So at last a further inquiry into the Taito Phillip Field saga is getting underway, with the police investigation issues raised by the Ingram report and the subsequent allegations. We'll be generous to them and ignore the fact that they stated at the time of the report that there was nothing that they needed to investigate further, but one must note how favourable to the government this timing is...setup nokia6670

Anyway, this inquiry is expected to last months, and quite likely will stretch into next year. In the meantime, Field is on leave from Parliament - still collecting his $150,000 salary, but with no duties to perform.setup nokia6670

While further investigation is welcome, the problem is that Field's alleged indescretions have always been more morally wrong than illegal. As David Farrar pointing out recently, it is perfectly legal for an MP to accept donations from constituents that they are helping, but it is morally repugnent.setup nokia6670

I suspect that the changes of charges being laid are very low, and even if they are, the chance of a conviction is even less. Quite possibly it will find that (yet again) there is a prima facie case, but it is not worth pursuing. Of course, that would be the perfect result for the opposition. It will allow the issue to drag on even further, making it clearer how corrupt this government has become.setup nokia6670

Posted by Dave Bryant at 1:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0) setup nokia6670