Now that the dust is settling on the 2014 general election it is a good time for progressives to review our and our opponents’ use of social media and what can be done better. And how do we respond effectively to the approach of the right which is now thanks to Nicky Hager painstakingly clear.
It looks like even the police can sense the rank smell coming off their theft of Nicky Hager’s systems and documents. They ignored a complaint about Cameron Slater two years ago. But the police are still on a holiday. This looks like a limp PR exercise by the police to prove that they aren’t John Key’s poodles. Updated.
The usual Tory cheerleaders have been quick to heap further bile on Hone Harawira.
Terrorism is whatever John Key wants it to be.
John Key has been busy lying about the need for yet more ‘anti-terrorism’ laws. How many do the police and security forces need? As NRT points out, are they just too lazy to use the ones they already have? Or is this just because John Key wants to get his own plastic sword? Surely we pay him enough to buy his own?
The search of Nicky Hager in response to a complaint by Cameron Slater contrasts strongly with the lackadaisical investigation of a similar complaint by Matthew Blomfield against Cameron Slater. I guess the police take things seriously if you are a friend of John Key, just as they did in 2011 with the teapot tape saga. How far has John Key corrupted the police?
Remember National’s social housing policy? The one they campaigned on? The one that talked about how much money they were spending and was all about upgrading and investing in state houses? Somehow, post-election, its transmogrified into selling off a third of the state housing stock. John Key lying to voters as usual eh?
Key ditching responsibility for the GCSB and SIS, and adopting the newly created title of Minister for National Security and Intelligence, is another example of the dirty politics two tier strategy.
Police action in obtaining a warrant to search Nicky Hager’s home in politically charged circumstances raises issues why in other politically charged incidents no similar action has been undertaken.
Key has basically fired himself from most of his Security and Intelligence responsibilities. This is a big change.
Like many on the left, I was disillusioned with the election result. It felt pretty hopeless on election night that John Key could romp home to victory on the back of dirty politics. But there is hope. Here are my ten key reasons why I am voting for and supporting Grant Robertson to be our next Prime Minister.
A quiet shift in a dodgy Key govt-SkyCity deal: TVNZ land, sold to SkyCity for its convention centre, is to be used for a new hotel. Plus: non-mandated deal between Auckland Transport Authority & a US corporate – intense surveillance of Aucklanders’ diverse activities.
The early election has meant that National has avoided the bad news of the collapse in international milk prices during the campaign period. And the Reserve Bank has finally taken action to drive down the value of New Zealand’s currency. It may be that the brighter future promised by National is not going to be so bright.
Every election Key is confronted with the issue of poverty. His response is always pure politics with no effective action, and this election has been no different. We will be here again in 2017.
Key’s public position on sending troops to Iraq has (surprise!) changed since the election. His private position on the topic probably hasn’t changed since 2003.
According to early reports (Twitter) David Parker is interim leader of the Labour Party, with Annette King as deputy.
Key is grooming Bennett for a finance role and eventual succession. No point in Nat members making a fuss, they don’t get a say in who leads them.
Grant Robertson is the second Labour MP to announce that he wishes to seek the party’s leadership.
There is a rort being negotiated in Parliament that will cost the thick edge of $1 million a year. Where is the Taxpayer’s union on this?
It’s great to see John Key taking a sudden interest in addressing child poverty in New Zealand. But why the change of heart?
Action Station has a full page ad in today’s NZ Herald, asking to clean up dirty politics. Dirty Politics is not any isolated attack politics or criticism of those in power. It is a relentless two track strategy, an orchestrated smear machine, aimed at moving politics rightwards & disengaging (left wing) voters. Update: Hager comments on the election.
Expect to see a lot of drastic rightwing policies this term as John Key redefines the term “centre ground.”
Win or lose, there are never any final battles in politics. A defeat simply means the firing of the starting gun for the […]
National has an outright majority and the left has gone backwards. Some thoughts on what may have happened.
Will Hone hang on and bring in Internet Mana MPs with him? The polls suggest that the race with Kelvin Davis is neck and neck although Hone has this habit of doing far better than the landline polls would suggest. Updated: Kelvin Davis ahead but it was won by specials last time.
Will Peter Dunne continue as the MP for Ohariu and sole United Future MP or will Labour’s Virginia Andersen prevail?
Updated: Looks like Peter Dunne is back again.
Three last polls and National’s support is declining, Labour’s improving and the Greens are stable. Things are getting very close with Winston Peters looking more and more likely to hold the balance of power. This election will be decided vote by vote.
This direct mail has gone out without an authorisation statement to who knows how many kiwi households. Add this on top of losing […]
With the latest poll results it’s basically a coin-toss whether a vote for National gets you Colin Craig and his extremist mates at the Cabinet table.
Key’s last fig leaf on GCSB surveillance is to plead ignorance. Unfortunately for him the evidence is compelling. If he does manage to lead the next government, these issues will continue to haunt him.
The fourth and final leaders debate has now finished. John Key will be pleased at his decision to limit it to 30 minutes.
From “There’s no ambiguity. No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong”
to
“[Snowden] may well be right” in just 4 days. Impressive.
Over the last month John Key has been displaying behaviour of being a raving right wing conspiracy theorist. Over the weekend megalomaniacal John Key even said that he wants the governor general to stage a coup to allow him to remain in power. The Jackal summarises recent nutty right wing conspiracy theories from the PM and others.
One of the few journalists to do his job properly over the course of the dirty politics scandal has been Guyon Espiner. He […]
Irish Bill originally posted this on 1 December 2007. For no reason at all we thought it warranted a reprint, with a guest comment from David Farrar.
Eminem is suing the National Party for breaching his copyright in the song “Lose yourself” used by National in its campaign video. Stephen Joyce previously claimed that National had the full rights to use it. But it appears that this may not be the case. Update: There may be some interesting legal issues for National if it loses in terms of its spending cap and the Electoral Commission broadcast allocation.
