Simon Bridges bad week, month , year

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Networkn
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#2108904 16-Oct-2018 15:30

MikeB4:

@Bluntj where was it reported that he is suffering from a "mental breakdown"? which is an incorrect term. He was on sickleave for a while which given the intense pressure he was under it is understandable that he was experiencing stress at a level that temporarily affected his abilities to perform his duties.

Word for Word he said it himself during his press conference.

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#2108917 16-Oct-2018 15:33

Rikkitic:

If he truly isn't well, he should be left alone, though that may be difficult if he insists on running for public office. There have been suggestions that he does have a genuine nasty streak and that would also be another matter, but it might be hard to separate out from any other issues. I guess we just have to wait and see.

It's a difficult one. He has called a press conference. He has made claims which really probably need to be substatiated because if true would be the end of Bridges leadership. I have my doubts about the accuracy of some of his claims, however, an investigation wouldn't be unreasonable.

Bridges has come out welcoming an investigation, so he is pretty confident one must assume, that he isn't too worried by the claims accuracy. If they are found to be untrue, then potentially his accuser should face prosecution, but would likely be able to get a pass if he simply claims he made such claims whilst suffering mental illness.

To some degree the damage is done, which is unfortunate, if Bridges is innocent.

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#2108920 16-Oct-2018 15:34

MikeB4:

@Bluntj where was it reported that he is suffering from a "mental breakdown"? which is an incorrect term. He was on sickleave for a while which given the intense pressure he was under it is understandable that he was experiencing stress at a level that temporarily affected his abilities to perform his duties.

In Stuff this morning ...believe it or not....

"[Bridges] told me if I kept asking for natural justice it would not just be four women, he could get 15 women. The changing nature of the story made me think it was a bluff."

The following week it was announced he was taking leave, Ross said.

"It's true, I suffered a medical event."

The way the party was acting against him, and knowing his career was over, had been difficult to accept.

"I had a mental breakdown."

After the press conference, Bridges hit out Ross and said the caucus had been united in wanting him expelled.:"

I do agree that if indeed he has had a breakdown he needs to be left alone...he seems to be destructing further on his own account.

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#2108937 16-Oct-2018 15:40

MikeB4:

During his press conference Simon Bridges was adept at dodging and weaving than Mohommed Ali. He did not answer important questions leaving more questions than answers. I feel watching the press conference I was left with an impression of someone not being straight up and his future as leader must be weak and his chances of being PM very very low. National does need to put all this behind them by a leadership change.

I would have to agree with this, time and time again he was asked for a simple yes or no but would not commit.

Watching with interest at the moment to see what transpires.

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6FIEND

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#2108958 16-Oct-2018 16:21

networkn:

Bridges has come out welcoming an investigation, so he is pretty confident one must assume, that he isn't too worried by the claims accuracy. If they are found to be untrue, then potentially his accuser should face prosecution, but would likely be able to get a pass if he simply claims he made such claims whilst suffering mental illness.

It's an interesting play on JLR's part. All done outside of parliament, therefore not protected by privilege.

Hard to imagine that anyone would publicly expose themselves to a defamation claim like that unless they were:

A) Convinced that their evidence was rock solid. Or

B) Suffering on-going effects from a mental breakdown

(or both)

Ross pretty much stated up-front (in his press conference) that he had it in for Bridges, but that aside - he did seem to be very confident in the evidence that he held. And it's worth noting that the 100k donation has not been refuted, and the promised photo of Bridges with the donor has been supplied.

...and speaking of the photos:

Stuff:

As Jami-Lee Ross tweeted more information about the fundraising where the $100k donation took place, National list MP, and QC, Chris Finlayson tapped Simon Bridges on the shoulder and they left the house together

Need more popcorn!

MikeB4

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#2108984 16-Oct-2018 16:49

networkn:

MikeB4:

@Bluntj where was it reported that he is suffering from a "mental breakdown"? which is an incorrect term. He was on sickleave for a while which given the intense pressure he was under it is understandable that he was experiencing stress at a level that temporarily affected his abilities to perform his duties.

Word for Word he said it himself during his press conference.

I went through all the stuff from this morning ( I have a migraine now) and found that he said his Doctor has cleared him to resume duties.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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MikeB4

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#2108986 16-Oct-2018 16:50

6FIEND:

Need more popcorn!

I need more Panadol and Sumatriptan

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

networkn

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#2108988 16-Oct-2018 16:51

MikeB4:

I went through all the stuff from this morning ( I have a migraine now) and found that he said his Doctor has cleared him to resume duties.

In my experience, these things are rarely single one off incidents with no further impacts.

Rikkitic

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#2108989 16-Oct-2018 16:54

He is saying what his doctor said. That doesn't mean it is what his doctor said. Or what his doctor meant.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

freitasm

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#2109071 16-Oct-2018 19:33

NZ opposition leader accused of concealing $100,000 political donation

The tenure of New Zealand’s opposition leader, Simon Bridges, appears to be hanging by a thread after he was accused by a fellow MP and former chief whip of concealing electoral donations and fabricating sexual harassment allegations.

