Dirty Politics does not work any more

Written By: - Date published: 9:53 am, September 11th, 2021 - 83 comments
Categories: blogs, covid-19, Dirty Politics, Judith Collins, making shit up, Media, Politics, you couldn't make this shit up - Tags:

Remember Dirty Politics?

When information was fed to the Whaleoil blog which acted as a pipeline of crap to the media and good people were smeared for political advantage?

It worked well for a while.  It is one of the strangest experiences of my political activism that the book Dirty Politics blew the lid on the behaviour before the 2014 election but John Key and National still won.

In a world where morality mattered they should have been shown the door.  But politics is an interesting phenomenon.

Slater still runs a blog, a reincarnation of the Whaleoil Blog designed to avoid paying out to Matt Blomfield damages following a successful defamation claim based on the fact that Slater had been paid to unjustly smear Blomfield’s reputation.

This week Slater’s blog published what it considered to be a  coup, a video showing Dr Siouxsie Wiles sitting at a beach and talking to someone.  A subsequent uploaded video is accompanied by the song “Great Pretender”.  It also shows Wiles’ friend swimming in a very calm Judges Bay.

In another post Slater has revealed who the friend is who I am not going to name.  It seems that Slater has recovered well from the stroke that he says left him unable to defend himself in court and is back to his old ways.

The allegations are that Wiles is a hypocrite and has been in breach of lock down rules because she:

  1. Was away from home.
  2. Associating with a friend.
  3. The friend went swimming.

Slater must have thought that he was onto a good thing.  But, dear reader, there was a problem.  Slater’s comprehension of what happened and his bald assertions based on a short video were totally wrong.  Not surprised I am.

Wiles has responded in a series of tweets essentially saying that :

  1. She had gone on a bike ride for exercise and was entitled to do so.
  2. Her friend, who lives alone, was part of her extended bubble and meeting and being with her was within the rules.
  3. She conceded that the swimming was not permitted but also stated that she was not her friend’s keeper.  To be fair the rules would have allowed this sort of swimming under level 3 lock downs, just not under level 4.

Just like the old days Slater has shopped the story around to the media and a few reporters have been asking questions.

This is all typical attack the person and not the message stuff from Slater.  His insistence that everyone should be absolutely perfect is weird, he should check out a mirror some time.  He is accomplished at jumping up and down and creating a public stink and making the discussion all about him.  But his only mode is to damage.  Smashing peoples heads into the ground is not the way to have a mature discussion on how to handle the pandemic.

Judith Collins jumped into the fray by calling Wiles a big fat hypocrite paradoxically first in a Zoom meeting with National’s Pacific Sector.  They must have hated it.  Way to treat someone whose contribution to our so far successful repelling of the Covid pandemic Judith.

Collins seems to have a thing about perceived obesity.  Just before the last election she decided to fat shame large parts of the population.  From a Radio New Zealand post at the time:

National Party leader Judith Collins has described obesity as a weakness and says people should not “blame systems for personal choices”.

She was asked about her view on obesity during a radio interview yesterday and was today asked about that by media on the campaign trail. She said people who were obese needed to take some personal responsibility.

When told that some had called her comments heartless, Collins said: “Do you know what is heartless? Is actually thinking someone else can cure these issues. We can all take personal responsibility and we all have to own up to our little weaknesses on these matters.

“Do not blame systems for personal choices.”

Toby Manhire has this outstanding column where he urges Collins to act like the leader of the opposition and not like a pseudonymous twitter account ending in random digits.

His conclusion:

You can understand why National MPs might shrink from the idea of another destabilising leadership change. You can understand why those who see themselves as potential leaders might have been calculating that it would be best to wait until after the next election.

But when the door is unhinged so far from its frame that it’s flown to another dimension, when your reputation as a party is so rapidly corroding, when your leader appears glued to the dirty politics poison of years past, when your leader is indistinguishable from a pseudonymous Twitter account ending in six random digits, when the country remains in a serious crisis that demands serious people, we’re fast arriving at a point where National demanding anything but change at the top is not just foolish, it’s irresponsible.

Grown adults and our leaders are dealing with a really tricky pandemic and trying to keep Aotearoa covid free.  Collins and Slater have been shown to have nothing to contribute apart from toddler like behaviour demanding that they be noticed.

