The Conservatives in a shambles
This direct mail has gone out without an authorisation statement to who knows how many kiwi households. Add this on top of losing […]
Social issues
Vote Key, get Colin
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.
Stability vs Change
This election there are two very different visions of the future on offer. I know which I prefer.
Key’s last fig leaf
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.
Leader’s debate IV
The fourth and final leaders debate has now finished. John Key will be pleased at his decision to limit it to 30 minutes.
The latest polls
Two polls out today both suggesting that National are comfortably ahead although the Reid Research has National declining further and polling under 45%. The equivalent polls last time predicted that National would win an outright victory. This is going to be a very tight election.
NRT: Key admits the GCSB has broken the law
If the GCSB has access to XKEYSCORE, and XKEYSCORE has information on New Zealanders, then arguably they’ve intercepted it even if that information has been collected by another agency, as they have “acquired” it. And if they actually look at it, there’s no “arguable” about it.
Another victim of dirty politics speaks out
Herald columnist Wendyl Nissen on being the victim of the dirty politics attack machine. She has resigned from a slot on NewstalkZB rather than share a platform with Slater.
Jackal: A conspiracy theory too far
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.
Nastiest election ever?
Is this the nastiest election ever? The wit and wisdom of Twitter on this and other matters…
A Matter of Simple Logic
One of the few journalists to do his job properly over the course of the dirty politics scandal has been Guyon Espiner. He […]
Flashback post: Poetic justice
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.
Slip, slip, slip
John Key will no doubt – like with Dirty Politics – keep saying that “most of it is proven false” about the Snowden revelations… while slowly admitting most of the charges against him.
NZ Inc: Frightening the invisible horses of the market
The Herald is scathing of Labour’s NZ Inc policy, which defies all logic and reason by assuming that there are better ways to build our economy than flogging off profitable assets, built by New Zealanders, to foreign investors.
The cost of a bowl of Weet-Bix
One of the most dishonest arguments the right ever put forward on the subject of poverty is around one of the simplest things in life: a bowl of Weet-Bix.
A brilliant (if flawed) event – Key must resign
From Key we have changing stories, irrelevant distractions and refusal to comment. From Snowden we have compelling first person testimony and supporting documents (uncontested by any other Five Eyes leader). New Zealand is under mass surveillance.
Right Back At You John.
I need to say this – for those academics who will slice and dice a subject to slithers so small that all that […]
The blowoff stream
The queue is enormous. But here is the feed. Thanks Selwyn for the link….. 19:05: Liala Harre has been improving her speaking since […]
John Key On Trial
The latest instalment in the saga of John Key’s struggle to maintain his image as someone above suspicion has produced the amazing spectacle […]
The email
The email that alleges to show John key was in on a conspiracy, with Hollywood execs, to entrap Dotcom in NZ so they could extradite him to the US. Updated. Warners say the email is fake. But who was applying the “political pressure”? Updated: Cameron Slater is a techno idiot.
Key changing his story (again)…
Well well – Mr “No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong” is changing his story. He now admits that surveillance did go ahead…
The enablers
Under pressure from Glenn Greenwald’s revelations, John Key, using various smoke screens, is starting to reveal his complicity in working with the GCSB & its 5 Eyes partners, to extend the scope of their spying. Could the Southern Cross Cable Network not have known their systems had been tapped? Update: Statement by Southern Cross Cables
Key’s reputation and the law
An interesting article by lawyer Steven Price at Media Law Journal. Some extracts quoted, but well worth going and reading the full article.
“Moment of Truth” – a key claim
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Glenn Greenwald is standing firm in the face of Key’s attacks and denials. A fascinating interview with Steve Braunias yesterday contains a key claim.
Jackal: A coalition with Winston Peters
Jackal has compiled a number of the reasons why NZ First and particularly Winston Peters are unlikely to form a coalition or even to support National and John Key. Probably the way that National through their sockpuppets Act, David Farrar, and Whaleoil attacked with spurious charges in 2008. That he came back must have been a shock…
Blue on the polls
Landline polls are a traditional gripe for lefties. But this election polls look seriously out of whack with reality. Is National at 55%, 50%, 48% or 46%? But it’s always far too large for a party at National’s current stage in the political cycle. Just unbelievable and highly unlikely.
“Moment of Truth” – Preview
The positioning re Kim Dotcom’s “Moment of Truth” has started this morning.
Get clean politics into the Herald
Action Station want to run a full-page ad in the Herald calling on politicians to clean up NZ politics. (Update: only $580 needed! Let’s do it!)
My Thinks: A manufactured consent
Here we sit just a week out from an election. It’s a week in which you face a stark choice. Three more years of smile and wave dirty politics or a new direction.
The hairdressers of Levin and Foxton
John Key reckons increasing the minimum wage would hurt “the hairdressers in Levin or Foxton”. So Rob McCann, Labour’s candidate for Ōtaki, asked one how she felt about that.
Nat two track strategy – March to Sept
Nicky Hager has exposed the two track strategy of the Whale Oil, Kiwiblog, Nat smear machine. Why is it allowed to continue?
Authenticity
Is Cunliffe inauthentic? Does Key get to have his own facts? And when will we get proper (ie not game) analysis from our pundits? (spoiler warning: praise for Josie Pagani)
Popcorn time: how craven is Slater?
A nice decision by Justice Asher. We are now sort of journalists. But it left Cameron Slater naked in front of the clipping shears of Matthew Blomfield’s defamation case.
Bombs Away?
So much for any abatement of dirty politics…
Key running scared of debate?
Panic in the ranks
No its not our politicians, media or PR and pundits trying to make sense of what is happening here but according to the Tatler the Scottish aristocracy is nervous. Change is afoot.