Cracker by Damian Christie

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Cracker: Strike Nine (and counting)

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  • anth,

    I've just confirmed that no new categories have been added for Nobel Prizes recently. I'd started to wonder if the Sensible Sentencing Trust were hoping to win for Hypocrisy and ACT for Dysfunctional.

    Since Nov 2006 • 77 posts Report Reply

  • anth,

    Thing you have to realize about ACT is: It doesn't matter what 95% of the country think about anything.

    True, but they can't dismiss the opinions of the majority of people in Epsom quite so easily.

    Since Nov 2006 • 77 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    brain drain nadir...

    who's Hilary Calvert

    I think they need a Culvert Hillary
    - someone to climb them out
    of the gutter they're in...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    He had a reason, no-one commits that sort of serious fraud as a prank.

    Actually I could believe that bit. He's a bit of a dick, he was young, passport fraud wasn't such a thing back then as in the modern terrorism world.

    Btw, who's Hilary Calvert, whose page on the Act website can no longer be found, and is she likely to support Boscawen or Roy?

    Dunedin lawyer (as is her husband, Alistair Broad). Smart. I don't really know her at all, but I would guess that she might tend towards Roy.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Btw, who's Hilary Calvert, whose page on the Act website can no longer be found, and is she likely to support Boscawen or Roy?

    The most I've heard comes via Dim-Post comments:

    The next one on the ACT list (Hillary Calvert) is a staunch neo-lib who will support Roy and Douglas and reject the Garrett/Hide authoritarian stuff. The tide may turn, and ACT return to being a party of principles (albeit the wrong ones).

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Actually I could believe that bit. He's a bit of a dick, he was young, passport fraud wasn't such a thing back then as in the modern terrorism world.

    But it's such an awfully elaborate and highly risky length to go to for a prank. As that woman interviewed in the Herald said - it involves so much preparation and so many opportunities to be caught out. And, okay, they didn't have Al-Qaeda in the seventies but passport fraud still wasn't a merry whim of idle youth, you know?

    It's not even that I don't believe someone would be that idiotic. It's that I'm kind of gobsmacked someone who would do something that idiotic is an elected representative of my country.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Strike 3, perjury with intent

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4133210/Crucial-information-omitted-in-Garrett-case

    He could be sent to jail for that, should be if there is any justice.

    Is there any chance of Garrett and / or Hide being done for misleading Parliament ? I suspect Labour will at least try to give it a go, even just to put more pressure on ACT, even if they know they won't succeed.

    Re: Hilary Calvert, even as an ACToid surely she can't be that stupid to want to chuck in a solid, stable job as a lawyer just to be a nobody in Parliament for the next 12 months or so ?
    Surely that's the political equivalent of a death wish ?

    Still, she'd probably be able to become eligible for assorted perks (heavily discounted travel, etc) as a former MP, so who knows ?

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • simon g,

    Who's Hilary Calvert? Somebody who can ring John Key tonight and say:

    "You want Rodney? Then you don't want Tashkoff.

    So here's the deal. For starters, an official delegation trip for two, to increase international cultural awareness, taking in Paris, Rome, Venice, maybe a Greek island, very nice this time of year ... "

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1333 posts Report Reply

  • David Hood,

    nd, okay, they didn't have Al-Qaeda in the seventies but passport fraud still wasn't a merry whim of idle youth, you know?

    He got the passport in 1984. To add context, 1985 was the Rainbow Warrior bombing. The late 70's was the Mr. Asia period (and I see from the Dom. Post that someone involved with that was found in the same police passport sweep that netted David Garret). So at the time false passports were definitely being used by very bad people to do very bad things.

    Dunedin • Since May 2007 • 1445 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Is there any chance of Garrett and / or Hide being done for misleading Parliament ? I suspect Labour will at least try to give it a go

    With Labour's record of flinging razor-edged boomerangs from the moral high ground (*cough* Philip Field, Shame Jones, Chris Carter *cough*), I'd say it's a dead cert. Not going to be pretty, though -- suspect we're going to be getting some Homerically epic over-sharing in the weeks to come.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    So at the time false passports were definitely being used by very bad people to do very bad things.

    Yes. But I don't think it was viewed by the general population the same way as it is now, despite passports probably being used that way.

    I mean we still had paper drivers licenses back then with no photo - and did for another decade or so.

    So I don't think the idea that he didn't think much of doing it in 1984 beyond "this would be cool if I could, lets see" doesn't seem unreasonable given that he he's a dick now and probably was one back then too.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    (*cough* Philip Field, Shame Jones, Chris Carter *cough*)

    We really need some sort of points based ranking system.

    Is this worse than Carter? Jones? Nup.

