee never really said sorry just admitted he was too dopey to understand the rules.
By all means believe Key is doing the right thing by allowing Wong to stay silent to her electorate and taxpayers but dont pretend key sacked her. Evidence suggests he would still be saying it was a storm in a tea cup and getting you and others to attack and blame Pete H instead.
Hi Chris – when you say “I think the Labour Party will have learnt a lot from how it responded to those allegations” – what do you think Labour has learned exactly?
I’m honestly curious, as I don’t think I’ve seen any sort of recap from Labour as to how the Feild thing was handled.
I don’t know enough about the Wong / Key thing to comment on it (sorry if this is a bit off topic)
I bet Pansy wished she belonged to a Union
Jabba – so again, Pansy hasn’t or can’t tell Key what trips she’s taken, when her husband accompanied her and how much personal business was done? Good leadership from Key to demand answers from her or just him sidestepping the issue so he can (a) wring some more cash from her before she leaves and/or (b) delay so he can get Botany in order.
The plan is to wait until the enquiry findings are out – be terrible to own up to something that they don’t find out
Garth – it does seem that Key considers Heatley’s attack of shame was overridden by a finding that he hadnt strictly done anything wrong cos it was a grey area or similar. BUT Heatley thought he had done something wrong, felt “ashamed” as I recall…
Key clearly considers, in the same way he criticised Labour and he former PM, that that if it’s legal or agurable it’s ethical. Heatley clearly didnt think that, but lost his nerve.
Actually Chris I think you are totally wrong Key should wait until Parliamentary services reports back. Not so much because Wong has all the facts but that he has all the facts.
Phil Goff if reports I have read today are correct has also suggested that Key sack Wong from parliament. That would be an astonishing power for a PM to wield ( that was on Kiwi Blog I have known DPF for a long time and he totally honest, we don’t agree politically but I like and trust him ). I would suggest Phil Goff engages his brain Wong is ultimately accountable to her electorate.
With regard to your reply to Chris at 3.11 I would make the observation that both Field and Wong are not working from the same cultural back drop as me and I assume you. There should be recognition of this, as one blogger commented( I think Cactus ) The Chinese don’t take holidays in the manner we do something I am well aware of as I know a lot of Chinese small business owners.
That is not an excuse but something that both Labour and National need to be aware of and explain in black and white ( unfortunate expression but apt ) to people seeking office.
Tracey’s example reminds me of the Parker issue when Clark stood him down after the nats wrongly said he had a Trevor a dodgy business dealing with an ex partner. After it was found he did nothing illegal wrong , he was reinstated.
Richard the First – Hi
J abba – Hi
Hiding her away from facing up to her Wong doing is not what I consider to be democracy!
Spud
You are being a racist idiot. Your last contribution isn’t funny it is just offensive.
jabba, no its different because Parker didnt actually do anything wrong, morally or otherwise.
Heatley took a family holiday and thought it could be paid for as MP/Ministerial business. He clearly thought he had crossed a moral line because he said he felt ashamed of himself, had let himslef and people down etc etc.
He knew what you and I knew (but Mr Key doesnt) that an ordinary person applying ordinary meaning knows that a holiday is not ministerial or mp expense.
Just as Shane Jones should know that ordering ANY kind of movie in a hotel room is not a Ministerial expense.
1, there’s nothing racist in my comment!
\
2, If you are referring to the pun of her name, well, I’d do that to any person of any race!
3, I don’t care if you think I’m an idiot, I’m not here to nerd off!
4, I’m not laughing either, she stole my tax payer money!
5, Offensive to you obviously, but really is anyone else here offended? Mmmm? Tell me if you are, come on hoards of people.
!
1) yes there is.
2) Yes I am and that is racist that you fail to see that is amazing.
3) Yes you are an idiot enough said.
4) She what ? Let’s have a debate on screwing the system. We on the left should bow our heads in shame.
5) I am always offended by racial bullshit. You feel that you can select communities and mock them speaks volumes for Labour.
IHStewart I’m letting this comment through, but can you please be careful. Clare
Spud
Yep. Deeply.
An innane racist comment.
Absolutely not racist, not in the slightest.
He made fun of her name and that’s it. If he called Tolley a walley, or John Key Don-Key you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.
Same applies here.
Perhaps you need a job as a coopers apprentice, where there’d be plenty of barrels needing their bottoms scraped.
Deleted. Clare
I would presume Pansy knows what she did better than any inquiry will find out.
Wouldn’t it actually help an inquiry to have more statements of hers on Parliamentary record to determine her guilt?
Sorry Spud. But that’s a rant. Deleted. Get over it. Clare
Waiting for comment to be taken out of the slammer.
John Key is now talking about reinstatement of Wong if he wins the next election.
If John Key fails to sack her from his caucus he’s effectively endorsing her behaviour.
Brian Connell was suspended from the National Caucus for telling the truth about Don Brash – in the privacy of a caucus meeting.
Maurice Williamson was suspended from National Caucus for telling the truth about Bill English.
Pansy Wong resigns as a minister for misuse of travel privileges in a manner that has seen others convicted of a crime and within a matter of days John Key is talking about when she should be back in Cabinet.
If it wasn’t serious, it would be laughable.
“Deleted. Clare”
Ok, I’ll try it without quoting point 5 from IHStewart.
One of his recent blog articles is about women’s bottoms.
This is totally sexist.
His credibility and right to throw the ‘r’ word about is diminished greatly.
Excuse me clare do you think you can moderate without the personal insults? I miss trevor, at least he’s fair
Clare doesn’t understand me at all, it wasn’t a rant, I wasn’t even angry, I was taking great pleasure in showing the other dude’s lack of argument. Not letting it through and putting an insult on it is just mean spirited!
[Spud - you're now way off topic and questioning the integrity of the moderators is way out of line. Let it go or you will find yourself back in moderation - Chris]
BTW – my latest five point rebuttal kicked his butt!
!
AL1iens
I thought the same thing when I saw that blog article. I know he thinks he was probably complimenting women… interesting isnt it…
If someone thinks they are complimenting me is it a compliment, or do I have to FEEL complimented fr it to be so?
@ AL liens & Tracy. Actually I thought the advertising campaign about womens bottoms was reasonably amusing so I posted it. To get to the Womens Bottoms blog you would have had to have read the Leah Chishugi blog. I guess that just added too much balance for you to mention it.
Re Spuds devastating rebuttal. I have no objection to you as author of the blog releasing it Chris or Clare doing likewise as a moderator releasing the comment. Also at Clare thanks for letting the comment stand and I certainly back away from the ” speaks volumes for Labour ” that was uncharitable and unfair.
I wrote this before the news broke about Pike River I post it with tears in my eyes.
Chris, would Pansy Wong and Sammy have been interviewed as part of the Parliamentary Services investigation? Are those kinds of interviews,if they happen, done under oath?
IHStewart: No, I just clicked your link, scrolled down and found the sexist entry.
The point I made is still valid – You lost out in the credible race.
Al1ens – I thought the same. It doesnt even out to be sexist in one post if you’re not in the other…