Collins leadership has shed any moral right to the office.  The only question is when she will be removed.

As for Dr Siouxsie Wiles can I thank her for the outstanding work she has done in protecting us.  It is so heartening when I go out for exercise how everyone knows what the rules are and are sticking to them.  Her education of the public at large has been an outstanding contribution and its success shown by the hope that unlike other advanced nations throughout the world Aotearoa may be able to beat back the current Delta infection.

83 comments on “Dirty Politics does not work any more ”

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  1. Ad 1
    11 September 2021 at 10:26 am

    Against our Better Angels, polls signal that a lot more are getting tired of it all.

    We're in the period of irrationality – and only completing a national vaccination target of 80% will pull us out of it.

    • AB 1.1
      11 September 2021 at 10:46 am

      "We're in the period of irrationality…"

      Very perceptive comment that. It feels like rational arguments are not getting the traction they got in 2020. People are just demanding that the circle be squared – to simultaneously be safe and to go about their normal business. The only thing that looks close to such a miracle is very high vaccination rates – even if in reality it turns out not to be, as Israel and the UK may be indicating.

      • Ad 1.1.1
        11 September 2021 at 10:49 am

        Irrationality is our jetfuel within the broader crisis to burn political capital into, but at least Ardern had that capital to burn in the first place.

        She may take Labour down into the high 20s, but save the country.

        • I Feel Love 1.1.1.1
          11 September 2021 at 11:47 am

          Only if you listen or read the constant negative media, most people I come across are quite content, going about their business.

    • Patricia Bremner 1.2
      13 September 2021 at 6:03 am

      The numbers getting vaccinated now are reassuring. We are tired but determined.

  2. JustMe 2
    11 September 2021 at 10:31 am

    I get the impression Judith Collins has turned National into her OWN little dictatorship.

    She has probably bullied and beaten the National MPs into meek obedience. If she told them to clap they would. If she told them to cheer they would. If she told them to never question her or criticise her they would obey her there.

    Collins is not good enough for National but what replacement leader do they have if they pluck up the courage to show Collins the door? Maybe they might need to get Simon Bridges to be Acting Leader of National until the next election.

    We all know that Collins will not leave without a fight and when she does she will blame everyone else but the face staring back at her in the mirror. She may well get her bestie Slater to rack up some dirt on those National MPs she doesn't like.

    And whilst she seems to demean National at every opportunity she is ensuring no-one would want to vote National with her at the helm. She is NOT leader material but a toxic person who has long passed her Used By Date. Surely National could do better than what they have as their leader/??!!!!

    If she is prepared to do the dirty even on a well respected NZer like Souxie Wiles that what is stopping her from behaving in such a deplorable way if by some mis-fortune she became prime minister of New Zealand?

    To me the woman is completely and utterly unstable mentally. A mature and stable in their mind leader wouldn't resort to what Collins has done.

    • Gezza 2.1
      11 September 2021 at 11:13 am

      Roll on the next poll. Even though I'm aware of what she's trying to achieve & who she's targeting her message at, I want to see how this actually goes down with the public.

      Most reporters & tv journos – especially the females, in my estimation – don't like her. And unlike Ardern she's easy to fluster & resorts to gibbering if they want to grill her & talk over her.

      If she dips again, the Nats are going to have to do something about it. And with so few experienced MP's who might have anything approaching a likeable personality & the charm to handle reporters, they have a real challenge on their hands to replace her.

      • Treetop 2.1.1
        11 September 2021 at 8:31 pm

        Collins just might get the National Party down to the lowest rating on record. Nothing to be proud of when it comes to calling someone a "big fat hypocrite" when they are not a hypocrite.

        • ghostwhowalksnz 2.1.1.1
          12 September 2021 at 5:30 pm

          In 2020

          'National Party MP Judith Collins says she doesn't like the nickname 'Crusher' because it's a caricature and doesn't fit who she is.'

          In 2018 in a special trip to concrete crusher.

          'Never one to mince words, Collins came face to face with a 50 tonne concrete crusher, also named Judith. Collins said she was flattered to have the machine, owned by Taranaki Concrete Recyclers, named after her’

          • Gezza 2.1.1.1.1
            12 September 2021 at 7:43 pm

            I never say 'Don't you call me that', because people quite like it. But it's very one-dimensional, and it is a caricature and a cartoonist's dream, but it's not me."

