The Standard is offering to the National Party leadership contenders guest post slots

Written By: notices and features - Date published: - 128 comments
Categories: bill english, Judith Collins, national, national/act government, paula bennett, Satire, The Standard - Tags: , ,

National cabinet

Here at the Standard during previous Labour leadership campaigns the contenders have been offered guest post slots.  These have been warmly received and well read and arguably have had a significant effect on the outcome of the two contests conducted under Labour’s democratic leadership contest rules.

In the spirit of bi partisanship the Standard wishes to offer the same opportunity to the candidates for leadership of the National caucus.  After all the winner will become Prime Minister.  It is important that the merits of the contenders be investigated fully and there is no better way for this to occur than for them to answer questions online.

The deputy leadership is also important and the offer is made to contenders for this position as well.

So to Bill, Judith, Paula, Jonathan, Simon, Amy, and anyone else contact the site and advise your availability.  Posts should be no longer than 600 words and you should be prepared to answer questions.

Questions in advance can be posted in comments to this post.

128 comments on “The Standard is offering to the National Party leadership contenders guest post slots”

Comment numbers have changed to permanent references. Older quoted numbers may no longer identify the same comment.

    2. 1.2

      @ Infused

      { ‘ I think The Standard thinks it has more weight than it does tbh.

      I’d be amazed if they bother. ‘ }

      This might though , in light of Keys lies about resigning ‘ for family reasons’…

      And BTW – the news article they are using was dated Dec 21 , 2015.

      http://www.mscnewswire.co.nz/reporters-desk/item/1019-nz-premier-john-key-imf-managing-director-prospect.html

      Which demonstrates that right to the last Key and his ministers cannot be trusted to tell any semblance of the truth.

      1. 1.2.1

        So, because you have read a newspaper opinion piece that contains unsubstantiated claims you accuse Key of lying?

            1. 1.2.1.1.1.1

              L0L ! – just goes to show you cant believe everything you read in Granny Herald , can you now,…

              Which kind of begs the question …. how much politically biased drivel did Granny Herald feed the NZ public about Labour and Cunliffe , while at the same time providing glowing reports about how the sun shines out of Keys arse ?

              Or that $100,000 bottle of wine that never existed ?

              http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11279089

              1. 1.2.1.1.1.2.1

                I’ve got no time for the Herald, WK, so you’re preaching to the converted. But back to your comment. Where is your evidence that Key lies about his resignation?

  2. 2

    Chuck them –the contenders, in the pit shown, in a fight to the death. Charge, the likes of me,-{eager to watch} , give the money raised to a worthy cause. -maybe a national party wailing wall or something.

  4. 4

    Any sincere and competent MP would relish an open public platform like TS to promote their policy, values, and plan for NZ.

    Does such a creature exist in this leadership race?

    1. 4.1

      Why? You’re not the sort of people they need to convince. I’d bet 90-95% of the people here are core left voters of some description. Nothing any of these contenders say is going to change that.

      You’re just going to get a bunch of bs questions asked.

          1. 4.1.1.1.1

            In that case, is it safe to say the following?
            a) Nat MPs only care about their true blue mates and the rest of NZ can get f*ed
            b) Nat MPs are neither sincere nor competent
            c) Nat MPs do not think they need to be democratically elected nor accountable to the people of NZ

              1. 4.1.1.1.1.1.1

                No, infused – your response was right on the button. No one is represented, that is for sure.
                The ministers looking for the leader/deputy leader roles are being interviewed right now on the news. All of them, without exception talk about themselves or representing the National party.
                Let see, I need to get my head around this…. aren’t they suppose to represent the people who elected them – at the very least – and actually the NZ population at large? How fantastically self serving!
                I take a bow to Mr John Key keeping all this under wrap.
                This leadership competition will show the true colors of the contenders.

          2. 4.1.2.1.2

            Hey, infused – I think you’re confused, here. No-one’s said they expect the candidates to front up. They’re simply being offered the chance.

            As for the idea that most of the readers here are hard-left, I guess I’d point out that you, and BM and many other mouthpieces of the right seem to comments very regularly. Anyone who posted on this site would have right, middle and left-leaning readers.

            1. 4.1.2.1.2.1

              I come here for the deranged comments, and the AR posts.

              CV’s banned, the only one here who made sense. So yeah, this place is quite to the left.

      3. 4.1.3

        You think the Nats don’t want to peel off voters from other parties? I’d disagree, it has been central to their political strategy in fact, and they’ve been speaking in glowing terms about Key in his success at attracting swing voters.

