Duncan Garner just tweeted an simple question: Question for tmrw - when we've just borrowed $55b over 6 years how on earth are tax cuts suddenly affordable? @RadioLIVENZ Drive 3-6pm Here's a simple answer. They aren't. Of course they aren't affordable, none of National's tax…
Some of you will be wondering what the announcement at the top of the screen about an outage tonight is about. I have to power down the system to put in uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to handle possible power outages. The reason why is that…
Years ago, when you applied for a marine radio operators licence, you had to sign a statement that you would maintain "secrecy of correspondence". "Secrecy of correspondence" was the legal principle that, "Under no circumstances would you divulge the contents of any radio message to…
In today's Sunday Star Times, there's a page (p. A11) devoted to aspects of Hager's book Dirty Politics. The centre piece is an article by Adam Dudding, based largely on a Matthew Hooton interview and the VRWC (Vast Right Wing Conspiracy). The VRWC is the…
Scott at Imperator Fish kindly lets us syndicate his posts. Original Here. So where do we go from here? The polls are all bad for Labour, and the only good news story coming from the dirty politics fiasco is that someone finally managed to make…
So on The Nation yesterday David Parker and Bill English squared off. Repeatedly asked what changes he would make in the next 3 years, Bill English couldn't come up with one new idea. Nada. Nil. Zip. David Parker had heaps to say, but the plan under…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike ...
There was a great protest up Queen St today, as 1000-odd people (including me & my family!) marched against child poverty, and government and societal inaction over it. TVOne. Herald. Henare O'Keefe - wow. I'm sure the media cameras loved Lucy Lawless, and Jacinda and…
Previously on 'Allo, allo, allo, allo'.................... /cameron-slater-gets-starring-role-in-tvnz-drama /key-schemes-with-media-at-whaleoil-cafe/ /key-at-home-in-whale-oil-cafe/ Based on the 1980's hit comedy "Allo, allo" Staring Cameron Slater as Rene and Judith Collins as Edith. It is early morning at the Whale Oil Cafe, a greasy spoon cafe off K'Road. The cafe has…
How John Key and a few of his acolytes like to think of his government. And then there is how everyone else now does... Why? Well there is the list of his ministers that have been dismissed for abusing their position. But mostly it is…
Two weeks to go in the country's most interesting election campaign for a while. Recent polls suggest that National's slide has been halted. I do not accept that this necessarily is the reality because the polls are all over the place and I believe that the…
Cameron Slater is deleting posts from his Whaleoil blog. Down the memory hole. Anything he deletes is, of course, of interest in the current dirty climate. Most of it relates to Cathy Odgers / Cactus Kate, but there are exceptions (written by or paid for…
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike ...
[updated] Slater has failed in his bid to gag the media. There is an interim injunction against Rawshark from publishing any further hacked material. He had already signed of Twitter before today's court proceedings, and said all the remaining dumps are with the media. The…
Weekend social is for non political chat. What's on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no aggro, why can't we all just get along?
TAKE STEPS AGAINST CHILD POVERTY WITH CPAG Britomart to Aotea Square, Auckland This Saturday - 6 September, 11am Music * Face Painters * Interactive Art * Stilt Walkers * Bubble Blowing * Balloons * Food * Great Speakers Only one more sleep until you march up…
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 One has Labour at 24.3%…
The University of Otago held a symposium on Nicky Hager's Dirty Politics book this afternoon. Nicky Hager will be participating. It began at 1pm - on til 4pm. It has now ended but can be viewed on youtube. There is now a short break and then…
So Cameron Slater is off to the High Court today, aided by a very capable Barrister, John Billington QC. Mr Billington is not cheap. Slater's Whaleoil site must be very profitable, presuming that he is actually paying Billington's fees. Steven Joyce denied this morning that…
Reposted from Polity. With the polls bouncing around all over the map, methinks some folk have been a little quick to bury the left's corpse. And the interesting thing is the way they have done it, with a disappointed shake of the head and a…
I detect an interesting shift in the mindset of my Tory friends. There's a growing acceptance that National are in trouble and a change of Government is now a real possibility. The bleating I hear more and more is that they can put up with…
Anyone care to guess who might be funding this? http://twitter.com/tmurphyNZH/status/507407769876451328 Karol did her usual research. It looks like the name on the application is Cameron John Slater. But really? This is the clown who has been pleading poverty and representing himself against Matthew Blomfield. Now…
Reposted from Local Bodies. Dirty Politics keeps giving and giving and the latest revelation is a possible link between Anne Tolley and Cameron Slater. Anne Tolley was Education Minister when National Standards were first introduced and, as with all education changes under this government, there was…
Reposted from No Right Turn Pity the political reporter. Committed to horse-race style reporting, having to comment on polls whose poll-to-poll shifts are almost entirely statistical noise, desperate for an angle. And so we had Patrick Gower on 3 News last night desperately talking up how…
You have to admire John Key's audacity. He has presided over a government which has never run a budget surplus and who has accumulated considerable debt. Yet he is hinting that tax cuts are in the pipeline. In 2007 net Crown debt had been paid off.…
Network On Net has an explosive post detailing the bullying attacks on Principals who disagreed with Anne Tolley - particularly over the controversial National Standards. A sample: What is incontrovertible is that unpleasant things happened, indeed, are still happening to certain principals, seeming to involve…
So Hekia Parata has been crowing 15% more teachers under National for months - but it turns out to be a combination of Nat lies and another Novopay fuck-up. In fact the number she should have been quoting is 6.5% increase in teachers by headcount,…
Whaledump's account on Twitter has been suspended. Someone is trying to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted. Update: @Whaledump2 is providing more dumps see No Right Turn: Let the game of whackawhale commence! Once again I'm astounded by how fast the police…
So on Tuesday I was in the front row of the audience at the Press leader’s debate between David Cunliffe and John Key. It was an exciting occasion and great to have so many people interested in politics in the Ilam electorate. I went with…