More 'lies' about the pledge card

Attack is always considered the best form of defence, but will Helen Clark's attack on National help or hinder her I wonder: will it divert attention from her misappropriation of money to pay for her pledge card? Or will it ramp up the resulting call to "Pay it Back"?

Interestingly Don Brash told Nat Rad this morning that "Helen Clark stole the election," he demanded she pay it back, and he called for an early election -- perhaps the strongest statement yet from an opposition leader who has really begun to front-foot this issue.

That phrase on the Free Rad cover I helped put together just a few weeks ago now seems to have real legs.

Meanwhile, following Labour Party Secretary Mike Williams's admission last week that the Pledge Card was a "central part" of the Labour Party election campaign, the G-Man has begun transcribing tapes he made of Helen Clark addressing election meetings around Wellington, and in which she makes the same point. Says the transcriber:

If we are to believe that Labour were intending the pledge cards to be merely educational tools for dim-witted taxpayers who may be unaware of government policies, and that it was merely an absolute coincidence that a hotly fought election was a matter of weeks away, then why did Helen Clark have this to say to a public meeting [...] and then go on to outline over about half an hour how the pledge card was the centre-piece of their re-election campaign?

Visit G-Man to hear Labour hacks like Jordan Carter are now suggesting "did not solicit money, membership or votes."

Does he think we're all stupid? Yes, of course he does. In fact, he and his fellow hacks, and the PM-elect, are all relying on it. "Lies about the pledge card need to stop," says the hack, and I agree with him: the Labour Party should stop lying, and pay it back.

As it gets increasingly messy, I wonder how it will all play out in court come Darnton V Clark.

LINKS: Eh? - G-Man
Darnton V Clark site.
Labour looks at way to repay taxpayer cash - NZ Herald
Lies about the pledge card - (Just Left) Jordan Carter

RELATED: Politics-NZ, Politics-Labour, Politics-National, Darnton V Clark