Help me Hone!

The Greens are today prevaricating over whether they should vote so Helen Clark has to give evidence at the Privileges Committee, due to meet this Thursday over the Winston/Glenn/Clark payola scandal.

Clark knew about the Glenn donations in February but chose last Thursday to make them public, after the heat from the Serious Fraud Office and written statements by Owen Glenn forced her hand and it is those statements from Glenn, and other evidence that the public might not be aware of that Ms Clark could be called to the Committee on.

From The NZ Herald:

National would need seven votes on the privileges committee to call Prime Minister Helen Clark to answer questions on the Owen Glenn affair.

It could count on votes from its four MPs (chairman Simon Power, Gerry Brownlee, Murray McCully and Wayne Mapp) and Act's Heather Roy.

Labour's four MPs (Michael Cullen, Lianne Dalziel, Paul Swain and Russell Fairbrother) and NZ First's Dail Jones would vote against, which would leave National chasing two of the last three votes.

Those deciding votes would come from Russel Norman (Greens), Peter Dunne (United Future) and Hone Harawira (Maori Party).

Russel Norman has come out today and cast doubt over whether he would force Clark to give evidence, so that just leaves professional racist Hone Harawira from the Maaoori Party as a deciding vote.

Hone came out yesterday in the media and slammed Labour's chances at the 2008 election.

The Labour-led government was "stale" and arrogant and it was time for a change of government. "They're suffering from the arrogance of being in power too long"

With this and Maori forestry land being devalued by 2 billion dollars through the impending Emissions Trading Law, it looks likely that Hone could be the first cab off the rank to get Ms Clark to appear at the Commission and tell the truth-for a change.


c Political Animal 2008