I still have not seen any clear evidence. All I have seen so far is Hagar’s allegations based on a number of emails that possibly could have been taken out of context. If Stuff or The Herald have further information it looks like they are waiting until closer to election day to release it. That will provide less time for the authenticity of the information to be checked. If that happens then it will demonstrate that the media is more focused on changing the Government than on finding truth.
Too soon. They are probably checking it to see what corroborating evidence there is from other sources, and also getting a statement from the accused – then checking the statements by the accused, and running them through their lawyers – how journalists should work.
The other explanation is that their agenda is that of corporate media…
The risk is that the info will be parsed in terms of that agenda and how they perceive politics — the game of it, not the substance of it.
Maybe they’ll balance each other out, maybe not, but we have been seriously let down by the news media in this country of late so I’m not holding my breath.
Not that I have any time for royalty or for for the public outpouring of grief over Diana’s death.
But this article by Stuff is unbelievable, stupid, insensitive and utterly effing unforgivable. Diana was a giver, a kindergarten teacher, who only wanted to be loved, gave herself to charities, was genuine and naive.
Judith Collins krgh..yuck (furball) is absolutely the opposite. A hardened self-serving, power-hungry, manipulative, corrupt individual who wants at all costs to have power. She would never give herself to any charitable cause for genuine caring reasons and is certainly not naive.
J figjam C deserves everything she gets from the media. What was discovered by Rawshark is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
Yep ….. victimhood is always the safe option, bound to conjur sympathy. (It even trumps other ideological positions – personal responsibility and all).
Poor Cam ….
Pooor poor Cam ….
I’m so tuff, but mummy – they’re ALL being mean to me!
Mummy: Oh Chill Cam – get Aaron to deal with it – I’ve got the Caci Clinic and a hairdresser’s appointment – I’ll deal with it when I get back
Princess Judith – she fills the space of the cute animal or celebrity story for today. But Princess Diana was a bit like Cinderella, dealing with problems at home and going out for a break to have some fun and look for a prince of her own. Judith C. would fit the role of one of Cinder’s unpleasant sisters.
I have made a decision that for the next week at least, I am not clicking on stuff. I am stick of giving these bastards the click.
Will catch up on what happening on the Standard. I wonder about a boycott of stuff with just a few people on the left feeding it to blogs like the Standard so we can critique it. That way they get a significant decrease in clicks.
If people think this is a good idea, I am sure we could organise it. I would be happy to be on a roster, where I feed what I thought was relevant to the Standard…………sure we could make it work somehow.
Its curious that there would be quite such a voluminous & one sided response to this if the polls are actually right about Nats being over 50% I think.
However the politics of the conservative right, the new Tories, the Libertarians, are the politics of selfishness. To believe that poverty is the fault and responsibility of the individual, to actively seek the reduction of the welfare state, to reward the rich and punish those left fortunate: that requires an absence of empathy.
My concern is not that people in power behave this way. We should predict and expect that. My concern is that if, as a country, we return this Government to power, if we rubber stamp the heartless and cynical politics that are now a matter of public record, then we implicitly approve of this behaviour.
If that’s the case, then he knows that he’s left out at least half the story. The line’s he’s drawn in his blog post are purely subjective and to his taste. He isn’t writing as a “psychotherapist as scientist” – as far as such a thing is possible – and he’s certainly blurred the line. Theoretically the statement that “poverty is the fault and responsibility of the individual” is both true and untrue depending on the individual and the approach of the therapist/observer. Hypothetically, and not using politics, it should be possible to arrive at both the truth and/or a solution of each case from both positions.
One of my pet peeves is people with social status e.g. doctors, lawyers, philanthropists etc, knowing full well what their status gives their voice in the public arena, betray the science and rules of their profession, maybe even vocation, to present a personal biased political argument. It brings their practice into disrepute, the idea of authority/elders as wise, and a the furthest end, undermines our community.
Personally,I know full well the lie that underpins the idea of “don’t kill/starve/abuse the kids”. I know I can prove that either is acceptable, in a human animal sense. But I choose, through my own bias when faced with an either/or choice, to not kill/starve/abuse the kids.
“One of my pet peeves is people with social status e.g. doctors, lawyers, philanthropists etc, knowing full well what their status gives their voice in the public arena, betray the science and rules of their profession…..”
That’s very perceptive @Croc – but actually also quite prevalent (especially amongst those that have succumbed to the neo-lib agenda – which is often a way of their rationalising their stance)
David Brat anyone?
Ladder puller uppers?
Chief Science Advisors with sons who are … and trauma specialists with previous drug addiction problems who don’t have the balls to challenge the agenda (altho’ to be fair – they may also think not challenging allows them to continue with a positive agenda – @ PU – in your past life – perhaps you’ve crossed paths with them – thru’ a brother – now deceased, I Certainly have!)
Wife beater journalists; complete asshole hotel owners, the voice of morality and conservative ‘once were swingers’ decrying the decay of (there’s no such thing as) ‘society’ as we know it… the list is endless – and most of them are amongst the most judgemental and oppressive of their next generation.
I think though at times such as we have at present – it really is time for them to come clean. For me, nearing my dotage, it’s way passed time.
But then I suppose given the state of our MSM media, at the moment they’d not be given a fair suck of the sav.
Theoretically the statement that “poverty is the fault and responsibility of the individual” is both true and untrue depending on the individual and the approach of the therapist/observer.
Poverty is a result of the structure of our society.
One of my pet peeves is people with social status e.g. doctors, lawyers, philanthropists etc
If you disagree with what’s said then why don’t you say why you disagree rather going on an Ad Hominem attack?
My pet peeve is the way lower socio-economic people with addictions are denegrated – OFTEN by the higher socio-economic classes with the very same additions. I commend them in their recovery of course, but its generally come by being able to take advantage of high cost, private services that are not available to everyone.
Hanmer – dismantled
Marton – dismantled, etc.
Right across the country! Indeed there was a report tis morning (Morning Report I think) discussing a young lady’s morphine overdose pointing out just how services for the ‘average Joe and Josephine are no longer availabe, and haven’t been for quite some time.
I’m sorry if all that offends you, however my brother’s addiction and eventual death was looked upon by his wealthier contemporaries with disdain as though their addictions were somehow excusable and ‘better/more respectable’, whereas his were not.
There but for the grace of God etc.
I’ll refrain from further comment because the double standards and hypocrisy make me just a bit sick at times.
oops – not sure who I’m replying to here – can’t find reading glasses and the numbering is a bit invisible, but gtg.
Later chasps
We know the Herald wants ACT and National to win the election, but this level of bias is worthy of a banana republic….
The Herald’s headline is based on on a snide remark made by (one can only assume, as it I sun ascribed) a Tory hack. Talk about skewing a story to fit your newspaper’s political agenda.
“That hall looks as healthy as the Labour Party,” someone remarked.
And yet you sit on material which looks at corruption within our governing system and say nothing.
Wow. Just wow.
Get used to it, democracy under attack granny styles using one of the more obviously biased nat sycophans audrey young who needs no instructions being a die hard tory.
We should organise demonstrations outside mainstream media outlets pushing for the release of the material they have been given by Rawshark. If they don’t release it soon, it will prove how corrupt our mainstream media. Of course we know that – but so many sheeple don’t.
By holding off releasing any material until just before the election, and thereby preventing an accurate assessment of the validity of the allegations would demonstrate clearly that the media is corrupt.
After all the main purpose of the media is to introduce the public to advertisers. The dissemination of news is secondary and a reliance on truth is not required.
Every where else it is the biggest policy decision being made in the world.
Within these following headlines and still there’s no MSM comments about lack of a NatZ policy press are doing us a huge disservice that will come home to roost in the end.
Lack of a Climate Change policy is NatZ weakest policy along with credibility, that lacks critical glare of the press.
PD Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor has done nothing to focus on Climate change however.
12:20 June 10, 2010 Pacific Press Releases Gluckman: Integrity in Science – Climate Debate Speech – Prime Ministers Science Advisory Committee. “If we overestimate, then in 2050 we might find that we have overinvested in climate change mitigation, but most of those mitigation strategies, such as sustainable energy generation, will help to meet our other challenges. The equation is not equal.”
Importantly this refusal to make a meaningful stand from National coincides with a climate Change debate taking place this week in the pacific Islands.
Dead or alive the stick can still be effective. The opposition parties will all be praying that Jamie Whyte talks about abolishing the OIO all way til election day.
ACT as the Zombie Party. Great image. Look out for that shambling walk and defaced face and bulging eyes of madness. Don’t let them touch you, and keep your baton to hand.
Key has to pretend ACT is alive to use it to announce more neo-lib dross (like the previously announced Charter schools). Probably selling off part of the health system or education vouchers to improve ‘choice’ as part of the ever so necessary coalition agreement. Because National would never do such things, oh noes.
It is to remind the voters not to waste their precious votes on stupid and dead parties such as ACT, Conservatives and the dodgy Dunne’s UF! Don’t tell me you are foolishly thinking of voting for one of these clowns?
Whyte has been getting more extreme (desperate?) everyday. This morning on the News attacking all and Sundry. Show’s he’s ready for Parliament NOT. They would have him for lunch.
Two interesting little local polls on the East Coast. The second is only a street poll of 50 and of little use statisitcally, but they both show up a massive number of undecided voters and a lot of damage to National over the dirty politics saga.
Also, the Waiarapa poll does what no one else has – put the undecided voters into it’s graphic. National is on 34%. However, if you take out the undecided voters, then of the decided the Nats are pushing…. 50%.
I suspect that is where the “govern alone” narrative is coming from – half of all decided voters are voting National, but up to one third are yet to make up their minds. I suspect this is where National’s sudden tax cuts come from – their internal polling told them they took a hit, and there is a huge number of undecided voters they are trying to bribe.
I decent chuck of that non decided generally become non voters. About 30% you say, which is similar, maybe a bit high, to the non vote in past. It is not unreasonable to assume a amount of the electorate won’t vote and therefore their vote is divided amongst the other percentages.
30% is too high, even 2011 had 74% turnout. Usuall the turnout is higher than that, often in the 80s. The undecideds and the non-voters aren’t the same group, although there is some overlap.
Yes you are right my 30% mention is too high, I think it was 25% last election and as CV says below turnout looks like it will be higher and high turnout usually hurts incumbents but my point is clear in that the undecided don’t make polls completely distorted.
The polls, as they are reported, are a complete distortion when the MSM discounts undecideds as non-voters, esp when the undecideds are such a high percentage in a close election.
Worse, at the last election the MSM reported before the election that National would win. How many undecideds did that push into non-voters? How many decideds for that matter (mostly Labour voters who thought it would be a waste of time)?
I think early voting results will show that people are deciding and acting at far higher rates than in 2011. This is of course a very bad sign for National, who would prefer lowered turnout if at all possible (one of the themes of their Dirty Politics).
wonder if John Campbell and TV3 will find that secondary school that has always opposed the ‘official’ polls to be spot on with prediction in the last three .. was it in Hawkes Bay somewhere ? I’ve been waiting …. anyone else remember ?
(And I wonder how JC feels that TV3 holds Rawshark material and is not publishing ?)
Because the difference between polls conducted over similar time periods by different companies show differences far beyond what would be expected by chance alone. In other words, at least some polls are suffering from uncorrected bias. Averaging poor quality data won’t make the results any more reliable.
“Why are the obviously dodgy and unreliable? And if you average them out like Nate Silver they can become very reliable.”
But no one in NZ is doing anything close to Nate Silver.
Also the electoral system the US uses is much easier to model and forecast than NZ’s system, and he also has far more data at his disposal to work with (both demographic and polling data).
It’s not just the left though Gosman. Morning Report had Richard Prebble saying that the polls are all wrong and that the ‘telephone’ model doesn’t work anymore. ACT is going to get 7 MPs apparently.
Except Act doesn’t complain that any flawed methodology is as a result of some deliberate bias against them and also doesn’t claim that it will influence the election.
So why does the US military spend so much time and money on polls and polling in countries they want to influence Gosman? Again you’ve come back with the passive aggression and misdirection bro.
How about you get together a bunch of your lefty mates and create a polling company that does it properly then.
Why bother? The only thing that matters is the actual election result. I would prefer it if polls a few months before the election were banned – they are just a distraction from the real issues that should guide voter’s choices come election day.
Meh. We already have plenty of regulations governing our elections to ensure they are free and fair. Opinion polls are already banned in New Zealand on election day itself (OMG a restriction on free speech!!!). In some other countries, they are banned for longer periods, so it’s an option that is at least worth considering.
It’s easy to imagine a model that would be much more consistent and hopefully less biased than current methods, it’s just it would be too expensive. Which is why we get the current level of shoddy polling that we do.
Probably the closest we would ever get to fair polling, but no government would set such an SOE up due to the embarrassment of having to answer questions about why “the official” polling office has them on such low support, etc.
Like i have already stated the undecided are often at this late stage become non votes.
Where is the evidence of this? Since polling companies do not follow-up with those polled to determine whether or not they voted, I doubt such evidence even exists.
Going by the above graphic 25% of people eligible to vote won’t vote, these are the undecideds.
I doubt large numbers of people who were going to vote suddenly change their minds at the end and suddenly think “Aw fuck it they all suck, I’m not voting!”
Going by the above graphic 25% of people eligible to vote won’t vote, these are the undecideds.
Yeah, no shit. Turn-out is not 100%, I knew that. What you haven’t shown is that these people who don’t vote are the same ones who won’t give a response during a telephone poll.
Looking at previous elections the undecided/non-voter is either being under represented or we’re going to get a much higher turn out than the last couple of elections.
No your right and I stand to be corrected, hopefully someone could point to some studies, but I would say at late stage polling the undecided constitute a large portion of non voters. But your right they are not exactly the same group.
Someone else will know better than me how the methodology of polling works but I don’t think non-voters and undecideds are the same thing. As far as I know the non-voters are removed from the samples, undecideds are those who say they will vote but won’t or can’t express a preference? Interestingly the IPSOS-Reid Fairfax poll which has National polling the highest also has the most undecideds and Tracey Watkins in her analysis of their latest poll said that dividing the undecideds (13% if I recall) support along the same preferences as the polling data would see National’s support drop by 2%.
yes, non-voters and undecideds are different groups, with overlaps. BM is spinning.
I don’t think non-voters are polled in those main polls. I asked the other day about people who said piss off to polsters, and Draco reckons those people are accounted for in the final results, but that’s a different set than official non-voters.
The polls, as reported, are biased. If they wanted to report what the NZ public is really thinking, they would include all the results.
A large number of people refuse to participate in polling.
A useful statistic would be the number of people the polling companies called in order to get their overall sample of around 1000 (or 750 for the Herald Digipoll).
My guess is that the committed non-voters would be more likely to be in the ‘refuse to participate at all in the poll’ group.
I note that in the Wairarapa poll the number of people called was over twice the size of the sample:
“Of the 1069 random calls made, 417 voters agreed to take part in the survey.“
Whats the percentage of people in the telephone polls who said they’re undecided? is it roughly around 25%-30%
Why are you asking me that? Even if the percentages matched (I’m not saying they do), you would still be making an assumption, it doesn’t prove that undecideds=non-voters.
‘A brief reminder for everyone depressed by the msm polls’
By Martyn Bradbury / September 8, 2014
Folks, this is the reality……don’t believe the mainstream media hype that Key will win by a landslide.
The advanced voting since the last election also tell a different story from the one the MSM is claiming, almost 30 000 more votes than this time last election!
lol (not) that Judith Collins doesn’t lie!!! Was she not caught out in Parliament doing just that? Has her sister forgotten about Oravida Dairy?
Does her sister have a perspective on Oravida Kauri ltd (her brother in law’s company)? Adam Bennett in the Herald was rummaging around the topic a few months ago, but has gone quiet. (as has Adam Bennett). Radio NZ mentioned it last week in a programme – exporting of kauri logs with little to no “value added” to them.
A comment I made on the Herald website got “moderated” last week. Took out reference to Oravida Kauri Ltd, but left my other (unrelated) comment.
Judith Collins likened (by her sister) to Princess Diana!
Just one subtle distinction. Being loved by your family, and being loved by a nation.
