For those who haven't been keeping up with the Field saga, here's a quick guide to where various people stand:
| Those who think Taito Phillip Field should resign his seat: | Those who think Taito Phillip Field did absolutely nothing wrong and should stay: |
|
Helen Clark Labour's Pacific wing The EPMU The New Zealand public | Taito Phillip Field |
I guess we just have to hope he gets the message.
Update: Apparently not. Field has once again denied that he has done anything wrong and announced that he intends to "continue as the Labour MP for Mangere". I think the onus is now on he Labour caucus to evict him.
21 comments:
Affirmation of being part of "the New Zealand public" list.
Posted by Unknown : 8/30/2006 01:26:00 PM
Now now. There's his electorate secretary as well. So that's two.
Posted by Lyndon : 8/30/2006 02:29:00 PM
The current one, obviously.
Posted by Lyndon : 8/30/2006 02:29:00 PM
Two days ago DPF was confident that Karr killed JonBenet based on soem pretty damning "evidence" and blanket media coverage.
Now, have have made no attempt to defend TPF in the past and I am not doing so now. However, I am concerned at the lynch mob mentality going on and would really like to see the allegations of fraud and handing over of money firmed up a bit more by the police before condeming him further.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 02:32:00 PM
Noddy: This isn't a question of criminal wrongdoing (that's being hopefulyl handled by the police), but of political accountability. And Field's behaviour as seen in the Ingram Report is more than dubious enough to justify the public disgust and demand for his resignation.
The rule is simple: our politicians must not just not be corrupt - they must be seen to be. Field has failed that test, and if he had a shred of decency, he'd admit it and resign.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 8/30/2006 02:46:00 PM
I/S:
As much as I detest you and your pinko commie ideas, I would make the comment that you are opening yourself to a new precedent.
If Helen Clark's new standard of accountability and integrity requires MPs not to accept money they're not entitled to, and to ensure they are not seen to act illegally, and not seen to be attempting to cover up misdeeds despite all evidence to the contrary, then the Prime Minister's own head will be on the block.
Posted by Insolent Prick : 8/30/2006 02:54:00 PM
I/S well, maybe you are right. Do you think DBP should have resigned? At what stage should we take hearsay as evidence?
I keep hearing that the Ingram report was a "whitewash" set up to fail, and here you are saying it contains enough damning evidence to force TPF to resign as an MP :-) Colour me as still wanting to hear more before clamouring for a complete capitulation.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 03:04:00 PM
See, some people like spreading shit, and it often sticks...It pays to take care, IMO.
"August 29, 2006
"Rarity of integrity in public life"
By Mary Raftery in The Irish Times
He was accused of corruption, of taking bribes, being an alcoholic and sleeping around. Pretty hairy stuff, if you happen to be the UK foreign office's youngest ambassador, a high flyer well on your way to a glittering career.
The story of Craig Murray, British ambassador to Uzbekistan from 2002 until 2004, is a salutary tale for anyone thinking of doing the right thing, of defending people against murder and torture, of standing up and speaking out in the face of duplicity, hypocrisy and evil."
http://www.craigmurray.co.uk/
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 03:15:00 PM
Shit...actual evidence, proper investigation and natural justice don't seem to count for much anymore do they?
So far just allegations and a total fuckup report from Ingram...who should be paying back HIS $500,000 for the completely indaquate report the he handed in. He was paid to get to the bottom of the matter, yet all he did was muddy the waters. Allegations are easy to make, and in this case they must be properly looked at...but all we have so far is a mobbing.
Take the allegations to the Police, get your Inquiry, reach some properly formulated conclusions and then you can have your man. I don't care if Feild was fucking babies...we still apply due process.
Still go ahead and finish crucifying the bugger..a mob lynchings are such a spectacle and make excellent buisness for the media.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 04:41:00 PM
Logix:
Due process for everyone except Noel Ingram - who you've been quite happy to smear all over the blogisphere over the last couple of weeks with the same avidity as the worse right-wing nuts. In case you didn't notice, Ingram didn't write the terms of reference and perhaps he could have delivered the report he initially expected to take a couple of weeks if he'd actually had any powers to compel witnesses to appear. And I suspect a highly regarded QC could have earned much more than 500K over the last nine months, if he hadn't got sucked into this farce in the first place.
