Clark: Cornered and Desperate

Yet more desperation from a cornered Helen Clark.

Clark could go before the Privileges Committee this Thursday, if called.

Clark would be asked how much more she knows about Winston Peters and the $100,000 he got from Owen Glenn.

Direct from the Winston Peters playbook called "Accuse when you are being attacked" Clark has come out with a bizarre and unsubstantiated claim that the Serious Fraud Office tipped off the National Party over their move on Peters.

Smearing the SFO for no good reason? well, Labour and Winston have been trying to get rid of the SFO for some time but simply making up stuff to deflect from the fact that you haven't been honest about what you knew about Peters and his wayward donations is clearly VERY desperate stuff.

Of course the accusation hold no water. The SFO and John Key have come out and put the record straight.

There was no tip off.

To accuse a Government department of corruption -that is what a real tip-off to a political party would be- is a very serious statement to make in isolation from the whole Glenn/Peters/Clark saga, but making it in conjunction with fact floating around her about a Prime Minister withholding information on a fellow Minister, who is under the cloud of corruption charges is a desperate move in the extreme.

It exemplifies the strain Ms Clark has put herself under by not being open and honest in the first place.

c Political Animal 2008

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