Good on her sister for supporting Collins, but by coming out in the public domain with her crass comparison, Pamela Cassidy deserves to be mocked mercilessly
When the headline top of Stuff page this morning should have been about emails from Key’s office, we get this saccharine and slithering attempt to rehabilitate Collins image.
This folks is what PR and Crosby Textor do to our country.
So, finally, we get Dirty Politics on the front page of Stuff ! It just wasn’t what we expected or needed. But omg, how they are proven complicit in how the game is played.
Good point, PR. To nip it in the bud, I think Key should tell us where he was on 31 August 1997 and provide evidence of his alibi. While I think it most unlikely he was directly involved (he has minions for that sort of thing) it’s best he clears it up once and for all, lest the election campaign descend into farce. Pip Pip!
I don’t think there’s any call to mock Mrs Cassidy. She’s entitled to her opinion, especially if it concerns her little sister. However, it really isn’t newsworthy, and publishing the story represents both sickening puffery on behalf of Ms Collins and a shameless exploitation of how forthcoming her elder sister is in making an unwitting fool of herself.
Key made that a relevant issue himself, though, by politicising the issue in the first place. The private views of Collins’ sister are different. If she was put up to it in a deliberate and calculated spin to puff up Collins’ image, then she deserves ridicule. However, I have no real evidence that she was. It just looks like the papers spinning to me.
How dare the girl who mr key used to support his great con, speak out, aye BM. Makes it harder and harder for dupes like you to stay the course being reminded of the cons
Spot the deference between the original and the published version ( second one) in today’s NZ Herald’s offshoot The Northern Advocate. I copied the original transcript from the Matters Political Northland F/B. The Rightwing Media twist the factors is clearly illustrated here.
Our Unionist friend done a
super job shaking this Tory Town up well done comrade!
In response to “Organiser defends line up”
I would like to clarify some of the reporting on the Northland Regional Economic forum I organised. Mr Whyte did not contact me at all- not once, his local candidate and I spoke 3 times, and a female candidate called to say she was coming in support of Robin. They made 3 requests in total. It was outlined that it was main party’s that indicated they could work together to form a Government, subject to NZF and all the variables. ACT, Internet & Mana plus the Conservatives all fell outside of this.
The request for National to be included came after a number of people (mainly business sector) intending to come, signaled they would like to hear what National had to offer in the way regional development policy. I thought that’s a fair call, and there were plenty asking. I then contacted Bill English’s office and extended the same offer as to the other 3 political party’s who had excepted. The brief was Leader, Deputy or Co, the offer to send Phil Heatley was rejected as this criteria wasn’t met, however I did make room for National to send a higher ranking MP other than a retiring local MP- no response back.
Collin Craig never contacted me his press secretary did, 5.30pm Sunday 24 hours before the event.
The large crowd of 240 people were very respectful of all main speakers, as were the speakers of one & another and the party’s they represented. However they gave jibes directed at the incumbent government, which is what opposition party’s do. Also fueled by presumably by a frustration of a ‘no show’ by the National leadership and the sanctioning of their local candidate Shane Reti from attending the meet the candidate section.
All political candidates standing for Whangarei were invited, that part was totally democratic. I do take your point Jamie, thus I ended the forum with next time prior to the election let’s have ‘all the leaders of political party’s here’ and let Northland be the place where Regional development policies are heard, we have been left out for too long.
Shane Reti as previously mentioned was not allowed to partake, head office would not allow him, he told me this in person.
The Maori party candidate did not return my call-invitation. All other candidates participated, David Curran represents the Internet Party, Mana doesn’t have a candidate standing in the Whangarei general seat.
In my opinion either way Jamie Whyte was always going to make the headlines, this is politics and as Leader he needs the publicity. No other party is making a fuss, full credit to them.
All candidates were congratulated ‘whatever they & their party’s idealogical views were.
What I am disappointed in, and from the feedback I’ve received. Where is the reporting of the very good policies these political leaders spoke of? The focus was regional economic development not the sideshow reported in Thursdays edition.
Lastly, Thanks to all the positive feedback from those who attended and enjoyed themselves.
Regards
Alby Barr
No contact
Re the Northland Regional Economic forum I organised.
Act leader Jamie Whyte did not contact me at all-his local candidate and I spoke 3 times. They made 3 requests in total. It was outlined that it was main party’s that indicated they could work together to form a Government, subject to NZF and all the variables. ACT, Internet & Mana plus the Conservatives all fell outside of this.
The request for National to be included came after a number of people (mainly business sector) intending to come, signaled they would like to hear what National had to offer in the way regional development policy. I contacted Bill English’s office; The brief was Leader, Deputy or Co. The offer to send Phil Heatley was rejected as this criteria wasn’t met. However, I did make room for National to send a higher ranking MP other than a retiring local MP- no response back.
The large crowd of 240 people were very respectful of all main speakers, as were the speakers of one & another.
All Whangarei political candidates were invited, that part was totally democratic. I take your point Jamie, thus I ended the forum with “next time prior to the election let’s have ‘all the leaders of political party’s here’ and let Northland be the place where Regional development policies are heard, we have been left out for too long”.
The Maori party candidate did not return my call-invitation. All other candidates participated, David Curran represents the Internet Party, Mana doesn’t have a candidate standing in the Whangarei general seat.
In my opinion either way Jamie Whyte was always going to make the headlines, this is politics and as leader he needs the publicity. No other party is making a fuss, full credit to them.
All candidates were congratulated ‘whatever they & their party’s idealogical views were.
Where is the reporting of the very good policies these political leaders spoke of? The focus was regional economic development, not the sideshow reported in Thursdays edition.
Lastly, Thanks to all the positive feedback from those who attended and enjoyed themselves.
I think this is smart politics from Cunliffe, with the usual caveat about NZF. He just said this to Mike Hoskin:
“Labour leader David Cunliffe says there will be a maximum of three parties in any Government he leads, and has ruled out including the Maori Party at the Cabinet table.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning, Mr Cunliffe said he intended to only include the Green Party and NZ First in any government.
People need to know before the election that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for the National Party.”
But Puckish, a 3.5% shift to the Left would mean Cunliffe as PM. Perfectly possible in 2 weeks and given the polls overstating of the Nats vote in the past. Indeed Cunliffe may be in the box seat now, depending on Winston.
The most accurate poll, the Roy Morgan, had Lab/Gr/NZF 48 Nats 45 in its poll a few days ago.
Me too!
I wrote this comment on his blog. What do you think?
“Great post.
This is the ideal coalition that the country can have now.
It brings in experience, pragmatism, moderation and wisdom.
Labour-Greens-NZF will be the best palatable tonic and medicine for the economic, social and environmental good of the entire country, instead of a dangerously corroding malady that is bound to afflict NZ if a National led coalition takes over. Hopefully over 50% of the voters selflessly recognise this very important fact.
Internet-Mana and the Maori party can, if they wish, give such a government confidence and supply in return for concessions to some of their good policies.
At the same time, the Greens’ excesses(perceived or otherwise)can be moderated, which will ensure a stable, fair and sensible government which can last for much more than a single term, enabling more of the progressive policies implemented over time without alienating the people.
I’m hoping that the Greens and Mana will be able to moderate some of Labour’s neoliberal excesses. I don’t think there is anything excessive in any direction about the Greens.
What are the ‘neoliberal’ excesses of Labour you stupidly speak of? Here are some of Labour’s core policies. Tell me which ones of these, or any other, that you think are ‘neoliberal’ excesses?
*100,000 new, affordable homes
*Free healthcare to under 13s, pregnant women and over 65s
*Raising the minimum wage to $16.25
*Ensure every rental is warm and dry
*Everything paid for, plus we’re in surplus
*Ensure all Kiwis under 20 are in work, education or training
*Best Start for Kiwi kids
*Reduce unemployment to 4% in our first term
*Lower class sizes
*Extend paid paternal leave to 26 weeks
*Ensure that all our rivers and lakes are clean
*Lowering power bills
*Convert the dole to apprenticeships
*Protecting our land from speculators
*Christchurch recovery policy
*100,000 new, affordable homes: these should be built by the state and offered to families at low interest rate government sponsored mortgages.
*Raising the minimum wage to $16.25: this needs to be combined with a jobs guarantee, worker representation on corporate boards and worker ownership of businesses
*Everything paid for, plus we’re in surplus: this is entirely neoclassical/orthodox economics
*Reduce unemployment to 4% in our first term: Labour can’t do this and be in surplus at the same time.
*Lowering power bills: while allowing the private sector to continue to rake in billions.
+1, although I think that, if one is generous, these represent left-wing timidity, rather than neo-liberal excess. Labour has been on a slow drift from the Right to the Centre since the Clark/Cullen years.
That IS the pragmatic, smart way, as we need to take the voters along WITH us because we need to get at least 50% of voters supporting a progressive government to even begin thinking of implementing the urgently needed changes. I am surprised and dismayed that many leftist fools (not you) don’t even understand that!
I think if we have a Labour party with about 33% support, The Greens and NZF at about 10% each would be ideal to achieve spectacular changes to society, slowly and steadily, without scaring the horses (voters and businesses) and be able to electorally last very well for three or more terms and be able to bid adieu to the RW Neo liberal nasty selfish agenda. With C and S from a 4% IMP and 2% Maori party for moderate policy concessions will be even better.
You speak of a pragmatic smart way to bring voters along with you but sorry, this centrist timidity is never going to get Labour back up to 35%. Labour has lost its historical vision in favour of managerial caution, and it will keep being punished for that at the ballot box.
A very good result for Labour this year is going to be 30%-31%. Anything more than that would be a literal miracle.
I guess the argument for that would be that, if Labour can pull enough in this time to put together a government, that would sideline the Right of the party and give Labour a legitimate claim that there is an electoral appetite for more active and better-funded government. This would provide Labour with ammunition to position itself further to the Left in future. Unfortunately, that would be highly dependent on what sort of an agreement they reached with NZ First, and on the right-wing smear machine from National’s corner being severely wounded after the Dirty Politics revelations. I’m not terribly optimistic on the former, and I think we’ll have to wait and see on the latter. Unfortunately, I’m even less optimistic of a left-wing course for Labour should they lose the election.
@ colonial viper 1.18
I think you have nailed it. Your observations remain sharp and I believe absolutely right. Wish they could get more traction,
I am sure they are getting some, but there is so much inertia. But you never know. I can push my car along with just my puny strength when it’s on the flat. Get the right conditions, and a pinch bar, and Labour might be moved from the gravity of its position in this deep rut.
Further to my comment to Colonial viper I found this on Bowalley Road. Chris Trotter has this to say.
David Cunliffe is sending three important messages to the electorate. 1) That he considers NZ First indispensable to effecting a change of government. 2) By very publicly ruling out any kind of accommodation with either Internet-Mana or the Maori Party he is signalling that he understands “Middle New Zealand’s” current distaste for radical ideas. 3) He is inviting them to interpret his reaching-out to NZ First as proof of his moderate bona fides.
Great list Clem. And Labour will not gut the RMA; it will not give stupid hairy-fairy tax cuts when we have debts in tens of billions. Labour also has a much better public transport policy.
It is often the things that Labour will NOT do that the Nats WILL do that makes the difference.
Interesting informal poll in today’s Hawkes Bay Today, a rag that usually parrrots the Herald’s lines. Out on the street Labour is ahead when it comes to the party vote. Looks like a change is going to come in the Napier electorate.
I had reason to call in to the Hastings’ office of the HB Today a couple of years ago. The first thing I saw as I walked to the reception area was a notice pinned to the wall advertising the local Nat MP. Subtle as brick to the bonce.
yeah that not so subtle group think that Nats promote through its dark networks particularly in the provinces. There is only “one way” and it is “blue mate” at the lodge, sports club, social club, cop shops, tradies stores and local associations etc.
Lot of pressure put on the young and vulnerable trying to keep a job in some circles. I had to tell a woman the other day bullied by her self employed partner to vote “Key”, not those “Labour poofters” or else; that it is actually a secret ballot and you can vote which way you like.
I know a bit about Auckland’s infrastructure, god knows I wish I didn’t. Our sewage system and indeed our whole storm water system is in trouble – it’s an open secret – ask around. So when I read this this morning, I had the most uncomfortable feeling I was looking into the future of Auckland. A future which working people get hammered once again. Also just so you never feel alone, we are not alone, the things we face, and the troubles we rally against – are not just happening here.
Ok so Matt McCarten talks to whaleoil, but do any labour MPs talk to whaleoil (ABC anyone?), the polls are looking better (for National) and what is it with labour candidates in the south being nuttier then fruitcakes?
But hey I’m sure KDC will introduce (another) game changer on the 15th
Actually we require corporations to be evil. To maximise profit no matter what the expense to society, the environment or the people who do the work for them.
That environment favours the success of sociopaths who cannot, or will not, understand the harm they do.
A sign that the elite see that it’s better to bring Key down now rather than to have a mess in 8 months time. Labour wins, he goes off to work for Merrill Lynch for 4 years and then retires to his home country, the US I believe that is.
The alternative, everyone figures out that the system is rigged. What happened last time when that came to be I wonder.
Just to reinforce the mendaciousness of Nats and Parata. Salisbury School in Nelson is the last girls school in NZ for disturbed or special needs youngsters.
Parata tried to close it and was fought and withdrew. But she is preventing it getting new entrants who would normally have been recommended a place. The figures from the Nelson Weekly 8/4/2014 show student numbers at 71 in 2011 and now turned around to 17 in 2014.
The fraudsters, are reportedly telling customers that their Spark services are about to be cut off because of security issues and then asking the customers to go online to a fake Spark webpage. Customers are also being asked to give remote access to their computer and provide personal banking information as part of this scam.
These calls are not from Spark and Spark strongly advise anyone who receives one of these calls to hang up immediately, do not hand over any personal banking information and do not proceed to the fraudulent webpage. If anyone has passed on information, Spark advise you to contact your bank immediately.
Please be assured that these fraudsters do not have access to Spark systems.
I had a call last week – except they said they were from Telecom – not Spark!
Having had (over the last few years) literally hundreds of the scam “Microsoft service dept” calls re supposed problems with your computer, I smelt a rat straight away and let them get far enough to confirm that it was yet another variation of this scam. I then used one of my responses to these calls – very loud, very foul language and then hung up. Another one of my responses, when I have it at hand is blowing a cheap $2 shop whistle down the phone.
The immediate give away was that I am not a customer of Telecom/Spark!
I was very suspicious, especially the accent, and they were going to cut internet for 2 months.
Didn’t get as far as the scam part as I asked his name, twice. Then he hung up!!
Felix Marwick has apparently been trying to get to the bottom of who in the PM’s office knew about Tucker’s intention to release SIS material to WO, but was thwarted by his OIA request to the PM’s office, He took it to the Ombudsman last week and has had the response that he has tweeted in the above link. Seems the Ombusdmen’s office is going into bat for FM and is seeking an urgent response from the PM’s office.
Great job Felix Marwick. Be interesting to see if Key does respond. If he refuses on the grounds that an enquiry is already under way, then it could be bad publicity for him.
“Key refuses to respond to an Ombudsman’s direction.”
“Key defies due process.”
“Key is arrogant.”
If it was the lowly unimportant Eade then Wow!
Matthew Hooten reckons on RNZ, 9 to Noon that Stuart Nash is targeting the National voters, just wondering if someone can help enlighten me how a Labour candidate manages to target an opposition parties vote? This must be more spin (or something) from Hooten, because this souds like absolute bull shit to me.
Nash is showing Labour’s other regional hopefuls how to kick provincial National’s ass.
It’s a big paper majority turnaround to do it, and he’s going to do it.
In the same way a politician got an easy ride by coming back on the list, so many businesses owners got a easy ride by not paying CGT while their Aussie competition does. Parliaments like to make it easy for themselves and their mates despite it harming our democracy and our economy. As Key has proven, cow effluent clogging our rivers, deaths in forestry, mines, and CTV. And now WINZ.
How? Hooten gave the impression he is some how doing it by going down a divergent strategy to the Labour Party…I struggle to see how that would be possible, just curious.
from twitter – G.Tiso
1. A system was in place for subverting the political process. We have been told repeatedly and haughtily that everyone knew about it.
