Prior to the shoplifting allegations that led to her resignation, I'd almost forgotten about Golriz Ghahraman. Looking back over my writing from late 2016 to now early 2024, the last time I wrote about her directly was in 2017 and the last time I mentioned her in passing was late 2019. I wrote then "it's the coverup that gets you" and her weakness as a "manufactured candidate". This article makes it a trifecta in covering the fall of Golriz Ghahraman. She spent two terms as a Green MP while the party supported Labour in government. She achieved nothing with two failed attempts at passing a bill to lower the threshold to enter parliament, allow prisoners to vote, lower the voting age, and lower the cap for political donations.
Back in 2017 she was a manufactured candidate with a CV that didn't hold up to scrutiny. She allowed embellishments about her life to be spread and even had her colleagues defend her publicly before it was all shown she had gotten rather chummy with the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide and even co-authored a paper that downplayed it. It's no surprise most of her colleagues were tight-lipped when the shoplifting allegations started to swirl. I think my prediction then that her inability to portray her life truthfully would cripple her effectiveness over the parliamentary term were right, but I definitely didn't see such a spectacular demise coming.
If you can't get away with a bit of CV embellishment, you really shouldn't try your luck with shoplifting.
There's always a small risk that the Greens will replace her with someone more competent, but their ability to attract talent has declined significantly since they became a magnet for lazy communists. Compare her to the one colleague that came to her defence: Ricardo "be gay do crime" Menendez. He's similarly devoid of talent, but fits the archetype to do well with Green party members. To adapt the immortal words of President Donald Trump: neither the Iranians nor the Mexicans are sending us their best.
The scalping of Golriz Ghahraman births a new age of right-wing journalism in New Zealand. The BFD, NewstalkZB Plus, and right-wing Twitter helped build up the trickle that turned into a flood. Philip Crump (alias Thomas Cranmer) was a lawyer whose independent journalism in recent years landed him an editorial role in the heart of the mainstream media: ZB+ is owned by NZME. Cam Slater from The BFD proved once again he should never be ruled out or underestimated—and of course many others played a role too. Reality Check Radio (RCR) is another great new addition to our space that will definitely grow into a powerhouse over the coming years. If any other leftists had gotten a bit too comfortable with the last few years of easy media coverage, they have had a rude ushering into 2024.
By the time she returned from an overseas holiday, three separate shoplifting events at high-end boutique stores had come to light. Golriz had allegedly stolen up to tens of thousands of dollars in designer clothing and accessories.
At the very end, when she could have shown genuine remorse, she decided to blame her "not rational" behaviour on the state of her mental health.
"The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognised trauma."
That's the left-wing concept of crime and justice. No responsibility or agency. No vice and no sin. No confession and no restitution. Remorse is limited to being sorry you got caught. People are only soulless meatbags who are products of their environment—advised by their equally sociopathic shrinks that none of this is their fault. Ultimately, there is no salvation and no redemption. You vanish from public life forever broken, never being able to come to terms with the truth that might set you free.
Here ends my trilogy of articles on former Green MP Golriz Ghahraman, with the final entry in the saga six years later being one that I would not have dreamed to predict.
Hubris—may we be preserved from its destructive power.