“It Was a Scramble to Put My Nomination in”

And the Conflict of Interest Top Prize goes to….Labour politician Ayesha Verrall. As Labour 6.0 has a newly created Outstanding Achievement prize just for public servants perhaps they can award one to this political doctor? Because this is amazing…

Verrall was already a Labour politician (Capital & Coast District Health Board) when contracted by Labour 6.0 to audit the work of Ashley Bloomfield during the COVID-19 Crisis. She had a media honeymoon on radio, TV, print, etc where, as far as I’ve seen, it was never mentioned that Verrall was actually a Labour politician herself!

I wonder how much this Labour Party politician…sorry, Independent Epidemiologist, was paid to audit her party’s Government’s COVID-19 response? And was she really able to keep her love of the party out of her professional praise? Or, did she instead withhold her professional estimates from the Government she loves? Real Conflict of Interest problem here. It would be reassuring to know that, in a time her independent doctoring skills were needed, she was keeping out of electioneering…

“The Labour Party list, released today, has placed high-profile epidemiologist Ayesha Verrall in 18th place – almost a sure bet to get into Parliament…

“Speaking at the launch of the party’s list, Verrall said she did not believe there was any conflict between her candidacy and her earlier audit of the Government’s contact tracing processes…Verrall said she had scrambled to put her nomination through in time given her Covid-related work”- 

Newsroom, June 2020

“One of the most prominent voices during the Covid-19 crisis, Ayesha Verrall, has been given a high ranking on Labour’s list….”

“It was a scramble to put my nomination in the week before,” she said. “I was very busy in April.”

RNZ, June 2020

“Naturally, Labour 6.0 gave this woman the Contract. I think we’ll be seeing lots more of her…”

NZB3, April 2020

Verrall is already tight with the de-facto Deputy Prime Minister and actual Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson. Verral was Otago University Students’ Association president in 2001 and Grant Robinson had the same job in 1993.

Now Ayesha is going to bungee in to being a Member of Parliament on the Labour List and, interestingly, ahead of the out-of-favour Minister of Health David Clark. I predict that Verrall will be Associate Minister of Health by 2021.

So now we must wonder not only if her local politics role got in the way of her COVID-19 role, we must ask if her COVID-19 role got in the way of her national politics role! It’s all very tangled up.

“Speaking at the launch of the party’s list, Verrall said she did not believe there was any conflict between her candidacy and her earlier audit of the Government’s contact tracing processes…”

Well that’s just fine then.

“Verrall said she had scrambled to put her nomination through in time given her Covid-related work”

Sure you did, politician lady, sure you did. You practically stumbled into this whole List Ranking #18 right between Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard and Minister of Health David Clark.  Practically an afterthought really. Surprised us all.

“Naturally, Labour 6.0 gave this woman the Contract. I think we’ll be seeing lots more of her and less of Dr Bloomfield whose work she is ‘auditing’ and gently nudging out the way.”

nzb3.anarkiwi.co.nz/2020/04/21/the-contact-tracing-contract/

Are anyone but Anarchists calling bullshit on this opportunistic woman?

The media and political spin, aka The State, is unfolding a story about some regular old doctor minding her own business when destiny tapped her specialist shoulder for help in a crisis. Then, she sort of put her hand up to be an MP as an after thought, and Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, Cinderella’s in the Beehive. Could’ve happened to anyone.

Careful where you walk. You might trip and become the next Minister of Health or something.

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