2. If everyone knew about it, why wasn’t the public told? I agree with Matt Nippert: journalism failed us on this one.
3. This is why the blanket defense of journalism against its critics is distasteful. The media were the third track.
4. If there was a failure, where are the consequences: has any political editor, reporter or commentator resigned?
5. Has any newspaper or TV editor signalled a change in the way things will be done and whom will be asked for comment on politics & policy?
6. It seems to me that none of this has occurred. All the media people mentioned in the book are still employed, including Glucina & Hooton.
7. The Panel carries on inviting representatives of fake organizations that have exposed by Hager as government attack dogs, and so forth.
8. Similarly, the highly-placed journos who ridiculed the story on day 1 are still holding court a month and several stages of grief later.
9. I hope there are some VERY robust discussions going on behind the scenes about the need for the industry to change.
10. Until then, all calls to stop being critical of journalists and journalism should be treated as the tone-based derails they are. ENDS.
followed by
Brent Edwards @rnzgallerybrent @gtiso All fair points.
interesting insight into John Key in the Herald’s rapid fire interviews on the topic of political heroes. All the other leaders referred to a personal quality or ethical stand or public benefit in the person they identified. John Key had to be asked twice what was it he admired and all he could say was Keith Holyoake elected for 4 terms. Even Coin Craig, who chose the same hero was able to identify a quality that was admirable.
Craig and Key are not, and will never be half the man that Holyoake was.
While “Kiwi Keith” despised socialism, he was equally suspicous of free market capitalism, and supported the mixed economy, being a admirer of FDR’s New Deal.
yes I like the story about a train traveller from Auckland down at Wellington railway station who could not find their bags and who rang Holyoake up to get help in the middle of the night ….apparently the story is that he went down to the station and helped them find them….like a good NZ farmer looking after his flock
John Key a Holyoake?….NEVER!….and nor would Colin Craig be ….Holyoake was too ethical and intelligent and too much a pragmatic New Zealander. He would quietly and cynically despise them and Nactional !
…Winston Peters is more in Holyoake’s old National Party tradition
Goff has made his sworn statement to the SIS OIA inquiry
” Statement is attached
—
Statement to Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
Ms Cheryl Gwyn
Freyberg House, 2 Aitken Street, Wellington
My primary concern in relation to the release of NZSIS documents in 2011 is that the wider context in which this happened represents a deliberate politicisation of the NZSIS in a way which is unprecedented at least since the Muldoon years.
For nine years, first as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then as Minister of Defence, I maintained the total confidentiality of briefings from our security intelligence services.
It has long been the convention that the Minister in charge of the Security Intelligence Service not comment on matters relating to security intelligence.
That convention applied likewise to Ministers with access to SIS and GCSB briefings and to the Leader of the Opposition.
As Leader of the Opposition briefings to me were strictly confidential. I did not comment on them. I was asked that the briefings given to me were given without the presence of staff or colleagues. Documents were not to be retained by me nor was I to take notes. I was not to comment to the media on any information I might have received.
This convention was broken, first by the Prime Minister when he referred publicly to a briefing from the SIS in relation to Israeli backpackers who were suspected to have connections with Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence Service, that he says I was given.
My position then and now is that I never received a substantive briefing on this matter, notwithstanding what the Director of the SIS may have recorded.
The reason I can be confident of this is that having been Minister of Foreign Affairs and having dealt with the issue of Mossad agents criminally misappropriating New Zealand passports, I had a keen interest in the issue of Mossad agents operating in New Zealand. I would have recalled anything which might properly have been described as a briefing.
The only explanation I can guess at is the Director may have said that there was a suspicion around actions of Israeli hitch-hikers in Christchurch at the time of the earthquake but there was nothing to it.
No information of any substance was given to me or I would have recalled it.
That, however, is not the issue under investigation.
The issue is why John Key chose to raise the alleged briefing in a public and political context and how information held by the SIS was released into the public arena.
My suspicion at the time, confirmed by material disclosed in Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics, is that material was disclosed to Cameron Slater who blogs under the name Whale Oil to facilitate his making a specific OIA request.
Evidence for this is the specificity of Mr Slater’s request, even asking for any diary notation, his statement that he knew that the request was to be expedited expecting the documents to be released immediately, and his statement in a leaked email that he had been ‘sworn to secrecy’ about what he knew.
The obvious explanation was that he had a source for this information which in the nature of SIS briefings could only have been either within the SIS itself or the Prime Minister or his Office.
I would hope that the former is unlikely because it would represent improper conduct by the SIS.
The Prime Minister and his Office however have close links with Cameron Slater whose blogs are used to attack political opponents of the Government.
No one in the Prime Minister’s office would provide inside knowledge of what the SIS was saying or doing without the implicit or explicit approval of Mr Key.
That is why I believe Mr Key should be asked to give sworn evidence on precisely who in his office had access to this information and the ground rules he set down for his staff as to how this information was to be treated.
When I spoke to the Director of the SIS who phoned me suggesting he intended to release the documents immediately, he was coy about whether he knew of the identity of the Mr Slater who had requested the documents sought under the OIA. He then acknowledged that he did know who Cameron Slater was. The documents were to be released immediately until I challenged why the SIS was acting in the way he proposed. He at that point suggested he would delay the release for a number of days.
It was unwise for the SIS to be drawn into a highly politicised debate. In my long experience of asking Government Departments for information under the OIA, it is unprecedented for a request to be turned around so quickly.
I believe your Inquiry should examine the full political context of this matter and how and why material which would normally be held confidential was brought into the public and political arena.
The use of SIS briefing material in this way undermines confidence in its role as an agency of state which has extraordinary powers.
It effectively politicises the work of the agency and undermines expectations of impartiality and confidentiality in the way in which information which it holds is used.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and give sworn evidence on the issues under investigation.
Hon Phil Goff
MP for Mt Roskill
8 September 2014 “
“A document released to blogger Cameron Slater on Thursday by the SIS titled “Investigation into Israeli Nationals in Christchurch” (and heavily blacked out) has a diary note on the top corner “read by/discussed with Mr Goff 14 Mar 11”.
But Mr Goff insists he would have remembered if Dr Tucker had raised it. He said Dr Tucker rang him last week to tell him he was releasing the document to Slater.
“I said, ‘What – I haven’t even seen the bloody document.”
How do you know that Key, his attack dogs or Tucker were not telling porkies when they said that Goff as leader of the opposition was ‘fully briefed’ about it? In this instance, I believe Goff over the National dirty tricks brigade as Goff had no reason to lie about it. Goff has more integrity than these dirty tricks dodgy crooks.
Anyway, the inquiry is not about that. It is about the dirty tricks that went on behind the scenes about the OIA release of documents to their attack dog. The inquiry can not even cross examine Key, the Minister in charge of SIS, as per the narrow terms set/approved by, wait for it, Key himself!
This just looks like a Clayton’s BS inquiry to fool the RWNjobs like you and the gullible voters some more.
The inquiry can not even cross examine Key, the Minister in charge of SIS, as per the narrow terms set/approved by, wait for it, Key himself!
I thought that was a question of the law pertaining to the Inspector General’s powers, rather than terms set down by Key. After all, she’s officially conducting the enquiry under her own motion using the powers of her office, rather than at his behest. Regardless, I’m still not entirely clear on what she can and can’t require of the Prime Minister. She isn’t allowed to conduct an enquiry into his conduct, but can she compel him to give evidence under oath regarding the conduct of those in his office? It would obviously be a step she shouldn’t take lightly, and only if she can’t establish a credible sequence of events by talking to his staff, but she doesn’t seem to be debarred from doing so.
It is also unclear to me how she would be required to handle any evidence that does clearly implicate the Prime Minister in the leak or suggest that he has misled the public, given that she is not permitted to enquire into his conduct.
There was a news item soon after the inquiry was set up that she would be calling the PM for questioning and it was reported that ‘ John Key says he’s prepared to answer under oath too’ [24 Aug, RNZ]
If Key is not made to answer questions under oath to arrive at the truth, then such an inquiry is just a whitewash and a sham. A waste of time. If she has no powers to question the PM, then someone that has the ‘powers’ should be asked to do that part of the inquiry. Otherwise, what is the point of this BS exercise? Key is the guy in charge of the department!
Phil may be a recent rogernome but he is quite believable on this one, he seemed stitched up by the SIS at the time.
The wood panelled rooms, leather club chairs and no minutes needed eh what! scenario is all very well for those in the real insiders loop but it illustrates why the current state security apparatus should be disbanded.
I think Goff is an absolute prick and a right wing disaster zone, but I believe he will tell the truth. I suspect the SIS feel almost as much loyalty to NAct as they do to their true seppo masters, and I do not trust them at all. They’re basically the same type as cops, and their behaviour and ethics would be very similar.
Anything the leader of the opposition is briefed on should be signed by that leader. That’s basic procedure. Why don’t they do it?
“I think Goff is an absolute prick and a right wing disaster zone”
What a lot of fashionable ignorant rubbish you are parroting. Goff is one of the most fair, pragmatic, sensible, efficient and decent democratic socialist MPs that is in our parliament.
Israel committed a massacre in Gaza; there was no “war”.
Bryan Crump must know that, so why could he not say it?
Radio New Zealand National, Monday 8 September 2014
Just after the 5 o’clock news, a trailer featuring the voice of Bryan Crump played….
BRYAN CRUMP: Coming up on Nights: our correspondent is Nida’ Tuma from the West Bank. She’s been watching the latest war between Israel and Gaza.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
I am sure I was not the only listener to have felt despair when I heard that. On the off chance that he actually cares about his professional obligations, I sent Bryan Crump the following e-mail…..
Israel committed a massacre in Gaza; there was no “war”
Dear Bryan,
In a trailer for your programme, you say that your correspondent Nida’ Tuma has been watching “the latest war between Israel and Gaza”.
That implies some degree of parity between two evenly matched sides. In fact, what you referred to as a “war” was a massacre against an unarmed civilian population. Israel killed more than two thousand Gazans; according to the United Nations, 69 percent of them were civilians. Four Israeli civilians died. Not one Israeli bomber suffered so much as a scratch.
Surely journalists have a duty to use language rigorously and responsibly. Please leave the distortions and lies to the politicians.
Thanks, Chooky. I’m sure Bryan Crump is perfectly aware that the words he spoke were pure nonsense. What is interesting is that he obviously cannot bring himself to speak plainly and truthfully on this matter.
Internet Mana final Roadtrip event in Otara Auckland TUESDAY Sept 9 6pm
8000 people have attended the small hall meetings so far up and down the country, come along and support the finale! https://www.facebook.com/events/946760495350803/
+100… I wish I could be there!…i wish Internet Mana a great victory in the Election!….they have some very fine policies and candidates led by Hone Harawira and Laila Harre!
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Parliament's triennial Review of Standing Orders was released today, and it contains a number of welcome, if minor, improvements. The ones that caught my are: A move to encourage "pre-legislative engagement" - the government consulting widely on legislation before it is introduced - by promising easier passage (e.g. with ...
Lauren Vargo, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of WellingtonGlaciers around the world are melting — and for the first time, we can now directly attribute annual ice loss to climate change. We analysed two years in which glaciers in New Zealand melted the most in at least four ...
Caroline Shaw, Anja MizdrakE-bikes are everywhere. Sales are booming and predicted to overtake sales of new cars in a few years. There were three times as many e-bikes and e-scooters imported into NZ in 2019 alone as there are e-cars in the entire country. You can’t go out in ...
New Zealand First is facing a difficult struggle to get re-elected, but Josh Van Veen, who was once a researcher for Winston Peters, argues that there is still a very significant section of cultural conservatives who oppose mass immigration and political correctness and might yet be won back over to ...
This is a re-post from Yale Climate Connections by Karin Kirk Many Americans these days seem unable to avoid controversy on practically any topic, so why not embrace the discord and wade into the especially volatile arena of nuclear energy? Advocates claim it’s the only way to meet global climate goals, ...
Can we trust New Zealand’s military? There must now be serious doubt, given the landmark report released on Friday concluding the investigation into allegations made in the book Hit and Run by Nicky Hager and Jon Stephenson about a 2010 SAS killing raid in Afghanistan. The most recent Colmar Brunton ...
In New Zealand, we've just had the report of the Hit and Run inquiry, which found that a New Zealand led raid had accidentally killed civilians, including a child. meanwhile, around the same time, the British SAS was conducting its own raids in Afghanistan, and theirs were a hell of ...
In addition to establishing a process for setting emissions reductions plans, the Zero Carbon Act established a process for managing the risks of climate change. The first part of this is the preparation of regular risk assessments, looking at the risks to our economy, society, environment, and ecology. The first ...
Over on The spinoff, Amnesty International's Meg de Ronde has a response to Friday's release of the Hit and Run report. And in response to Attorney-General David Parker's claim that the government was being "transparent" by releasing the report, its titled "we shouldn’t have to work this hard to get ...
Story of the Week... Opinion of the Week... Toon of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... SkS Week in Review... Story of the Week... Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study FindsAs climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will ...
There's an election next month, so you'd be expecting political parties to be telling us what they stand for and what they'd do if they'd win. But while the Greens have given us a detailed policy platform, and National has talked about roads and austerity, Labour, currently leading the polls ...
"Who's youse accusin' of innference?" Without the timely intervention of a team of top American political consultants and campaign experts, Boris Yeltsin would never have won his second term as President of the Russian Federation. The Russians waited 20 years to return the favour.WHEN IT COMES to the disinformation game, ...
As polling day in the American presidential election draws closer, things are looking bad for Donald Trump. The polls show that he is tracking well behind his Democrat rival. Most people assume that the President will be striving might and main to avoid what looks increasingly likely to be a ...
Our health professionals do an amazing job. Image credit: Wikipedia – Cardiac surgery. Finally, I have got back to these rankings. A long period in hospital and computer problems meant the June 2020 rankings were abandoned. Now, with a new personal defibrillator implanted in my chest and a new hard ...
A chronological listing of news articles linked to on the Skeptical Science Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, July 26 through Sat, Aug 1, 2020Editor's ChoiceThe four types of climate denier, and why you should ignore them allThe shill, the grifter, the egomaniac and the ideological ...
It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...
It's campaign time! The official countdown to Election Day is underway, with Labour supporters crowding into Auckland's Town Hall for our 2020 Campaign Launch. We recap some of the highlights below ...
We've announced that we will expand the Flexi-wage programme to support up to 40,000 more people into work, or to help them start their own business. It's yet another way we're helping keep our economy moving by getting people into work and training. Read on to find out more ...
Business subsidy of on average $7500, and up to $22,000, to hire unemployed New ZealandersUp to 40,000 jobs to be supported by $311 million investment in keeping New Zealanders off the unemployment benefitRing-fenced fund to help unemployed start their own business ...
This week was the last of the 52nd Parliament: a major milestone for our Government and a great opportunity to look back at all the progress we've made for New Zealanders. This week, we increased support for businesses to take on apprentices, improved access to hospital care in Northland, and ...
Kia orana and kia ora koutou katoa. It is a privilege to be able to speak in this adjournment debate and to mark and acknowledge the fact that we are now two years and 10 months into the conclusion of a parliamentary term that has been extraordinary in so many ...
On 1 August, we marked the anniversary of Jacinda Ardern becoming the Leader of the Labour Party. On that day in 2017, Leader Andrew Little nominated Jacinda Ardern to succeed him and lead the party to victory.Now, three years on, we look back at some of the key moments ...
With the June 2020 quarter showing underemployment increasing, the Green Party is calling for a Guaranteed Minimum Income and an increase to the abatement threshold to ensure everyone has a dignified income. ...
We went hard and we went early in our health response to COVID-19, and we did everything we could to cushion the economic impact too. In fact, we can fill every letter of the alphabet with the steps we took to fight COVID-19 and ensure we were in a position ...
Investing in our people, backing businesses, and upgrading infrastructure and housing throughout the country - it's been another week of progress for New Zealanders as we deliver our plan to recover and rebuild. ...
