Written By: - Date published: 12:13 pm, July 9th, 2008 - 56 comments
Is it a sign of a successful campaign regarding family violence – that “it’s not ok” – which sees broadcaster Tony Veitch taking time away from his television and radio shows in the wake of revelations that he allegedly assaulted his former partner? It certainly seems to have generated quite a bit of discussion amongst […]
Written By: - Date published: 8:54 am, July 9th, 2008 - 44 comments
Today’s Herald sees Fran O’Sullivan making another valiant effort to dig her hero, John Key, out of the hole he’s in over his non-disclosure of Tranz Rail shares while asking written parliamentary questions in 2002. Unwittingly, her contribution raises more questions. Fran writes that Key’s written questions to Cullen were based on information which was […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:17 pm, July 8th, 2008 - 32 comments
Media bleating about Labour’s ‘personal attacks’ is getting tiresome. Some journalists seem to forget from one election to the next that an important element of the triennial exercise is to find out whether contenders for political office are fit to hold elected office. That means they will be probed, scrutinised and, yes, criticised, for failings […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:51 pm, July 7th, 2008 - 37 comments
Here’s some great audio of Key running Crosby/Textor lines to avoid answering Havoc’s questions. Around the half way point my personal favourite C/T line even makes an appearance: “I intend to run a positive upbeat ambitious campaign; I think it reflects my personality”. As Havoc observes “[John] you’ve spent the last nine months gaining New […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:01 am, July 4th, 2008 - 67 comments
In four separate interviews this week, John Key used more or less exactly the same line to divert from questions on his use of Crosby/Textor: ‘I’m the Leader of the party and I’ll set the tone of the campaign. And it will be a positive, ambitious, outlooking campaign because that fits with my personality‘ OK, everyone can […]
Written By: - Date published: 5:41 am, July 3rd, 2008 - 31 comments
Let’s go back to the heart of this story: it is not about push-polling or whatever, this is about how Brand Key has been purpose-built by a company world-renowned for its secretive, anti-democratic practices. Crosby/Textor are not just some consultants like parties might use to assist policy development. They have built our image of Key […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:21 am, July 2nd, 2008 - 62 comments
Crosby/Textor, an outfit renowned for its anti-democratic, secretive practices, has built the public image of John Key (Brand Key) from the ground up. That’s why Key is seen as ‘nice’ but people, including National supporters, say they don’t know what he stands for and can’t say why he would a good PM. That’s why he […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 pm, July 1st, 2008 - 67 comments
John Key has his round of five interviews tomorrow morning (Breakfast, Sunrise, ZB, KiwiFM, bFM) and will undoubtedly face questions on his use of Crosby/Textor. So, what line will C/T have him parrot repeatedly? He’s already trying “I get most of my advice from the public” (weak) and the more aggressive “I’m going to set […]
Written By: - Date published: 1:52 pm, July 1st, 2008 - 33 comments
I wish some journo would ask Key whether Crosby/Textor helped him with lines on how to handle questions about his using them – they must have a standard set they give their clients. Would Key really have thought of this one himself: John Key says the vast bulk of advice he takes is from the […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, July 1st, 2008 - 37 comments
While more questions will no doubt be asked about Mr Key’s choice of hiring infamous Aussie spin-stars, Crosby/Textor, (no doubt some more of them will feature here) I thought this point raised by Barry Soper yesterday was a good one: There’s clearly a concern how this information is yet again leaking from the National Party office. I mean, […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:30 am, July 1st, 2008 - 39 comments
It comes as no surprise that Brand Key has been a Crosby/Textor project from Day 1. The hit and run, the bait and switch, the cake and eat it, the shoot the messenger, the misdirection, the dog-whistle, wedge politics, the outright lie – these are all elements of the classic Crosby Textor strategy that have […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:23 pm, June 30th, 2008 - 76 comments
Remember Noelle McCarthy’s 95bFM interview with Brash in which she got him to admit to knowledge of the Brethren pamphlets? Student radio has done it again. Hager’s weekend article in the Sunday Star Times detailed an ongoing advisory relationship between the National Party and political consultants Crosby Textor. But RDU’s Kate Gorgeous asked John Key back in November 2007, “Have you got […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:14 pm, June 30th, 2008 - 22 comments
Brand Key on Waatea news: “A National government will be a lot more demanding about educational standards, a lot more demanding about under-performance in schools, a lot more demanding on failing schools” There is no ‘how we will fix things’ here, simply a statement of problems. If schools don’t perform would National cut their funding? […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:49 am, June 30th, 2008 - 33 comments
There’s a standard formula that Crosby/Textor has its clients use when damaging information comes out. a) refuse to engage. The most senior public response to the revelation that Brand Key has been created by exactly the same people who ran Brash’s divisive, racist campaign in 2005 has come from Key’s chief of staff. No politician […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:06 am, June 30th, 2008 - 58 comments
So Crosby/Textor has been designing Brand Key from Day 1, isn’t this just what every party does? No, it isn’t – Crosby/Textor uses a particularly undemocratic, nasty form of political marketing (more on that in later posts) and the extent to which National uses Crosby/Textor is simply beyond the financial means of any other party. […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:44 am, June 27th, 2008 - 66 comments
There’s a technique that sits at the heart of conjuring tricks called misdirection the act of drawing attention away from the trick itself. You all know how it works: the conjurer will flourish a brightly coloured handkerchief in one hand, while the trick is quietly taking place unnoticed in the other. The same thing happens […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, June 27th, 2008 - 46 comments
A good cartoon by Mike Moreu this morning about Key’s confusing stance on the smacking referendum. Though of course, as a_y_b pointed out yesterday, this approach isn’t at all confusing if all you’re trying to do is to win an election by accentuating and exploiting negative perceptions of your opponent.
