Collins Judith: General Debate 
Collins Judith: General Debate 
[Volume:649;Page:18019] 
JUDITH COLLINS (National—Clevedon) 
: 
 We have just heard version No. 3 from the Rt Hon Winston Peters and we wonder how long it will be before we get version No. 4 as well. The issues around Owen Glenn Winston Peters New Zealand First and the Labour Government are a test of leadership for Helen Clark and today she has been found wanting. She has been found wanting. This issue is not just about Mr Peters and his behaviour. It goes to the heart of our constitution to our very democracy and to the very reason that we come here to pass laws and to represent New Zealanders. Helen Clark has sat in Parliament today and she has ducked and dived about whom to believe Winston Peters or Owen Glenn—because franklyboth of them cannot be right. One of them is absolutely wrong and Mr Peters’ third version of events today does not sound any better than version one or two. 
This afternoon members of Labour under Helen Clark’s leadership have made a mockery of our democracy. We have seen it—an absolute disgrace—as anything to shut down Mr Hide anything to stop the truth coming out. They have shown us exactly what is important to them. Michael Cullen let go in a little sort of unguarded moment a couple of months ago when he told a television reporter: “It’s all about power; you don’t understand—it’s all about power.” That pretty much sums up Helen Clark’s Labour Government—it is all about power. 
Today the National Party is saying that that price is too high far too high. Integrity has to mean something. It has to be more than words. It has to mean something. Helen Clark has chosen to look the other way while this Parliament and all the MPs in Labour are tarred with the same taint of deceit that they should not have to bear because they should live up to the vision of a new standard of accountability that she promised New Zealand in 1999. Instead the new standard of accountability that we have is the lowest standard of accountability I would say that this Parliament has ever seen in all its years. This is the same Minister of Foreign Affairs who is happy to traipse around the Pacific lecturing other countries about democracy human rights and the rule of law. Yet today we have seen an absolute travesty in the rule of law in this country. We have seen this Parliament held in contempt by the very Government that seeks to govern us and that is a disgrace—that is a disgrace. 
What we know about Mr Glenn is that he donated money to the Labour Party and good on him for doing so if that is what he wanted to do. It was his money. He donated money to pay for Winston Peters’ fees. He said that too. Yet we have all these different versions of events. And poor old Mr Glenn who does not want a lot out of the world—he already has a lot of money—wanted to be the consul to Monaco. That is what he wanted. He wanted a bit of credibility and he wanted a gong at the end of his name and he got that except he did not get the Monaco job. And what happened when he went to the Auckland University to open the Owen G Glenn Building for the business school? Helen Clark was there. He was there in his cloak—he was a very important man that day—but he got snubbed like no one else has been snubbed. 
The person who did the dirty work for Helen Clark was Trevor Mallard—always “Mr Dirty Work” for Helen Clark. He had to go and bully poor old Owen Glenn who was there as proud as Punch because he had donated over $7 million and he thought he was right and he was great. The photo that hit the front page of the  
New Zealand Herald  
was of 
poor old Owen Glenn being bullied by Trevor Mallard—“Mr Bully-boy”. That is what we can say about the treatment that they have meted out to Owen Glenn. And Owen Glenn does not want to get himself into trouble he wants to tell the truth and so he has. His letter that was emailed to the Privileges Committee says it all really. He thought he was helping the Labour Party—the Labour Party and Helen Clark. He thought he was being helpful; and Mr Peters was really kind: he thanked him for it at the Karaka sales. Obviously Mr Glenn whom we already know cares about these things. He said he thanked him yet Mr Peters—