TVNZ’s Sunday on Field

Timing is often crucial in politics, and for Labour the fact the Field issue is still “alive” at tthe same time as their illegal pledge card, which they are seeking to retrospectively legislate, is highly problematic.

Each individual makes the Goveernment look tolerant of corruption and/or self-seeking. Battling both at the same time just makes the perception even worse. I suspect Labour may have to soon decide to concede on one issue, so it can improve its chances on the other. And given the choice between paying back $800,000 or letting Field go, I think I know which choice it will be.

That is made easier by tonight’s Sunday programme on Field. On it Field asserted again he had been cleared, vindicated and exonerated. This is nonsense of course and back in July I documented 44 instances in the Ingram Report which were criticial of Field.

His former electorate agent has said:

* Field (one of Parliament’s wealthier MPs) often took money from people who came to see him for assistance
* No receipts were ever given out for this money
* Field once tried to hide a $100 bill that he had just received from a elderly constituent
* she has no doubt that the e-mail instructing a staffer to hand half their salary over to the MPs wife was authorised by Field
* Field once instructed the date of birth on a Samoan birth certificate to be altered

A former Labour Party officer also said that many of Field’s own constituents couldn’t get in to see him, as he was so busy with immigration matters for people outside his electorate.

Also A Thai immigrant said that she had worked on and renovated no less than three houses for Field.

Finally Sunday also highlighted that his evidence to the Ingram Inquiry about whether he told Siriwan that he had work for him to do in Samoa was contradicted by what he said in a TV interview last September about having him “working on our project”.

The truth will only come out with a proper inquiry with powers to obtain documents and have witnesses testify.