In an extraordinary media conference that lasted nearly an hour, the National party’s Jami-Lee Ross said Bridges was a “corrupt” politician who was unfit to ever be prime minister. He accused him of concealing a NZ$100,000 (£50,000) party donation and the identity of donors as well as fabricating sexual harassment claims against Ross.

“Simon is a flawed individual without a moral compass and without any underlying principles except power,” said Ross. “He is a corrupt politician.”

Ross then promptly resigned.

Tuesday’s tensions are the culmination of a hunt by Bridges to uncover the identity of a National party MP who leaked information on his travel expenses to a journalist.

Bridges spent more than NZ$100,000 of taxpayers money on a nation-wide tour of the country, NZ$80,000 of which was spent on travelling in a crown limousine.

Bridges initially cast suspicion on the Labour party and speaker Trevor Mallard, but a PWC investigation released this week concluded that Ross was the most likely culprit, a finding Ross continues to deny.

Bridges pushed ahead with his investigation despite a plea to protect the mental health of the leaker.

The National party has enjoyed 10 years in government under the hugely popular John Key but is still struggling to recover from the 2017 general election result that saw Labour’s Jacinda Ardern catapulted into power.

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#2109178 16-Oct-2018 23:37

I consider social conservatism (and its practitioners) to be immoral and utterly despicable. Bridges being of that ilk means that, predictably, I personally couldn't give a crap if he dropped off the face of the earth in the next 10 nanoseconds. But personal political leanings aside (and this again comes from a political moderate who has only ever voted National or deliberately chosen not to vote in terms of the party vote), Bridges' performance in response to Ross' allegations is very concerning. Most research on witness demeanour and the like suggest that people make way too much of it (and such things are actually proven to be terrible indicators of people's veracity or lack thereof) -- but this isn't a matter of judging whether Bridges is a criminal or not; just whether he comes across as convincing or believable in his "denials". The trouble for me is that he frequently struggled to even deny Ross' claims with any kind of conviction. What most non-lawyers would not have spotted, and this either makes Jami-Lee Ross incredibly stupid or is a strong indicator that he's telling the truth, is that JLR very likely incriminated himself in alleged electoral fruad through admitting to taking very a very active part in allegedly splitting the 100K donation.

On one view JLR himself is completely unfit to stand as a candidate in the upcoming by-election; on another, it's hard to imagine that he hasn't gone to a lawyer before doing all this. Any lawyer would have told him that this is a bad idea from a criminal law POV and also in terms of risking a defamation lawsuit, if he isn't telling the truth. So either JLR hasn't gone to a lawyer and/or has completely ignored his or his advice. Both of those scenarios would suggest that he's either very stupid or very much out of it. Or he's consciously decided to basically finish off Simon Bridges as a person and politician at all costs.

My own view is this: if SB isn't prepared to file a defamation lawsuit against JLR promptly and persist with it until he either wins or JLR withdraws his claims publically, then my mind is sufficiently made up. Again, what interests me is not whether SB can be proven to be a criminal who's breached electoral laws beyond reasonable doubt (that being the criminal law standard). All I care about is whether on the balance of probabilities he's more likely than not to be telling the truth and is a decent person. So far, my distaste for his personal politics and worldviews aside, SB isn't doing a thing to convince me.

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MikeB4

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#2109270 17-Oct-2018 09:03

hmmmmm

Paula Bennett on RNZ, where she confirmed that Simon Bridges had met with the alleged donor Yikun Zhang, including a dinner , "He is trying to recall that dinner and all the conversations," Bennett said. Ms Bennett said Bridges recalled that Zhang "probably" said he "wanted to support the National Party." If I recall the events of yesterday this meeting was in May, I maybe wrong there was a lot of chaff yesterday. Also if I recall Bridges could not recall this. I am certain I would remember a dinner where I was offered financial support and I am sure it would have been in his diary.

This just keeps getting more and more murky.

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

freitasm

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#2109274 17-Oct-2018 09:07

If this comes to pass I wonder if we will see all the hate some people spew towards Jacinda being diverted to people on the other side of the spectrum.

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networkn

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#2109278 17-Oct-2018 09:09

freitasm: If this comes to pass I wonder if we will see all the hate some people spew towards Jacinda being diverted to people on the other side of the spectrum.

LOL. I think there is plenty of hate to go around.

MikeB4

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#2109279 17-Oct-2018 09:11

freitasm: If this comes to pass I wonder if we will see all the hate some people spew towards Jacinda being diverted to people on the other side of the spectrum.

ummmmm I doubt it but it is strange times we live in.

Damm I sound like my father

Here is a crazy notion, lets give peace a chance.

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