OPINION
Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick has hit back at ex-Green MP Darleen Tana's claims she was unfairly treated, saying “feelings are one thing … but facts are another”.
It follows a 1News exclusive sit-down interview with Tana yesterday, where she faced questions about what she knew and when, and whether she will resign from Parliament after a Green Party-instigated independent investigation over allegations of migrant worker exploitation at Tana’s husband’s business.
The investigation found she "likely" knew about the allegations prior to disclosing them to the party. As a result of the report – which has not yet been made public – the Green Party caucus unanimously agreed to ask Tana to resign from Parliament.
Tana resigned from the Green Party but remains – for now – as an independent MP. In the interview, Tana said she was “silenced” and “isolated” by the party during the investigation, ambushed at a caucus meeting that would decide her fate, and that she was “out” of her husband’s business.
[...] Asked if Tana’s feelings about the way the party treated her were valid, Swarbrick said: “Sure, feelings are one thing, but again, the facts are another.”
[...] Swarbrick said the executive summary of the report had been provided to all named parties and she had “absolutely not” leaked it to the media herself.
“That’s laughable.”
[...] Swarbrick did not want to “speculate” on who leaked the report.
[...] Asked if Tana had been right to have felt isolated, Swarbrick said she could not speak for Tana but the “core point” was that the report would not have been required if Tana had been “upfront and honest” with the co-leaders “from the get-go”.
[...] 1News has seen a statement from Tana’s lawyer which was sent to the Green Party today.
[...] It said while Tana and her representation had previously advised the party it viewed releasing the report or any part of it would breach Tana’s privacy, the party had already made public statements that went far beyond what the report said, and in itself constituted a “flagrant” breach of Tana’s privacy.
“Darleen believes that it is now necessary for the executive summary to be released in order to mitigate some of the damage arising from the misinformation that has been put into the public domain.”
OK, so now reality trumps feelings.
So I guess Chlöe is now going to stop referring to men in dresses as real women just because they ‘feel’ or ‘identify’ as real women. Right Chlöe?
Or should we say that because Tana feels or identifies as being hard-done by, it means that in reality she has been hard-done by.
Rule 4 of Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky says, “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” So, Chlöe, are you going to live up to your own book of rules?
And if not can we take that for you from now on, like for the rest of us, reality trumps feelings?
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