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Bizarre attack on Cunliffe

Written By: - Date published: 4:52 pm, August 27th, 2014 - 48 comments

Andrea Vance has a weird attack piece on Cunliffe where she accuses him of not being hungry, not being able to offer instant affordable houses to everybody, not standing in the right place, and even sleeping.

Supporting all the colours of the rainbow

Written By: - Date published: 1:00 pm, August 27th, 2014 - 69 comments

Labour’s Rainbow Policy got some attention for its promise to offer a third gender option on passports and drivers’ licences. Why is this a big deal?

Judith Collins raises doubt about which dimension she occupies

Written By: - Date published: 8:06 am, August 27th, 2014 - 39 comments

Judith Collins claims to have been exonerated of claims that she breached the rights of privacy of a public servant by giving his details to Cameron Slater. There is one problem with her claim. She is totally wrong. Update: RNZ is now reporting she is backing away from her claim.

Polity: Hooton on Key on SIS: Bullshit!

Written By: - Date published: 9:41 am, August 26th, 2014 - 118 comments

Rob says: Key was either complicit in the SIS document release to Whaleoil, or he has a gross dereliction of duty. Let’s hear what his answers are to that.

60 tweeps to follow this election

Written By: - Date published: 9:30 am, August 26th, 2014 - 4 comments

Bryce Edwards had his go at a list of the top 100 tweeters to follow this election, but with only 24 women making the cut he faced terrible accusations of “a perceived lack” of gender balance. The silver lining is that his follow-up post was chock-full of the women who complained! Pesky, pesky women, as […]

Tapping the media: subverting democracy

Written By: - Date published: 11:16 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 32 comments

Dirty Politics shows why we urgently need a revitalised public service broadcasting & online media. The domination by corporate media is poisoning democracy, providing openings for ruthless manipulators like Cameron Slater.  An article by David Fisher provides some insights.

Tax cut cynicism

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 52 comments

According to the PM, Bill English saying there won’t be tax cuts was both true and untrue at the same time, like a fiscal Schroedinger’s Cat.

The future of the public service – public meeting in Ōhāriu

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 12 comments

Something to go to in Wellington this Wednesday

Labour’s housing plan is much better

Written By: - Date published: 4:03 pm, August 24th, 2014 - 65 comments

National has announced its housing policy using Labour’s Kiwisaver scheme to provide extra money to first home buyers.  But the policy will only add to housing inflation instead of addressing it.

The opening addresses of Election 2014

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 24th, 2014 - 32 comments

Last night the opening party political addresses were broadcast on TV One, simultaneous with an All Blacks match and a live-tweeted crowd viewing of Labyrinth. So if you missed out (and don’t follow my every thought on Twitter), here’s my reaction! [Update: more links to videos!]

Looking at the big policy picture

Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, August 22nd, 2014 - 11 comments

Despite John Key’s key message du jour, the parties of the Opposition are talking policy.

Greens, Labour, NZH Hot Seat: coalitions

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, August 22nd, 2014 - 13 comments

In the NZ Herald panel interviews, Green & Labour Party leaders come across extremely well.  The leaders are confident, considered and ready to govern.

John Key’s groundhog day

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 21st, 2014 - 52 comments

Poor John Key must think he is in the movie Groundhog Day. The media clearly do not accept his explanation for Dirty Politics. And each day further information comes out which casts more and more doubt on the veracity of what he has been saying.

Mr Clean talks Dirty Politics: Key standup transcript pt2

Written By: - Date published: 1:30 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 12 comments

In this part of the transcript of John Key’s Aug 14  standup, Key repeats dubious spin lines, & tries to maintain his Mr Clean image. Topics include Jason Ede, Judith Collins, Bronwyn Pullar. Key tries to implicate left wing blogs, naming The Standard

National’s campaign video and Eminem

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 69 comments

In 2008 National breached copyright by using a song suspiciously like Coldplay’s Clocks.  The DVD had to be withdrawn.  It may not have learned as its latest campaign video has music that sounds suspiciously like an Eminem song.  Has it learned and does it have permission?

Polity: Through the looking glass

Written By: - Date published: 12:17 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 16 comments

John Key has been running a pretty simple diversion strategy over the past week asserting that Labour knew about Hager’s book (they didn’t), that they aren’t interested in policy (our mailbox is full of their policies), and that the public will ignore the book (our stats are skyhigh). He is a loser.  Rob Salmond puts his view.

Dirty Politics roundup

Written By: - Date published: 11:46 am, August 20th, 2014 - 21 comments

Pot pourri, grab bag… Nicky Hager’s sister’s response, Media Take, John Key’s wanting to talk about policy, political passion, at the end of the day…

The real John Key?

