We all know and John Armstrong has the courage to point this out in his column today in the NZ Herald. Labour's behavior has been a shameful as its Axis partner NZ First.
But Labour keeps defending him. Before the report's release last night, Clark had suddenly started talking about the committee's proceedings becoming so politicised that some MPs had gone into the hearings having made up their mind before they had heard a single piece of evidence.
That was an admission of defeat; that she was already aware NZ First and Labour were going to be in an uncomfortable minority.
The real test of Labour's loyalty to Peters will come in Parliament today when the report is debated.
In the interim, Clark is right about the committee being politicised, but Labour is as guilty of that as anyone.
Labour's reluctance to upset Peters with rigorous questioning during his appearances in front of the committee was understandable given Labour's dependence on him for the past three years and conceivably for the next three as well. But it is to Labour's eternal shame that it behaved thus.
In the end, the majority verdict is a victory for principle over expediency and for the integrity of the privileges committee.
