Felix Marwick has reported that yet more evidence has emerged about Phil Goff’s role in the “gone by lunchtime” non-quote that he shopped tot he nedia against Don Brash.
Leaked US diplomatic cables are casting fresh doubt about the”gone by lunchtime” phrase famously attributed to Don Brash.
A cable written by former Ambassador Bill McCormick in November 2006 said Mr Goff had misquoted a MFAT staffer’s notes when he claimed the then leader of the National Party had promised the anti-nuclear policy would be gone by lunchtime if his party won the election.
Now another embassy cable, from 2004, backs up that assertion.
The summary of the meeting between US officials and Don Brash and Lockwood Smith says the Kiwi politicians did say the legislation had a negative impact on our defence forces.
But the cable says they also offered little hope the New Zealand public would be willing to see the legislation scrapped.
This is now the second Wikileaks cable that proves that Phil Goff either lied about the quote, or he either wilfully or carelessly misquoted Don Brash.
We really are getting a long term pattern of behaviour from Phil Goff now, where he says one thing, evidence then proves him wrong and he spins out of control covering up what he said before.
Phil Goff broke longstanding foreign diplomacy conventions to smear the Leader of the Opposition with ‘Gone By Lunchtime’. This smear was subsequently proved to be a lie by the release of the Wikileaks documents. Now it has been proved wrong again. He defended the breach at the time.
Phil Goff: “If an MFAT official released something that they were not entitled to release, that would be against the internal rules and procedures. In these reports Dr Brash is not a young player, he’s 63 years old. He knows there’s an official recording of what he says. Maybe it was naivety on his part, but I’m afraid that when you indulge in that sort of deceit then you are likely to be caught out.“Q:Is this an example of one law for all?
Phil Goff: “If I’m caught out in anything I say that is not consistent then I should face the consequences.”
Phil Goff should honor his own words. He has been caught out again, just like on the SIS briefing issue. He is constantly being caught out, he must face the consequences.
