NZPM

New Zealand Prime Minister - Closet Lesbian

Ian and Heida Wishart

The prime of minister Helen Clark.

OK, WE'VE DONE IT NOW. There's no turning back. This month's cover story is quite possibly the most controversial we've ever published - the unauthorised biography of Prime Minister Helen Clark.

For some time, like many others, we've been watching the Clark administration move like a deconstructionist machine through our society attacking basic institutions and erecting liberal ones in their place.

For some time, like many others, we haven't fully understood "why" all these things needed to happen, nor "why" they're happening now with often indecent haste. But it was clear something inside Helen Clark was driving her political agenda.

So this issue, we went in search of The Prime of Minister Helen Clark. We set out to dig up her past in search of motivating factors in the present.

What we've found is disturbing and controversial. After going back through the newspaper archives and biographies written by others, we've discovered a set of trigger points that appear to explain what's driving this Government's agenda: emotional baggage.

Many people have "issues" in their lives. Many people seek therapy to deal with their "issues". Very few people get the chance to exorcise their demons by appointment to high office and wielding virtually unlimited political or state power against the perceived shibboleths of their childhood. Of those select few who do get elected despite their hidden "issues", even fewer get paid $305,000 a year to take part in taxpayer-funded therapy sessions. As one of the western world's highest paid leaders, Helen Clark has joined that rarefied political elite.

Many people after reading this issue are going to ask why we've become the first mainstream New Zealand magazine to "out" the Prime Minister as a closet lesbian, and undoubtedly there will be howls of outrage from people who feel the Prime Minister's gender preferences have nothing to do with her performance on the job. So let me explain why we've done it.

First, let's get things absolutely clear. The Prime Minister's sexual preferences have nothing to do with performance on economic or foreign policy issues. However, as part of the matrix that defines who Helen Clark is and how she thinks, her gender preferences are crucial in assessing how she might approach a given social issue. And seeing as few people are griping about Labour's economic performance, while many are angry at the social agenda, gender preference becomes a relevant consideration.

When electing a Prime Minister, one has the right to know "who" they are voting for. Our Prime Minister has admitted that her marriage began only for show, to still the wagging tongues during her first successful election campaign 22 years ago. In beginning a charade, the PM has opened a door that needed to be explored by the media, but hasn't been. That door played a major part in shaping Helen Clark's attitudes today.

But it's not just gender. Our re-discovery of the PM reveals many other tensions in her past, issues that she is still rebelling against.

One thing I should add though. In doing this research, I have found a new respect for Helen Clark. Now that I understand who she is and why she's like that, I can see beyond the robot exterior. Ordinary people we spoke to told of wonderful things Helen had done for them privately although none wanted the details published for fear of being identified. It is clear Clark has a heart. It also appears she has baggage, and uses taxpayers as her therapy providers.

Investigate Magazine November 2003

Source: http://www.investigatemagazine.com