Written By: - Date published: 7:02 pm, January 18th, 2008 - 89 comments
Categories: election funding -
Tags: don brash, election funding, journalism, national, talleys, tim shadbolt
Remember how I asked who was funding Tim Shadbolt’s campaign to “bring down the government”? Turns out the Southland Times was interested too and they’ve found out his move to deliberately break electoral law is being propped up by the Talley brothers, who appear to have a bit of a history of that themselves.
Now the Talleys have a fine tradition of backing National (including offering Don Brash a million dollars and South Island use of a private helicopter for the 2005 election campaign) and are well known right-wing political activists. Most recently the Talleys have been behind a campaign to take the ACC to court – it turns out they got a cut-price ACC deal in exchange for covering all injury costs themselves. One of their workers got shot at their Wairoa plant and now they think the taxpayer should foot the bill – National has championed the company’s attempt to escape their contractual obligation.
It’s also interesting to note that Peter Talley was the guest speaker at National’s Canterbury Westland regional conference in 2004 and that they have a reputation as aggressive and anti-worker employers. After losing a case of sexual discrimination against one of their female workers Andrew Talley’s response was:
There are jobs – pole dancing being one and fish filleting being another – that have a higher predominance of either men or women. The decision is a joke.
So let’s have a look at this: we’ve got a bunch of extremely wealthy right-wing businessmen who think they are above contract law and have a very close relationship with the National Party and they’re funding an “independent” campaign by Tim Shadbolt to bring the government down. That stinks more than a Talley’s fish factory and when a veteran politician like Shadbolt claims he had no idea the Talleys were in the Hollow Men (note: he didn’t say he had no idea they were National Party activists) then he’s being more than a little bit slippery.
Tim mate – you should have learned by now that when you lie down with dogs you catch fleas.
[Kudos to Southland Times reporter Phil McCarthy for doing some real journalism - it's nice to see someone asking some awkward questions rather than just recycling press releases]
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kudos.
Like I said it’s no biggie, bloody trivial in fact, and I’m sorry if I came across as harsh, I just read it and thought ‘whaaaa?’
I’ll get back under my rock now.
Buggerlugs see the link to The Press further up the thread. So much ill-thought out abuse – I’m noticing a pattern with the folks coming over from Kiwiblog.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4327453a19756.html
I wonder if the Talley brothers give donate some money so our dysfunctional health system can treat some sick people on hospital waiting lists ?
“Could some clever youngster please list all the elections in which more people have voted Labour than have voted National?”
1935 (counting Reform/United as National), 1938, 1943, 1946, 1957, 1972, 1978, 1981, 1984, 1987, 1999, 2002, and 2005. Labour also came within a handful of votes in outpolling National in 1954 (though lost the seat count by a fair margin), and 1993 (where it was Nat 35% Lab 34% and Alliance 18%).
In fact, the only occasions in the last 36 years where the Nats have really beaten Labour are 1975 and 1990. In 1978 and 1981 Labour got more votes but lost the election, in 1993 there was a split Labour/Alliance vote, and in 1996 you had Winston Peters and his “vote for me and get rid of National” promise.
d4j i’m happy to get you treated now, where do i send the cheque?
Many thanks DS:
“In fact, the only occasions in the last 36 years where the Nats have really beaten Labour are 1975 and 1990.”
Billboard-worthy. Where were our tory freedom-fighters and our fearless and valiant Heraldic defender of democracy all those years?
Is this post a party political advertisement for the Labour party?
Other contributors to Shadbolt’s folly include the Richardson Group and NZAS. Owners of these firms are well know to lean hard right.
And who is funding these attacks on Shadbolt? And what are their political persuasions? And what is hard right anyway? Or is it just an elastic term of abuse for those you disagree with?
Your right, we should follow the money. Is this blog supported (through cash or kind) by any NZ political parties, unions or lobby groups?
I feel rather sorry for old Tim. He’s thrown all his jellybeans out the cot.
From Lovable Leftie to Tory Stooge.
The Standard
Have I got this correct, you are posting that Shadbolt is funded by the hollow men when it appears that Labour funds the standard?
Did you forget to mention it on the “about” page or is it something you hypocrites at the standard don’t want to talk about? It’s a bit like supporting the requirement for people to publish their full name and residential address when expressing political opinions – while posting anonymously.
You guys are epitomise why people are turning away from the Labour party. “Do as I say and not as I do – we know how to run your lives better than you do”.
Burt man you’re behind the times. Lynne Prentice explained it all on the Kiwiblog thread last night. You’ve got like 24hrs to catch up on. Russel Brown’s even gone and summed it up nice and simple for ya-
http://publicaddress.net/default,4762.sm
Daveo
Public Address executes a perfect “Ad hominem tu quoque” ( see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_hominem ) with;
Not cutting it for me sorry, they just gave me an IP address is sounding a lot like ‘they just gave me money’ to me…
well burt try reading it again
think cock up not conspiricy
tim is a twerp
“The actions of Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt had brought the whole city into disrepute, a senior city councillor said at last night’s meeting’
http://www.stuff.co.nz/southlandtimes/4379741a6011.html
Wow
judging from the extremely childish, finger pointing, mudslinging & name-calling nature of the above posts I can only assume that you are all beehive politians behavior practising for their next day’s ‘work’
The goofy thing is that most of you are most likely adults and that most likely makes me mostly decide that no matter who wins what election & wether or not whatever government is, has been or will be brought down would not make the slightest bit of difference anyway as things would probably just carry on exactly as they do regardless.
God save the future from the present which is most likely just a never ending rerun of the past.
all things being equal tim is still a twerp…hehehe