            I call BS. She loved to present herself as tough on crime. Personally I believe she loved that nickname, because it defined her as a no nonsense politician who wasn't afraid to implement harsh penalties on anti-social young offenders.

            She knows the media-attention-pulling-power of an alliterative nickname. It helped boost her public profile.

          • Treetop 2.1.1.1.2
            12 September 2021 at 9:48 pm

            The only thing Collin's is crushing is the National Party.

            • Gezza 2.1.1.1.2.1
              12 September 2021 at 10:29 pm

              Yes, I think she is too. I'm betting even many staunch National voters have gone 🙄, slapped their foreheads, & now think she's a disaster – & that there's no way she looks & sounds like decent PM material.

    • Gabby 2.2
      11 September 2021 at 4:09 pm

      They're not at all too good for her. They have the leader they deserve.

  3. RedLogix 3
    11 September 2021 at 10:42 am

    Given that obesity is a strong COVID risk factor – exactly why are we not allowed to mention it?

    Obesity is primarily about food choices. No if's no buts. In that respect there is a personal aspect – that JC is perfectly entitled to raise – and a social aspect around incomes and prices, education, cultural habits and probably a longish list of other systemic factors.

    What we do know for certain is that latter aspect has to be tacked in order to reduce the problem at a population level. But for each individual you cannot ignore the role that personal choice plays.

    • mickysavage 3.1
      11 September 2021 at 10:46 am

      Her comment during the lead up to the election that I refer to in the post suggests that her choice of words was not accidental and not motivated by a desire to have a discussion about the health merits of losing weight.

      • Sanctuary 3.1.1
        11 September 2021 at 10:47 am

        Very restrained of you.

      • RedLogix 3.1.2
        11 September 2021 at 11:16 am

        Politicians have always treated personal hypocrisy as a target. If Wiles was for example leading a public health campaign against cancer – all the while smoking a fat cigar – do you imagine this would go unnoticed?

        We've already had one Health Minister die on his sword because of perceived personal hypocrisy around COVID lockdowns.

    • Koff 3.2
      11 September 2021 at 11:19 am

      Calling someone a "big, fat, hypocrite" has nothing to do with a health debate, but is a desperate, disgusting attack on someone who has made an outstanding contribution to educating NZers and beyond about how to combat the virus. The Spinoff editorial that Mickey mentions is spot on about Collins.

      • I Feel Love 3.2.1
        11 September 2021 at 11:44 am

        RL doing a Seymour, "I released the Māori vax codes to promote Māori vaccination".

      • RedLogix 3.2.2
        11 September 2021 at 11:50 am

        Personally I think Collin's attack was piss poor and badly timed. In the normal course of events Wiles weight should be of zero concern to me or anyone else whatsoever.

        But when Wiles is the public figure-head of a massive public health issue, while at the same time being an example of a major risk factor for that same issue, you cannot expect this to go overlooked indefinitely.

        • miravox 3.2.2.1
          13 September 2021 at 7:58 am

          "Politicians have always treated personal hypocrisy as a target"

          Fair call when if you were talking about politicians calling out politicians, but Dr Wiles is not a politician. Nor is she leading obesity her field of expertise

          "Wiles is the public figure-head of a massive public health issue, while at the same time being an example of a major risk factor for that same issue"

          I don't believe she's sought to be a public figurehead on anything and definitely she is not a public figurehead in an obesity campaign. She's not even a public health expert, nor does she even profess to be one.

          She's a microbiologist who is quite good at communicating how a virus replicates in the community. How much she eats or exercises has nothing to do with that.

          • Sacha 3.2.2.1.1
            13 September 2021 at 8:55 am

            The 'public health issue' is Covid, not obesity. And Collins will be delighted some of us have been distracted into outrage over those words in her speech more than the rest of it.

            • miravox 3.2.2.1.1.1
              13 September 2021 at 12:18 pm

              " Collins will be delighted some of us have been distracted into outrage over those words…"

              Exactly.

              Collins will also be happy that people are trying to weaken Dr Wiles credibility as a covid communicator.

    • KJT 3.3
      11 September 2021 at 11:52 am

      "Obesity is primarily about food choices".

