Big ‘no’ from Peters over tycoon donation rumour
Peters denies secret donations
%26bull; Blog: Peters loses his rag at the media again
Got that? - n-o, he said, helpfully spelling the word on a cardboard sign.
Back in Wellington after a trip to Africa and South Korea, Mr Peters called a press conference to reject rumours that Mr Glenn, a billionaire philanthropist who gave Labour $500,000 before the last election, also gave to NZ First.
He also rejected suggestions that Mr Glenn was about to be made honorary consul to Monaco and said party president Dail Jones was wrong to think there was a mystery donation of close to $100,000 in December.
As usual, it was all the medias fault. Never mind that Mr Glenn confirmed giving to another party then refused to rule out NZ First; that Mr Jones said he tried unsuccessfully to track the source of the December deposit and that Prime Minister Helen Clark said Mr Glenn and Mr Peters had discussed the Monaco post.
No, it was just the media getting it wrong, and to prove it, Mr Peters rattled off some cowboy-style cliches.
We are not going to be climbing on a horse before weve got it saddled up … only a fool tests the water with both feet.
This was his way of saying it was yet to be decided whether to fill the Monaco post, vacant since 1996, let alone appoint Mr Glenn.
As for the so-called anonymous donation, NZ First treasurer Brent Catchpole had made it clear it was money from electorate accounts.
In any case, Mr Peters said the source of NZ First funds was nobodys business outside legal disclosure requirements of donations above $10,000, but he did concede some were from unknown sources.
We have had anonymous donations at $10 and $20 and $50 for a long, long time because there are some people who used to think, and its an attitude that still permeates New Zealand as a demography, that one day the communists might take over and they will be all in the firing line.
So, NZ First does get a few bob anonymously, but not from corporate types seeking grace and favour, just people scared of the commies.
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Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 8:28 pm under