July was another busy month, packed with key investments aimed at progressing our economic recovery as we rebuild New Zealand. We extended support for businesses, helped create jobs through local infrastructure projects, and kept working to clean up our waterways so Kiwis can access safe clean water. Check out the ...
The Green Party is calling for the Defence Force Chiefs in place between 2010-2017 to front up and explain how dishonesty, process and policy failures within the Defence Force led to ‘a series of incorrect statements in briefings to ministers and public releases’ regarding alleged breaches of international torture prevention ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
Thanks to our strong health response, New Zealand’s economy is more open than many other countries. But as COVID continues to surge around the world, the economic consequences of the virus will continue to be a challenge, which is why we have a detailed plan to help New Zealand bounce ...
The Government is stepping up action to deal with environmentally harmful products – including plastic packaging, tyres and e-waste – before they become waste. ...
The Green Party are ensuring that New Zealanders who were overseas when COVID-19 hit will not be charged for the cost of isolation or quarantine if they return home to live. ...
It's been another week of creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and investing in infrastructure up and down the country - all of which are helping to keep our economy moving post-COVID-19. ...
Law changes to end tenure review and provide for better management of Crown pastoral lands in the South Island high country were considered by Parliament today with the first reading of the Crown Pastoral Land Reform Bill says Minister for Land Information, Eugenie Sage. ...
After 102 days we have our first cases of Covid-19 outside of a Managed Isolation or Quarantine facility in New Zealand. Shortly I will ask Dr Bloomfield to set out the details of the case. While we have all worked incredibly hard to prevent this scenario, we have also planned ...
An iwi-Crown approach programme to restore the Raukūmara forest on the East Coast of the North Island and boost employment opportunities for whānau, particularly rangatahi/young people, will receive $34 million funding, Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage has announced. “Raukūmara Pae Maunga is a partnership with Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou, and ...
Government agencies and partners are working closer together to provide more Māori Housing through the Te MAIHI o te Whare Māori – the Māori and Iwi Housing Innovation Framework for Action (MAIHI). MAIHI is a kaupapa Māori approach that drives a system change to give effect and impact on Māori ...
Site work is soon to begin on Te Ahu a Turanga: Manawatū Tararua Highway, the project to replace the former SH3 route through the Manawatū Gorge, Transport Minister Phil Twyford said today. Phil Twyford was today in Woodville at the signing of a formal agreement by members of the Alliance ...
The Pacific Islands Forum Economic Ministers Meeting (FEMM) begins today and will focus on the major economic and social impacts of COVID-19 on the Pacific. FEMM is an important congregation of Economic Ministers and senior officials from around the region, and for the first time, the annual meeting will be ...
Cabinet has approved a formal apology and ex gratia payment to former soldier George Nepata, announced Defence Minister Ron Mark. This payment is to recognise the New Zealand Defence Force’s failure to provide Mr Nepata with a safe system of work in April 1989 when, as a result of an ...
A report undertaken by Ministerial Services into Iain Lees-Galloway’s ministerial expenditure has found no evidence of any inappropriate transactions or spending. Ministerial Services undertook a line by line review of all his expenditure, including staff and spouse expenses for the period 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2020. “I commissioned ...
Managed isolation charges for returnees will come into force from 12.01am Tuesday 11th August, after they passed their last cabinet milestone today, Housing Minister Megan Woods said. “The new charging system balances the rights of New Zealanders to return home and helps reduce pressure on the managed isolation and quarantine ...
The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern and the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Henry Puna have welcomed the completion of phase one in the establishment of a travel bubble between New Zealand and the Cook Island. Negotiations on the text of an ‘Arrangement to Facilitate Quarantine-Free Travel ...
The Government has launched a new online, phone and onsite service to help New Zealanders connect to a range of employment support and products for workers and businesses affected by COVID-19, announced Minister of Education Chris Hipkins and Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. Connected.govt.nz is a one-stop-shop for jobseekers, ...
Security guards contracted to the Ministry of Social Development will be paid at least the Living Wage from next month supporting the Government’s commitment towards fair pay and employment conditions, announced Minister for Social Development Carmel Sepuloni. “MSD was among the first government agencies to pay its employees the living ...
The Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage today launched Te Mana o te Taiao, the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy - a way forward that envisions Aotearoa New Zealand as a place where ecosystems are healthy and resilient, and people embrace the natural world. “Many of New Zealand’s plants and wildlife species ...
“Pacific languages, cultures and identity are essential to the health, wellbeing and lifetime success of our Pacific peoples and their communities in Aotearoa. The strength and resilience of Pacific Aotearoa is not only vital to their own prosperity but integral to the prosperity of all New Zealanders, and is particularly ...
· $38 million to help schools cover unexpected costs related to COVID-19 · $69 million upgrade for online learning · $107 million contingency funding to support school construction suppliers facing additional costs due to the lockdown. The Government is releasing $214 million from the COVID-19 response and recovery fund to ...
Despite the Government installing safety upgrades around the country, people should still take care around rail crossings, said Transport Minister Phil Twyford launching Rail Safety Week. Phil Twyford said installing safety infrastructure is crucial, but we are encouraging people to be more careful around trains too. “We’re making good progress ...
The Government is providing a cash injection to help Palmerston North City Council complete a programme to provide 78 social housing units for vulnerable tenants. The $4.7 million to build 28 units in the Papaioea Place redevelopment comes from the $3 billion set aside for infrastructure in the Government’s COVID-19 ...
A pest free Banks Peninsula/Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū is one step closer with a $5.11 million boost to accelerate this project and create jobs, announced Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage in Canterbury today. “This is a game changer for this ambitious project to restore the native wildlife and plants on Ōtautahi/Christchurch’s doorstep ...
A Government grant of $6.4 million will expand the Pettigrew Arena in Taradale with new indoor courts of national standard. “The project is likely to take 18 months with approximately 300 people employed through the process,” Grant Robertson said. “The expansion will increase the indoor court space up to 11 ...
The Far North tourist destination of Mangonui is to receive Government funding to improve waterfront infrastructure, open up access to the harbour and improve water quality, Infrastructure Minister Shane Jones has announced. A total of $6.5 million from the $3 billion set aside in the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund ...
The Government has re-affirmed its commitment to supporting the hosting of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, which the ICC has delayed from 2021 to 2022. “This is obviously a disappointing decision for cricket players and fans around the world and for the White Ferns and their supporters here at ...
Cyclists and walkers will now have a safer way to get around Taupō, Tūrangi, and between Hamilton and Cambridge, with funding for shared paths and Te Awa River Ride, Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. “The Te Awa River Ride is the latest part of massive growth ...
Six major cycle routes will be completed in Christchurch thanks to funding from the Government’s investment in shovel-ready infrastructure as part of the COVID-19 recovery Associate Minister of Transport Julie Anne Genter announced today. $125 million will be invested to kick-start construction and fund the completion of the following cycleway ...
Plans are underway for a brand new state-of-the-art hub for Whanganui’s justice and social agencies, following confirmation the ageing Whanganui Central Police Station is to be replaced. Police Minister Stuart Nash has announced $25 million in new infrastructure spending to improve facilities for the wider community, and for staff who ...
An adjustment payment has been made to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu under the relativity mechanisms in their 1995 and 1997 Treaty of Waitangi settlements, Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Andrew Little announced today. The latest payments to Waikato-Tainui and Ngāi Tahu are $2,700,000 and $2,600,000 respectively to ensure the ...
Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and Transport Minister Phil Twyford today kicked off the start of the Auckland NZ Upgrade Programme rail projects which will support over 400 jobs and help unlock our biggest city. Both ministers marked the start of enabling works on the third main rail line project ...
The Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) investment of $3.78 million in Wairoa will create much needed economic stimulus and jobs, Under-Secretary for Regional Economic Development Fletcher Tabuteau announced today. PGF projects announced today include: $200,000 loan to Nuhaka Kiwifruit Holdings Ltd (operated by Pine Valley Orchard Ltd) to increase the productivity ...
Tenants in public and Māori housing may be benefiting from their own affordable renewable energy in future – a fund to trial renewable energy technology for public and Māori housing has today been announced by Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods and Associate Minister for Housing (Māori Housing) Nanaia Mahuta. ...
Hokianga will receive $2.7 million to redevelop four of its wharves and upgrade its water supply, Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones has announced. Far North District Council will receive $1.8 million from the Provincial Growth Fund for the work on the wharves. “The work will include the construction of ...
A $350 million Residential Development Response Fund is being established to support the residential construction sector and to minimise the economic impact from COVID-19, the Housing Minister Dr Megan Woods has announced. “The Residential Development Response Fund will help to progress stalled or at-risk developments that support our broader housing ...
As part of a broader plan to divert waste from landfill, the Government today announced $10.67 million for new infrastructure as part of the Resource Recovery Network across the Auckland region. “This key investment in Auckland’s community recycling network is part of the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group ‘shovel ready’ projects ...
The Government is investing $45 million in the first stage of an ambitious urban development project for Tauranga that will employ up to 250 people and help the region grow, Urban Development Minister Phil Twyford announced today. Phil Twyford says the funding has been allocated out of the $3 billion ...
Getting low-emission trucks on the road is a step closer with investment in infrastructure to support hydrogen vehicles, the Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods has announced. The Infrastructure Reference Group has provisionally approved $20 million for New Plymouth company Hiringa Energy to establish a nationwide network of hydrogen-fuelling stations. ...
A new trades training centre to upskill the local workforce will be built in the South Waikato town of Tokoroa through funding from the Government’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, Education Minister Chris Hipkins and Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones have announced. The Government will contribute $10.84 million from ...
The Government has agreed to repeal part of the Oranga Tamariki Act subsequent children provisions, Minister for Children Tracey Martin announced today. “There are times when children need to go into care for their safety – the safety and care of children must always be paramount,” Minister Martin said. “But ...
A $1.5 million boost to grow primary mental health and addiction services for Pacific peoples in Auckland, Hamilton and Canterbury will lead to better outcomes for Pacific communities, Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa says. Pasifika Futures has received funding to expand services through The Fono, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest by ...
Twenty-two projects to boost the sustainability and climate resilience of New Zealand’s food and fibres sector have been announced today by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The $18m funding will deliver practical knowledge to help farmers and growers use their land more sustainably, meet environmental targets, remain prosperous, and better understand ...
Employment Minister Willie Jackson welcomes an initiative that assists employers to get mature workers into New Zealand small businesses. The disadvantages that older people face in the workplace was highlighted in the whole of Government Employment Strategy. In order to address this, a Mature Workers Toolkit has been developed and ...
New Zealand and Australia reaffirmed today the need for the closest possible collaboration as they tackle a global environment shaped by COVID-19, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. “In these challenging times, our close collaboration with Australia is more vital than ever,” said Mr Peters. Mr Peters and his Australian ...
The recovery and forensic examination of the loader driven by survivor Russell Smith means the underground team are now moving into an area of the Pike River Mine that has not been seen since the explosion, Minister Responsible for Pike River Re-entry Andrew Little said. “The fifth and last robot ...
The Government has confirmed a community-wide trial of CovidCard technology as it explores options for COVID-19 contact tracing. “Effective contact tracing is a vital part of the COVID-19 response,” Minister of Health Chris Hipkins said. “While manual processes remain the critical component for contact tracing, we know digital solutions can ...
Welcome to The Spinoff’s Live Updates for August 12, bringing you the latest on New Zealand news and Covid-19 as it returns to the community. Get me on Stewart@thespinoff.co.nz7.00am: What you need to know Auckland has four new cases of Covid-19 – all in the community. There is no ...
Good morning and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Resurgence plan triggered by Covid-19 community transmission, questions about what it will mean for the election, and Christchurch rest home lockdown appears to be unrelated.The first new cases of Covid-19 outside of managed isolation have been announced, triggering a resurgence ...
The only Kiwi woman to win an Olympic medal in swimming, Jean Hurring, has passed away in her 90th year. She was gentle and generous, teaching countless New Zealanders how to swim - but had a formidable, determined streak. Jean Hurring will be remembered as a kind, gentle and humble woman ...
Trade Me, New Zealand's largest online auction and classifieds market, had already integrated its core software tools into the Slack collaboration platform before Covid-19 hit, and saw the true value of that when it shifted seamlessly to remote working under lockdown. Paolo Ragone, chief technology officer for Trade Me, told Newsroom the ...
The Ruddelle case judgment reflects judicial recognition of how women in abusive relationships are caught in social and systemic entrapment, writes Julia Tolmie Women who use lethal defensive force against their violent partners are a rarity. Most women in abusive relationships, if there is a homicide, will be the ones ...
Toi Iti responds to a beautiful book of photographs of sparsely populated King Country towns Step one, take land. Strip it, stack the wood, start a farm. Now build a town! Post Office, school, chapel. Milk flowing? Build a dairy factory. Need a bank? Got it. Shop? Yep. Build some ...
Despite warnings, many Kiwis would not have expected the re-emergence of Covid-19 in the community. Now, the virus has put New Zealand on the back foot and added another election-year twist, Sam Sachdeva writes. It was an inevitability, New Zealand was told. Not if, “just a matter of when”. Director-General ...
With their party hovering on the 5 percent threshold in the polls, Greens co-leaders discussed their accomplishments in Government and the party's ambitious pitch to the electorate. ...
We think we've crushed Covid-19 - what other diseases are the country battling that could do with big injections of money and effort? New Zealand has more or less kicked Covid-19 to the kerb, but what about other diseases we're trying to eradicate? Today The Detail looks at where we’ve got ...
The return of Covid-19 to Auckland and the Level 3 lockdown are expected to hit hospitality and retail stocks, and play a part in the Reserve Bank's new Monetary Policy Statement ...
Beyond the direct and practical implications, more significant for the eventual outcome is the effect on the electorate’s psyche, writes Ben Thomas.It’s tempting to reach for easy metaphors with the re-emergence of Covid-19 just weeks before the election: a horror villain rising from the dead; a restless spirit summoned again, ...
Aotearoa surpassed 100 days without a case of community transmission of Covid-19. Last night that virus-free streak ended and we’re moving back up the alert levels. Siouxsie Wiles explains why that has to happen.For months now, we’ve been intercepting cases of Covid-19 at the border. But just as has happened ...
The confirmation of community transmission has prompted a swift move up the alert level ladder. Here are the critical questions about Auckland’s move to Covid-19 level three lockdown, answered.What are the new alert levels – and where do they apply?Auckland enters alert level three at midday today, Wednesday August 12. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The Nationals are demanding major changes to the government’s controversial new higher education fee plan, declaring it would disadvantage regional communities and students as it stands. The Nationals party room on Monday discussed the JobReady ...
Auckland moves back into near-lockdown at Level 3 while the rest of the country shifts gears to Level 2. Here's a refresher course on what you'll have to do differently now. With Auckland moving to Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions, a range of public venues and workplaces will close in our largest ...
Analysis: Our testing regime for Covid-19 will often be several days or weeks behind, underscoring the need to act as if we're two weeks ahead of where we are, Marc Daalder reports On March 25, the day New Zealand moved into Level 4 lockdown, the official Covid-19 case tally was ...
The prime minister has announced Auckland will go into alert level three, and the rest of the country alert level two, after four cases of the coronavirus were detected in a family with no known link to overseas travel or existing cases. Via the Science Media Centre, the experts on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The federal government has clashed with the Royal Commission into Aged Care, strongly rejecting the claim by senior counsel assisting the inquiry Peter Rozen that it had no specific COVID-19 plan for the sector. Aged ...
Four positive cases of covid-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine have been reported and New Zealand has activated a resurgence plan. After 102 days without community transmission they are the first cases acquired from an unknown source, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced tonight. Ardern said New Zealand must take ...
Auckland will enter Level 3 at noon on Wednesday while the rest of the country moves to Level 2. How will the Government manage the logistics of a regional lockdown? In response to the confirmation of four cases of Covid-19 in Auckland, of unknown origins and with no known connection to ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. Look back over our live updates. ...
New Zealand has been shocked back into a state of Covid-19 infection with community transmission detected in four confirmed cases from one family in South Auckland outside the isolation and quarantine system. Auckland will be put into Level 3 alert from noon on Wednesday, with all schools closed, people required to work from ...
