“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.
zzero use
election 2014
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…
“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?
Bombs Away?
So much for any abatement of dirty politics…
Key running scared of debate?
Electoral Commission warning on photos
Publishing a photo of your voting paper could earn you a $20,000 fine, and other warnings from the Electoral Commission.
Campbell: Reasons Why We Can’t Afford Another National Government
Gordon Campbell posted an excellent piece yesterday on 19 Reasons Why We Can’t Afford Another National Government. I’m sure that Standardistas can add to the list…
A clear Cunliffe win
David Cunliffe’s performance in tonight’s head-to-head with John Key was exactly what I wanted to see from the next Labour Prime Minister of NZ.
The only way National know to grow the economy
On Firstline this morning, John Key tried to compare National’s and Labour’s policies by saying “You can’t grow the economy when you restrict labour laws.” It’s nonsense, and it’s scary.
NRT: Fundamental incomprehension
Idiot Savant nails the basic issue that commentators like John Armstrong and many others simply don’t understand about the Greens. They aren’t particularly interested in the political game. They are interested in effecting change. But that’s the problem with the galley: they don’t think policy matters. The idea that some victories aren’t worth winning is something they just don’t understand.
Dirty Politics Watch I
A new series on happy mischief and paying back double.
NRT: That empty void again
A bit over a week ago, I complained about the empty void at the heart of the election: Nationals refusal to release policy. And it has struck again today, in the form of Nationals fiscal “plan”. We actually have a government seeking re-election while offering no specifics about what it intends to do in office. But don’t they have a lovely picture of John Key?
Polity: Key waves hands, insipidly
Nationals hypothetical tax cut package has not gone down well. People do not appear to like the fact that it is small, hypothetical, and irresponsible, all at once.This is what you get when you have a prime minister so weakly desperate for public approval that they make up policy by accident and then push that poor decision through their cabinet and caucus.
Nats useless on economy
The economy is a mess, the Nats have no ideas, and their current policies (e.g. hypothetical tax cuts) are getting laughed out of town. National is useless on the economy, and the sooner we the people wake up to this fact, the better off we will be.
Vid of Nicky Hager talk tonight, Waikato
Nicky Hager’s talk at the University of Waikato was very well attended. It was livestreamed. A video of it is now available online,
What kind of government would National lead?
The choice for NZ voters is becoming clearer in the last days of the 2014 election. The irony is that after John Key’s scaremongering, our options are a three-headed coalition of natural allies versus a five-or-six headed hydra of extremists and sworn enemies.
Where is Jason Ede?
Jason Ede’s disappearance from public view suggests a cover up in response to Hager’s Dirty Politics. The book implicates Ede (past PM staffer) in a coordinated black ops smear machine working with blogs like Whale Oil. Key may need to come clean soon about some of Ede’s activities.
Tax cuts – simple question simple answer
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…
Airbrushing the VRWC
In today’s Sunday Star Times, is an article on a Matthew Hooton & the VRWC (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy). Hooton criticises John Key, does a couple of mea culpas, but ultimately, airbrushes the whole disgusting mess of dirty politics. [Updated: comment from Bill]
Perceptions of National’s government
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 …
Two weeks to go and polls suggest that National’s slide in the poll may be arrested. But for how long?
Slater’s bid- fail!
TV3 News reports Slater’s bid to gag the media has failed. High Court decision is that media can report on previously published material, & material they already have. doesn’t apply to previously published material. Rawshark had already given remaining material to the media and departed. [Updated]
The Big Lie in action
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.”
‘Dirty Politics’ symposium, streaming today
The University of Otago had a symposium on Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics book now. The event has ended but video on youtube: Interviews with Hager, speakers, panel.
Tories! Scared of Internet/Mana? I have the solution …
Labour are going to lead the next Government. So what’s a Tory voter to do to keep the damge to a minimum? If the possibility of Hone Harawira and Laila Harre being Ministers in the Cunliffe administration is keeping you up at night, then Te Reo Putake has the answer.
NRT: Sensationalising the status quo
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…
Show us the money John
John Key and National are talking about tax cuts. But when you think about the actual cost of the Christchurch rebuild and tumbling international milk prices you have to question if tax cuts are affordable or even justifiable.
Thoughts from the crowd on Tuesday night’s debate
I was in the front row of the audience at the Press leader’s debate between David Cunliffe and John Key. While the media in Auckland and Wellington might have called it one way, the people in Christchurch were only presented with one leader who understands the issues in this city, and it wasn’t the Prime Minister.
Debate tonight: Climate Voter
Climate Voter is streaming a debate between the major parties tonight at 7pm.
Early Voting starts
Advance votes can now be cast.
National’s campaign train wreck
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.
The Press Debate – tonight, livestreamed on Stuff
The second big head-to-head between David Cunliffe and John Key will be livestreamed on Stuff from 7pm tonight.