If you haven't already, please check out Climate Voter: Being a Climate Voter means you care about climate change and you want all political parties to do something about it. It means you want real action on climate change and you’re prepared to use your…
John Key has been pushing the "they blog on the left too" line, but he's deliberately missing the point. It's ethics that matter. Not whether some in the Leader's Office used to blog, but what they did and wrote. John Key's coup de grace is about…
Nope, fortunately despite the title this post is definitely is not about the tediously infamous Pete George1. :twisted: Instead Andrew Geddis appears to be up to his neck in the mire of organising "Debating 'Dirty Politics': Media, Politics and Law", at a 'scholarly' debate on Friday…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEs0gcKkBbI The Electoral Commission has been producing some really interesting videos on why it is important to vote. The first is above. And now is a good time for everyone to remind friends, neighbours and family on the importance of voting. Early votes can now…
The Nats are nasty as well as dirty. Here's todays example: Former minister Judith Collins isn't pulling any punches at critics after she quit last weekend - calling Labour leader David Cunliffe a "moron". Keep talking Judith, please, keep talking! Meanwhile Nat "affiliated" groups are…
I must admit that a month ago I was very pessimistic about the left's chances in this election. The media narrative was very negative and was having its effect. Morale was low. And the Beehive inspired and Slater directed attacks on David Cunliffe were relentless. National's…
When John Key pushed his GCSB amendments through - amendments with over-reaching powers and too little oversight (see: JK - I don't look at SIS OIAs...) he told us that if you had nothing to hide, there was nothing to fear. Well John, the worm turns,…
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 ...
Stuff had it so - and they ran the debate. But I think Andre Alessi on Twitter had it best: Cunliffe started best, Key got in a zinger and put him off his stride, Cunliffe dominated the second half - particularly on Christchurch issues. Also…
Reposted from No Right Turn. There was an interesting discussion on Twitter yesterday between Dean Knight and Graeme Edgeler about the caretaker convention and elections. Dean highlighted the fact that Key had a perfect right to call for whatever sort of inquiry he felt like, as the caretaker…
The second big head-to-head between David Cunliffe and John Key will be livestreamed on Stuff from 7pm! The Press leaders' debate is where Key pulled his "show me the money" quote in 2011. And he's going to be taking this far more seriously than the…
Puddleglum at Political Scientist has an excellent post that you should read all of Here are a couple of lengthy extracts, but go and read it all: Having just listened to an item featuring John Key on Checkpoint (National Radio) I now have to announce that New Zealand…
Dirty Politics has resulted in many questions being asked about the quality and reliability of the coverage of politics by the news media and blogs. Blogs, the Media and Two-Track Politics Many are trying to claim that left wing blogs are as bad as those…
Nicky Hager will discuss his recent book "Dirty Politics", and what needs to be done differently to protect and enhance our democracy. Tuesday 9 September, St Andrew's Church, 30 The Terrace, Wellington, 5:30-7:30pm. All welcome. Registration essential on Fabian Society website or here.
Time to get out the whitewash: An inquiry into the events surrounding Judith Collins' downfall will not examine the relationship between her and Whale Oil blogger Cameron Slater or the Serious Fraud Office investigation into Hanover Finance, Prime Minister John Key says. I know, let's…
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 ...
Tomorrow evening SAFE is holding a pre-election debate on Factory Farming in Wellington. The participants are Shane Ardern (National), Trevor Mallard (Labour), Mojo Mathers (Greens), Richard Prosser (NZ First) and Miriam Pierard (Internet). Factory farming has featured prominently in the news this year after repeated…
Rawshark has continued his or her terrorism of the John Key government by a further dump of screenshots of emails. Something interesting struck me about the latest dump which contains a series of emails which were collected in a folder called "Mark Hotchin". The emails are…
Reposted from No Right Turn. Another day, and more evidence the National government is manipulating the OIA process: Judith Collins' office processed an Official Information Act request in just two days to release an email embarrassing then Serious Fraud Office head Adam Feeley in 2011. [...]…
My condolences to those close to the victims of the horrific actions in Ashburton today. As the PSA spokes person Richard Wagstaff, says in their press release: “Nobody should go to work in the morning without returning home that same day. Such violence is just…
I have today sent an open letter to the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to ask why Mr Key is not required to attend her inquiry and to give evidence under oath. The letter is attached. Dear Inspector-General, I was delighted to learn of your…
[I see that I have doubled up on a post by Mike - sorry 'bout that! Because I'm hoping to get the transcript done I'll put this post up anyway, but I refer you to Mike's post and links.] National's involvement with dirty politics goes…
John Key dropped Winston Peters' visits to DotCom into an answer to a question in the House of Parliament on February 12 2014. Today when pressed by Guyon Espiner whether the information had come to him from Cameron Slater he ducked and dived all over…
So Judith Collins is gone. But she’s gone on the flimsy basis that Cameron Slater mentioned her in an email. She isn’t gone because of any revelations contained in Nicky Hagers’ book. I’m picking that Cameron Slater was indeed just ‘talking up a big game’…
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 ...
I've been at the Broadcasting debate in Auckland tonight, organised by the Coalition for Better Broadcasting. There was strong support from most of the speakers for public service broadcasting to be reformed and/or strengthened in NZ. For the parties of the left particularly, the manipulations…
All your "trashing the SFO" connections. h/t DebsHancock (some might say there are some more you can add, but sticking strictly to the latest case, rather than the general dirty politics) Meanwhile in Grey Lynn... (Component is an excellent local artist and a mate, work…
I honestly do not know where to start ... if the release of Dirty Politics was devastating then the revelations from yesterday are mind blowing. The release of the Cameron Slater email by John Key and the effective sacking of Judith Collins as a Minister…