Helen Clark has known for six months about the NZ First donation...

Helen Clark has revealed that she has known about the donation to NZ First from Owen Glen for six months. Owen Glen told her so!

The NZ First donation scandal may well have blown apart with her revelations. But the onus has always been with Winston Peters to reveal the facts of the matter.

The prime minister has confirmed that businessman, Owen Glen, told her in February of this year,2008, that he had donated $100,000 to the New Zealand First Party. She asked Winston Peters about the donation, but he denied it. She has heard two different versions, but has to take Peters at his word. Peters has continually denied the claim that Glen had donated $100,000 to NZ First.

If Owen Glen's statement can be confirmed, Helen Clark will have no option but to sack Winston Peters for lying to her, the prime minister of New Zealand. What the National Party may claim or state is immmaterial; it is all related to Winston Peters statement to Helen Clark.

I'm sure that Helen Clark will make some statement in the near future when she no longer needs New Zealand First's support in the House.

Glenn admission a political bombshell - who is the old goat in the story...

Glenn admission a "political bombshell" - who is the old goat in the story...

The Privileges Committee must decide whether to believe Winston Peters or Owen Glenn over a $100,000 donation

Parliament's Privileges Committee now has to decide who it wants to believe.

In a letter to the committee (click here to read letter as PDF), businessman Owen Glenn says Winston Peters sought help from him for the legal fund during a conversation when the pair met in Sydney. He says the New Zealand First leader thanked him for the $100,000 payment when they met again at the Karaka yearling sales in early 2006.

Mr Peters says he has no recollection of asking Mr Owen for money. Privileges Committee chairman Simon Power says the contradiction will be something for MPs to consider.

"The nature of that evidence appears inconsistent with the evidence given by Mr Peters and Mr Henry (Winston Peters' lawyer)."

Mr Power says the committee meets again next Thursday.

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper says the letter from Mr Glenn is a "political bombshell" and could prove costly for Prime Minister Helen Clark.

"If she does anything to Winston Peters in terms of firing him from Cabinet, which in my view she's duty-bound to do, she can probably kiss goodbye to the Emissions Trading Scheme."

New Zealand First MP Dail Jones has accused Owen Glenn of contradicting himself. He says Mr Glenn's credibility is at stake, and Mr Peters has told the truth.

However the MP who laid the privileges complaints against Mr Peters says today's revelations spell the end of the New Zealand First leader's career. ACT leader Rodney Hide says it is now clear that Mr Peters misled Parliament and the Prime Minister has to make an ethical stand - and stand Mr Peters down. He says she is clutching to power as she tries to get the Emissions Trading Scheme through.

New Zealand First was due to reveal whether it will support the scheme sometime today.

An interesting old time in the Parliament these days. Helen will make her decision when it suits her and her Government. Remember that an election is impending.

Is the National Party a clean green alternative? Yeah right! If the Government is to be damned, then the whole caboodle is damned!



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© 2008 NZCity, NewsTalkZB

The political polls lack credibility...

The political polls lack credibility. There is almost no real movement and that is not a normal state of affairs.

I took part in a particular political poll many years ago. We were actually a team of about 1200-1500 pollsters for the entire period. If a pollster has their mind made up and the poll favours a particular party from the word go, how can the poll retain any credibility.

I believe this is actually the case now. For a poll to have any credibility the participants need to be changed for every poll. Bunch of old goats if you ask me!

This is my opinion in any case.

Same old, same old discredited Tory party - don't deserve to govern...

Nats accused of bringing back failed policy - the same old discredited policies of the 1990's. They didn't work then and they will not work now!


A Rotorua social agency says National would be doing itself no favours if it brings back failed social policies. Bring in policies that would ENCOURAGE mothers of young children to return or go out to work. National is still stuck in the time warp of the 1990's. Their policies will encourage employers to pay low wages because women would be forced out, not encouraged to go to work. A win-win for employers and the National Party who are still want low wages for those who will never vote for them!


The party is expected to announce today that if it wins the election, it wants solo parents on the domestic purposes benefit to work or undertake training when their children reach school age.

Paul Blair from the People's Advocacy Centre spokesman says the only ones who would benefit from the scheme are employers prepared to pay low wages to solo parents.

Prime Minster Helen Clark also believes National is dragging out old policies. She says such a move amounts to beating up on solo parents.

"It's the hoary old work for the dole, when actually, we've focussed on getting people into real jobs and that's why even in a year of slow down, we've just had employment figures come in which are still under four percent. It's a complete waste of time trying to enforce work for the dole."

Miss Clark says the people behind Mr Key are people who were responsible for disastrous policies in the 90s and led to the party being booted out in 1999.

However, former Act MP Muriel Newman, who now works for the Centre for Political Research, supports the policy. She says there is currently a lot of talk about child poverty, without any focus on parents.

"The real way to help children out of poverty is to help their parents get a good job and move up the employment ladder. That helps them and the children as well."

Ms Newman says research shows that children living in poverty have parents on benefits.

National still haven't learned from their disasterous nine years in office during the 1990's - they still haven't earned the right to govern. Don't vote for th discredited right wing Tory party!

What are we to believe about National's policies...

What are we to believe about National's policies? Will John Key resign or be "rolled" by Bill English early in 2011, if he(Key)is elected as prime minister this year. We all know that Billy English couldn't take on Aunty Helen head to head, anymore than the ridiculous Don Brash, though Donny did do better than most expected.

So was there some nefarious deal done between Key, English and the National Party? JK can get the kudos for being elected prime minister along with all the lifetime perks of superannuation and free transport for life, step aside or be "rolled" by Billy English in 2011 after Aunty Helen has gone on to new things. JK should have reasons to resign in 2011 - either the sale of Kiwibank or fiddling with National Super. Lets face it, the amiable Phil Goff hardly poses much opposition for Billy English.

The All Blacks have shown the way to the Labour Government when the polls indicated their demise!

In this life you read a bit, hear a bit and see a bit in your travels. Why does John Key have a pair of smelly jandals on the roof of his electoral office in Helensville, for instance.

Another in the X-curious realm is a story allegedly involving two television journalists and prime ministerial hopeful John Key during some light revelling one evening. JK made a strange comment in the course of emptying his pint, that he expected to be "rolled" by Billy English late in his first term as prime minister. He didn't appear to be too perturbed by the prospect - after all Kiwi taxpayers will look after him for the rest of his life. Just a taste of the good life and his photo in the hallway at Parliament House along with 'Mr Think Big' himself, the late Sir Rob Muldoon.

These are certainly interesting times, friends.