        If they’re sincere about wanting to govern for all New Zealand, it’s reasonable to make a respectful pitch towards people who might have slightly different values than they do. I’m personally willing to put aside my criticisms and listen to what they have to say.

        1. 4.1.3.1

          Not much left to peel off now.

          But i agree in spirit with your post – if only some of your fellow commenters took the same approach in reverse.

          1. 4.1.3.1.1

            If they’re not worried about those they did peel off running for the hills right now, they’re not paying attention. Collins particularly needs to reassure centrist voters that she will give them what they want to stay part of the National Party coalition.

          1. 4.1.3.2.1

            I think you just made a huge mistake with your assumption or is it assertion?

            The TS authors and regular commenters are less likely (!) to be so-called swing voters, I agree, but the silent readership of TS is much much larger. How many swing voters do you think would be among them?

            In any case, genuine political debate is not just about point scoring or pulling voters over to the other side, is it?

            It has been a long time since I have witnessed a proper intelligent genuine debate …

      4. 4.1.4

        @ Infused.

        Hey buddy , – I’m not a member of any party and have criticized Labour here as much as National.

        But the real reason I’ve criticized both is that I , – like thousands of others, – cant stomach the anti worker , anti sovereignty , anti democratic greed and deception that is the lot of the neo liberal ideology.

        And if it wasn’t for that one fact and that one fact alone , – you might even have found me voting for National !!!

        So how does that one sit with you , buddy?

        Perhaps that might explain some of the seething hatred for Key and a lot of the other subversives found in parliament on both sides of the political fence.

  5. 5

    Q: what is your political philosophy?
    Q: what qualifies you to lead Aotearoa?
    Q: what is your vision for NZ in the next 10-50 years?
    Q: how will you help more Kiwis to share in the current prosperity?

    2. 5.2

      Collins:
      A: CRUSH
      B: The Will to Power
      C: A land overflowing with milk and money
      D: – – “share!?” does not compute – –

      English:
      A: I’m Alright Jack
      B: Stick with the devil you know
      C: GST at 100%, Company tax at -17%, All branches of government privatised
      D: By re-defining “Kiwis” as good middle class Christian white males

  6. 6

    Kinda pointless offer really because as we know, unlike Labour where the entire party membership get to vote, only Nat MPs have any say in the leadership vote.
    The contenders only really need concern themselves with their fellow causcus members. That fits with the right wing ethos though, just look after yourself and your mates and screw everyone else

    1. 6.1

      Fairly dopey argument – caucus electing leader is an established feature of Westminster democracies. Positives and negatives for both approaches relate to the historical legacy of the party in terms of bottom up governance.

      The triple-layered approach suits the Labour party courtesy of its roots as an arm of the Unions. Similarly the Green Party is at its core still a “movement”. The National Party isn’t a movement, it’s more a loose affiliation of individuals with some overlapping views and ideologies.

      Caucus election is a reasonably legitimate form of election for such a party, given the embedded knowledge in caucus now of what it takes to win elections and govern. They have a large caucus too now don’t forget – 50 odd. I don’t think the open primary system that Labour has run has helped the party in the public eye. Airing dirty laundry in public can be cathartic or counterproductive.

      1. 6.1.1

        What a load of crap.

        Next you will be saying the signing of the Magna Carta wasn’t an in house affair designed to enhance the financial and political standing of the Barons but instead was designed solely with the wider population in mind.

        1. 6.1.1.1

          Actually, I think Brutus has a valid point. While this seems pretty clearly tongue-in-cheek, the Nats do need to convince the wider public, not just each other. If that wasn’t an issue, we wouldn’t have Collins popping up all over the place claiming she’s been “completely exonerated” and trying to present herself as a populist.

          She’s sure entertaining, if nothing else!

          1. 6.1.1.1.1

            Heh…. just quietly,… I do hope Collins somehow manages to goosestep her way in,… though not quite for the same reasons shes thinking…

            And while she sees National off down the proverbial gurgler, she can entertain us all with her antics along the way !

            Sadly though,… it’ll be boring old English ,… not Collins.

            1. 6.1.1.1.1.1

              I see this attitude too often here, and I don’t think it’s correct. I think many people are refusing to give Collins credit for how competent she is. Her ability to debate and get her point across in interviews and in the house is excellent – far more in the Clark league than the Key league, and she will know that the standards of what she can get away with in the more exposed position of party leadersre quite different from what she could afford herself when cultivating the image of a maverick MP and minister. For those who dismiss her for Oravida and her dirty politics associations, I would point out that she is nonetheless a current minister and automatically treated as a serious contender for the leadership.