Posted by Craig Ranapia : 8/30/2006 05:19:00 PM
Craig,
Ingram's report failed on it's own lack of performance. Also Inram made it fairly clear that the extended time it took was that he had other more urgent matters to attend to.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 06:05:00 PM
Field says: "Opponents are making more allegations, which I either reject as completely false or have no knowledge of."
But the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Helen Clark, says the situation for Field is "awful".
Who is telling the truth?
Posted by Anonymous : 8/30/2006 06:39:00 PM
Noddy: Yes, I think David Benson-Pope should have resigned - and I said so at the time (I also thought David Parker did the right thing by resigning immediately as a Minister in the face of the allegations against him, rather than having to be pushed - it showed he had a sense of probity and decency).
As for the Ingram Report, my thoughts are here. I don't think it was a whitewash - but Field's non-cooperation and the convenient unavailability of several witnesses (one of whom fled the country to avoid questioning) limited his ability to make a conclusive finding. But what it uncovered stinks more than badly enough IMHO.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 8/30/2006 07:59:00 PM
Logix:
I've taken stick from both the loony left and the rabid right for saying this, but Noel Ingram is about the only player in this bad joke who still has a shred of dignity. He honestly and honourably did the very best he could with *ahem* a very carefully crafted set of terms of reference, and key witnesses who were, shall we say, conveniently unhelpful. To be blunt, your attempt to smear him really destroys the credibility of your moral posturing.
Posted by Craig Ranapia : 8/30/2006 11:07:00 PM
The problem is, I/S we then get our MPs selected (or deselected) by the likes of Ian Wishart and yourself. Much as I respect your beliefs and integrity this is not democratic.
Our MPs are *our* representives and as such a mirror of us. My discomfort right now is that there are a series of unsubstantiated new allegations and many are rushing to make a new judgement.
I hear Mr. Brownlee is finally talking to the police, good. However, his reason is not that he believes he is privvy to a swathe of evidence of wrong doing but that the matter is of "great public interest". That's what I call mealie words.
With regards to Ingram, during his investigation I heard nobody suggest that the terms of reference were too narrow or that he didn't have enough scope to carry out his work. That is all very retrispective commentary.
The stuff Ingram *did* reveal certainly warrants TPFs removal as a minister but I would like to see more information before the people of Mangere are deprived of their elected representative.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 08:48:00 AM
As I/S has noted, some things are more important than being in power.
The comparison with Ian Wishart is an underhand smear, and yet another desperate piece of posturing from a party hack. I'd naively assumed that the fantasy of politics as a form of Special Olympics was confined to hardline Bush and Brash supporters. Evidently there's a rather creepy and patronising wing of the Labour party which holds similar views re. 'their' Pacific Islanders. Fortunately there's a rising generation in Mangere which appears to know better.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 10:42:00 AM
"The comparison with Ian Wishart is an underhand smear"
Eh, why? The idea is to bring current high feelings about TPF into sharp relief (or are you suggesting I am smearing Wishart).
And if I were a "party hack" my position this week would surely be "this is awful he must go" or "I can't possibly comment".
I don't apologise for seeing some wider implications about not waiting for allegations to be more fully substantiated. Other than that woppo, you make some pretty crappy assumptions.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 11:26:00 AM
Anyway, seems there is a police investigation as a result of the "toothless" Ingram report and Field is being stood down during it. That is good.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 12:07:00 PM
by the sounds of it may well be less as a result of the toothless ingram report and more as a result of the toothy "sunday programme".
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 01:10:00 PM
Or Anon you could read the article:
The advice came after consideration of the Ingram report into Mr Field's conduct.
...
A police spokesperson said: "The investigation will include assessing relevant information and will include looking at allegations raised over the weekend on TVNZ's Sunday programme."
Posted by Anonymous : 8/31/2006 04:16:00 PM
i think that taito phlip field is inocent people might be just jeaulous and probablly a rumor
Posted by Anonymous : 11/27/2006 02:44:00 PM
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