Opposition target Cosgrove, but poll shows Labour unhurt

Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove became the fresh target yesterday for Opposition parties in Parliament continuing to exploit the John Tamihere debacle.

And they called on Mr Tamihere to apologise publicly, not just to the Labour caucus, for criticisms about colleagues, gays, unionists, women and the Holocaust.

But a new TV3 poll suggests that Labour has barely been harmed by the Tamihere affair, which has dominated the political landscape for almost two weeks.

Labour is down one point to 45, National down four points to 34 and New Zealand First up 3.3 points to 8.

In one of many controversial comments, Mr Tamihere told Investigate magazine editor Ian Wishart that the reason Mr Cosgrove was "getting nowhere" under Prime Minister Helen Clark was because he had harassed her and her husband, Peter Davis, with phone calls at the time she rolled Mr Cosgrove's mentor, Mike Moore, as Labour leader.

Both Mr Cosgrove, who has been one of Mr Tamihere's closest friends, and Helen Clark have denied that he made crank calls.

Act leader Rodney Hide cited two newspaper articles from 1993 to suggest Helen Clark had previously accused Mr Cosgrove of doing so - but they fell short of backing Mr Hide's claim.

One in National Business Review reports Helen Clark as naming Mr Cosgrove as a leading member of the Mike Moore Supporters Club who orchestrated demonstrations outside MPs' houses, pamphlet drops and radio talkback shows.

Another in the Herald reports her as saying she had "hate calls" - but she did not accuse Mr Cosgrove of them.

Mr Hide said one of the demonstrations Mr Cosgrove had organised was outside the home of Women's Affairs Minister Ruth Dyson, who was then Labour Party president, and that the placards had questioned her sexual orientation because she had no children.

Ruth Dyson said the demonstration had consisted of three or four people and she had not seen Mr Cosgrove.

Last night, Mr Cosgrove denied having organised the demonstration.

"This is a grubby attack on me. This is absolutely, unequivocally untrue. I reject it absolutely," he said.

"I have never organised, given tacit approval or any approval."

National deputy leader Gerry Brownlee said Mr Tamihere should issue a public retraction, not just an apology to the Labour caucus, as he did on Tuesday.

"Why can't the Prime Minister understand that whatever took place during the 15 minutes that John Tamihere was in the Labour caucus room does not constitute an apology and retraction to the thousands of New Zealanders who were offended by his comments about women and the Holocaust."

Mr Tamihere referred to women as "front bums", and in the context of discussing Treaty of Waitangi grievances, said he was sick of hearing about the Holocaust.

He is on leave until after Parliament resumes on May 3.

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said Mr Tamihere would not be hosting a Radio Live talkback show while he was on leave.

The TV3 News TNS poll shows an even split on whether Mr Tamihere is suitable to be a Cabinet minister, with 46 per cent saying yes and the same number saying no.