Thursday, June 30, 2016



Ignoring the Ombudsman

Last week, the Ombudsman issued a damning report on Paula Rebstock's witch-hunt at MFAT, finding that it was a total hatchet job which ignored evidence and slandered innocent public servants. The Ombudsman recommended a public apology and compensation for Rebstock's defamation (something she sadly won't have to pay for out of her own pocket). State Services Commissioner Iain Rennie's response? An unenthusiastic "we'll think about it". Meanwhile, Paula Bennett, the Minister in charge of SSC, claims the report has been "misinterpreted" (a claim which shows that she is basicly illiterate), while Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully, who along with Rennie instigated and oversaw this debacle and defamed its victims afterwards is refusing to admit that the public servants have had their names cleared and are owed an apology.

In short, it looks like the government is planning to ignore the Ombudsman and reject the report. that would be crossing a constitutional Rubicon - the Ombudsman is one of our ultimate backstops, and their "recommendations" are always implemented. But that would embarass top National Ministers and a key crony (not to mention lead to public demands that she repay the $208,907 she was paid for her hatchet-job), so obviously the political needs and sensitive egos of the government of the day trump that.

Just another example of how National abuses power, and why they should never be trusted to hold it. We need a new government, one which will respect the checks and balances of our democratic system, rather than running roughshod over them. We need to get rid of National.