David Farrar: Where is the Bob Carr defamation suit?

Readers will recall that the media reported breathlessly the statement by former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr that he was intending to sue Winston Peters for defamation after Peters said Carr was a pawn of China, or similar.

The media even got the letter from Carr’s lawyers 90 minutes before it was actually sent to Peters. For days this was reported as a major scandal, and the Labour Party even declared that Peters must be sacked as Foreign Minister for his comments. I noted here that what Peters said was hardly novel, and was something that even Carr’s former colleagues had said. But the media portrayed Peters as being under huge pressure because of this.

Well it is now over 45 days since Carr said he intended to sue, and he hasn’t yet (as I predicted). Perhaps the media who got leaked early a copy of his lawyer’s letter to Peters, could ask Mr Carr what is happening?

David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders.