Post by Rich80105On Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:48:45 -0700 (PDT), misanthropic_curmudgeon
Post by misanthropic_curmudgeonPost by EMBLabour should probably have kept their mouths firmly shut about Bill Liu
- all they have managed to do on this one is shoot
themselves in the foot /again/.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11274606
Does this latest revelation of Labour hypocrisy and ineptitude surprise anybody?
- Rick Barker was the driver behind Bill Liu buying
his citizenship off Labour, afterBill Liu donated
thousands to Barkers campaign
Didn't you read the article? Liu was not given citizenship until 2010
- by a National Minister.
Post by misanthropic_curmudgeon- Rick Barker ran publicly-funded political polling
from his Parliamentary office, using fake names,
and then lied about it
If true, what relevance does this have to concerns over Liu being
granted citizenship?
Post by misanthropic_curmudgeon- Rick Barker authorised the patently false and
misleading 'tax-swicth' pamphlet numbers Labour
used in their l;ast failed campaign which had
Labour not returning to surplus until 2019 and
borrowing squillions, despite saying they would
not. This brochure asked for people to vote
Labour, and therefore breached the rukes around
parliamentary expenses and electioneering: Labour
using the public purse for their own ends. Again.
- who sat right at the top of MP expenses
- etc ...
Again even if true this does not excuse National for their actions.
The point is Rich. Labour have been playing the puritan card.
Over a glass of milk.
While Labours Ministers trip to china sounds a little dubious.
Read on
Oh dear me, after all the sanctimony over so-called cash for access what do we find out this
morning from Jared Savage
that Donghua Liu gave money to the Labour party as well.
Plus added into that kicker is the fact that he hosted a government minister at the time, Rick
Barker, to a lavish dinner plus a visit to his company.
This is starting to make Labours beat up over Judith Collins glass of milk and a 20 minute dinner
in Beijing look like a Big Mac, chips and coke in comparison to Labour.
And this donation wasnt declared either
perhaps there will be a Police investigation into this
activity. It was illegal even back then to not disclose donations.
A wealthy Auckland businessman, whose links to the National Party led to a ministers resignation,
also made a secret $15,000 donation to the Labour Party and hosted a Cabinet minister at a lavish
dinner in China.
The Labour Party has previously accused the Government of cash for access deals with Donghua Liu,
who received citizenship after lobbying from National minister Maurice Williamson and whose hotel
was later opened by Prime Minister John Key.
But the Herald can reveal Liu, 53, also paid $15,000 at a Labour Party auction in 2007 for a book
signed by Helen Clark, the Prime Minister at the time, according to a party source.
The source said Liu also hosted Rick Barker, the then Internal Affairs Minister, at a dinner in his
hometown of Chongqing.
Mr Barker, who is now a regional councillor in Hawkes Bay, confirmed he was a guest at the dinner
and also visited Lius cement company while on holiday in China.
The Labour party passed the Electoral Finance Act in 2007 which forbade donations from overseas
residents
while they were taking donations from Dong Hua Liu.
The revelation that he later made a $15,000 donation to Labour comes after MPs attacked National for
cash for access deals with donors.
Labour leader David Cunliffe said he was unaware that Liu was a donor to his party, but that would
not change the criticism levelled at the National Government, which was that a minister of the
Crown involved himself in a police operational matter and its also the case that both the Prime
Minister and Minister of Immigration have been considering policy changes at the request of Mr Liu.
Mr Cunliffe doubted there was any connection between Lius residency bid and his donation two years
later.
Which isnt what he said about a donation to the National party two years after Dong Hua Liu gained
citizenship.
Labour are in trouble here, they will be thinking they can weather the storm, but if I know Jared
Savage he is sitting on more revelations. Watching them dance on the head of a pin will be fun to
watch.
As it stands here we have an undeclared donation of $15,000 an undeclared pecuniary interest in the
favour of Rick Barker from his time as a minister.
Keeping Stock notes:
Trevor Mallard got ejected from Parliament on 8th May for suggesting that Immigration Minister
Michael Woodhouse was offered cash by Liu at a meeting on immigration policy. Labours deputy leader
Grant Robertson has accused the Government of cronyism over Donghua Liu. And David Cunliffe himself
has accused the Government of a conflict of interest over Liu.
Was Trevor Mallard asking that question because of his knowledge of how Donghua Liu handles cash
donations? Were all of their attacks on the government based on their own knowledge of how Donghua
Liu does things?
Labour will be hoping there isnt more to come on this
.because their sanctimony and statements
previously on Dong Hua Liu will be force fed back to them.
http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2014/06/labours-credibility-liu/#more-140566