      That canard, was exploded a long time ago.

      • RedLogix 3.3.1
        11 September 2021 at 11:59 am

        Read my comment. Obesity is all about food and exercise. Unless you're tied to a chair and forced-fed then it has to be about the choices you make.

        Of course there are wider non-personal issues that I clearly made reference to – but you chose to ignore.

        • Tricledrown 3.3.1.1
          11 September 2021 at 7:35 pm

          Genetic predisposition research has shown.Looking in supermarkets most pre prepared food is high in carbohydrates,saturated fats and sugar these are marketed on hyper drive when a tax on unhealthy foods the manufacturers paid whale oil to undermine any change.

          Given we have one of the highest obesity rates in the world its incredulous to say its personal choice.The E U regulates the amount of sugar in sugary drinks unlike here where it is the single biggest contributors to obesity.

          The EU drinks taste much better as they aren't overpowered by tonnes of sugar.

        • pat ritchie 3.3.1.2
          13 September 2021 at 9:18 am

          thats twice you are wrong…..and my view is that comments like that fall into the same category as what Collins said.

          • weka 3.3.1.2.1
            13 September 2021 at 9:54 am

            I see you’ve changed your username. Please make sure you stick to this one now. Moderators may revert any future changes back to your previous name.

    • Gabby 3.4
      11 September 2021 at 4:39 pm

      Who are you calling obese? Are you drawing on a previous career as a physiologist you've kept shtum about?

    • mike appleboy 3.5
      11 September 2021 at 9:23 pm

      Oh for gods sake. Said like either a Tory or someone lacking any wider perspective or empathy. Food choices can very often be driven by deeper personal issues , it’s not just a rational/logical thing. A bit like alcohol, sometimes poor choices are symptoms of deeper issues .

      [stick to one of your many pre-approved user names on this site; the one you tried is not one of them]

    • Patricia Bremner 3.6
      13 September 2021 at 6:22 am

      Fat shaming when our foods are full of sugar!! Also some women gain weight after change of life, as their hormones put them into food saving mode.

      Fit large women have been worshipped in many cultures, as they represented abundance and life. Hollywood changed that.

      Granted obesity is a health issue when coupled with lack of exercise and portion control.

      Calling someone "a big fat whatever" is adding an insult.

  4. Sanctuary 4
    11 September 2021 at 10:44 am

    "… His insistence that everyone should be absolutely perfect is weird,…"

    Nice piece, but I think you misunderstand Cameron Slater.

    He is a rather dull, nihilistic self loathing loafer who craves attention as affirmation. He sees the success of anyone else primarily in terms of highlighting his own inadequacies. His primary motivation is to salve his inferiority complex by being the centre of attention. A coward too useless to make his own way in the world, he seeks to eek out a living by trying to destroy his long list of imagined enemies. He is all the tall poppyism of the world squeezed into a black hole at the centre of a dead soul.

    Collins shares these basic character flaws, but she isn't as lazy or quite the moron Slater is.

    • Forget now 4.1
      11 September 2021 at 11:22 am

      Cameron Slater didn't spring forth fully formed from under a damp log. He is very much his father's son; John Slater former National party and C&R president.

      CS's toxicity is most evident in what he did with The Truth "newspaper". 100 years of publishing trashed within a year under his inept custody.

    • Treetop 4.2
      12 September 2021 at 1:52 pm

      The connection between Slater and Collins is not a healthy one publicly for either party.

      What they do in their private life needs to stay there.

  5. Gezza 5
    11 September 2021 at 10:54 am

    I wouldn't ordinarily make such a comment, and perhaps it may even get deleted by a mod as inappropriate, but there are numerous videos and pix of Collins who herself is now built like the back end of a bus.

    For her to call anyone a big fat liar or any reference to their size shows a gob-smacking lack of self-awareness.

    "You're a big fat liar !" is something you occasionally hear from a young child. In most situations, it's used where the complaining child's target is not actually fat & the term is meant to imply the lie is huge.

    It would in most cases be followed by an adult telling them off, unless their only audience was other children.

    Collins is just daft using such childish language.

    • fender 5.1
      11 September 2021 at 11:12 am

      Yes both Collins and her gross misogynistic husband would qualify as obese. Perhaps the mirrors at their house are the fair-ground slimming variety.

