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‘Malevolent males’, ‘Mistress Collins’ & a ‘free press’

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 pm, August 29th, 2014 - 7 comments

Dirty Politics shows the need for a reformation of our media, broadcasting and related online content. It’s about democracy.   Lucy lawless agrees. Laila Harre and Colin Craig have been added to the line up for Sunday’s Broadcasting Debate in Auckland.

Cyberflailing

Written By: - Date published: 4:07 pm, August 29th, 2014 - 7 comments

Judith Collins has re-entered the election campaign. John Key’s little helper is back. Collins should take her own advice to cyber-bullies earlier this year. Her time is up but she doesn’t realise it. National’s #teamkey campaign has become a train wreck, and John Key looks weaker and grubbier by the day.

NRT: Kiwis care about inequality

Written By: - Date published: 3:46 pm, August 29th, 2014 - 8 comments

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.

Cunliffe 1 Key 0

Written By: - Date published: 8:39 am, August 29th, 2014 - 73 comments

Two new polls with different conclusions drawn and the first Leadership debate with a win to David Cunliffe. He may be a sterling campaign away from being the next Prime Minister.

And the winner is…

Written By: - Date published: 10:07 pm, August 28th, 2014 - 119 comments

The pundits say: Cunliffe

I think that most New Zealanders…

Written By: - Date published: 12:35 pm, August 28th, 2014 - 17 comments

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.

The first head-to-head debate – tonight!

Written By: - Date published: 7:45 am, August 28th, 2014 - 315 comments

The first head-to-head debate between David Cunliffe and John Key (tonight, 7pm, TV One) could be a real turning point of the election.

Bizarre attack on Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 4:52 pm, August 27th, 2014 - 48 comments

Andrea Vance has a weird attack piece on Cunliffe where she accuses him of not being hungry, not being able to offer instant affordable houses to everybody, not standing in the right place, and even sleeping.

Supporting all the colours of the rainbow

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, August 27th, 2014 - 69 comments

Labour’s Rainbow Policy got some attention for its promise to offer a third gender option on passports and drivers’ licences. Why is this a big deal?

Judith Collins raises doubt about which dimension she occupies

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, August 27th, 2014 - 39 comments

Judith Collins claims to have been exonerated of claims that she breached the rights of privacy of a public servant by giving his details to Cameron Slater. There is one problem with her claim. She is totally wrong. Update: RNZ is now reporting she is backing away from her claim.

All Antennae – No Compass

Written By: - Date published: 7:16 am, August 27th, 2014 - 51 comments

Duncan Garner lets it all out of the bag.  Part of the problem is that under any normal circumstances Cabinet Minister Judith Collins would have been sacked for trading dirty secrets with Cameron Slater, the low-life blogger WhaleOil. But none of this is normal. Because the prime minister, and others in his office, have been […]

Condemning the obvious

Written By: - Date published: 12:46 am, August 27th, 2014 - 143 comments

Of course I (and other Standard authors) condemn lyrics that incite violence, and any and all threats to the children of politicians (who are completely out of bounds). Does this even need saying? But – Farrar, his little fan club, and the moral high ground? – it is beyond hypocrisy. There is no equivalence between the actions of a disenfranchised, angry few and the systematic abuse of democracy and decency undertaken by National’s dirty politics.

Anne Salmond on our tarnished democracy

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 26th, 2014 - 37 comments

New Zealander of the Year, Dame Anne Salmond, on how dirty politics tarnished our democracy.

Polity: Hooton on Key on SIS: Bullshit!

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 26th, 2014 - 118 comments

Rob says: Key was either complicit in the SIS document release to Whaleoil, or he has a gross dereliction of duty. Let’s hear what his answers are to that.

60 tweeps to follow this election

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 26th, 2014 - 4 comments

Bryce Edwards had his go at a list of the top 100 tweeters to follow this election, but with only 24 women making the cut he faced terrible accusations of “a perceived lack” of gender balance. The silver lining is that his follow-up post was chock-full of the women who complained! Pesky, pesky women, as […]

Look over there! Tax cuts!

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 26th, 2014 - 7 comments

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.

Tapping the media: subverting democracy

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 32 comments

Dirty Politics shows why we urgently need a revitalised public service broadcasting & online media. The domination by corporate media is poisoning democracy, providing openings for ruthless manipulators like Cameron Slater.  An article by David Fisher provides some insights.

Tax cut cynicism

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 52 comments

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.

The future of the public service – public meeting in Ōhāriu

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 12 comments

Something to go to in Wellington this Wednesday

Polity: Smoke and mirrors on housing

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 14 comments

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.

Timeline: Key responsible for SIS release

Written By: - Date published: 8:16 am, August 25th, 2014 - 30 comments

[Reposted] Key is responsible for the release of SIS briefing notes to Cameron Slater – one of the main issues summarised in Dirty Politics. Here’s the timeline in detail.

Update: Hooton and Williams on Nine to Noon – Key not credible

Slater’s privacy conundrum

Written By: - Date published: 7:50 am, August 25th, 2014 - 31 comments

For me the funniest thing that happened last week was Cameron Slater proudly announcing that he’d put in a privacy complaint about the someone hacking his data. Three days later he finds out that he was the target of a privacy act prosecution for similar acts.

Labour’s housing plan is much better

Written By: - Date published: 4:03 pm, August 24th, 2014 - 65 comments

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.

The opening addresses of Election 2014

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 24th, 2014 - 32 comments

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!]

Looking at the big policy picture

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, August 22nd, 2014 - 11 comments

Despite John Key’s key message du jour, the parties of the Opposition are talking policy.

Greens, Labour, NZH Hot Seat: coalitions

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 13 comments

In the NZ Herald panel interviews, Green & Labour Party leaders come across extremely well.  The leaders are confident, considered and ready to govern.

Dirty politics – the South is revolted

Written By: - Date published: 7:08 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 38 comments

Plenty of editorial comment is decrying Key’s dirty politics. Two pieces from the Deep South yesterday were particularly forthright. Can Key walk on sewerage?

“Having a Whale of a time”

Written By: - Date published: 6:47 pm, August 21st, 2014 - 42 comments

In July 2011, John Key was on holiday in Maui “having a whale of a time” – and also on Q+A in New Zealand letting the world know that Phil Goff was briefed by Tucker. So they do have the telephone in Hawaii.

John Key – The End Game

Written By: - Date published: 3:33 pm, August 21st, 2014 - 150 comments

It is one of the wonders of the modern world that the democracy that past generations fought and died for is regarded as of little consequence by those who currently enjoy its benefits. While many parts of the world are still struggling – and suffering – under forms of government that fall short of the […]

John Key’s groundhog day

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 21st, 2014 - 52 comments

Poor John Key must think he is in the movie Groundhog Day. The media clearly do not accept his explanation for Dirty Politics. And each day further information comes out which casts more and more doubt on the veracity of what he has been saying.

Taxenophobia

Written By: - Date published: 4:51 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 22 comments

Chalkie has a fascinating article in today’s DomPost on why foreigners are so keen to buy New Zealand assets – tax. He discusses Wellington Electricity Network and Lochinver to make the point that “the real appeal of investing in New Zealand is how easily foreign companies manage to avoid paying tax” – anywhere. Labour’s tax avoidance clampdown will benefit Kiwis much more than National’s soundbite approach to policy exemplified in Joyce’s bullying.