              Voters will probably not forget her earlier scandals, but the latter will be easily tempered by whatever spin sge now wants to put on her political persona and ambitions. She certainly doesn’t have the artless affability that Key conveyed, but neither did Clark, Bolger or Muldoon. History suggests that the imagination of the voting public is captured by different styles at different times.

    2. 6.2

      Excuse me?

      Party members have 40% of the votes, caucus members have another 40% of the votes, and affiliated unions have 20% of the votes.

      Yeah, you get to vote. But it doesn’t really matter.

      1. 6.2.1

        What the heck does that mean? The vote of each party member doesn’t carry as much weight as each caucus member, but that’s fine by me: the caucus knows the candidates a lot more intimately and they’re the ones who have to work with them the most closely. As for the affiliated unions getting a say – good. The Labour Party should never forget its obligation to represent the interests of the working class.

        1. 6.2.1.1

          ” the caucus knows the candidates a lot more intimately and they’re the ones who have to work with them the most closely.”
          So why not just let them choose the leader? The caucus only got their by being voted as the best representative for their members and then the best representative for their region, so let them choose the best representative for them.

      2. 6.2.2

        Are you trying to say the people of the Party didn’t vote Andrew Little in as Leader – well, don’t. The Unions were one voice, the Caucus were another, and the People were the third voice, and the People won.
        We all voted, we had choices 1, 2, and 3 – and Andrew Little came out on top. That was very democratic.

        2. 6.2.2.2

          “We all voted, we had choices 1, 2, and 3 – and Andrew Little came out on top. That was very democratic.”

          Wrong sorry Jenny, after round three voting (the final round) Grant Robertson had 56.25% of the caucus vote and 55.23% of the members vote. Andrew Little only won because ~75% of the Union Delegates voted Andrew Little as their first choice and Grant Robertson as their last choice.
          This shows how broken the Labour leadership vote is, the caucus who “knows the candidates a lot more intimately and they’re the ones who have to work with them the most closely” as red-blooded put it didn’t get their 1st, second or third choice (Little was last in the caucus votes after round one), and the members who clearly preferred Grant Robertson across all levels of voting didn’t get their choice either.

          Oligarchy is not the type of democracy I want to live in.

  7. 7

    I think this is meant to be satirical. However if not then I would like to ask the following questions of the author of this post.

    Given the contenders are trying to win over their fellow National party MP’s and not the wider membership base as in a Labour Party leadership election what benefit would it serve to post here?

    2. 7.2

      You clearly don’t have a good grip on satire, Gos.

      While the candidates only need to win over their fellow caucus members, they may want to show they have pull with a larger audience.

        1. 7.2.1.1

          If it wasn’t, it should have been.

          It’s always better to hear what people’s real positions are from their own mouths. Unlike the National Party I think it’s a good thing to hear from people with opposing points of view, and I would welcome genuine comments from the Nat candidates if they’re willing to walk into the lion’s den.

    3. 7.3

      Because the answers given will be taken into account by readers during the next general election.

      If the contenders for the position are not able to clarify why they should be leader of the National Party, then why the hell would you vote for them next year to lead the country?

      (But then National has always had an election strategy that is light on policy, so it would be a step too far for most of them :smile:)

  8. 8

    While this is a hilarious wind-up, there are quite a lot of National trolls here who would probably appreciate such a post.

      1. 8.2.1

        Really ? After all your years posting here I’d have though you’d be acquainted with your commenting base by now ?

          1. 8.2.2.1.1

            If one of the contenders wishes to submit a post I will be more than happy to put it up and monitor comments. I don’t think it is likely …

        2. 8.2.3.2

          I would happily put it up myself.

          See the contrast? Labour leader candidates put themselves on the digital line and submit posts and answer questions and attend meetings.

          National leader candidates not so much …

        2. 9.1.1.2

          I remember when on tv you were asked what’s your favourite blog, and you replied “not the standard” in a really sarcastic voice. It all fits now.

        1. 9.2.1.1

          Don’t fight over it chaps.
          Remember what happened to Brian in the Monty Python film.
          I do like gsays comment though. I’d give it a smiley if only I could get the darn things to work.

  10. 10

    If it has the same type of moderation as the labour party contest, I think it would be very good.

    Let’s not forget, we have a lot of center voters who look at this site.

    The Tory’s want the center vote, I don’t see why they can’t argue with a few from the left to earn the right, to get it.

