KEY POINTS:
National MP Shane Ardern has fired a shot at "arrogant" outsiders who tried to influence his party and called on them to support National through the "normal channels".
In an unusual outburst, Mr Ardern said yesterday that some of the help National had been given recently had not been helpful at all.
He was not referring solely to the Exclusive Brethren.
"The problem we've had is that there is a group of people throughout New Zealand who are at the sharp end of the corporate sector who have become so arrogant that they believe they know best - and that clearly we don't - and so they will influence the party from outside in a way that will achieve the best outcome," Mr Ardern said. "And it hasn't."
Mr Ardern, the MP for Taranaki/King Country, made the comments yesterday as questioning about the contents of Nicky Hager's book The Hollow Men continued.
A feature of the book is the sheer number of outside groups and individuals who were in contact with and lobbying former National Party leader Don Brash.
In one section, the book alleges the wealthy South Island Talley family offered to pay $1 million to set up a secret company which would hire advisers outside National to repackage Dr Brash. The plan did not go ahead.
Mr Ardern said his comments were not a reference to the Hager book.
Asked if he thought Dr Brash had been captured by outsiders during his tenure as leader, Mr Ardern was circumspect.
"I'm not going to mention any names or anybody who might have been captured by people.
"I'm simply saying that to those out there who want to see National do well, get behind the party and support us through the normal channels."
Mr Ardern said the arrogance "has haunted us for some time".
Prime Minister Helen Clark said last night that the way National conducted itself during the election made a case for changes to campaign financing laws, which Labour is now working on.
Asked if she expected the support of National under new leader John Key for the proposals to make donations more transparent, the Prime Minister said there would be discussions with other parties.
"The question is whether the National Party, having seen the terrible damage it does itself with this untransparent election funding, is prepared to enter into that," she said.
National's new leader said he would read Hager's book as soon as he got a chance.
Mr Key said that evidence in the book that he received an email from the Exclusive Brethren on May 24 last year was inaccurate, and that he never saw the email.
He received one in August from the Brethren which he did not open because it was about health and National was about to announce its policy.