Auckland to move to alert Level 3 'lockdown' from Noon on Wednesday - with the rest of NZ put into Level 2 - after a community outbreak in South Auckland New Zealand has been shocked back into a state of Covid-19 infection with community transmission detected in four confirmed cases from one ...
After 102 days without community transmission, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern confirmed New Zealand has its first Covid-19 case acquired from an unknown source. ...
After 101 days without any reported community transmission in New Zealand, cases without any link to overseas travel have been reported.There are four cases of community transmission in one family, Ashley Bloomfield has announced.A man in his 50s with no link to overseas travel or other known cases tested positive ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government and the Australian Defence Force are bracing for reputational damage to the military from damning findings in an imminent report on Australian Special Forces’ behaviour in Afghanistan. The report, expected within a month, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government and the Australian Defence Force are bracing for reputational damage to the military from damning findings in an imminent report on Australian Special Forces’ behaviour in Afghanistan. The report, expected within a month, ...
The National Party board will meet "as soon as possible" to discuss allegations surrounding its member Roger Bridge and a late-night call on talkback radio. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Zachariah Wylde, Postdoctoral Researcher in Evolutionary Biology, UNSW As time passes, our fertility declines and our bodies start to fail. These natural changes are what we call ageing. In recent decades, we’ve come leaps and bounds in treating and preventing some of ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Janneke Berecki-Gisolf, Associate Professor, Accident Research Centre, Monash University COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria have had a marked effect on how and where we spend our time. For many people, home has become the workplace, and for most school-aged children, home is also ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachel Wilson, Associate Professor in Education, University of Sydney To fix inequality in Australian education, governments should fully fund all non-government primary schools, according to former former NSW Education Minister and now head of the UNSW Gonski Institute, Adrian Piccoli. In an ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ilana Finefter-Rosenbluh, Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Monash University Over the weekend, Victorian Education Minister, James Merlino, announced the individual impact of COVID-19 will be taken into account for every Year 12 student in the state when calculating their VCE score and ATAR. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendan Clift, Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate, University of Melbourne The arrest this week of pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai in Hong Kong reveals the repressive reality of the city’s new made-in-China national security law. It also sends a sharp signal to ...
NZ’s domestic economy is tracking much better than many predicted, as it adjusts to something closer to normality after the Covid-19 lockdown. Just how well may emerge when the Reserve Bank delivers its verdict this week on whether there is any need for new monetary policy moves. Bank economists are ...
With Jacinda Ardern staying quiet on how she'll vote in this year's cannabis referendum, Judith Collins is putting on the pressure, saying all of the National caucus will vote against it. ...
An Auckland psychic healer yesterday announced she would be running for parliament. Less than 24 hours later, she wasn’t. So what happened? And why is she accusing Jacinda Ardern of treason? Stewart Sowman-Lund investigates. It’s been a big year for Jeanette Wilson. In June, as the Covid-19 crisis was continuing to spiral ...
Analysis by Keith Rankin. “I think you have to recognise money comes from somewhere. It doesn’t just come from a big money tree.” Judith Collins 2020 “Someone has to pay the bill – there aren’t little pixies at the bottom of the garden printing cash.” John Key 2009Keith ...
By RNZ News New Zealand has reported one new case of covid-19 in managed isolation today, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the new case was a man in his 20s who arrived from Melbourne on July 30. He was in isolation at ...
National's newly released policy also includes the creation of two new national parks, establishing the Kermadec marine sanctuary, and revising Tahr management. ...
Content warning: This pieces includes discussion of harassment, stalking and violence.‘I don’t sleep. I’m terrified.’ Sophia shares her story with Emily Writes.Sophia* was 19 and a talented swimmer. She was teaching swimming lessons at an Auckland public pool with a gym attached and one day, while she was using the ...
Pacific Media Centre Newsdesk As Guam’s health statistics continue to mount, covid-19 has hit the first family, reports the Pacific Island Times. Following Governor Lou Leon Guerrero’s disclosure last night that she had tested positive for covid-19, her son Joaquin Cook, president of the Bank of Guam, revealed he has ...
Road safety charity Brake has launched a Virtual Fleet Exhibition for fleet operators and suppliers, celebrating fleet safety and sharing best practice. The exhibition is part of Brake’s Global Fleet Champions initiative and runs for the whole of ...
With more than 1,000 local businesses on its books, MyHR saw firsthand the pressure the Covid-19 fallout put on New Zealand’s SMEs, as well as having its own business model tested to the limit.New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdown had a seismic effect on human resources departments. In order to stay afloat ...
In an interview on Monday, Ms Collins said: We will not let DHBs limit or allocate health treatment based on race, which is what we’ve seen Labour allow some DHBs to do. That is really important that we cannot have that. It has to be on need and ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Caroline Gargett, NHMRC Leadership Fellow and Head of Women’s Health Theme, The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Hudson Institute Endometriosis is a debilitating, chronic condition that affects 1 in 10 women worldwide. It occurs when tissue which has similar properties ...
National leader Judith Collins says allegations surrounding the party's board member Roger Bridge is a matter for the party to deal with internally. ...
The Transport and Infrastructure Committee is calling for submissions on the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Bill. The bill would establish a new random roadside oral fluid testing regime. The regime would sit alongside the existing compulsory ...
Have politicians lost control of big ratepayer-owned companies - or just failed to use their powers to keep them accountable to the public? Tim Murphy reports on an 'unvarnished' review of Auckland Council and its corporatised functions. The deepest inquiry yet into how Auckland's five council-owned companies are working finds major ...
The release today by the Problem Gambling Foundation of a report commissioned of NZIER that suggests gambling on gaming machines somehow costs jobs in the retail sector is nothing but tragic dog whistle politics. It’s an odd thing for a charity ...
jesseforparliament@gmail.com Facebook.com/JesseForParliament Jesseforparliament.nz (under construction) WELLINGTON – Last Saturday, the race for the Wellington Central electorate saw a new entrant, as Victoria University student Jesse Richardson announced ...
Merv Lee-Mather, Merv Thomas and Merv Manhire gather to discuss the most pressing issues of election 2020.With 39 days to go until New Zealand goes to the polls, talkback caller “Merv” has lit up the election campaign, delivering a deeply unmellow curtain-raiser to the National Party’s Auckland Central candidate selection. ...
Under New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act 2009 (the Act), businesses must consider risk profiling of their customers and clients. The profiling is for the purpose of identifying those clients that present ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Meagan Tyler, Senior lecturer, RMIT University The COVID-19 crisis has thrown up an array of new habits and coping mechanisms. But the fetishisation, and even sexualisation, of prominent health officials is one of our more unexpected pandemic pastimes. Is this trend equality ...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to follow advice from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and temporarily cut Goods and Services Tax (GST). Taxpayers' Union Economic Advisor Karan Menon says, “Last year, the ...
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Open mike 08/09/2014 
Open mike is your post. 
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10470340/Collins-a-media-victim-just-like-Diana-sister
STUFF Stuff! How can they sit on material that could bring down a government and yet publish this sort of STUFF!
Media by name but a large corporate by nature.
Thought it was satire at first..
Danyl Mclauchlan @danylmc
‘Even when you resigned/All the press still hounded you/All the papers had to say/Was that you’d undermined the Serious Fraud Office.’
https://twitter.com/danylmc/status/508716808665169920
😉
Phillip Mason @masph984
@ShakingStick @danylmc
“Your whale-oil burned out long before, your vengeance never did”
Weka, What a hoot man (sorry for the pun)
Lets go finish a version and get Planet Key revised?
“Good bye no-good key, bet you were betting on your first billion you had made , when the feds came and stole your crown again,” ———-
Yes, but that would be comparing Key to Lady Di. I think we can do better.
I still have not seen any clear evidence. All I have seen so far is Hagar’s allegations based on a number of emails that possibly could have been taken out of context. If Stuff or The Herald have further information it looks like they are waiting until closer to election day to release it. That will provide less time for the authenticity of the information to be checked. If that happens then it will demonstrate that the media is more focused on changing the Government than on finding truth.
These guys don’t want the truth
Yea not like anyone sped to an all black match, something this PM would be cheered for byt he and others villified her for.
One day when you wake up and find your kids dont respect you, remember what you taught them;
Intergity doesnt matter
Honesty doesnt matter
Make lots of money
If there was anything in it, it would be out by now.
Too soon. They are probably checking it to see what corroborating evidence there is from other sources, and also getting a statement from the accused – then checking the statements by the accused, and running them through their lawyers – how journalists should work.
The other explanation is that their agenda is that of corporate media…
The risk is that the info will be parsed in terms of that agenda and how they perceive politics — the game of it, not the substance of it.
Maybe they’ll balance each other out, maybe not, but we have been seriously let down by the news media in this country of late so I’m not holding my breath.
I agree with your last sentence.
1. The three media outlets shared one QC on Friday.
2. Not one outlet has even hinted they are working on anything towards release.
3. Not a single word has been published by any of them on the whole issue since the court hearing.
I believe they are complicit in one of the biggest right wing rorts of New Zealand, continuing with what they have been doing for years.
Is it evolving to be a corporate media vs internet battle.
Come in Rawshark, your time is up. Please.
Because they KNOW that the MSM will get an overhauling if Cunliffe gets in. And they know they are dirty and are scared.
Not that I have any time for royalty or for for the public outpouring of grief over Diana’s death.
But this article by Stuff is unbelievable, stupid, insensitive and utterly effing unforgivable. Diana was a giver, a kindergarten teacher, who only wanted to be loved, gave herself to charities, was genuine and naive.
Judith Collins krgh..yuck (furball) is absolutely the opposite. A hardened self-serving, power-hungry, manipulative, corrupt individual who wants at all costs to have power. She would never give herself to any charitable cause for genuine caring reasons and is certainly not naive.
J figjam C deserves everything she gets from the media. What was discovered by Rawshark is probably just the tip of the iceberg.
Stuff’s next piece will involve interviewing Judith Collins’ neighbour who reckons JC is like Mother Teresa.
Not a lot of sympathy in the comments on this one.
And rightly so.
Being hounded by the media for your own attempts to hound people you don’t like when you are in a position of power is just deserts.
Have you notice how quickly Slater turns himself into the victim. Oh, look a pile of death threats just turned up in my inbox…
Yep ….. victimhood is always the safe option, bound to conjur sympathy. (It even trumps other ideological positions – personal responsibility and all).
Poor Cam ….
Pooor poor Cam ….
I’m so tuff, but mummy – they’re ALL being mean to me!
Mummy: Oh Chill Cam – get Aaron to deal with it – I’ve got the Caci Clinic and a hairdresser’s appointment – I’ll deal with it when I get back
Princess Judith – she fills the space of the cute animal or celebrity story for today. But Princess Diana was a bit like Cinderella, dealing with problems at home and going out for a break to have some fun and look for a prince of her own. Judith C. would fit the role of one of Cinder’s unpleasant sisters.
I have made a decision that for the next week at least, I am not clicking on stuff. I am stick of giving these bastards the click.
Will catch up on what happening on the Standard. I wonder about a boycott of stuff with just a few people on the left feeding it to blogs like the Standard so we can critique it. That way they get a significant decrease in clicks.
If people think this is a good idea, I am sure we could organise it. I would be happy to be on a roster, where I feed what I thought was relevant to the Standard…………sure we could make it work somehow.
i already do that with both stuff/herald..
..some days there is only one link..to one or the other..
Stuff so impressed with the amount of ‘lol wtf’ type responses they deemed it worth a separate article
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/10472211/Judith-Collins-Top-reader-comments
Its curious that there would be quite such a voluminous & one sided response to this if the polls are actually right about Nats being over 50% I think.
Natural Born Liars
@ draco..
you want demolitions/unpacking of libertarian bullshit..?
..i have quite a bit of that..
http://whoar.co.nz/?s=libertarian
Kyle MacDonald.. psychotherapist, huh?
If that’s the case, then he knows that he’s left out at least half the story. The line’s he’s drawn in his blog post are purely subjective and to his taste. He isn’t writing as a “psychotherapist as scientist” – as far as such a thing is possible – and he’s certainly blurred the line. Theoretically the statement that “poverty is the fault and responsibility of the individual” is both true and untrue depending on the individual and the approach of the therapist/observer. Hypothetically, and not using politics, it should be possible to arrive at both the truth and/or a solution of each case from both positions.
One of my pet peeves is people with social status e.g. doctors, lawyers, philanthropists etc, knowing full well what their status gives their voice in the public arena, betray the science and rules of their profession, maybe even vocation, to present a personal biased political argument. It brings their practice into disrepute, the idea of authority/elders as wise, and a the furthest end, undermines our community.
Personally,I know full well the lie that underpins the idea of “don’t kill/starve/abuse the kids”. I know I can prove that either is acceptable, in a human animal sense. But I choose, through my own bias when faced with an either/or choice, to not kill/starve/abuse the kids.
Can you give me the link to the Kylie Mc article Crocodill??? I would like to see it with the view to writing to the psychotherapists board.
http://psychotherapy.org.nz/natural-born-liars/
“One of my pet peeves is people with social status e.g. doctors, lawyers, philanthropists etc, knowing full well what their status gives their voice in the public arena, betray the science and rules of their profession…..”
That’s very perceptive @Croc – but actually also quite prevalent (especially amongst those that have succumbed to the neo-lib agenda – which is often a way of their rationalising their stance)
David Brat anyone?
Ladder puller uppers?
Chief Science Advisors with sons who are … and trauma specialists with previous drug addiction problems who don’t have the balls to challenge the agenda (altho’ to be fair – they may also think not challenging allows them to continue with a positive agenda – @ PU – in your past life – perhaps you’ve crossed paths with them – thru’ a brother – now deceased, I Certainly have!)
Wife beater journalists; complete asshole hotel owners, the voice of morality and conservative ‘once were swingers’ decrying the decay of (there’s no such thing as) ‘society’ as we know it… the list is endless – and most of them are amongst the most judgemental and oppressive of their next generation.
I think though at times such as we have at present – it really is time for them to come clean. For me, nearing my dotage, it’s way passed time.
But then I suppose given the state of our MSM media, at the moment they’d not be given a fair suck of the sav.
Poverty is a result of the structure of our society.
If you disagree with what’s said then why don’t you say why you disagree rather going on an Ad Hominem attack?
My pet peeve is the way lower socio-economic people with addictions are denegrated – OFTEN by the higher socio-economic classes with the very same additions. I commend them in their recovery of course, but its generally come by being able to take advantage of high cost, private services that are not available to everyone.
Hanmer – dismantled
Marton – dismantled, etc.
Right across the country! Indeed there was a report tis morning (Morning Report I think) discussing a young lady’s morphine overdose pointing out just how services for the ‘average Joe and Josephine are no longer availabe, and haven’t been for quite some time.
I’m sorry if all that offends you, however my brother’s addiction and eventual death was looked upon by his wealthier contemporaries with disdain as though their addictions were somehow excusable and ‘better/more respectable’, whereas his were not.
There but for the grace of God etc.
I’ll refrain from further comment because the double standards and hypocrisy make me just a bit sick at times.
oops – not sure who I’m replying to here – can’t find reading glasses and the numbering is a bit invisible, but gtg.
Later chasps
We know the Herald wants ACT and National to win the election, but this level of bias is worthy of a banana republic….
The Herald’s headline is based on on a snide remark made by (one can only assume, as it I sun ascribed) a Tory hack. Talk about skewing a story to fit your newspaper’s political agenda.
“That hall looks as healthy as the Labour Party,” someone remarked.
And yet you sit on material which looks at corruption within our governing system and say nothing.
Wow. Just wow.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11320550
Get used to it, democracy under attack granny styles using one of the more obviously biased nat sycophans audrey young who needs no instructions being a die hard tory.
We should organise demonstrations outside mainstream media outlets pushing for the release of the material they have been given by Rawshark. If they don’t release it soon, it will prove how corrupt our mainstream media. Of course we know that – but so many sheeple don’t.
Or you could request Rawshank release the information to you. If you think he is too difficult to find Hager found him without too many problems.
By holding off releasing any material until just before the election, and thereby preventing an accurate assessment of the validity of the allegations would demonstrate clearly that the media is corrupt.