    • Rae 5.2
      11 September 2021 at 5:46 pm

      Collins does have zero self awareness, though

      • Gezza 5.2.1
        11 September 2021 at 6:15 pm

        Agreed. Also I've seen plenty of interviews where she sometimes doesn't actually listen to what she says & has no idea she's just said something that doesn't make any sense, & once said even the exact opposite of what she meant.

        To be fair she was always getting challenged by the reporters & she gets flustered when they interrupt or talk over her.

        I like listening to her radio & tv interviews. They're often quite funny. She frequently seems to have a line she wants to run but nothing more; no details, very vague. Often undermines her very point in going to interview. (Or maybe I'm wrong & she realises that – on tv at least – they'll probably only show a 2-5 second clip anyway so that's all she needs.)

    • Brigid 5.3
      12 September 2021 at 12:37 pm

      " In most situations, it's used where the complaining child's target is not actually fat & the term is meant to imply the lie is huge."

      Exactly.

      To keep on implying that Collins was inferring that Sousxie is fat is as childish as the comment itself.

      • Gezza 5.3.1
        12 September 2021 at 1:21 pm

        Yes & no. I just cannot for the life of me fathom what on earth Collins was thinking.

        Children – who'd know this – don't even bloody vote !

        Even if she thought she was onto a genuine winner of her Labour-friendly celebrity Covid expert caught out breaking the rules here … why in God's name use [and then blindly repeat!] a child's phrase that was always GOING to be criticised as fat shaming by adults ?

  6. Tricledrown 6
    11 September 2021 at 10:57 am

    National ACT can't help themselves they are addicted to Dirty politics its inbedded in their DNA so don't hold your breath.They have a wide network of dirty little helpers sneaking in sweat little lies just like Trump.

    • I Feel Love 6.1
      11 September 2021 at 11:52 am

      Yes, the cockwomble also showed appalling leadership this week, then didn't have the guts to apologise. They can't help showing who they are.

  7. Reality 7
    11 September 2021 at 11:19 am

    Judith Collins' few days recently of trying to behave like a mature leader did not last long. Looking back over several years she has shown she is unpredictable, impulsive, nasty, childish, etc etc. Plus being a hypocrite. That she still has contact with Slater says it all.

    It was great to see Siouxsie Wiles' clever and constrained response asking Collins had she ever heard of a bicycle. Perfect.

  8. Koff 8
    11 September 2021 at 11:34 am

    Collins' comment has now been called out https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-spinoff-new-zealand-urgently-needs-a-serious-opposition-leader/VSJXHUHRKWZAHNDED7D6QD4A2I/ in the Herald (a reprint of the Spinoff editorial) rather surprisngly, presumably reflecting concerns in the Nats about her steadily worsening performance. Comes hot on the heels of Semour's stupid move on the vaccine code.

  9. Ghostwhowalksnz 9
    11 September 2021 at 11:48 am

    The post covering this in Kiwiblog says this 'This story was given to 1News journalist Benedict Collins. After sitting on the story for five days he informed my source that they had spiked the story'

    We know that the images werre taken at the 'St Stephens Rd end of Parnell, by Judges Bay' so was by a politically connected person living in that area.

    There are a number of former national politicians living at the St Stephens Rd end of Parnell.

    • Forget now 9.1
      11 September 2021 at 12:45 pm

      My time-line figured that it must have been about September the 3rd that the story would have been run if TVNZ had picked it up. I am not about to open Slater's dank hole of a site again to recheck that.

      Benedict Collins may have been in the process of getting quotes from Wiles when the Lynnville events unfolded. So there weren't as many minutes to fill with fluff that news cycle, and after a few days it was old hat rather than news. Or he might have had journalistic standards.

      A former rightwing politican (or sympathizer) having the equipment ready to distance film is a possibility. Preferable to the alternative of Slater hiring a professional (or enlisting an amateur) investigator to stalk Wiles around Auckland during deltaPAL4 restrictions. Hard to spin that as essential work!

      • Ghostwhowalksnz 9.1.1
        11 September 2021 at 1:20 pm

        Yes. I read it as the 'source' , who must be politically connected as I hadnt heard of Benedict Collins at TVNZ- (is he an editor/ supervisor and less visible?)- but wasnt giving it to Tova O'Brien as she has 'links' with Collins.

