National Party pollster David Farrar has been revealed as the campaign strategist behind a coming anti-MMP campaign. He’s joined by Nat ‘campaign manager for hire’ Simon Lusk* who did the work on the Brash coup at Steven Joyce’s behest, Nat muck-thrower Cameron Slater, and Jordan Williams a former Young Nat also involved in the Brash coup.
There’s nothing wrong with a group of citizens forming a campaign for or against MMP, of course. But each one of the players named in this campaign is a core National Party activist. It’s well-known that Key and senior Nats want Supplementary Member to replace MMP – SM is First Past the Post in drag, and they know the public won’t go for FPP itself.
It’s simply not credible for this group to run a campaign as if they are independent of National when they’re all Nats and campaigning in line with National’s official position.
If the campaign goes ahead, it should have National Party logos on it.
Trev’s recent series of posts make a lot more sense now.
Oh, and I assume Fairfax and the Herald won’t be letting Farrar continue his laughable ‘independent commentator’ columns given he’s not only National’s pollster but helping run a parallel campaign for them.
* (A little info on Simon Lusk. He apparently charges $10,000 for managing a nomination campaign, which effectively guarantees selection because of Lusk’s connections in National’s head office. If you want to be a National Party candidate and you won’t pay Lusk, and one of your competitors will, you won’t win. It makes a mockery of democracy. It was one of Lusk’s emails to Don Brash in 2005 that revealed crucial details on the Exclusive Brethren’s campaign when he and the Brethren were helping Chris Tremain win Napier. Louise Upston and Sam Lotu Iiga both thanked Lusk by name in their 2008 maiden speeches. )
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