The allegations of sexual abuse, harassment and assault within the Labour Party are very serious. There are accusations of rape. There are accusations of workplace bullying. There are accusations of sex for promotions. The Labour Party is the largest party in the government, and the government is supposed to uphold the law. And yet, our most ‘open and transparent government’ is maintaining a brick wall of silence, allowing the alleged perpetrator to continue in his job, and providing no justice to the victims, at least one of whom has been hospitalised over her treatment.
Barry Soper calls Jacinda Ardern out on it.
Getting an answer out of Jacinda Ardern over the latest sex scandal to hit the Labour Party is like getting blood out of a stone.
The Prime Minister does what many leaders have done over the years: hide behind “process.” If they don’t want to front up, they appoint someone to look into something that’s already been looked into.
And that’s the case with the latest rumble.
A group of Labour women have complained about the actions of a worker, who if you listen to Ardern isn’t really a worker in the true sense of the word, because he doesn’t work for Parliament’s closed shop employer Parliamentary Service – one of the few government departments that you can’t search through the Official Information Act.
He works for the Labour Party even though the money to pay him comes from the taxpayer.
Where are you, Alison Mau of #metoonz? Where are you Lizzie Marvelly? Where are all the women who scream from rooftops when there is even a suggestion of sexual harassment… except when it comes from someone on the left?
Talking to one of the women who complained about the man’s behaviour, who was apparently exonerated in an internal party inquiry which is now subject to the review “process,” she felt helpless. It was a power imbalance, the party takes the side of the accused, she insists, leaving those who complained feeling powerless.
So our government, supposedly concerned about the wellbeing of its people, backs the perpetrator of a sex scandal, leaving the victims to rot, because whoever this person is, he is clearly very high up in the party hierarchy.
Also this government, that promised to be the most ‘open and transparent’ government ever, is deliberately obfuscating, covering up and hiding behind ‘process’ and reviews so that they are not forced to tell the truth about what are clearly accusations of criminal acts.
There’s 12 of them and when they complained they claim they were told the accused’s too valuable and their hands were tied.
So if you want to commit crimes and get away with it, go and work for the Labour party, get as high up as possible in the party hierarchy and then go for it… because that it what seems to be happening here.
This from a party who promised transparency like we’ve never seen before. From a party that’s adamant it won’t countenance bullying, let alone sexual harassment.
It’s the holier than thou attitude that has left these women – who believed they would have been taken seriously – feeling bereft, unsupported and frightened.
A NEWSPAPER
These women do not just feel bereft, unsupported and frightened. These women are the victims of alleged crimes. The accused criminal works for the political party that runs our government… and the government is covering up the incidents, because the accused is ‘too valuable’.
The expression – “It is okay if the left do it’ just took on a whole new meaning, don’t you think?
