Field scandal takes back seat to funding

Taito Phillip Field

The Phillip Field affair is likely to take a back seat in Parliament this week to the election spending issue that has plagued Labour and other parties for the past two weeks.

But National's attack over Labour's taxpayer-funded pledge card will be put on hold till Wednesday.

Parliament resumes tomorrow after a two-week break, but is expected to rise immediately after tributes are paid by party leaders to the Maori Queen, Dame Te Atairangikaahu.

Cabinet has been postponed until tomorrow because of the funeral.

Sources suggest that while National will not back off entirely from its attack on Mr Field following an inquiry into his dealings with immigrants, its primary focus this week will be election spending by political parties and Labour's handling of it.

Labour has proposed retrospective legislation to validate any expenditure the Auditor General concludes is unlawful in his final report into taxpayer spending on publicity by parties in the three months before the 2005 election.

Prime Minister Helen Clark says validating legislation may be required for 15 or 16 years, however, and cover an amount as high as $350 million.

And after the Herald condemned retrospective legislation, Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen hinted that retrospective tax legislation before the House, benefiting the Herald's owners, APN, might be in jeopardy.

Meanwhile, former Labour Prime Minister Mike Moore criticises Mr Field in an opinion piece published in today's Herald, describing him as an ex-trade union official who employed vulnerable people "to increase the value of his many properties at exploitative low-pay rates."

He suggests that rational thinking has given way to a misguided sense of loyalty from the Samoan community.

"No sense of shame and no logical examination of the facts."

Mr Moore says an effect of MMP has been to reduce the scrutiny of each other by competing political parties in case they are needed in coalition-building.

He also says that the way politics is covered by the media brings out the worst in politicians, and that "sleaze seems too easily forgiven".

"That's why politicians, like babies' nappies, need changing from time to time, and for the same reasons."