Richard Prebble
Columnist, former cabinet minister and ACT Party leader.
Whenever Hager publishes one of his hit jobs, it reminds me that I once was a target. The memory makes me burn with shame.
Hager wrote that Roger Douglas and I were part of conspiracy to appoint Don Brash, Governor of the Reserve Bank.
If Hager had done any checking before publishing, he would have learned that when Brash was appointed governor, it was not an appointment of the finance ministers. Reserve Bank governors were appointed by the governor-general in council, that means the prime minister.
David Lange knew Don Brash and believed he had the character to be governor. Lange exercised his prerogative to appoint him.
I only knew Brash from the media. I opposed his appointment.
Don Brash turned out to be our greatest governor. He gave the country many years of low inflation.
No one likes to admit they were wrong.
If Hager had put his allegation to me, something he never does, I would have admitted my mistake.
Instead of buying his new book I immediately donated to the Taxpayers’ Union, who have saved the country millions of dollars by exposing government waste and extravagance.
This article was originally published by I’ve Been Thinking.