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, August 20th, 2014 - 28 comments

Swearing is not often a major factor in the political debate. Yet John Key’s alleged use of the “f-word” seems to have assumed considerable significance in the run-up to election day in the light of the Slater debarcle. National has a lot invested in John Key’s nice guy facade.

“Mr Slater’s made it quite clear”: Key standup transcript pt1

Written By: - Date published: 1:10 pm, August 19th, 2014 - 26 comments

How slippery is John Key? Part one of transcript of Key’s press standup last Thursday. On accessing Labour’s website private details, OIAs to the SIS, Dirty Politics, Nicky Hager and Mr Slater. [Updated]

Valuing child care: beyond ‘show me the money!’

Written By: - Date published: 10:36 am, August 19th, 2014 - 10 comments

Simon Collins has published a very good article comparing various parties policies on social security.  As is the current trend, he doesn’t fully examine the deep and lasting contribution good child care & education make towards society & the economy.  It’s about material and social well-being.

Left wing blogs aren’t “the same”

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 19th, 2014 - 165 comments

Part of John Key’s frantic spin is that left wing blogs are just the same as Whaleoil. As a left wing blogger I take personal umbrage – there is no equivalence. [Update: As also stated by RNZ political reporter Brent Edwards on Morning Report this morning (7:25am)]

The moral low ground

Written By: - Date published: 3:00 pm, August 18th, 2014 - 45 comments

Revulsion. That’s what’s coming out from a range of people who have ploughed through the inner thoughts of Slater, Farrar, Ede, Collins, Lusk, Odgers, Jordan Williams – they’re all repulsive. It’s the strength of that gut feeling in response that will sink their plot. Despite all John Key’s efforts to move as quickly as possible to the end of the day, …it’s still not ok.  Key’s try at cover up is pathetic, and doomed to be futile. But what it shows is that he has chosen the moral low ground with the rest of them. TeamKey indeed.

Casualty of Dirty Politics?

Written By: - Date published: 1:57 pm, August 18th, 2014 - 43 comments

Has Jordan Williams been dumped from Franks & Oglivie? Or is it merely coincidence that he disappeared from the web pages within days of the release of “Dirty Politics”? Could this be contributing to his foul mood?

#TeamKeySlater

Written By: - Date published: 10:49 am, August 18th, 2014 - 14 comments

Cameron slater john key

Muddying the waters: transcript Key on RNZ

Written By: - Date published: 9:31 am, August 18th, 2014 - 81 comments

Guyon Espiner’s interview on Radio NZ today, exposes the moral failings of John Key’s leadership -as Key attempts to divert, & justify the dirty game that NZ politics has become under his watch.  Partial transcript of the interview: to be continued  Updated: Transcript completed

TVNZ’s Vote Compass

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 pm, August 17th, 2014 - 59 comments

TVNZ has launched a new interactive online tool, to encourage voters to match their priorities with those of political parties.  TV NZ aims to use the data from the responses for their election coverage. [Updated]

The Left on policies and values

Written By: - Date published: 7:53 pm, August 16th, 2014 - 6 comments

In spite of what John Key & some of the media claim, Labour & the Greens have continued to campaign positively on policies and values throughout the week.  The Greens officially launch their campaign tomorrow.

Helen Kelly on Vote Chat: Questions for PoA & Key?

Written By: - Date published: 1:35 pm, August 16th, 2014 - 17 comments

Helen Kelly is interviewed on Vote Chat.  Kelly raises questions about the Ports of Auckland & Key’s role in Dirty Politics. She has read some of Dirty Politics, & was axed from today’s the Nation Panel, then replaced by Josie Pagani.[Updated]

Shadow play: Key’s 2-track politics

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 16th, 2014 - 40 comments

Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics tells of the “two track strategy” of John Key’s leadership of the National Party & the country: a smiley nice front, & vicious, covert black ops behind the scenes.  Key has overseen one of the darkest, nastiest periods in NZ politics. Vote Left for necessary, democratic change, for people-centred governance.

GCSB, privacy & Facebook messaging

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, August 15th, 2014 - 7 comments

How private are communications on social media platforms such as Facebook?  It is claimed that the GCSB law’s definition of “privacy” leaves a loophole for warrantless surveillance of messaging by Kiwis on platforms like Facebook.

But the door was open…

Written By: - Date published: 5:00 am, August 15th, 2014 - 277 comments

The intention of this post is to examine the similarities and differences between the hacking of Cameron Slater’s communications on the one hand, and the hacking of the Labour Party donor database on the other. There are two important issues to determine in both cases and I will cover them separately. The first is the legality of the hacking and the second is the ethics of using the resulting information regardless of whether the obtaining of the information in the first instance was unlawful.