Questions continue to be asked about the Herald on Sunday story on Green MP Mojo Mathers. The HOS story reported a trip by Mathers to Masterton to attend a radio interview, and included critical comments by Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.
Williams’ criticism of Mathers has unleashed a storm of condemnation, and Williams is now claiming that his organisation did not generate the story. He says he was approached for comment on Mathers’ trip by a journalist. His claim that the NZTU had nothing to do with the story, and that all he did was respond to a request for comment, is the classic “I’m not an idiot trying to be Machiavelli, I’m just an idiot” defence.
If Williams is telling the truth, then where did the news story come from? Who alerted the journalist Patrice Dougan to Mathers’ trip? Was it an enemy of the Greens? Was it someone in National giddy with plans after watching too many back-to-back episodes of House of Cards?
Or was something far more sinister going on?
Relentless blog commenter and tireless defender of what-exactly-it-is-we’re-not-sure, Pete George, has now posted on his site evidence that suggests that maybe, just maybe, the Greens were behind the whole thing. George doesn’t actually accuse the Greens of setting the whole thing up, but the insinuation is clear. This was a Greens hit, done to discredit a political opponent (the Taxpayers’ Union), and paint one of their MPs in a favourable light.
But I don’t buy this. It’s an odd accusation. Isn’t it natural that the Greens would jump up and down the moment one of their MPs was smeared? The reaction of the Greens and their supporters to the attack on Mathers is entirely consistent with feelings of genuine anger and dismay.
So it’s an odd accusation for George to make, even if he doesn’t actually accuse the Greens directly. What could he be up to? Who put him up to publishing that blogpost? Who exactly is Pete George working for?
Questions need to be answered, and it’s time for Pete George to come clean. He claims to no longer be involved with United Future, so who is he working for now? Is Pete George an operative for the ACT Party? Witness his energetic defence of ACT leader Jamie Whyte in this Kiwiblog thread. Could it also be a coincidence that many of the NZTU’s members have links to ACT?
If Pete George is an ACT operative, it would go a long way towards explaining why he chokes so many blog threads with his comments. Most political discussions involving ACT are negative ones, so it would make a lot of sense for someone within ACT to want to divert and derail as many of them as possible.
Update
I’ve just realised that I’ve been played. Pete George as an ACT operative? It’s absurd! Who stands to gain the most from the demise of ACT? Labour and the Greens. Yes, it’s the Greens again. This was a hit by the Greens on ACT, carried out by Green Party operative Pete George, disguised as an ACT Party operative, in order to make people think that ACT were behind this whole disgusting episode, when in fact it was the Greens, pretending to be ACT, pretending to be Pete George, even though it really was Pete George in the end, acting as a proxy for the Greens.
Pete George, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Update 2
Wait, wait. Have I got this all wrong? Who on the right have been the most critical of the NZ Taxpayers’ Union? Matthew Hooton has had a crack at them, and National MP Tau Henare has been scathing in his postings on Twitter and Facebook. It’s good publicity for Henare, who has been on the outer for a while now and who may be under some pressure within National to retire. What’s the bet Henare and Hooton (a master of intrigues) planned the whole thing? I’m not sure what the reward for Hooton was, but I’m sure if we dig deep enough we’ll get to the truth.
Update 3
Could it go even deeper than this? Who stands to benefit most from Henare’s resurrection within the National Party? If Henare does enough to justify his existence within National he’ll be selected as their candidate for the Te Atatu electorate, and who would benefit most from running against Tau Henare? Phil Twyford, the Labour MP for Te Atatu. He’s got Henare’s measure and won comfortably against Henare in 2011. Better the devil you know, and all that.
To think, Phil, that I worked so hard for you in 2011, and then you did this.
Update 4
Wait… I know Phil. He didn’t do this. He’s far too decent a guy. But I have worked with him, including during the 2011 election. Could it be… could it… is this my doing?
Could I be responsible for this Herald on Sunday story?
But I have no memory of doing any such thing. Is it because what I did was so disgusting that my brain has simply wiped the memory?
How could I do such a thing? I’m a monster!
Imperator Fish 