Paddy Gower's revenge

The old saying is that "a week is a long time in politics". 

It hasn't even taken a week for the tide to go out on Labour leader David Shearer. At 6pm last Thursday, 3News' lead story was the allegation that John Key joked about Kim Dotcom in the GCSB staff canteen. The story was fronted by Patrick Gower.

Fast forward by just five days, to Tuesday night; Gower reports:

Labour leader David Shearer says his party has “asked the question” of the Prime Minister, by claiming that John Key was recorded mentioning Kim Dotcom at the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) before the date Mr Key says he first knew about the man behind Megaupload.

But an increasingly stressed Mr Shearer now faces serious questions himself. The central one is: was a recording actually made? Did the GCSB tape ever actually exist?

Mr Shearer claims it did, so 3 News asked Mr Shearer's Labour colleagues if they knew where the tape was.

Labour MP Trevor Mallard says he doesn’t know.

“I don't know if it does exist, I’ve seen no evidence of it existing - but I know John Key told lies,” he says.

And if Mr Shearer was looking for support and undivided loyalty, he didn't get it from leadership rival David Cunliffe.

“I haven't had that information - I’m not sure what information he's got,” Mr Cunliffe says. “I have no idea.”

In Parliament today, Mr Key implied Mr Shearer was backing away from his claim.

“Now he says it’s not about the video – apparently it's not about the video.”

Labour MP Andrew Little – another Labour leadership rival – thinks the tape has been deleted, but other Labour MPs aren't sure what is going on.

“I've had a gutsful in my career of talking about video tapes – believe you me,” says Shane Jones.

Darien Fenton says it’s a question “for Mr Key to answer”.

But Mr Shearer really did struggle to explain himself today.

“I am not going to be talking about my sources, thank you.”

What Mr Shearer is really missing in this saga is a smoking gun – a tape, evidence, proof – that will show the Prime Minister up. But Mr Shearer has largely failed on that front – and Mr Key knows it.

John Key does indeed know that David Shearer has failed to back up his claims. So does leadership rival David Shearer who said on One News last night that he would "leave it up to the public to judge" whether Shearer had shot his bolt. And on 3News, neither Cunliffe, nor Trevor Mallard nor Andrew Little could bring themselves to endorse their leader; check this out:

And for Patrick Gower to have turned so quickly against Shearer is significant. Clearly, Labour took a scoop to 3News, and 3News obliged with the requisite level of hype. But Shearer's claim was a smoke-and-mirrors one, and it would appear that Gower is now exacting his journalistic revenge.

And where does this leave Fran Mold, David Shearer's chief press secretary? Let's not forget that even though she is an employee in the office of the Leader of the Opposition, her salary is paid by the taxpayer via Parliamentary Services; by you and by us. She is hopelessly conflicted, and not only has the scoop she pedalled to the media turned into a damp squib, but she has ramped up the pressure on her boss, and given fresh ammunition to those who want to see Shearer replaced. There seems to be no way that she can continue in her role and retain any credibility.

 

If only David Shearer had stuck to his pledge of no "gotcha" politics and left the mud-slinging to those who love it. But having made his bed, he now has to lie in it; and we suspect that he is sleeping very fitfully.