National is now talking up the possibility of a post election accommodation with the Conservative Party. But the thought of the Conservatives having a significant say in policy formation should make all progressives very afraid.
Duncan Garner asks – “when we’ve just borrowed $55b over 6 years how on earth are tax cuts suddenly affordable?”. Presumably it’s a rhetorical question…
How long before “they” use control of the internet and media to bury adverse information, subvert democracy and vilify and silence those who disagree. “They” are doing it, NOW! A Government no longer has legitimacy, when they regard their own citizens as the enemy.
There is how John Key and a few of his acolytes like to think of his government. Then there is how everyone else now does. The many ministers who have been abusing their position, were caught and ‘resigned’. Now we can see the true nature than lurks beneath. A vote for National is a vote for Cameron Slater.
Two weeks to go and polls suggest that National’s slide in the poll may be arrested. But for how long?
This morning Rob Salmond did a great post about the “big lie” – the spin coming from the Right that Labour hasn’t concentrated on policy, just dirty politics.
Like clockwork, David Farrar has a post up about the latest polls, suggesting “Their focus on hacked e-mails instead of policy is backfiring.”
Pity the political reporter. Committed to horse-race style reporting and desperate for an ‘angle’. Patrick Gower on 3 News last night was desperately talking up how “complicated’ National’s… current arrangements are?? Use your brain Paddy…
National’s been lying about increased teacher numbers, and the state of the economy – and now they’re promising unaffordable tax cuts.
Whaledump’s account on Twitter has been suspended.
Someone is trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted.
Update: @Whaledump2 is providing more dumps and No Right Turn & lprent comment on it.
So far National’s election campaign has been a train wreck. What was meant to be a leisurely walk to the finish line has turned into a limp. David Cunliffe is more than holding his own against John Key. And dirty politics is having a gradual corrosive effect on National’s support.
If John Key has nothing to hide, sure he has nothing to fear from a full government inquiry into Dirty Politics?
There’s an excellent post at The Political Scientist I want to highlight, plus a few other of today’s Dirty Politics reads…
I know, let’s put on a production of Hamlet, but leave out the role of the Prince of Denmark.
The latest Whaledump has a collection of emails that makes no reference to Judith Collins. It makes you wonder if Key did not have the Cathy Odgers email whether he would have sacked Collins.
Labour’s broadcasting policy includes setting up a new public service TV channel, to be located with RNZ, incorporating RNZ values. The Greens are open to the idea. NZ First has a similar policy. Laila Harre makes some good points about public broadcasting and industrial relations. [Update: RNZ report; video clip added]
All your trashing the SFO connections. h/t DebsHancock
The Sunday Star Times has reported on the Hotchin – Slater attack on SFO boss Adam Feeley. The email which caused John Key to effectively sack Judith Collins as a Minister was provided by Cathy Odgers. The intent was to put off a SFO/FMA investigation into Hotchin. This is third world stuff.
Judith Collins’ tenure as a Minister may be in some doubt.
There is a self-appointed “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” in New Zealand. Odgers and Slater are key members. Search VRWC on Slater’s website and you’ll find their activities. After Pansy Wong’s forced resignation from Cabinet for misuse of her travel perk the VRWC thought the National Cabinet needed “some serious steel going forward.” You can read the minutes of their virtual white-board session on post-it cards – the rifts at the top are deep and nasty.
The latest Dominion Post contains survey data on people’s responses to Dirty Politics but attempts to manufacture a message by quoting selected interviews suggesting that Labour and not National have been hurt by Hager’s revelations. The headlines though are that half of all New Zealanders think less highly of John Key and 7.9% of voters are considering changing their vote. National should be afraid.
Roy Morgan has a poll out today looking at the issues affecting New Zealanders and therefore this election. Social inequality is rising as an issue as the world economy has stopped getting worse.
Three weeks before the election, action is being taken across the country voicing a rejection of the National Government’s track record and direction. Rallies are being held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to oppose National’s attacks on workers, abuse of the environment, inequality, cronyism and dirty politics.
Our PM is fond of telling us all what we think. In the wake of Dirty Politics he is working it overtime, telling us all that we believe his spin. Interesting then to get some actual data on what (extrapolating from a sample) most New Zealanders really do think. Many thanks to the Horizon polling people for putting this up on line.
“Dirty Politics” and “The Hollow Men” have revealed the extent of the National party’s nasty internal war over the past decade. Cameron Slater is merely one of the noisier but dumber sock puppet weapons in use against National’s centre and moderates. Looking at the actions of Simon Lusk using his sock puppet is more revealing…
Brent Robinson is rightly peeved. He was at the end of an internal smear campaign orchestrated by Slater and Lusk, and had the […]
So National are both so out of ideas and so desperate to take the spotlight off their Dirty Politics that they’re now promising tax cuts. Tax cuts straight after we have a panel of our most prominent economists warning that the ‘rock star’ economy is going to hit the rocks.
According to the PM, Bill English saying there won’t be tax cuts was both true and untrue at the same time, like a fiscal Schroedinger’s Cat.
Labour has the bold set of policies to take New Zealand forward into the 21st century – National’s “same old same old” tinkering will see the Kiwi skiff swamped. That was the clear conclusion from the debate between David Parker and Bill English on National Radio this morning.
National’s own fine print takes us from “you can get up to $20,000!” to, at best, “11% of qualifying couples get up to $20,000.” Ouch…. Typical National. Long on glitz. Long on smoke. Long on mirrors. Short on actually helping people.
John Key has taken to answering relevant questions about Dirty Politics by refusing to answer them. But these questions go to the heart of the issue of whether he is fit to be New Zealand’s Prime Minister and deserve to be answered.
National has announced its housing policy using Labour’s Kiwisaver scheme to provide extra money to first home buyers. But the policy will only add to housing inflation instead of addressing it.
Last night the opening party political addresses were broadcast on TV One, simultaneous with an All Blacks match and a live-tweeted crowd viewing of Labyrinth. So if you missed out (and don’t follow my every thought on Twitter), here’s my reaction! [Update: more links to videos!]
National’s membership website had an open backdoor that’s just been closed. The hacker who found it didn’t do what John Key reckons anyone would do and take advantage; he reported. Careful John Key – your ethics are showing.
John Key says the election is in danger of being stolen by a hacker. What he is afraid of is that the election is going to be “stolen” by the truth.
Bill English was the first senior Nat to distance himself from Key’s dirty politics. Now, according to one of our commenters (Tracey) who was called, the Nats’ polling company is sounding out English as a possible party leader.