Written By: - Date published: 6:54 pm, June 26th, 2008 - 51 comments
For the first second third time, National is trying to shut down the reporting of things they feel don’t cast them in the glowing light they’d prefer. TV3 indicates that National is to make a formal complaint over the reporting of John Key’s ignorant and insulting comments in relation to the ‘peaceful’ settlement of New […]
Written By: - Date published: 2:47 pm, June 26th, 2008 - 42 comments
In an attempt to cover for John Key’s ignorance of New Zealand history, National’s Gerry Brownlee has pulled out a quote from Michael Cullen that he asserts says the same thing as the Key quote. You compare: Key: “We’re not a country that’s come about as a result of civil war or where there’s been […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:39 pm, June 26th, 2008 - 79 comments
Mr Key on NewstalkZB: “We’re not a country that’s come about as a result of civil war or where there’s been a lot of fighting internally, we’re, we’re a country which peacefully came together”. So, the numerous pre-Treaty battles, the Flagstaff War, the Land Wars, Parihaka. decades or warfare in which many tribes lost their entire territory and […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:40 am, June 26th, 2008 - 12 comments
Colin Espiner’s just posted an entry headed “National’s position on smacking confusing”. It is – but only if you’re expecting philosophical consistency. Key’s approach isn’t at all confusing if all you’re trying to do is to win an election by accentuating and exploiting negative perceptions of your opponent. For the time being, this is National’s […]
Written By: - Date published: 4:11 pm, June 25th, 2008 - 12 comments
Whenever John Key is asked to explain how he will fund some new spending or his still secret tax cuts, he says ‘we’ll cut waste/rein in spending’ and the only example he ever gives is ‘we’ll cap the core public service at 36,000′. This, he claims, will save ‘$500 million over 3 years’ or $166 […]
Written By: - Date published: 11:11 am, June 24th, 2008 - 15 comments
I was having a look through some old campaign PR yesterday and found this gem: It seems John Key ripped off more than just Coldplay when he made his DVD.
Written By: - Date published: 4:57 pm, June 20th, 2008 - 108 comments
The Unionist reports Nicky Hager’s book The Hollow Men has been made into a film and will be screening as part of this year’s New Zealand International Film Festivals. The 98 minute documentary is directed by Alister Barry, whose previous work includes the excellent In a Land of Plenty and Someone Else’s Country, and is […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:49 am, June 20th, 2008 - 45 comments
When a band who sued after their work was famously plagiarised by a certain leader of the National Party is themselves sued for plagiarism. All it needs now is for National to sue the guy suing Coldplay and they’ll have completed the circle. [Creaky Boards’ song vs Coldplay’s] [John Key DVD soundtrack vs ‘Clocks’]
Written By: - Date published: 10:20 am, June 19th, 2008 - 65 comments
National has announced that John Key donated $30,000 to the party this month. That’s all well and good; Helen Clark donates a similar amount to Labour most years. What’s new is that the donations Key and every large donor to National or any other party are now public. Previously, National received up to $2 million a […]
Written By: - Date published: 6:50 am, June 19th, 2008 - 47 comments
Key reckons he could bring down inflation by targeting ‘low quality’ government spending. How? To counter inflation, you need to increase productivity. Inflation is projected to run at 4.7% this year. The Government makes up a third of the economy. If Key was to bring that down to 2% by increasing Government productivity how much […]
Written By: - Date published: 10:29 am, June 18th, 2008 - 33 comments
You’ll have noticed that Key only ever talks about increasing ‘after-tax incomes’. Even when he’s asked about wages for government employees, like doctors, he responds that National would increase their after-tax incomes with tax cuts, not by increasing their wages. But anybody can see that cutting taxes is only a short-term way to slightly increase […]
Written By: - Date published: 12:23 pm, June 16th, 2008 - 15 comments
Worth a read: Remember when George Bush’s administration promised the world that the invasion of Iraq would be over in a few weeks? We were assured that the Iraqis would throw flowers at their liberators, the war would make a tidy profit and petrol prices would plummet. Next time you fill up your car think […]
Written By: - Date published: 3:27 pm, June 14th, 2008 - 50 comments
National has staked it all on delivering bigger tax cuts than Labour. To remain credible, they need to deliver $20 a week on average more than Labour. That’s $3 billion a year. The operating surplus is gone, so where will the money come from? John Key has been repeatedly referencing the fact that the government […]
Written By: - Date published: 9:45 am, June 13th, 2008 - 30 comments
Keith Holyoake used to say “tell the people, trust the people”; be honest about the benefits, trade-offs, and costs of policies and trust the people to judge you in an adult manner. Central to Brand Key, however, is playing to voters’ baser desires, especially greed, and fomenting juvenile beliefs, including that it is possible to have ones cake and eat it. For […]
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