After all the main purpose of the media is to introduce the public to advertisers. The dissemination of news is secondary and a reliance on truth is not required.
Slater sued for the return of his emails. The judge ruled its in the public interest.
Run back to Cammies site, theres some koolaid awaiting
Tautoko Viper Funny that?
Wasn’t it the press and National that said opposition should be talking policy while they try all we get is this sop.
Surely they should at least be talking about the Government’s lack of any policy for climate change.
NatZ Climate change Minister Tim Grosser was shamed at this debate last week, and never covered in the press.
Opposition should go after NatZ on this in the last days leading up to the elections.
http://www.climatevoter.org.nz/debate/
Every where else it is the biggest policy decision being made in the world.
Within these following headlines and still there’s no MSM comments about lack of a NatZ policy press are doing us a huge disservice that will come home to roost in the end.
Lack of a Climate Change policy is NatZ weakest policy along with credibility, that lacks critical glare of the press.
PD Gluckman, Chief Science Advisor has done nothing to focus on Climate change however.
12:20 June 10, 2010 Pacific Press Releases Gluckman: Integrity in Science – Climate Debate Speech – Prime Ministers Science Advisory Committee. “If we overestimate, then in 2050 we might find that we have overinvested in climate change mitigation, but most of those mitigation strategies, such as sustainable energy generation, will help to meet our other challenges. The equation is not equal.”
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/06/gluckman-integrity-in-science-climate-debate/
Importantly this refusal to make a meaningful stand from National coincides with a climate Change debate taking place this week in the pacific Islands.
July 2014 climate debate http://news.yahoo.com/pacific-summit-urge-action-climate-change-045854000.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/un-weather-forecasts-2050-climate-change-floods-drought
United Nations predicts climate hell in 2050 with imagined weather forecasts
‘Reports from the future’ warn of floods, storms and searing heat in campaign for climate change summit
Say bye bye to those lovely seedless grapes.
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/09/scientists-american-southwest-faces-megadrought/
act’s Jami whyte pathos this morning with Guyen/Guyan/Guyun?..ACT is dead in the water.
Yet Cunliffe and Peters felt the need to make formal statements on Act policy. Why would they bother if it was dead?
Because it’s a lovely stick to hit National over the head with.
It is a stick with no relevance if Act is indeed politically dead.
Dead or alive the stick can still be effective. The opposition parties will all be praying that Jamie Whyte talks about abolishing the OIO all way til election day.
And the RMA
Er, no, if it is a dead rotting corpse, that’s even better to hit National with, in the hopes some of the rotting flesh will stick to them as well.
Pretty obvious strategy given Key conflates Labour with every other controversial party, policy and person on the left at every opportunity.
ACT as the Zombie Party. Great image. Look out for that shambling walk and defaced face and bulging eyes of madness. Don’t let them touch you, and keep your baton to hand.
Key has to pretend ACT is alive to use it to announce more neo-lib dross (like the previously announced Charter schools). Probably selling off part of the health system or education vouchers to improve ‘choice’ as part of the ever so necessary coalition agreement. Because National would never do such things, oh noes.
Key talks about labour policy all the time, why does he do that if they are dead in the water?
It is to remind the voters not to waste their precious votes on stupid and dead parties such as ACT, Conservatives and the dodgy Dunne’s UF! Don’t tell me you are foolishly thinking of voting for one of these clowns?
Gos-respect for the dead is important
Whyte has been getting more extreme (desperate?) everyday. This morning on the News attacking all and Sundry. Show’s he’s ready for Parliament NOT. They would have him for lunch.
He has selective racism too. He rants and rages against Maori while lambastingwinston for bashing Asians
Two interesting little local polls on the East Coast. The second is only a street poll of 50 and of little use statisitcally, but they both show up a massive number of undecided voters and a lot of damage to National over the dirty politics saga.
Also, the Waiarapa poll does what no one else has – put the undecided voters into it’s graphic. National is on 34%. However, if you take out the undecided voters, then of the decided the Nats are pushing…. 50%.
I suspect that is where the “govern alone” narrative is coming from – half of all decided voters are voting National, but up to one third are yet to make up their minds. I suspect this is where National’s sudden tax cuts come from – their internal polling told them they took a hit, and there is a huge number of undecided voters they are trying to bribe.
I decent chuck of that non decided generally become non voters. About 30% you say, which is similar, maybe a bit high, to the non vote in past. It is not unreasonable to assume a amount of the electorate won’t vote and therefore their vote is divided amongst the other percentages.
30% is too high, even 2011 had 74% turnout. Usuall the turnout is higher than that, often in the 80s. The undecideds and the non-voters aren’t the same group, although there is some overlap.
Yes you are right my 30% mention is too high, I think it was 25% last election and as CV says below turnout looks like it will be higher and high turnout usually hurts incumbents but my point is clear in that the undecided don’t make polls completely distorted.
The polls, as they are reported, are a complete distortion when the MSM discounts undecideds as non-voters, esp when the undecideds are such a high percentage in a close election.
Worse, at the last election the MSM reported before the election that National would win. How many undecideds did that push into non-voters? How many decideds for that matter (mostly Labour voters who thought it would be a waste of time)?
I think early voting results will show that people are deciding and acting at far higher rates than in 2011. This is of course a very bad sign for National, who would prefer lowered turnout if at all possible (one of the themes of their Dirty Politics).
Wairarapa poll http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503462&objectid=11320089
wonder if John Campbell and TV3 will find that secondary school that has always opposed the ‘official’ polls to be spot on with prediction in the last three .. was it in Hawkes Bay somewhere ? I’ve been waiting …. anyone else remember ?
(And I wonder how JC feels that TV3 holds Rawshark material and is not publishing ?)
Under FPP it was Tauranga Boys
thx Tracey .. was it only under FPP ? I will ring and ask them if they are doing it again.
That was a while ago, so you may be thinking of another schol?
Maybe Jcampbell has seen them and has special questions ready
The biggest threat to our democracy at the moment are the polls. They are obviously dodgy and unreliable and dare I say it, dishonest.
Ignore the polls; they lie. Unfortunately the majority of voters seem to believe them (if we believe the polls) – see what I mean?
Why are the obviously dodgy and unreliable? And if you average them out like Nate Silver they can become very reliable.
Because the difference between polls conducted over similar time periods by different companies show differences far beyond what would be expected by chance alone. In other words, at least some polls are suffering from uncorrected bias. Averaging poor quality data won’t make the results any more reliable.
“Why are the obviously dodgy and unreliable? And if you average them out like Nate Silver they can become very reliable.”
But no one in NZ is doing anything close to Nate Silver.
Also the electoral system the US uses is much easier to model and forecast than NZ’s system, and he also has far more data at his disposal to work with (both demographic and polling data).
How about you get together a bunch of your lefty mates and create a polling company that does it properly then.
It’s not just the left though Gosman. Morning Report had Richard Prebble saying that the polls are all wrong and that the ‘telephone’ model doesn’t work anymore. ACT is going to get 7 MPs apparently.
Except Act doesn’t complain that any flawed methodology is as a result of some deliberate bias against them and also doesn’t claim that it will influence the election.
So why does the US military spend so much time and money on polls and polling in countries they want to influence Gosman? Again you’ve come back with the passive aggression and misdirection bro.
What has that have to do with Act?
It’s all about you ah Gosman?
Possibly cos the last two elections they have been right about ACT
Why bother? The only thing that matters is the actual election result. I would prefer it if polls a few months before the election were banned – they are just a distraction from the real issues that should guide voter’s choices come election day.
+111
Ban the damn polls. That should force the MSM to actually do some journalism and report actual news.
Now there’s a surprise. A solution from someone on the left wanting to ban what is essentially free speech [/sar].
Meh. We already have plenty of regulations governing our elections to ensure they are free and fair. Opinion polls are already banned in New Zealand on election day itself (OMG a restriction on free speech!!!). In some other countries, they are banned for longer periods, so it’s an option that is at least worth considering.
@ Gosman …”free speech ” or free manipulation of statistics for a ‘poll’ instrument of right wing PR warfare?
Now there’s a surprise, a RWNJ using the excuse of free speech to continue the corruption of our voting system by the MSM.
It’s easy to imagine a model that would be much more consistent and hopefully less biased than current methods, it’s just it would be too expensive. Which is why we get the current level of shoddy polling that we do.
You want the left to stick their hands in their own pockets? Surely there should be a state funded polling company instead…Kiwipoll sounds about right
Probably the closest we would ever get to fair polling, but no government would set such an SOE up due to the embarrassment of having to answer questions about why “the official” polling office has them on such low support, etc.
We have a state funding polling company — it’s called “The Electoral Commission”.
Next time you start waving around your latest big shiny poll why don’t you examine the importance of the undecided percentage?
I’m talking to you TV3, TVNZ, Fairfax, Herald, Colmar Brunton and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all.
I double dare you.
Of all the qualities Courage is the most important for without it all the rest are at risk. (Paraphrase J M Barrie)
Like i have already stated the undecided are often at this late stage become non votes. 100% of the electorate does not vote.
Where is the evidence of this? Since polling companies do not follow-up with those polled to determine whether or not they voted, I doubt such evidence even exists.
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/chart-of-the-day-used-to-vote-for-you-but-now-doesnt-vote-man-edition/
Going by the above graphic 25% of people eligible to vote won’t vote, these are the undecideds.
I doubt large numbers of people who were going to vote suddenly change their minds at the end and suddenly think “Aw fuck it they all suck, I’m not voting!”
Yeah, no shit. Turn-out is not 100%, I knew that. What you haven’t shown is that these people who don’t vote are the same ones who won’t give a response during a telephone poll.
Whats the percentage of people in the telephone polls who said they’re undecided? is it roughly around 25%-30%
Depending on the poll I think it has ranged from about 6% to 18% in this campaign.
Looking at previous elections the undecided/non-voter is either being under represented or we’re going to get a much higher turn out than the last couple of elections.
The undecideds and the non-voters are not the same group.
The undecideds will become the non-voters.
Simply saying it over and over again doesn’t make it true.
“The undecideds will become the non-voters.”
Some of the undecideds will become non-voters
fify.
Your problem is you have no idea how many.
Plu, the general consensus is that non-voters who become voters tend to vote left.
No your right and I stand to be corrected, hopefully someone could point to some studies, but I would say at late stage polling the undecided constitute a large portion of non voters. But your right they are not exactly the same group.
Someone else will know better than me how the methodology of polling works but I don’t think non-voters and undecideds are the same thing. As far as I know the non-voters are removed from the samples, undecideds are those who say they will vote but won’t or can’t express a preference? Interestingly the IPSOS-Reid Fairfax poll which has National polling the highest also has the most undecideds and Tracey Watkins in her analysis of their latest poll said that dividing the undecideds (13% if I recall) support along the same preferences as the polling data would see National’s support drop by 2%.
yes, non-voters and undecideds are different groups, with overlaps. BM is spinning.
I don’t think non-voters are polled in those main polls. I asked the other day about people who said piss off to polsters, and Draco reckons those people are accounted for in the final results, but that’s a different set than official non-voters.
The polls, as reported, are biased. If they wanted to report what the NZ public is really thinking, they would include all the results.
A large number of people refuse to participate in polling.
A useful statistic would be the number of people the polling companies called in order to get their overall sample of around 1000 (or 750 for the Herald Digipoll).
My guess is that the committed non-voters would be more likely to be in the ‘refuse to participate at all in the poll’ group.
I note that in the Wairarapa poll the number of people called was over twice the size of the sample:
“Of the 1069 random calls made, 417 voters agreed to take part in the survey.“
Why are you asking me that? Even if the percentages matched (I’m not saying they do), you would still be making an assumption, it doesn’t prove that undecideds=non-voters.
he’s wrong on the %s too.
Imagine if you applied that analysis to john key and the revelations of ms odgers and mr hager…
I reckon early polling data this week will show that you are quite wrong – interest in this election is far higher than in the last.
+100 seems like this is the case
‘A brief reminder for everyone depressed by the msm polls’
By Martyn Bradbury / September 8, 2014
Folks, this is the reality……don’t believe the mainstream media hype that Key will win by a landslide.
The advanced voting since the last election also tell a different story from the one the MSM is claiming, almost 30 000 more votes than this time last election!
Vote NOW!
– See more at: http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2014/09/08/a-brief-reminder-for-everyone-depressed-by-the-msm-polls/#sthash.5xgzxBjk.dpuf
lol (not) that Judith Collins doesn’t lie!!! Was she not caught out in Parliament doing just that? Has her sister forgotten about Oravida Dairy?
Does her sister have a perspective on Oravida Kauri ltd (her brother in law’s company)? Adam Bennett in the Herald was rummaging around the topic a few months ago, but has gone quiet. (as has Adam Bennett). Radio NZ mentioned it last week in a programme – exporting of kauri logs with little to no “value added” to them.
A comment I made on the Herald website got “moderated” last week. Took out reference to Oravida Kauri Ltd, but left my other (unrelated) comment.
Media complicit in all this.
Judith Collins likened (by her sister) to Princess Diana!
Just one subtle distinction. Being loved by your family, and being loved by a nation.
Good on her sister for supporting Collins, but by coming out in the public domain with her crass comparison, Pamela Cassidy deserves to be mocked mercilessly
I always suspected it was John Key driving the white Fiat Uno in that Paris underpass.
When the headline top of Stuff page this morning should have been about emails from Key’s office, we get this saccharine and slithering attempt to rehabilitate Collins image.
This folks is what PR and Crosby Textor do to our country.
So, finally, we get Dirty Politics on the front page of Stuff ! It just wasn’t what we expected or needed. But omg, how they are proven complicit in how the game is played.
Don’t say that someone on here will probably believe it
Good point, PR. To nip it in the bud, I think Key should tell us where he was on 31 August 1997 and provide evidence of his alibi. While I think it most unlikely he was directly involved (he has minions for that sort of thing) it’s best he clears it up once and for all, lest the election campaign descend into farce. Pip Pip!
🙂
Its not a true lie til cam cam posts it on behalf of someone paying him to fib.
“I always suspected it was John Key driving the white Fiat Uno in that Paris underpass.”
Conspiracy theorist. There was no fiat. Everyone knows Judith’s limo spun out on oravida milk before crashing head first into a whale’s arse.
As does the idiot that scribbled that drivel.
I don’t think there’s any call to mock Mrs Cassidy. She’s entitled to her opinion, especially if it concerns her little sister. However, it really isn’t newsworthy, and publishing the story represents both sickening puffery on behalf of Ms Collins and a shameless exploitation of how forthcoming her elder sister is in making an unwitting fool of herself.
Almost as bad as that John Key, Aroha girl story rehash they had on stuff yesterday.
I get the feeling stuff is going like the daily mail, all their stories are designed purely to get a reaction from people.
Key made that a relevant issue himself, though, by politicising the issue in the first place. The private views of Collins’ sister are different. If she was put up to it in a deliberate and calculated spin to puff up Collins’ image, then she deserves ridicule. However, I have no real evidence that she was. It just looks like the papers spinning to me.
How dare the girl who mr key used to support his great con, speak out, aye BM. Makes it harder and harder for dupes like you to stay the course being reminded of the cons
so very very true!
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p526x296/10534702_707474005974808_8620712377705254402_n.jpg?oh=68daa0a1f42faa3b6d9d91a3f7c7b724&oe=54826BB8&__gda__=1418254597_a524fc03717b5f6be00a1750f5545221
that’s a good bit of graffiti you found there..fred..
Spot on!
Spot the deference between the original and the published version ( second one) in today’s NZ Herald’s offshoot The Northern Advocate. I copied the original transcript from the Matters Political Northland F/B. The Rightwing Media twist the factors is clearly illustrated here.
Our Unionist friend done a
super job shaking this Tory Town up well done comrade!
In response to “Organiser defends line up”
I would like to clarify some of the reporting on the Northland Regional Economic forum I organised. Mr Whyte did not contact me at all- not once, his local candidate and I spoke 3 times, and a female candidate called to say she was coming in support of Robin. They made 3 requests in total. It was outlined that it was main party’s that indicated they could work together to form a Government, subject to NZF and all the variables. ACT, Internet & Mana plus the Conservatives all fell outside of this.
