Shearer makes it up

David Shearer is sadly descending into the Trevor Mallard rulebook, and making things up. Andrea Vance at Stuff reports:

Earlier today Labour claimed a tape existed of Key giving speech to staff in cafeteria at the Government Communications Security Bureau’s Wellington headquarters in which he made a quip about Dotcom.

The prudent thing to do if you hear a claim like this, is to substantiate it. You file an Official Information Act request for the tape (or at least confirming the existence of it) or as an MP you can file a written question. Then when you get the answer, you trumpet it.

But just making stuff up, and trumpeting it in a press release, is risking being the Boy who cried wold.

Fletcher said “exhaustive enquries” at the GCSB have revealed no video tape.

And Shearer doesn’t even realise

Labour leader David Shearer had called on the GCSB or Key to confirm if the recording existed.

“There is one way to clear this up. The Prime Minister should give the green light to the agency to release any and all unclassified material about the visit and John Key’s comments to staff,” he said.

Does Shearer not even know the law? The PM is not needed to give a green light. The Official Information Act applies to the GCSB. They are listed in Schedule 1. Unless the material is classified, or otherwise meets a criteria for non-release, the GCSB is required by law to release the material. Also the Ombudsman can investigate and request and decision.

Newstalk ZB also has an interesting story on where Labour may be getting their information from.