        So eventually it was Slater , as then the National party could amplify it

  10. Adrian 10
    11 September 2021 at 2:20 pm

    Is it time for a “ birther “ movement here? I have heard rumours that the husband, much lauded as “ is Samoan, so talofa. “ may not have actually been born there and his parents bought passports in a little scam of quite some time ago of passport selling. But is that just stooping too low, tempting as it may be.

  11. joe90 11
    11 September 2021 at 2:56 pm

    Birds of a fucking feather.

    All across town, the word's out
    It's all everybody's talkin' about
    And they are

    Getting the band back together
    Getting the band back together

    – Cold Chisel

    https://twitter.com/coughlthom/status/1436513374066511875

    https://twitter.com/JordNZ/status/1436490791518494723

    https://twitter.com/TonyStuart55/status/1436515634213371908

    edit:
    fuckers have gone past creepshots, they’re harassing Wile’s friend

    • lprent 11.1
      11 September 2021 at 4:19 pm

      I hope that the fuckwits do try a private prosecution. I'd happily contribute time and resources to the defense (and even see if we can run it on conjunction with a defamation case against multiple parties).

      I think that the best idea would be a strategy to bankrupt the persons taking the private prosecution when they fail to win the prosecution. In other words drag it out as long as possible in status hearings getting the prosecution to produce their case with the defense lawyers fees rising. Then claim for full costs. Each appeal then keeps raising the court costs.

      That worked against the dimwit Dermot Nottingham when he tried a private prosecution me for this site, and gratefully I helped out in bankrupting him over court awarded costs. I must have a look to see if he has given his status to the official liquidator yet. Or if he is sitting out the full 7 years as an undischarged bankrupt.

      With a lawyer, I'd also start a motion to get them disbarred for taking a frivolous unwinnable case. Mind you I think that Jordan Williams should have been disbarred already for what he did in releasing the information given in trust to him by Rachel MacGregor to the arsehole Cameron Slater.

      Mind you, I can't even see a basis that they could bring a private prosecution on bearing in mind that health orders can only be brought on a authority from the health department. I don't think that there is a route that a private prosecution on health orders could have any basis in court without a approval from the director general of health.

      • I Feel Love 11.1.1
        11 September 2021 at 4:48 pm

        I reckon Jordans just made it up.

      • dv 11.1.2
        11 September 2021 at 5:02 pm

        Didn't Slatter get bankrupted

        If so did he pay out?

        Or was that his site that he had transferred the ownership?

        • Pete George 11.1.2.1
          11 September 2021 at 5:44 pm

          I think declaring bankrupt was because he couldn't pay out or wanted to avoid paying out.

          He had transferred the shares in his company to his wife but that was also faced with defamation costs so went into liquidation, so far the liquidator has disclosed about $1000 assets and $1 million in debts.

          And according to the liquidator:

          Six days after the liquidator’s appointment, new domain names (whaleoil.org.nz, whaleoil.net.nz) were registered by individuals associated to the former director, Juana Atkins… Someone who had the passwords to the hosting server and the UDAI codes to these domains, then absconded with the blog and moved it to a new server, to which the liquidator was not given access. They have retained all advertising revenue generated on these mirror domains.

          A complaint has been lodged with the Domain Name Commission to gain ownership of these near-identical domains. The mediator was unable to reach a settlement. The liquidator is now investigating further legal action to recover the value of the Intellectual Property for creditors.

          https://app.companiesoffice.govt.nz/companies/app/ui/pages/companies/2303831/documents

      • Tricledrown 11.1.3
        11 September 2021 at 7:44 pm

        We need a likes buttons lprent

      • ghostwhowalksnz 11.1.4
        12 September 2021 at 6:02 pm

        A private prosecution would require the Judges Bay Parnell informant to make an affadavit and possibly appear in court to personally testify to what they saw in the images they made.

        It could be 'anyone' from a St Stephens Ave address who was walking locally, but I would bet on it that they wont be revealing themselves

    • ghostwhowalksnz 11.2
      12 September 2021 at 5:18 pm

      Tony Stuart is the well known Whanganui resident revealed by Hagers book to be a Dirty Politics blogger 'Keeping Stock'

      Keeping Stock was fed stories and themes by the tax payer funded Jason Ede.

