After saying several times this week that he did not know who was behind the anti-Labour and anti-Green pamphlets, National Party leader Don Brash admitted yesterday that he knew about and encouraged the Exclusive Brethren's campaign. The pamphlets say New Zealand has undergone a moral decline under Labour and call the Greens destructive and dangerous. They claim a government agenda to legislate for transgender rights, and to support euthanasia and hate-speech laws that put “pastors overseas in prison for reading the Bible.” Don Brash has now admitted to meeting members of the Exclusive Brethren sect “two or three times”, as late as last month. “The Exclusive Brethren had told me some time back they were thoroughly fed up with the government and they would be distributing some pamphlets. I didn't read the pamphlets, I didn't fund the pamphlets, I didn't distribute the pamphlets” he said. “But they said they were opposed to this government and I said that's great.” The National Party finance spokesman John Key also confirmed he met with members of the sect in May, who “were wanting to influence or give their opinion about what the tax policy should be.” The group say they are doing God's work. Although members of the group are forbidden to vote, they “hold government to be ordained by God and governments are raised up and also… dismissed by God” a spokesman told reporters. “We feel very ashamed of the current government.” The Exclusive Brethren sect have become more politically involved in recent years throughout the world. As well as the smear campaign here, members have helped erect National Party hoardings. In Canada, the sect were behind a multi-million dollar campaign against same-sex marriage, and in America, the group has been a significant financial contributor to the campaigns of George W Bush.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Friday, 9th September 2005 - 12:00pm