New Zealand opposition leader quits

Before resigning, Brash took court action to block publication of the book, The Hollow Men, by researcher Nicky Hager, claiming that it contained copies of emails stolen from his computer. Hager said all the published emails had been leaked to him by senior National Party figures.

The incriminating emails proved Brash knew about and approved a campaign mounted by the Exclusive Brethren during the 2005 elections. Leaders of the extreme right-wing cult—which forbids its own members to vote or participate in political activities—funded the nationwide distribution of unattributed pamphlets criticising Labour and the Greens and urging a vote for National. Their expenditure, amounting to $1.2 million, had initially been kept secret. The issue blew up during the elections, but Brash denied any involvement with the group, a stance he maintained even after the release of Hager’s book.

While the book provided the immediate impetus for Brash’s departure, it was not the root cause. The affair was part of a series of scandals involving both the National Party and the Labour government in recent months. Labour has been embroiled in controversies over election spending and the activities of MP Philip Field. He is currently under police investigation for attempting to influence an immigration application on behalf of a Thai worker who was tiling Field’s private house in Samoa.

More
http://wsws.org/articles/2006/dec2006/newz-d15.shtml