  12. Michael who failed Civics 12
    11 September 2021 at 5:03 pm

    Too soon to say Dirty Politics doesn't work. This hit wasn't aimed at people who read "The Standard" (apart from right-wing lurkers and trolls). It may have been a trial run for more against other National Party enemies (ACT is just a branch ofthe Nats". Great to see Slater isn't too sick or bankrupt to be slinging shit around again. I'm sure the Official Assignee is thrilled too and gave approval? Also note the Penguin (Farrar) got in on the act, tag-teaming with Slater. Just like old times.

  13. Stuart Munro 13
    11 September 2021 at 5:37 pm

    People seem to forget how it was that Key was able to make DP work – he smiled like a sunovabitch and avoided conflict so often people concluded he might be someone to have a beer with.

    And he kept his collaboration with Slater & Farrar off the radar and out of public view.

    Judith does neither of these things, and so comes across as a massive hypocrite – Key was a bigger one, but better at hiding his indiscretions.

  14. ianmac 14
    11 September 2021 at 7:13 pm

    You are all too mean to the good friend Judith. It is not her fault that she herself is a bit tubby so she feels that she is in a good place to be able to sneer at those who are a bit more or less than she.

    Dr Siouxsie Wiles is brilliant and has put up with nasty stuff. Bless you Siouxsie.

  15. Kathiravelu Ganeshan 15
    11 September 2021 at 8:37 pm

    Thank you for this article. We need to defend our soldiers on the front-line fighting the war against Covid/Delta. We are fighting Covid, nor each other. There are so many people working as a Team to keep us all safe and the economy ticking. Making up stories and amplifying these trying to make some political gain is not helping anybody – in fact, it makes more National supporters look for alternatives. Almost everyone in Aotearoa New Zealand is doing their bit to help in the fight against Covid and sacrificing so much to keep us Covid-free. The next election is not until 2023.

  16. Adrian Thornton 16
    12 September 2021 at 8:39 am

    Not really Dirty Politics, more a case of stupid politics, turns out that J.Collins isn't quite as smart as we or she thought she was…infact not that smart at all.

    • lprent 16.1
      12 September 2021 at 1:22 pm

      I'm steadily becoming more convinced of that than ever. Like Cameron Slater she keeps repeating the same dumbarse mistakes over and over again.

        • lprent 16.1.1.1
          12 September 2021 at 2:01 pm

          Well I have to say that that crew (especially Lusk) appear to have thoroughly hobbled the National Party for this political generation.

          Offhand about the only National MP who I know about who was heavily pushed by that cohort is Mark Mitchell (and I don't know anything favourable about his effectiveness at all – including his ability to get votes in caucus). All of the others have such a low profile that they are almost completely off my political radar. People I used to know (about…).

          Mostly the stuff sent towards the left was short-term bullshit that really didn't particularly stick. Probably because most of it was made up from a small assortment of facts and some great wads of prejudice, and inability to read the actual law and speculation.

          Much like this most recent attack on Wiles. It has the Cameron Slater stupidity written all over it.

      • Incognito 16.1.2
        12 September 2021 at 2:32 pm

        The basic premise and MO of DP was as simple as it was effective. Although there was some degree of sophistication at times, the deception went undetected for too long because nobody expected such a huge breach of trust from leading politicians and the largest political party in NZ. Unfortunately, this breach was not confined to the culprits, which was one of the goals of DP and thus is can be and is seen by some as mission accomplished. It is also the reason why they continue with it, because it still works, kinda. IMO.

  17. JustMe 17
    12 September 2021 at 8:49 am

    The amoral and lacking a moral compass Collins is just plain old jealous. Collins loves being the centre of attention ALL the time and hates someone more intelligent than her getting the attention. Collins did what she did because Judith Collins ONLY cares about Judith Collins. She doesn't care about anyone else but herself. Imagine her as a prime minister of New Zealand. She would quite literally destroy this country and wouldn't care if 5000 people died of COVID. Collins would destroy NZ like she has destroyed National. She would naturally blame everyone eg Siouxsie Wiles. Nothing will ever be Judith Collins's mistake.

