National’s dirty politics, for all its corrosive damage, also marks an opportunity for NZ. An opportunity to take stock, recognise such tactics for what they are, and reject them. An opportunity to clean up both politics and the media’s coverage of it.
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The NACT way is Not Our Way. We need a better way of governance and democracy. One that is for all the people. I joined the hardy souls who went to the Not Our Way rally and march in Auckland.
“There can surely be no more important issue than the fitness to govern of some of these pretending to office. What could be more serious than the abuse of power – its use, not to serve the interests of the country, but to discredit and destroy, in an unfair, vicious and underhand way, those whom the government sees as its opponents?”
The English faction is now calling the shots inside the National party.
Oravida and the mysterious Chinese border control official, the Simon Pleasants leak, Bronwyn Pullar’s Privacy Commission complaint, plotting to roll John Key after the […]
Press conference is running late, but Judith’s statement is out – resigning as Minister, but not as MP.
New allegations of her undermining SFO head Adam Feeley have finally been too much.
Update: email attached to post
Judith Collins’ tenure as a Minister may be in some doubt.
There is a self-appointed “Vast Right Wing Conspiracy” in New Zealand. Odgers and Slater are key members. Search VRWC on Slater’s website and you’ll find their activities. After Pansy Wong’s forced resignation from Cabinet for misuse of her travel perk the VRWC thought the National Cabinet needed “some serious steel going forward.” You can read the minutes of their virtual white-board session on post-it cards – the rifts at the top are deep and nasty.
The latest Dominion Post contains survey data on people’s responses to Dirty Politics but attempts to manufacture a message by quoting selected interviews suggesting that Labour and not National have been hurt by Hager’s revelations. The headlines though are that half of all New Zealanders think less highly of John Key and 7.9% of voters are considering changing their vote. National should be afraid.
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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.
They care about Child Poverty (and presumably he doesn’t)
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.
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.
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
Peters is standing by his claim that camp Collins approached him about working with her as PM. Peters says he will “swear an affidavit”, strong language indeed, and Collins has every reason to lie. Why is she still a Minister anyway?
Three weeks before the election, action is being taken across the country voicing a rejection of the National Government’s track record and direction. Rallies are being held in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to oppose National’s attacks on workers, abuse of the environment, inequality, cronyism and dirty politics.
Last night there was one participant in the debate who looked disinterested and unhappy to be there: John Key. Has he had enough?
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.
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The pundits say: Cunliffe
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 between David Cunliffe and John Key (tonight, 7pm, TV One) could be a real turning point of the election.
How did @peace’s offensive song from 2013 suddenly become topical news? Why the usual suspects of course…
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A public meeting meeting with Jesson Prize winner Nicky Hager. Chaired by Sir Edmund Thomas and hosted by the Human Rights Foundation & Equal Justice Project. Streamed live…
Updated with a youtube of the event.
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.
“Dirty Politics” and “The Hollow Men” have revealed the extent of the National party’s nasty internal war over the past decade. Cameron Slater is merely one of the noisier but dumber sock puppet weapons in use against National’s centre and moderates. Looking at the actions of Simon Lusk using his sock puppet is more revealing…
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?
The NZ Herald has been notable for the blind stupidity of their editorials since its formation in the 1860s and its enthusiastic fostering of the New Zealand civil war for short-term profit. Today’s editorial continues that long tradition of blind stupid ignorance by being surprised (yet again) at Labour’s long tradition of fiscal responsibility.
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.
Duncan Garner lets it all out of the bag. Part of the problem is that under any normal circumstances Cabinet Minister Judith Collins […]
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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.
Brent Robinson is rightly peeved. He was at the end of an internal smear campaign orchestrated by Slater and Lusk, and had the […]
