John Key and an array of National sock puppets have misrepresented Labour’s UBI proposal as party policy and as being very expensive when it is not party policy and when a variety of different potential forms have been raised for discussion.
Key backed down on using taxpayer money for his payout to Ambrose – but he is still using it to cover his legal expenses in the case. Why?
John Key’s office has announced that he will now pay the agreed damages from private sources.
The teapot payout shows that, while Key is keen on distinguishing between his various hats when he’s trying to dodge responsibility, he is just as keen on ignoring the differences if it lets him dip into public money.
Key has made a payout in the Bradley Ambrose defamation case over the “teapot tapes”.
Teapot tape cameraman Bradley Ambrose plans to take a defamation case against John Key. A crowdfunding campaign has been set up to help him raise the $38,000 required.
Key is carrying plenty of baggage now. Haunted not only by dirty politics, but also the scandal of the election before, the teapot tapes.
John Key is a bully who uses the powers of his office inappropriately. Every now and then someone calls him on it – Mike Joy, Jon Stephenson, Andrea Vance and Bradley Ambrose being examples. Now it is the turn of Law Society member Rodney Harrison QC to stand up.
Now we learn that another Key enquiry spied on “teapot tape” reporter Bradley Ambrose. This government under John Key does not use its spying powers competently or appropriately. There is no guarantee that some future government will not be even worse. The Key-Dunne spying Bill should be rejected pending a proper enquiry and proper safeguards. Peter Dunne, please take note.
The Herald reported this morning that the police had previously obtained a warrant to seize Bradley Ambrose text messages. It seems that in New Zealand a journalist’s rights of privacy do not count for much. And John Key’s actions to protect his privacy using extreme measures but more recently in trashing Andrea Vance’s privacy again with extreme measures are jarring.
His policies (such that they are) aren’t working, his government is now being questioned, his economy is stuck in the doldrums, so naturally Key is looking for someone to blame. The media!
So much of what shapes the current political landscape traces its roots back to the fateful tea party. But at the personal level, there was some welcome news for cameraman Bradley Ambrose recently.
When a government figure says someone broke a law when there has been no conviction they are effectively imposing an extra-judicial punishment by defaming them. Key and the Police cannot be allowed to serve up extra-judicial punishments to whomever they choose by branding them a criminal and then not taking them to court to prove it.
In breaking news 3News reports that there will be no charge against “teapot” cameraman Bradley Ambrose.
According to reporter Derek Cheng (#dchengnzh) inside the courtroom “Judge reserved decision til 215 tomoro #votenz #ambrose“.
Bradley Ambrose, the cameraman widely maligned by John Key and his pudgey lapdogs David Farrar and Cameron Slater for daring to hold the PM to some basic standards of accountability, is demanding an apology from John Key or he’ll take the PM to court for defamation.
UPDATE: The final week of the campaign will kick off with a police raid on the Herald Monday morning.
