Letting her off easy

As I noted yesterday the Prime Minister quite simply invented total falsehoods in Parliament yesterday to try and divert attention from her taxpayer funded election over-spending.

She claimed Murray McCully had editorial control of the Exclusive Brethren pamphlets. Now this is a very specific and serious allegation. Her accusation, if not an invented falsehood of her fevered imagination, is very serious.

Now the Herald has done a story on this, but nowhere do they express even a hint of criticism that the PM simply invented a blatant lie. They merely report on the exchange as a she said, he said, she withdraws.

I’m sorry but why have the media not demanded the Prime Minister reveal why she made the very specific allegation involving a specific MP. Where are the questions like “Prime Minister, what was the factual basis of your statement that Murray McCully had editorial control of the Brethren pamphlets” and then “Did you simply make it up?” and “Do you believe that telling lies about MPs is a good way to distract attention from the issue you were being questioned over?”

Even if the gallery can’t get hold of the PM during the week (I hear she doesn’t answer her cellphone much anymore) then hopefully some of them will ask her at Monday’s press conference whether she had even a shred of evidence for her statement in Parliament. And also not to let her off with a snicker and a general retort about how it was an educated guess. But to keep asking her if there was any factual basis at all for her claim against McCully.

Unless of course people think that one shouldn’t hold to account the elected Prime Minister of NZ for her comments.