The Tamatha Paul Cycleways vs Water Voter Never Happened As Described
How misinformation was used to discredit Tamatha Paul to divert attention away from genuine issues around Moa Point’s sewage disaster
dirty politics
Mountain Tui: Trump’s shooting reveals a hidden danger for New Zealand too
Trump’s shooting has left the world shocked and bewildered. But what, if anything, does it mean for us here in New Zealand?
SFO: The National Party Four are Named
Name suppression has been lifted for the four National Party associates charged by the SFO.
Duped?
Were you just taken for a ride?
The mess that the new government inherits
This post is too long to read. Its purpose is to serve as reference material, a “one stop” snapshot of where we are as a country. The mess that the new government inherits. The consequences of the nine long wasted years of National. The magnitude of the challenge ahead of us.
Kiwibloggers discuss assassination of “terrorist” Winston Peters
Right wing online forums are going to reach new levels of toxicity over the next 3 years. Someone really needs to monitor them.
Where to for National?
National need to apologise to the country for dirty politics and blatant lies. They need a huge clear out of dead wood, starting at the top. Then they need to try and figure out how MMP works.
Peters’ greatest hits
Lloyd Burr at Newshub rounded up 23 of Peters’ most quotable attacks on the Nats and their failed government. Add them to the collection of issues that Peters will have to disown if he goes wrong and picks Right.
Young on coalition options – an edge to Labour
Audrey Young on the coalition dance: “Labour would probably have an advantage because of the greater policy overlap”, “Keeping deputy leader Paula Bennett out of the first pro-forma courtesy meeting was an appalling decision by English that simply says he was desperate to please Peters at any cost”.
Gilbert calls out Nat “tribalists” who continued to back the lies
Outspoken sociologist Dr Jarrod Gilbert on the “tribalists” who continued to back the Nats despite their brazen lies – “if Labour had made the same accusation against National and not a single economist supported it, would you have reacted the same way? No. Of course not. And that’s what defines you as a moron.”
Nat attacks on Ardern reach new low
Simon O’Connor’s attack on Jacinda Ardern yesterday represents a new low, even for National.
The election of truth vs lies
Even those who have supported National in the past must see that this current bunch have lost their way. National needs to renew itself, some time in opposition will do them good. Don’t vote for liars.
Three dirty hits – three epic fails
This is what an amoral party in a desperate third-term death spiral looks like.
National have poisoned the Peters well
National deciding to go after Winston Peters was a high risk strategy, and it has backfired on them. Caught between their own dirty history and a resurgent Labour.
Why is Farrar smearing the superannuation shit?
A lot of politics and political blogging is all about the details. This includes National’s pollster David Farrar who falsely asserted yesterday that Winston would have received 7 annual letters about his superannuation status. So why is National trying to irritate their only possible coalition partner?
No one can have any confidence in a Nat NZF coalition
Peters is enraged by the presumed Nat hit on him over super. Earlier he was calling on Bill English to resign over the Barclay scandal. Given these conflicts, no one can have any confidence in a post-election Nat NZF coalition. They hate each other.
Hager: Dirty Politics three years on
In an excellent piece on The Spinoff, Nicky Hager reflects on three years after Dirty Politics.
Time now to sweep the party of these disgusting tactics out of office and #ChangeTheGovernment.
Nats default to bully mode over Barclay scandal
The ongoing Barclay scandal has taking a familiar turn, with the PM’s office trying dirty tactics on journalists. Meanwhile the pressure builds on English over Barclay’s taxpayer funded disappearing act.
HDPA on the rot that goes to the top
Heather du Plessis-Allan asks why Barclay is taking the fall alone, when – just as with dirty politics – the rot goes to the top of the National Party.
Nat tactics Ngaro and third term arrogance
Ngaro has fronted up with another grudging apology. English should have fired him and it speaks volumes of third-term arrogance that he hasn’t.
Slater v Craig – battle of the has beens
The High Court this week has been asked to dissect the decline of the Conservative Party and of the 2014 form of dirty politics.
National’s long history of intimidation
It isn’t just third term arrogance. Ngaro is merely the latest example of National’s long history of attacking, intimidating, and trying to silence critical voices and facts. Take a stroll with me down memory lane…
Stewart: “Dying days of democracy”?
Probably not, but after 9 years of Brighter Future / Dirty Politics it certainly can feel that way.
Dirty Politics done in the Netsafe style – part 3
No further information from either Netsafe or the complainant. I can’t proceed any further apart from writing explicit site HDCA instructions. The Daily Blog has had the samehappen, with an attempt to gag any public debate on their actions by Netsafe. Amy Adams has hurriedly issued a press release saying how wonderful the HDCA is… I guess she doesn’t like debate.
Nats’ attack on Ardern – Day 3
They were still digging themselves deeper yesterday. The latest attack tells us more about National than it does about Ardern.
Nats’ attack on Ardern backfires
National’s nasty, obvious, hamfisted attack on Jacinda Ardern has backfired on them big time.
“All show and no substance”
The attack on Ardern as “all show and no substance” is a curious one for a party that was led for so many years by John Key.
Marwick on dirty politics, leaks and the OIA
Marwick: “The other thing you can deduce from a three year battle over access to correspondence is that the most senior politician in the land probably had something to hide.”
Win for sanity in Hager vs Westpac
The Privacy Commission issues a ruling that should not have been unnecessary.
NRT: Even more expensive
NoRightTurn: The police’s illegal raid on Nicky Hager’s home has got even more expensive
Whaleoil and Rachinger – the final chapter starts
In the Manakau District Court later this morning the trial of Ben Rachinger on fraud charges related to a admitted solicitation attempt to hack this site by Cameron Slater begins. The trial is set down for 5 days. Unfortunately I won’t be there. However there aren’t any court orders to prevent me from expressing my views and advice on the trial.
Labour sticks to the high road
As the confused media pile-on to Labour continues, it’s good to hear that the party is planning to stick to the high road.
Dirty politics past and present
A couple of dirty politics related stories that slipped under the radar in the last hectic week.
In case you missed it: Nicky Hager awarded interim costs
Investigative journalist Nicky Hager has been awarded interim legal costs towards $475,082 spent suing police.
Dirty Politics Farrar and freedom of speech
There’s a petition – Get Rid of Hosking – it’s closing in on 16K signatures. Dirty Politics Farrar is a mite agitated about it, so let’s all give the Streisand effect a big hand.
National is missing Cameron Slater
The ham fisted attack on Hurimoana Dennis by Paula Bennett’s office must make National yearn for the heady days when Cameron Slater was in charge of their smears.