Obligatory Worth round up
by Jake Quinn
The NZ Herald’s Patrick Gower tells us: “The woman who laid a complaint with police against Richard Worth says he invited her to Parliament, hosted her in his ministerial capacity then took her to a hotel room he had arranged for her where a sexual encounter took place.”
While Audrey Young reports on a separate case of alleged wrong doing: “She alleges that Dr Worth offered her [Not Audrey, good lord – but the complainant] a job as his ethnic adviser and as a board member – on the Lottery Grants Board, Mr Goff says – and that she received about 40 text messages and 60 phone calls from him. “Several of the phone calls made by Dr Worth to me were vulgar, sexually explicit, and I believe were made when he was drunk,” the statement says. She said he started ending his texts with “xxx”.”
Meanwhile Dr Worth insists: “I have not committed any offence. I am presently cooperating fully with the police and will continue to do so… I maintain that I am innocent of any crime.”
Last night Prime Minister John Key spoke to RNZ Checkpoint’s Mary Wilson. It is worth a listen. The transcript is here. Key begins by saying he will not have a private meeting with Goff’s source (the complainant) and that she should go public with her evidence. Mary Wilson presses him for about 30 seconds. He then changes his mind suggesting that perhaps a meeting would be a good idea, after all. Moments later, Goff tables the evidence (text msgs etc) in Parliament. Mary Wilson shows herself in this interview as one of New Zealand’s most effective political interviewers.
xxx
Update: Cartoon from the Herald’s Rod Emmerson:
Life and Politics 
I have never heard anyone senior in politics performing so poorly as Key did in that interview. It was remarkable.
Mary owned him.
His office was spewing. They phoned RNZ afterwards crying about how evil Miss Wilson didnt let him speak.
Hmm no, he just didnt answer the questions until forced to…every single time.
Mary isnt complicated. She wont be intimidated and wont accept fudgy, weak answers..how difficult is that for pollys to grasp?
And what IS this week delay John??…did you really need a week of contemplation to then conclude it was necessary to appear decisive.