    I’m sure Judith and Paula think they can destroy any arguments we might have. Bill and Jonathan must have responses to any left wing questions sorted as well.

  11. 11

    Can someone who knows please provide the links to bring up Blip’s questions of Key’s muckups and lack of versimilitude (lies, near lies and possible porkies)? Please.

    I would have thought Blip would be listed as one item in the archives in politics but can’t see and can’t search. I had the link somewhere but someone better indexed than I could help with this. From it commenters could pick some beautifully tailored questions – Would you do this? Is this something that should be changed, taken apart? What will happen to the vulnerable if this is done? Where do you see your strategic interest taking you – same as Key’s here? Etc etc.

      1. 11.2.1

        Thanks Rosemary.
        And Top Hat thanks also, glad that someone put that precious list under Lock and Key! Looks nice and easy to read.

        And thanks Blip for documenting the things that future pollies need to do to win high office as PM in NZ and stay popular! Sarc/

          1. 12.1.1.1.1

            So you “think” he did something and wasn’t able to “wriggle” out of it?. Sounds like bullshit to me unless you can provide actual details.

            1. 12.1.1.1.1.1

              It must have been something quite bad for him to have been disappeared like that – it was faster than Ede disappeared. Sabin was the darling of the right’s ‘tough on crims’ lobby with his dodgy business in the meth industry, so they wouldn’t normally have wanted to get rid of them.
              Normally people only disappear that fast if they’ve been a complete moron like Aaron Gilmore’s special effort to be as grossly arrogant as possible.

    1. 13.1

      That’s ok dear, when would you like the operation to change that small disadvantage that you have? Help is on the way, I’ll sharpen my knife.

  14. 14

    Obviously:

    You’re in a desert, walking along in the sand, when all of a sudden you look down and see a tortoise, X. It’s crawling toward you. You reach down and you flip the tortoise over on its back, X. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can’t. Not without your help. But you’re not helping…

    I don’t think that Collins was able to answer or even comprehend that. How about the rest?

    2. 14.2

      once some are on their backs their fucked? Lol I’m a bit of a smart arse this morning, there was this girl with a reputation, one of the lads gave her the name turtle for that reason.

      But seriously it’s about ‘we’ not ‘me’ the turtle and the desert walker… the walker flips the turtle, saving it’s life, the turtle is great company and shares its wisdom with the walker, saving it’s life. It turns out there was a map on the turtles shell showing the way out of the desert, but the desert walker would have never known that, if they hadn’t stopped to helped the turtle.

      Turning a blind eye can often lead to ones own suffering.

      Other than my take on the turtle, i’ve honestly no idea what you mean Rhino and where Dick comes into it Rosemary. Could you fellas’ please explain i’m a bit lost. Thanks

      I think i got it… how about this, thanks google..

      This from Blade Runner which is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

      Holden: The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs, trying to turn itself over but it can’t. Not without your help. But you’re not helping’

      1. 14.3.1

        Yeh that is obviously the real question.

        The answer (putting on my Freud cap for moment) is power, while the turtle is walking along minding it’s own business, it does not acknowledge your obvious potential power over it.
        Once you have flipped it on it’s back for it to feel the potential of a slow painful death, and then you then flip it back over, you perceive that it now acknowledges your power and that it owes you a debt… but then if we follow @Cinny’s story, where the Turtle spreads it’s wisdom and shares a map with the sick fuck who tortures animals to gain power and force the ‘wisdom’ out of them, can you then trust that wisdom or the map?

        1. 14.3.1.1

          As far as my understanding of turtles go they don’t really stray to far from some form of a water source so if it was me I’d (hopefully) know where the nearest water source is (I’m not going to play silly buggers in the desert after all) and if it was close by I’d leave it alone but if we weren’t and the turtle wasn’t too heavy I’d carry the turtle to the water source

          But then I also might also be going to far into it

      2. 14.3.2

        “Why would you flip it over in the first place?”

        Because you want to stop it getting to where it is going.

        Because you’re a sadist.

        Because you think there are too many turtles in the world.

        Because you want to prove that everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

        Because you know sweet fuck all about turtles and their needs and you think they’re better off that way.

              1. 14.3.2.1.1.1.1

                I was definitely think of Collins and co. That would be a bit harsh if applied to you, but I guess you can decide if the cap fits, politically speaking ;-P

    1. 16.1

      True I accept the blame for believing Lefties and not questioning them, I’m just too trusting for my own good 😉

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