    What National have is something they have allowed to happen. Good luck National dealing with this latest botch-up of Judith Collins. Lets just say you made your bed with selecting her as a leader and now you HAVE to sleep in it.

    But I do get the impression Collins is now mentally unstable and she will keep on doing what she is doing because she cannot help herself. She lacks a conscience. What a lowlife she has demeaned herself to!!!

  18. Patricia Bremner 18
    12 September 2021 at 10:15 am

    It must be hugely galling for Judith Collins to find the people are supporting Dr Siouxsie Wiles research through donations, as a way to affirm her and castigate JC.
    Just a reflection of the joy and knowledge Siouxsie put in her presentations. A truly life affirming lady, with a friend who needed a dose of her joie de vivre.

  19. coreyjhumm 19
    13 September 2021 at 4:57 pm

    The electorate doesn't know what dirty politics was all they know is Collins was somehow involved and that makes her a bit suss…

    Dirty politics never worked in the first place. All it ended up doing was instead of being promoted like their plan Judith got temporarily kicked out of cabinet, slater lost his access to national , lawsuits, people hating political blogs, a bunch of memes a book that was supposed to blow the lid wide open and destroy national didn't but sold a lot of books and people kept tweeting about how "shocking" the revelations in the book were but never explaining them in basic terms for the public who didn't care much, police raids, bank accounts being used to gather info on journalists sources and a public hit with constant barrages of information that couldn't be summed up to explain why it was bad, a moment of truth that nobody cared about and a collectively ambivalent nz who didn't see all the fuss, shrugged their shoulders and delivered a landslide to the National govt.

    Noone outside of political bubbles (and many inside) actually understands really what happened or what dirty politics was other than Judith Collins was involved and she's a bit dodgy.

    Sorry I remember that election well and hate how everyone thought that book was going to do anything and labours whole vote positive thing meant labour wouldn't get involved with the muck and we had no debate on policy because all journalists were concerned about was going after key for dirty politics. That election infuriates me to this day. All it did was give national shit loads of free air time and labour who didn't want to govern and were at internal war unable or unwilling to talk policy or use the hysteria to their advantage.

    Good lord I hope we never have another election like that, and of course Judith is working will slater and it's not about her winning it's about her keeping her leadership and doing scandalous crap to get media time.

    Thing is noone really cares. About the virologist or Slater. Some on all sides of politics may have had a laugh at Collins insults cos the virologist isnt beloved by the left by means but noone cares by and large because all anyone wants to know is "how many cases, where are the cases" some may laugh at the circus side show , some may be disgusted

    Slater and Collins can't win on this stuff because noone cares about anything other than the cases and where and noone likes Collins …even the ones who may have had a giggle don't like her and the more shocking and scummy levels she stoops to get attention will just reinforce what people think: she's a sus power mad bully who occasionally can be funny but we don't like her, she has no chance and while we're only concerned about covid she's running a circus

    • Descendant Of Smith 19.1
      13 September 2021 at 6:28 pm

      I was more pissed off about the absence of actual policy or any indication about what Labour stood for. The whole Mike Smith "year of…policy/manifesto" bullshit that resulted in zilch.

      I recall commenting here about why Labour had on their website front page the whole 8 hour day, 40 hour working week claim to fame when they didn't believe in it any more – within a few weeks it no longer appeared on their website. Reinforced my view that it was no longer Labour policy.

      Mike never ever answered the question.

      "This gave me an option to reflect that from my perspective a view that seemed to have no other outlet – that we have moved so far to the right that things that were normal for a long long time in this country are now seen as extreme.

      It really does irritate me that Labour has the claiming of the 8 hour working day but no Labour politician let alone the party is willing to say that it’s time it was put back.

      Without delving into any other area of irritation let’s take that simple question Mike.

      What is the Labour Party’s position on re-instating an 8 hour working day 40 hour working week?

      You have it as a tenet of the Labour Party on your website – is it a historical tenet only or is it something alive and living today?

      And let’s not forget many workers still have that in their contracts currently – it’s about supporting those who do not."

      https://thestandard.org.nz/amidst-thencircling-gloom/#comment-566482

    • Gezza 19.2
      13 September 2021 at 7:08 pm

      Only just noticed this, CJH. Just found myself quietly grinning & nodding as I read on down to the end.