This book is even worse. I could spend most of the week detailing the untruths in it, but frankly there is no need. Just take a few.
He claimed the Taxpayers’ Union paid out a sexual harassment complaint against the CE. The TU Chair, Ruth Richardson, has put out a release saying she has consulted every former chair (and me), and can conclusively say that there was not only no payment in a sexual harassment case, there was no complaint. Call me old fashioned – but isn’t printing a false claim in a book without verification, umm dirty politics?
He claimed I supplied data from the National Party to the TU for their affordable housing campaign. This is 1000% false. It never ever happened (or would ever ever happen). The TU purchased some property data from a commercial property company. What sort of so called journalist publishes such an allegation without checking first?
He claimed he only started the book after the TU did a release in mid 2023 saying he was writing a book on them. He claimed former staff contacted him after that. This is false. He contacted former staff aggressively and persistently before then. I’ve seen the e-mails!
He claims I pushed the TU into engaging on the Three Waters issue as some sort of Maori bashing exercise. Again false. I did agree that the TU should engage on Three Waters, but on the issue of accountability – that if you have half the overseers of water companies not democratically accountable that is bad public policy – and that it would apply equally if the proposal was that Federated Farmers appoint half the overseers.
He claimed a former Chair left because of a change in the mission statement. False. The Chair had resigned before that change was debated and made. I could carry on and on.
Basically what we have learnt is that a hard left activist doesn’t like the Taxpayers’ Union. Hold the presses!
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
He claimed I supplied data from the National Party to the TU for their affordable housing campaign. This is 1000% false. It never ever happened (or would ever ever happen). The TU purchased some property data from a commercial property company. What sort of so called journalist publishes such an allegation without checking first?
He claimed he only started the book after the TU did a release in mid 2023 saying he was writing a book on them. He claimed former staff contacted him after that. This is false. He contacted former staff aggressively and persistently before then. I’ve seen the e-mails!
He claims I pushed the TU into engaging on the Three Waters issue as some sort of Maori bashing exercise. Again false. I did agree that the TU should engage on Three Waters, but on the issue of accountability – that if you have half the overseers of water companies not democratically accountable that is bad public policy – and that it would apply equally if the proposal was that Federated Farmers appoint half the overseers.
He claimed a former Chair left because of a change in the mission statement. False. The Chair had resigned before that change was debated and made. I could carry on and on.
Basically what we have learnt is that a hard left activist doesn’t like the Taxpayers’ Union. Hold the presses!
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
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