    Worse than Philip Field.... I think Philip takes it by a nose.

    Worse than Donna Awatere? Too close to call.

    Which political party comes out clean in these stakes? Worst the greens had was some legal but dodgy looking housing stuff about a decade ago? Then Labour and National fighting it out for second?

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Henry Harrison,

    Carry on Hari Hari
    Harry Harrison?
    I smell a Stainless Steel Rat!
    :- )

    No rat here - he's the latecomer, not us!

    see HH Birth name and other changes

    Talk about identity confusion!

    Wellington • Since May 2008 • 11 posts Report Reply

  • Sarah Horth,

    Is this worse than Carter? Jones? Nup.

    To you Kyle maybe, but to the family of that child this is far worse. Now they are reliving their grief all over again, and still have no apology from that man. And he lied in court.

    Seattle • Since Aug 2009 • 44 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    To you Kyle maybe,

    Actually I confused myself there and therefore typed it out wrong.

    This is certainly worse than Carter and Jones, by a big margin.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    Field didn't stand up at his selection meeting and announce, when asked when he wanted to be an MP: "for the bribe money of course. You gotta problem with that"

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Sarah Horth,

    This is certainly worse than Carter and Jones, by a big margin.

    That's a relief!

    Seattle • Since Aug 2009 • 44 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    Now they are reliving their grief all over again, and still have no apology from that man.

    I understood they had had an apology at the time, but haven't had an apology for the recent recurrence of its being made public.

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Grant McDougall,

    Garrett's just resigned from ACT.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report Reply

  • andrea quin,

    Lucy, here's a link to that study showing that it's really hard to tell someone else is drunk.

    And Kyle, if you are going to do rankings like that, you have to normalize for the number of MPs each party has available to make fuck-ups. If Garrett were the only idiot in ACT, that's still make 20% of ACT MPs idiots...

    Auckland • Since Dec 2009 • 44 posts Report Reply

  • George Darroch,

    This is certainly worse than Carter and Jones, by a big margin.

    Carter, Jones, Mallard, Benson-Pope, Peters, Bennett, Garrett. They all should have resigned from Parliament, served a punishment, and only then allowed back into parliament.

    I still don't know why Worth resigned earlier this year.

    WLG • Since Nov 2006 • 2264 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    From the Herald:

    Disgraced Act MP David Garrett has quit his party and conceded his political career is almost certainly over.

    However, Mr Garrett said in an interview with Radio New Zealand that was not his greatest concern.

    "The worst aspect of all of this is that those who have seen fit to do so have opened the wounds of the boy's mother and sister again.

    "As the person who inflicted those wounds in the first place, however unwittingly I must take ultimate responsibility for that."

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock,

    Actually I could believe that bit. He's a bit of a dick, he was young, passport fraud wasn't such a thing back then as in the modern terrorism world.

    But it's such an awfully elaborate and highly risky length to go to for a prank. As that woman interviewed in the Herald said - it involves so much preparation and so many opportunities to be caught out. And, okay, they didn't have Al-Qaeda in the seventies but passport fraud still wasn't a merry whim of idle youth, you know?

    It's not even that I don't believe someone would be that idiotic. It's that I'm kind of gobsmacked someone who would do something that idiotic is an elected representative of my country.

    So where do we draw the line on 'youthful hi-jinks/idiocy'?

    Shall we play spot the odd one out?

    Traffic cone on head.
    Stealing a steet sign.
    Knocking a hat off a copper's head and spending a night in the cells.
    Arrested for drunk and disorderly.
    Being involved with dodgy protest groups.
    Traffic offences in a great big fuck-off V8 or similar.

    Going to a graveyard and spending a considerable amount of time searching for the grave of a baby that was born and died very close to your own birthdate. Getting copy of birth certificate. Acquiring passport forms. Acquiring disguise and getting photos done in same. Acquiring useable false address. Acquiring referrees. Sending in forms and fee (not at all inconsiderable these days, dunno about 20 years ago).

    Which one of the above took a lot of planning and effort over a considerable amount of time, not to mention considerable financial outlay?

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • Keir Leslie,

    Actually I could believe that bit. He's a bit of a dick, he was young, passport fraud wasn't such a thing back then as in the modern terrorism world.

    Except he'd just read a novel about terrorism & dodgy passports. (What is it with right-wingers and an unhealthy obsession with Forsyth? Why do you never hear about MacLean inspired idiocy?)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Field didn't stand up at his selection meeting and announce, when asked when he wanted to be an MP: "for the bribe money of course. You gotta problem with that"

    No he didn't, but there are plenty of Labour MPs who don't have a lot of moral high ground to pose on if they're inclined to accuse Key of enabling sleaze.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

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