Peters Winston: General Debate 
Peters Winston: General Debate 
[Volume:649;Page:17779] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Today we move from  
Alice in Wonderland 
 to  
The 
Wizard of Id 
 taken appropriately from the  
Dominion Post 
. One can see the town crier saying “6 o’clock and time for lies distortions and half-truths”. The bystander says “What happened to the news?” and the town crier says “This is the news”. For once a newspaper is right but it is not in the news columns. Fair-minded New Zealanders are outraged and appalled at the concerted effort by the mainstream media to usurp the democratic process. The media certainly have a part to play in informing the public but seldom has the fourth estate sunk to such depths as it has in the past few weeks. We have seen the least accountable group in society—the media—take upon itself the combined roles of police judge jury and Parliament as well as that of the electorate. Chris Trotter who is not a New Zealand First supporter has put his finger on the heart of the matter— 
Hon Dr Nick Smith 
: Just tell us where the money went. 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: —the member should take his Valium—and I quote: “Their purpose is not to see him punished for past wrongs (the time for prosecuting any such breaches of the Electoral Act has long since expired). No what Mr Peters’ enemies want to make sure of in the here and now is that no one steps forward to fund his 2008 campaign. They want to drive him and his party out of Parliament. That is the real story about Winston Peters and New Zealand First.” In other words the hidden purpose of the onslaught on New Zealand First is to undermine our democracy. They are trying to put us away in the vain hope that a certain political party can govern on its own after the election. It is a certain political party with a hidden agenda that keeps popping up out of the shadows; a certain political party that hides behind a yellow coat when it comes to question time. 
The sheer effrontery and hypocrisy of my accusers is breathtaking. We all know that in this House on display over the past 24 years have been some of the best political parties that big business can buy. Do members remember 1996 when ACT got nearly $3 million through a secret trust? Look what they have ended up with for $3 million. It was no bargain. They could have done better down at the Warehouse or The $2 Shop. 
I want to make something clear about the news that has been published about Bob Jones. Only one account of about a dozen published or broadcast was the truth of this matter. The  
New Zealand Herald  
on 29 July which was 5 days late of course published from Professor Malcolm Wright who was the only independent witness in the room the facts—and he confirmed them—which are that I was not in the room at the time; second I was angry upon my return when I found this matter had been raised; third I was not present when a cheque was written; and fourth advice to me confirms that any donation intended for New Zealand First from any source reached New Zealand First in compliance with electoral law at the time. 
Those are the facts not the spurious nonsense that I am putting up with from certain journalists in this country who will not share the so-called devastating information with even one other colleague. Kitchin will not even provide the cheque. Audrey Young will not even give over the emails—no she expects us to believe her. I gave her a chance to look at our books. She would not take me on and neither would her editor because she would have to resign when it was over. 
Chris Trotter confirmed something we had been told earlier from different sources. All of them are very reliable—in two cases right from the horse’s mouth. We were told New Zealand First was going to be taken out of this election; that big money was being offered for “any dirt on Winston Peters”. The facts do not matter in this smear campaign of innuendo; it will keep going until the election. They want us gone because we oppose foreign ownership. They want us gone because we do not want the lifeblood of New Zealand being sucked dry by leeches overseas. They want us gone because we want the elderly to have a pension they can live on. It is true just as the words from  
The Wizard of Id 
 are true: at 6 o’clock it’s time for the lies the distortions and half-truths—except that in the Land of the Long White Cloud they go round the clock.