The request for National to be included came after a number of people (mainly business sector) intending to come, signaled they would like to hear what National had to offer in the way regional development policy. I thought that’s a fair call, and there were plenty asking. I then contacted Bill English’s office and extended the same offer as to the other 3 political party’s who had excepted. The brief was Leader, Deputy or Co, the offer to send Phil Heatley was rejected as this criteria wasn’t met, however I did make room for National to send a higher ranking MP other than a retiring local MP- no response back.
Collin Craig never contacted me his press secretary did, 5.30pm Sunday 24 hours before the event.
The large crowd of 240 people were very respectful of all main speakers, as were the speakers of one & another and the party’s they represented. However they gave jibes directed at the incumbent government, which is what opposition party’s do. Also fueled by presumably by a frustration of a ‘no show’ by the National leadership and the sanctioning of their local candidate Shane Reti from attending the meet the candidate section.
All political candidates standing for Whangarei were invited, that part was totally democratic. I do take your point Jamie, thus I ended the forum with next time prior to the election let’s have ‘all the leaders of political party’s here’ and let Northland be the place where Regional development policies are heard, we have been left out for too long.
Shane Reti as previously mentioned was not allowed to partake, head office would not allow him, he told me this in person.
The Maori party candidate did not return my call-invitation. All other candidates participated, David Curran represents the Internet Party, Mana doesn’t have a candidate standing in the Whangarei general seat.
In my opinion either way Jamie Whyte was always going to make the headlines, this is politics and as Leader he needs the publicity. No other party is making a fuss, full credit to them.
All candidates were congratulated ‘whatever they & their party’s idealogical views were.
What I am disappointed in, and from the feedback I’ve received. Where is the reporting of the very good policies these political leaders spoke of? The focus was regional economic development not the sideshow reported in Thursdays edition.
Lastly, Thanks to all the positive feedback from those who attended and enjoyed themselves.
Regards
Alby Barr
No contact
Re the Northland Regional Economic forum I organised.
Act leader Jamie Whyte did not contact me at all-his local candidate and I spoke 3 times. They made 3 requests in total. It was outlined that it was main party’s that indicated they could work together to form a Government, subject to NZF and all the variables. ACT, Internet & Mana plus the Conservatives all fell outside of this.
The request for National to be included came after a number of people (mainly business sector) intending to come, signaled they would like to hear what National had to offer in the way regional development policy. I contacted Bill English’s office; The brief was Leader, Deputy or Co. The offer to send Phil Heatley was rejected as this criteria wasn’t met. However, I did make room for National to send a higher ranking MP other than a retiring local MP- no response back.
The large crowd of 240 people were very respectful of all main speakers, as were the speakers of one & another.
All Whangarei political candidates were invited, that part was totally democratic. I take your point Jamie, thus I ended the forum with “next time prior to the election let’s have ‘all the leaders of political party’s here’ and let Northland be the place where Regional development policies are heard, we have been left out for too long”.
The Maori party candidate did not return my call-invitation. All other candidates participated, David Curran represents the Internet Party, Mana doesn’t have a candidate standing in the Whangarei general seat.
In my opinion either way Jamie Whyte was always going to make the headlines, this is politics and as leader he needs the publicity. No other party is making a fuss, full credit to them.
All candidates were congratulated ‘whatever they & their party’s idealogical views were.
Where is the reporting of the very good policies these political leaders spoke of? The focus was regional economic development, not the sideshow reported in Thursdays edition.
Lastly, Thanks to all the positive feedback from those who attended and enjoyed themselves.
Alby Barr
Whangarei
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11319031
The reporter is having a moan on Cameron Slaters Uncles, Matters Political Northland Facebook page. Back to journalism school lady!
.
Repeating an announcement made on Open Mike yesterday:
Public Speech
NICKY HAGAR
in Hamilton TONIGHT
Waikato University, Lecture Block L
7pm Monday 8 September
I understand that this will be livestreamed at http://t.co/0b99kQ60td
Bugger the polls, keep calm and vote left.
+1
I think this is smart politics from Cunliffe, with the usual caveat about NZF. He just said this to Mike Hoskin:
“Labour leader David Cunliffe says there will be a maximum of three parties in any Government he leads, and has ruled out including the Maori Party at the Cabinet table.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning, Mr Cunliffe said he intended to only include the Green Party and NZ First in any government.
People need to know before the election that a vote for the Maori Party is a vote for the National Party.”
See: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11320534
He also said crown limos for everyone. Yipee!
@cancerman-Where is Jason Ede?
yeah, should I be worried? chop chop for Jasey?
as i understand it..the last sighting of him was going on a deep-sea fishing trip..
..with his ‘mates’..brownlee..and slater..and lusk..
..that was a week or so ago..
lol
Of course confidence and supply is another story…
Yes, it is. Do you want a gold star?
The curia poll of polls has Labour/Greens/NZFirst on 45% whereas the same poll has National/NZFirst on 54%
then surely you (pr) can do the numbers yourself on Labour/Greens/NZF vs the rest ?
oh, and farrar owns curia ? there we go then; you can rest now until the nurse comes.
But Puckish, a 3.5% shift to the Left would mean Cunliffe as PM. Perfectly possible in 2 weeks and given the polls overstating of the Nats vote in the past. Indeed Cunliffe may be in the box seat now, depending on Winston.
The most accurate poll, the Roy Morgan, had Lab/Gr/NZF 48 Nats 45 in its poll a few days ago.
Yup, cos MP arent at the cabinet table under Nats
Chris Trotter is thinking along the same lines here:
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/threes-company-labour-greens-nz-first.html
Me too!
I wrote this comment on his blog. What do you think?
“Great post.
This is the ideal coalition that the country can have now.
It brings in experience, pragmatism, moderation and wisdom.
Labour-Greens-NZF will be the best palatable tonic and medicine for the economic, social and environmental good of the entire country, instead of a dangerously corroding malady that is bound to afflict NZ if a National led coalition takes over. Hopefully over 50% of the voters selflessly recognise this very important fact.
Internet-Mana and the Maori party can, if they wish, give such a government confidence and supply in return for concessions to some of their good policies.
At the same time, the Greens’ excesses(perceived or otherwise)can be moderated, which will ensure a stable, fair and sensible government which can last for much more than a single term, enabling more of the progressive policies implemented over time without alienating the people.
Bring it on, I say!”
I’m hoping that the Greens and Mana will be able to moderate some of Labour’s neoliberal excesses. I don’t think there is anything excessive in any direction about the Greens.
What are the ‘neoliberal’ excesses of Labour you stupidly speak of? Here are some of Labour’s core policies. Tell me which ones of these, or any other, that you think are ‘neoliberal’ excesses?
*100,000 new, affordable homes
*Free healthcare to under 13s, pregnant women and over 65s
*Raising the minimum wage to $16.25
*Ensure every rental is warm and dry
*Everything paid for, plus we’re in surplus
*Ensure all Kiwis under 20 are in work, education or training
*Best Start for Kiwi kids
*Reduce unemployment to 4% in our first term
*Lower class sizes
*Extend paid paternal leave to 26 weeks
*Ensure that all our rivers and lakes are clean
*Lowering power bills
*Convert the dole to apprenticeships
*Protecting our land from speculators
*Christchurch recovery policy
+1, although I think that, if one is generous, these represent left-wing timidity, rather than neo-liberal excess. Labour has been on a slow drift from the Right to the Centre since the Clark/Cullen years.
That IS the pragmatic, smart way, as we need to take the voters along WITH us because we need to get at least 50% of voters supporting a progressive government to even begin thinking of implementing the urgently needed changes. I am surprised and dismayed that many leftist fools (not you) don’t even understand that!
I think if we have a Labour party with about 33% support, The Greens and NZF at about 10% each would be ideal to achieve spectacular changes to society, slowly and steadily, without scaring the horses (voters and businesses) and be able to electorally last very well for three or more terms and be able to bid adieu to the RW Neo liberal nasty selfish agenda. With C and S from a 4% IMP and 2% Maori party for moderate policy concessions will be even better.
You speak of a pragmatic smart way to bring voters along with you but sorry, this centrist timidity is never going to get Labour back up to 35%. Labour has lost its historical vision in favour of managerial caution, and it will keep being punished for that at the ballot box.
A very good result for Labour this year is going to be 30%-31%. Anything more than that would be a literal miracle.
I guess the argument for that would be that, if Labour can pull enough in this time to put together a government, that would sideline the Right of the party and give Labour a legitimate claim that there is an electoral appetite for more active and better-funded government. This would provide Labour with ammunition to position itself further to the Left in future. Unfortunately, that would be highly dependent on what sort of an agreement they reached with NZ First, and on the right-wing smear machine from National’s corner being severely wounded after the Dirty Politics revelations. I’m not terribly optimistic on the former, and I think we’ll have to wait and see on the latter. Unfortunately, I’m even less optimistic of a left-wing course for Labour should they lose the election.
@ colonial viper 1.18
I think you have nailed it. Your observations remain sharp and I believe absolutely right. Wish they could get more traction,
I am sure they are getting some, but there is so much inertia. But you never know. I can push my car along with just my puny strength when it’s on the flat. Get the right conditions, and a pinch bar, and Labour might be moved from the gravity of its position in this deep rut.
Further to my comment to Colonial viper I found this on Bowalley Road. Chris Trotter has this to say.
http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.co.nz/2014/09/threes-company-labour-greens-nz-first.html
Great list Clem. And Labour will not gut the RMA; it will not give stupid hairy-fairy tax cuts when we have debts in tens of billions. Labour also has a much better public transport policy.
It is often the things that Labour will NOT do that the Nats WILL do that makes the difference.
Thanks. I agree!
It will be monumental mistake for the country if the voters fail to vote for a strong Labour led coalition government on Sept 20.
CV has answered for me. I wasn’t going to bother, because you didn’t ask nicely.
And you weren’t that nice character assassinating Mr Phil Goff.
Cunliffe cooking up a storm on TV1-looking very relaxed and that blue cod looks superb.
Interesting informal poll in today’s Hawkes Bay Today, a rag that usually parrrots the Herald’s lines. Out on the street Labour is ahead when it comes to the party vote. Looks like a change is going to come in the Napier electorate.
@tony: If that is true it is really interesting as party vote was 49-29 to National last time.
I think the Nats have lost Hawkes Bay/Dunedin/CHCH/Wellington/West Coast this time around. I wonder if the polls are too Auckland-centric?
Incidentally, National have also lost mana.
I don’t think mana were ever going to go with National
[“I don’t think mana were ever going to go with National”]
True that too! Lol!
Anyway, an adjective is an attribute, not just an electorate with a capital.
Mana and Nactional is a contradiction in terms
I had reason to call in to the Hastings’ office of the HB Today a couple of years ago. The first thing I saw as I walked to the reception area was a notice pinned to the wall advertising the local Nat MP. Subtle as brick to the bonce.
yeah that not so subtle group think that Nats promote through its dark networks particularly in the provinces. There is only “one way” and it is “blue mate” at the lodge, sports club, social club, cop shops, tradies stores and local associations etc.
Lot of pressure put on the young and vulnerable trying to keep a job in some circles. I had to tell a woman the other day bullied by her self employed partner to vote “Key”, not those “Labour poofters” or else; that it is actually a secret ballot and you can vote which way you like.
I know a bit about Auckland’s infrastructure, god knows I wish I didn’t. Our sewage system and indeed our whole storm water system is in trouble – it’s an open secret – ask around. So when I read this this morning, I had the most uncomfortable feeling I was looking into the future of Auckland. A future which working people get hammered once again. Also just so you never feel alone, we are not alone, the things we face, and the troubles we rally against – are not just happening here.
http://libcom.org/blog/no-water-no-peace-states-emergency-water-shut-offs-detroit-31082014
Ok so Matt McCarten talks to whaleoil, but do any labour MPs talk to whaleoil (ABC anyone?), the polls are looking better (for National) and what is it with labour candidates in the south being nuttier then fruitcakes?
But hey I’m sure KDC will introduce (another) game changer on the 15th
🙂
*yawn*
I don’t know. Do you have dinner conversations with your own excrement? Evidence to the contrary or you do.
Aw don’t be like that 🙂
Who is PR’s paymaster? Is it the national party or a corporation?
The ABC club obviously
PR that’s Matthew Hooton some honesty at last!
Because all corporations are evil.
Actually we require corporations to be evil. To maximise profit no matter what the expense to society, the environment or the people who do the work for them.
That environment favours the success of sociopaths who cannot, or will not, understand the harm they do.
Talking isnt the problem… Its what you reveal, howthe ones who pay doug graham and john slaters boys are
They’re not “evil” as such, they just have inhuman and immoral value systems.
Now after reading this. My first thought was who wrote this? And it still is.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11320529
A sign that the elite see that it’s better to bring Key down now rather than to have a mess in 8 months time. Labour wins, he goes off to work for Merrill Lynch for 4 years and then retires to his home country, the US I believe that is.
The alternative, everyone figures out that the system is rigged. What happened last time when that came to be I wonder.
(July 14, 1790 when they figured the system was rigged ? Interesting results.)
Seriously though, don’t see him going back to Merrill Lynch. He will go back to Federal Reserve to serve his true masters.
Anyways Merill Lynch is merely a shadow of its former self within the struggling Bank of America.
Doesn’t the IMF need a new head soon.
‘ Labour wins, he goes off to work for Merrill Lynch for 4 years and then retires to his home country, the US I believe that is’
.yep, off to smack the rimimbi around, cretin
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11224933
and NZ$ with it.
Our resident fox liberal actually says something leftist. I can see why you questioned that one David H.
You don’t think it was Pagani?
I’ve never heard her be that left Weka. I can’t think when she has not been right of centre in her opinion or comments.
Nope she usually writes right wing drivel. This was way too well thought out for her
Just to reinforce the mendaciousness of Nats and Parata. Salisbury School in Nelson is the last girls school in NZ for disturbed or special needs youngsters.
Parata tried to close it and was fought and withdrew. But she is preventing it getting new entrants who would normally have been recommended a place. The figures from the Nelson Weekly 8/4/2014 show student numbers at 71 in 2011 and now turned around to 17 in 2014.
In the interests of international labour.
Big ups to the truck workers in China.
http://libcom.org/blog/port-trucker-strike-ningbo-china-06092014
A scam Heads Up
I have just had this call, he would not give me his name.
From the spark website-
http://www.spark.co.nz/help/servicealert/phoneservicealert/
Spark has become aware that some of its customers have been contacted by fraudsters claiming to be from Spark.
The fraudsters, are reportedly telling customers that their Spark services are about to be cut off because of security issues and then asking the customers to go online to a fake Spark webpage. Customers are also being asked to give remote access to their computer and provide personal banking information as part of this scam.
These calls are not from Spark and Spark strongly advise anyone who receives one of these calls to hang up immediately, do not hand over any personal banking information and do not proceed to the fraudulent webpage. If anyone has passed on information, Spark advise you to contact your bank immediately.
Please be assured that these fraudsters do not have access to Spark systems.
I had a call last week – except they said they were from Telecom – not Spark!
Having had (over the last few years) literally hundreds of the scam “Microsoft service dept” calls re supposed problems with your computer, I smelt a rat straight away and let them get far enough to confirm that it was yet another variation of this scam. I then used one of my responses to these calls – very loud, very foul language and then hung up. Another one of my responses, when I have it at hand is blowing a cheap $2 shop whistle down the phone.
The immediate give away was that I am not a customer of Telecom/Spark!
I was very suspicious, especially the accent, and they were going to cut internet for 2 months.
Didn’t get as far as the scam part as I asked his name, twice. Then he hung up!!
Oh Goody I love these guys. Run them around for an hour and then in with a mouthful. I had a Miccysoft fraudster on the hook for 90 mins once.
(i see this as being pretty much inevitable..
..and should the planet-fucking tories get back in again..
..we could kick off with this..sooner than other countries..)
“..The rebellion to save planet Earth: Why civil disobedience could be our last best hope.
Traditional methods for fighting global warming have proven fruitless.
