Posts by Sacha
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Hard News: Barclay and arrogance, in reply to Tom Semmens,
factional horse trading
seems to underlie this Barclay debacle
#debarclay -
Media producer Tim Watkin on today's revelations.
Suddenly, remarkably, English had exposed Barclay as a liar. Not just a one-off liar today but, to the best of English's knowledge, it now seemed as if all the denials Barclay had made in public over the past year had been "misleading".
When asked then if Barclay had lied, English said: "You'd have to ask him".
That reply seemed to spell the end for Barclay. The first rule of scandal in government is circle the wagons and protect the Prime Minister. When the PM stops defending you, that usually means you're toast. And if you want things resolved quickly, you make sure you resolve things before the TV news at 6pm.
So when Todd Barclay called a stand-up for 5:50pm, it was assumed this was it. Barclay was going to resign.
It seemed National's only choice. But then, he didn't.
...
So why is Barclay hanging in, potentially raining down more damage on his party and leader? Why is [he] being allowed to remain? -
Hard News: Barclay and arrogance, in reply to Paul Campbell,
are there bodies buried in Dipton?
good question
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Hard News: Barclay and arrogance, in reply to Martin Brown,
I had to comb through The Harold online twice before finding a one-line slug on this story
They don't take well to being thoroughly scooped by their ex-editor.
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Hard News: Barclay and arrogance, in reply to Sacha,
From that latest Newsroom story:
In a statement today, Police’s Investigations Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Barclay.
“The investigation is now considered closed. If any new information is brought to the attention of police then that information will be assessed by the investigating officers as to its relevance to this case.”
This statement is now being questioned by experts.
When police press charges, the Solicitor-General’s Prosecution Guidelines are used to weigh up the chance of a successful conviction and if there is enough public interest to justify proceedings.
A senior police source told Newsroom that media reports around the issue suggested there was sufficient evidence, and it was a no-brainer there was immense public interest.
The source doubted there was political pressure not to prosecute Barclay.
Let's see the paper-trail around the decision not to prosecute.
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We deserve to hear more about why Barclay was able to make a police investigation go away by simply refusing to talk to the police
And more. From Audrey Young's story:
What we now also know about the OIA papers released by the police was that they were missing two vital pieces of information: a statement made to them by Bill English about the recording and the text messages between English and Davie.
Quite why those pieces of information were missing is yet to be explained by the police.
If the police want to avoid assumptions that they have withheld information that would be damaging to their political masters, they should release English's statement forthwith.
That's not enough. Let's hear which Police official decided to withold that material and on what basis. And who from the National Party they talked to in the process.
Also, how about opposition parties promise to establish an independent prosecution service that will act on complaints of political crimes rather than lick the boots of the establishment.
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Another good post on this at Te Wireless.
Wagner’s comments illustrated a critical way in which she is out of touch with our community. While disability may well be a dull portfolio she would like to leave on her desk for the afternoon, people living with disabilities cannot simply opt for a mini-break.
She seemed ignorant of the fact that her tweet’s quippy phrasing implied her work was drudgery she’d rather be rid of. She failed to see that her comments added to a long and painful history of disability being seen as a burden.
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Access: Being Inconvenient, in reply to izogi,
You'd be amazed how thoroughly disability stereotypes are embedded throughout public agencies, private sector and especially media/PR people who should as you say know better.
Thinking an apology shows weakness is another layer, sure.
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Access: Being Inconvenient, in reply to izogi,
you have to be able to grasp what was wrong about what you said.
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Hard News: Touching Waterview, in reply to Glen Koorey,
liability. legal adulthood, new health & safety act, etc