OU Vote Chat programme goes sour

Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, June 13th, 2014 - 17 comments
Categories: broadcasting, same old national - Tags: , , ,

So it appears the intended non-partisan deeper engagement with politicians that is the Otago University Vote Chat has been taken over by the National Party.

This is very disappointing as you expect academic independence from universities, not a partisan production.

The 3 Producers are local Nat list MP Michael Woodhouse’s Campaign Manager (James Meager), his partner and another card carrying Nat.  They were disappointed with Bryce Edwards raising Woodhouse’s involvement with National Party donor Donghua Liu.

Its independence has been so compromised that interviewer and politics academic Bryce Edwards has quit, and the NZ Herald will no longer live-stream it.

Dr Edwards this morning said “the issue is now one that the union is helping me deal with and I’m a position where I can’t give any further comment.”

From a very promising forum, we now just have a mess of National’s doing.

Very disappointing.

17 comments on “OU Vote Chat programme goes sour ”

  1. fisiani 1

    Bryce Edwards non partisan is like saying the Pope is non Catholic.
    He is an out and out Lefty. Good riddance

    • lprent 1.1

      So a interviewer asked a relevant political question that had recently been in the news which was avoided and resulted in the interviewer having to leave the programme. Your response is to attack the interviewer.

      Have you donned your brownshirt yet? (Godwin in 2 comments)

      I thought that programme sounded too good to be true.

    • mickysavage 1.2

      Geez fisi many is the time that I have had negative thoughts about Bryce. He definitely expressed his own opinion about things. He is no friend of Labour’s. But he is not Woodhouse’s campaign manager, or the campaign manager’s wife or another card carrying Nat. So his presence is much preferred.

      I take it that you think that card carrying members of the National Party should rule …

      • DS 1.2.1

        the campaign manager’s wife

        I (unfortunately) know this bunch quite well, and the two aren’t married, just in a long-term de facto relationship. Aforementioned partner used to be a significant figure in the University of Otago Labour Party before running over to the dark side.

  2. Lanthanide 2

    I wish I knew what this post was talking about.

    • Colonial Viper 2.1

      Are you familiar with the Vote Chat media events organised at Otago University? Its been compromised.

      • Lanthanide 2.1.1

        No. That was my point, I have no idea what this thing is and suddenly its compromised?

  3. swordfish 3

    Gord Blimey, Meager’s on to a hiding to nothing as a Nat/Woodhouse campaign manager in Dunedin North:

    2011 Party Vote – Dunedin North

    LAB+GREEN 57% (18 points above nationwide average)
    NAT 32% (15 points below nationwide average)

    2011 Candidate Vote – Dunedin North

    Clark (LAB) 44%
    Woodhouse (NAT) 32%
    Turei (GREEN) 20%

    Of people who Party-Voted National, 7% cast their Candidate Vote for the Greens’ Turei and 5% for Labour’s Clark. In contrast, only 2% of Labour Party-Voters cast their Candidate Vote for Woodhouse. (Interestingly, more than a third of Conservative Party voters and more than 60% of Maori Party voters gave their Candidate Vote to either Clark or Turei).

    So, Meager and co are going to pay a high reputational price here for no discernible advantage (apart, perhaps, from possible future advancement in the National Party).

    • tc 3.1

      If youve hitched up to the national bandwagon then you have already shown that you approve of selling out NZ, dislike due process and want to reward the top 1% at the expense of the 99%.

      edwards had no choice and they dont care about perception as long as the soapbox remains theirs to do as they wish like tvnz breakfast is.

    • Colonial Viper 3.2

      Volunteering for an MP is a quick way to a Parliamentary Services job either locally or based out of Wellington.

  4. I saw this show on the net a few times and although I don’t think its any secret that Bryce Edwards is a lefty I think he did a surprisingly good job.

    He was pretty objective IMHO.

    If he’s truly been fired just for asking an “unapproved” question then its just more evidence that National are as far left as Labour.

    • Sacha 4.1

      given your premise, how does reacting to an ‘unapproved’ question = ‘left’?

      • Lanthanide 4.1.1

        Redbaiter lives in another reality so it’s difficult trying to converse with him.

  5. Kiwiri 5

    At this rate, it sounds like National is the beneficiary of this repugnant incident.

    National would want the scope of the debate and general awareness in the next 98 days to be as narrow and as inane as possible to drive democratic discussions and debate further into deficit.

    The suggestion would be for the university or key people within that university, or for other universities, to do their duty and be society’s conscience and critic at this crucial time.
    Back to the drawing board and come with up another programme. Pronto.

    • Tautoko Viper 5.1

      “The suggestion would be for the university or key people within that university, or for other universities, to do their duty and be society’s conscience and critic at this crucial time.”
      Steven Joyce’s new “business-like” structure for University Councils plus insecurity of funding will mean that it will be more difficult for universities to be society’s conscience because rocking the political boat could mean a withdrawal of funding.

  6. Jrobin 6

    This incident shows National as practising a political version of match fixing. If their policies are persuasive and their candidates honest and appealing they should not need to stifle democratic debate and a critical media. Bryce Edwards is professional and fair in his journalism.

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