It’s time for the people to take a stand..”
(cont..)
http://www.salon.com/2014/09/07/the_rebellion_to_save_planet_earth_why_civil_disobedience_could_be_our_last_best_hope/
For all of those who are feeling let down by the media re the Rawshark dumps, at least there seems to be one media person trying to do something.
https://twitter.com/felixmarwick/status/508715576412217344/photo/1
Felix Marwick has apparently been trying to get to the bottom of who in the PM’s office knew about Tucker’s intention to release SIS material to WO, but was thwarted by his OIA request to the PM’s office, He took it to the Ombudsman last week and has had the response that he has tweeted in the above link. Seems the Ombusdmen’s office is going into bat for FM and is seeking an urgent response from the PM’s office.
cheers!
Great job Felix Marwick. Be interesting to see if Key does respond. If he refuses on the grounds that an enquiry is already under way, then it could be bad publicity for him.
“Key refuses to respond to an Ombudsman’s direction.”
“Key defies due process.”
“Key is arrogant.”
If it was the lowly unimportant Eade then Wow!
thx vv .. so good to know.
And another positive this morning (in addition to my comment at 24).
The Court of Appeal has ordered the Police to release clones of all Dotcom’s electronic records back to KDC asap. (And those of the others).
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11320761
The Court seems to be fair no matter who you are, though you have to spend an awful lot of money to get that fairness.
Matthew Hooten reckons on RNZ, 9 to Noon that Stuart Nash is targeting the National voters, just wondering if someone can help enlighten me how a Labour candidate manages to target an opposition parties vote? This must be more spin (or something) from Hooten, because this souds like absolute bull shit to me.
Nash is showing Labour’s other regional hopefuls how to kick provincial National’s ass.
It’s a big paper majority turnaround to do it, and he’s going to do it.
In the same way a politician got an easy ride by coming back on the list, so many businesses owners got a easy ride by not paying CGT while their Aussie competition does. Parliaments like to make it easy for themselves and their mates despite it harming our democracy and our economy. As Key has proven, cow effluent clogging our rivers, deaths in forestry, mines, and CTV. And now WINZ.
@ad
How? Hooten gave the impression he is some how doing it by going down a divergent strategy to the Labour Party…I struggle to see how that would be possible, just curious.
http://www.odt.co.nz/opinion/opinion/315127/privacy-laws-apply-all-even-slater
– Good call ODT
Puckish-the author of this twaddle failed to address the central issue-the stench surrounding National which permeates all the way to Key’s office.
It’s called shooting the messenger.
Where is Jason Ede?
Where is Jason Ede?
– Who cares, its three more years (for National)
nup…it is three more years of cooking sherry for you
PR pity you haven’t seen some of Tremains cartoons pertaining to Key Slater Collins!
from twitter – G.Tiso
1. A system was in place for subverting the political process. We have been told repeatedly and haughtily that everyone knew about it.
2. If everyone knew about it, why wasn’t the public told? I agree with Matt Nippert: journalism failed us on this one.
3. This is why the blanket defense of journalism against its critics is distasteful. The media were the third track.
4. If there was a failure, where are the consequences: has any political editor, reporter or commentator resigned?
5. Has any newspaper or TV editor signalled a change in the way things will be done and whom will be asked for comment on politics & policy?
6. It seems to me that none of this has occurred. All the media people mentioned in the book are still employed, including Glucina & Hooton.
7. The Panel carries on inviting representatives of fake organizations that have exposed by Hager as government attack dogs, and so forth.
8. Similarly, the highly-placed journos who ridiculed the story on day 1 are still holding court a month and several stages of grief later.
9. I hope there are some VERY robust discussions going on behind the scenes about the need for the industry to change.
10. Until then, all calls to stop being critical of journalists and journalism should be treated as the tone-based derails they are. ENDS.
followed by
Brent Edwards @rnzgallerybrent @gtiso All fair points.
now, that’s a read and a half. thx cnrjoe
Internet Mana final Roadtrip event in Otara Auckland TUESDAY Sept 9 6pm.
8000 people have attended the small hall meetings so far up and down the country, come along and support!
https://www.facebook.com/events/946760495350803/
(I suspect Tiger Mountain meant this for today’s OM, not yesterday’s)
interesting insight into John Key in the Herald’s rapid fire interviews on the topic of political heroes. All the other leaders referred to a personal quality or ethical stand or public benefit in the person they identified. John Key had to be asked twice what was it he admired and all he could say was Keith Holyoake elected for 4 terms. Even Coin Craig, who chose the same hero was able to identify a quality that was admirable.
maybe Key doesn’t do human qualities…just winning
Craig and Key are not, and will never be half the man that Holyoake was.
While “Kiwi Keith” despised socialism, he was equally suspicous of free market capitalism, and supported the mixed economy, being a admirer of FDR’s New Deal.
yes I like the story about a train traveller from Auckland down at Wellington railway station who could not find their bags and who rang Holyoake up to get help in the middle of the night ….apparently the story is that he went down to the station and helped them find them….like a good NZ farmer looking after his flock
John Key a Holyoake?….NEVER!….and nor would Colin Craig be ….Holyoake was too ethical and intelligent and too much a pragmatic New Zealander. He would quietly and cynically despise them and Nactional !
…Winston Peters is more in Holyoake’s old National Party tradition
Goff has made his sworn statement to the SIS OIA inquiry
” Statement is attached
—
Statement to Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security
Ms Cheryl Gwyn
Freyberg House, 2 Aitken Street, Wellington
My primary concern in relation to the release of NZSIS documents in 2011 is that the wider context in which this happened represents a deliberate politicisation of the NZSIS in a way which is unprecedented at least since the Muldoon years.
For nine years, first as Minister of Foreign Affairs and then as Minister of Defence, I maintained the total confidentiality of briefings from our security intelligence services.
It has long been the convention that the Minister in charge of the Security Intelligence Service not comment on matters relating to security intelligence.
That convention applied likewise to Ministers with access to SIS and GCSB briefings and to the Leader of the Opposition.
As Leader of the Opposition briefings to me were strictly confidential. I did not comment on them. I was asked that the briefings given to me were given without the presence of staff or colleagues. Documents were not to be retained by me nor was I to take notes. I was not to comment to the media on any information I might have received.
This convention was broken, first by the Prime Minister when he referred publicly to a briefing from the SIS in relation to Israeli backpackers who were suspected to have connections with Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence Service, that he says I was given.
My position then and now is that I never received a substantive briefing on this matter, notwithstanding what the Director of the SIS may have recorded.
The reason I can be confident of this is that having been Minister of Foreign Affairs and having dealt with the issue of Mossad agents criminally misappropriating New Zealand passports, I had a keen interest in the issue of Mossad agents operating in New Zealand. I would have recalled anything which might properly have been described as a briefing.
The only explanation I can guess at is the Director may have said that there was a suspicion around actions of Israeli hitch-hikers in Christchurch at the time of the earthquake but there was nothing to it.
No information of any substance was given to me or I would have recalled it.
That, however, is not the issue under investigation.
The issue is why John Key chose to raise the alleged briefing in a public and political context and how information held by the SIS was released into the public arena.
My suspicion at the time, confirmed by material disclosed in Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics, is that material was disclosed to Cameron Slater who blogs under the name Whale Oil to facilitate his making a specific OIA request.
Evidence for this is the specificity of Mr Slater’s request, even asking for any diary notation, his statement that he knew that the request was to be expedited expecting the documents to be released immediately, and his statement in a leaked email that he had been ‘sworn to secrecy’ about what he knew.
The obvious explanation was that he had a source for this information which in the nature of SIS briefings could only have been either within the SIS itself or the Prime Minister or his Office.
I would hope that the former is unlikely because it would represent improper conduct by the SIS.
The Prime Minister and his Office however have close links with Cameron Slater whose blogs are used to attack political opponents of the Government.
No one in the Prime Minister’s office would provide inside knowledge of what the SIS was saying or doing without the implicit or explicit approval of Mr Key.
That is why I believe Mr Key should be asked to give sworn evidence on precisely who in his office had access to this information and the ground rules he set down for his staff as to how this information was to be treated.
When I spoke to the Director of the SIS who phoned me suggesting he intended to release the documents immediately, he was coy about whether he knew of the identity of the Mr Slater who had requested the documents sought under the OIA. He then acknowledged that he did know who Cameron Slater was. The documents were to be released immediately until I challenged why the SIS was acting in the way he proposed. He at that point suggested he would delay the release for a number of days.
It was unwise for the SIS to be drawn into a highly politicised debate. In my long experience of asking Government Departments for information under the OIA, it is unprecedented for a request to be turned around so quickly.
I believe your Inquiry should examine the full political context of this matter and how and why material which would normally be held confidential was brought into the public and political arena.
The use of SIS briefing material in this way undermines confidence in its role as an agency of state which has extraordinary powers.
It effectively politicises the work of the agency and undermines expectations of impartiality and confidentiality in the way in which information which it holds is used.
I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and give sworn evidence on the issues under investigation.
Hon Phil Goff
MP for Mt Roskill
8 September 2014 “
Hes just sad he got outed as telling porkies
hardly !…explain yourself!
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10743290
“A document released to blogger Cameron Slater on Thursday by the SIS titled “Investigation into Israeli Nationals in Christchurch” (and heavily blacked out) has a diary note on the top corner “read by/discussed with Mr Goff 14 Mar 11”.
But Mr Goff insists he would have remembered if Dr Tucker had raised it. He said Dr Tucker rang him last week to tell him he was releasing the document to Slater.
“I said, ‘What – I haven’t even seen the bloody document.”
or: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/politics/5339779/SIS-did-tell-Goff-about-spy-inquiry
and for a real hoot: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/2012/01/whaleoil-redux-2011-the-sis-files/
So your sources are NZH, Stuff and Slaterville. awesome
+100 CnrJoe .. and I think his nurse must tell him some stories in the afternoon as well !
lol
lol yeah
and of course if they’re prepared to flagrantly abuse the OIA process, who’s to say that they wouldn’t edit one or two memos after the fact?
Mr tucker says he “discussed” the OIA with the ” prime minister”. So you agree that mr key was told about the OIA being released?
How do you know that Key, his attack dogs or Tucker were not telling porkies when they said that Goff as leader of the opposition was ‘fully briefed’ about it? In this instance, I believe Goff over the National dirty tricks brigade as Goff had no reason to lie about it. Goff has more integrity than these dirty tricks dodgy crooks.
Anyway, the inquiry is not about that. It is about the dirty tricks that went on behind the scenes about the OIA release of documents to their attack dog. The inquiry can not even cross examine Key, the Minister in charge of SIS, as per the narrow terms set/approved by, wait for it, Key himself!
This just looks like a Clayton’s BS inquiry to fool the RWNjobs like you and the gullible voters some more.
I thought that was a question of the law pertaining to the Inspector General’s powers, rather than terms set down by Key. After all, she’s officially conducting the enquiry under her own motion using the powers of her office, rather than at his behest. Regardless, I’m still not entirely clear on what she can and can’t require of the Prime Minister. She isn’t allowed to conduct an enquiry into his conduct, but can she compel him to give evidence under oath regarding the conduct of those in his office? It would obviously be a step she shouldn’t take lightly, and only if she can’t establish a credible sequence of events by talking to his staff, but she doesn’t seem to be debarred from doing so.
It is also unclear to me how she would be required to handle any evidence that does clearly implicate the Prime Minister in the leak or suggest that he has misled the public, given that she is not permitted to enquire into his conduct.
There was a news item soon after the inquiry was set up that she would be calling the PM for questioning and it was reported that ‘ John Key says he’s prepared to answer under oath too’ [24 Aug, RNZ]
If Key is not made to answer questions under oath to arrive at the truth, then such an inquiry is just a whitewash and a sham. A waste of time. If she has no powers to question the PM, then someone that has the ‘powers’ should be asked to do that part of the inquiry. Otherwise, what is the point of this BS exercise? Key is the guy in charge of the department!
pretty damning evidence of Key’s misuse of power imo…and SIS information filtered through Slater !
Phil may be a recent rogernome but he is quite believable on this one, he seemed stitched up by the SIS at the time.
The wood panelled rooms, leather club chairs and no minutes needed eh what! scenario is all very well for those in the real insiders loop but it illustrates why the current state security apparatus should be disbanded.
I believe Phil Goff has always been honest..if he says he was not briefed ….I believe him!
I think Goff is an absolute prick and a right wing disaster zone, but I believe he will tell the truth. I suspect the SIS feel almost as much loyalty to NAct as they do to their true seppo masters, and I do not trust them at all. They’re basically the same type as cops, and their behaviour and ethics would be very similar.
Anything the leader of the opposition is briefed on should be signed by that leader. That’s basic procedure. Why don’t they do it?
“I think Goff is an absolute prick and a right wing disaster zone”
What a lot of fashionable ignorant rubbish you are parroting. Goff is one of the most fair, pragmatic, sensible, efficient and decent democratic socialist MPs that is in our parliament.
Oz has its own OIA release probs questioning if Abbott may not be eligible to hold office at all ! This is fun …
http://www.9news.com.au/national/2014/09/02/17/35/tony-abbott-may-have-been-ineligible-to-stand-for-election#wwTX87BqviihfDAp.99
Israel committed a massacre in Gaza; there was no “war”.
Bryan Crump must know that, so why could he not say it?
Radio New Zealand National, Monday 8 September 2014
Just after the 5 o’clock news, a trailer featuring the voice of Bryan Crump played….
BRYAN CRUMP: Coming up on Nights: our correspondent is Nida’ Tuma from the West Bank. She’s been watching the latest war between Israel and Gaza.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
I am sure I was not the only listener to have felt despair when I heard that. On the off chance that he actually cares about his professional obligations, I sent Bryan Crump the following e-mail…..
Israel committed a massacre in Gaza; there was no “war”
Dear Bryan,
In a trailer for your programme, you say that your correspondent Nida’ Tuma has been watching “the latest war between Israel and Gaza”.
That implies some degree of parity between two evenly matched sides. In fact, what you referred to as a “war” was a massacre against an unarmed civilian population. Israel killed more than two thousand Gazans; according to the United Nations, 69 percent of them were civilians. Four Israeli civilians died. Not one Israeli bomber suffered so much as a scratch.
Surely journalists have a duty to use language rigorously and responsibly. Please leave the distortions and lies to the politicians.
Yours sincerely,
Morrissey Breen
Northcote Point
+100 Morrissey…good you are watch dog on this crime against humanity!
..and from Robert Fisk, The Independent, 8 September
‘Israel’s ‘land for lives’ is theft. Pure and simple
World View: Israel takes land, Palestine loses land; that’s the way it works’
http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/israels-land-for-lives-is-theft-pure-and-simple-9705378.html
Thanks, Chooky. I’m sure Bryan Crump is perfectly aware that the words he spoke were pure nonsense. What is interesting is that he obviously cannot bring himself to speak plainly and truthfully on this matter.
@morrissey..
..did you do that weasel miller who was on panel 2day..?
Internet Mana final Roadtrip event in Otara Auckland TUESDAY Sept 9 6pm
8000 people have attended the small hall meetings so far up and down the country, come along and support the finale!
https://www.facebook.com/events/946760495350803/
+100… I wish I could be there!…i wish Internet Mana a great victory in the Election!….they have some very fine policies and candidates led by Hone Harawira and Laila Harre!
There must be some legs in this Israeli ambassador thing.
Most New Zealanders, to quote Jong Ki, would not want a bar of Israeli demands on this issue.
Stupid idiot Jong Ki will only have Murray McCully onto this though. Bound to be a disaster.
With Avigdor Lieberman at the helm Israeli foreign relations aren’t going to be too flash.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/we-must-stop-the-nationalist-and-racist-lieberman-1.353217
http://www.thejournal.ie/israel-embassy-ireland-controversy-1614325-Aug2014/
http://www.newsinenglish.no/2014/02/24/ambassador-left-under-a-cloud/
With Israel trying to determine NZ’s diplomatic policy, its war crimes against the Palestinians and the visitor permit rorts involving its ex-IDF troops as exposed on Campbell live, why would we want to maintain diplomatic relations?