Karol, can you accept that parties from the left have engaged in smear politics in recent election campaigns?
[lprent: If you want to ask one of my authors a question, then make it quite specific and explain why they should bother answering. And read the policy before I wind up having to ban you.
In this case remember that karol isn’t a member of any political party. She probably has better things to do (like writing detailed posts) rather than extracting information to a lazy dickhead who hasn’t bothered to put any effort into making their question specific.
If I see another “pig-fucker” question from the ACT playbook (why you idiots all sound the same is beyond me), I will kick you off the site. This is your warning. ]
greg – can you accept that this is of a completely different order of magnitude from anything which has gone on before?
That it involves not just smear tactics against members of other political parties, but smear tactics within the National Party to advance the political careers of the clients of one of the smearers – whose political agenda is to push the National Party further to the Right?
That it involves smears against people who protect the public interest?
That it involves smears against third parties to advance the commercial interests of the right-wing, anti-union mates of the smearers?
That all this smearing was done by people intimately connected to the National Party and in close personal contact with key NP politicians and members of the government – including Mr Teflon Man himself?
Greg, may I counter with a question for you? Why is it when facts are in the open domain the right always cries foul despite being the ones responsible for the bad decisions that precipitated those facts?
Hey greg, can you accept that the PM’s office has co-ordinated smear campaigns with Whaleoil, allowing the PM to claim that he has no knowledge, when in actual fact Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog?
“when in actual fact Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog”
Kinda says it there doesn’t it? Key talks about content for the Whaleoil blog. Perhaps CV would like to clarify what he means if he didn’t mean Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog
Talking about something for a blog, as opposed to content on a blog, would suggest it hadn’t been posted and it was a discussion, or a suggestion, about contents which could or should be posted. If CV didn’t mean that then he can say so.
Oh Rodney – hasn’t, can’t read, brain hurts, math hard, dot dot dot, its all lies cause I’m like Banksy – don’t do wrong, can’t be wronged, Jordan and Don wouldn’t lie to me……
Well challenging and concerning times.
Are we surprised at the revelations in hagers serial book, or is it a case of connecting the dots in the public demain.
With the labour strategy of be positive vote for positiveness and it’s raft of sound costed policy releases labour must stay on message, on strategy and stay united to present to the swing switch voter a solid front that portrays a real meaningful alternative to the dirty swilling wallowing corporate Tories who think any means to achieve the end result is legitimate and who cares cause the public are really blind dumb and turned off.
Time for real labour to step up and represents the people.
Time for real labour to keep above the mire the dirty trick and blackest of political arts that really is foreign to the average kiwi outlook.
So mr cunliffe and co keep positive.
Think positive, act positve, be positive and dream/ hope for a better nz.
I think Cunliffe should reply to Key’s stupid line of “the left don’t want to debate policies”, by inviting Key to a snap debate, and pointing out that Key offered Cunliffe a debate earlier in the year, and then re-negged on it after Cunliffe accepted.
Over on Kiwiblog I’ve been going on about the difference between theft and copying for a few days now. Initially I described the motivation for this as being to the copyright industry’s desire to increase the size of their catch via US fair use doctrine. However there is a more important reason for the abuse of the English language the the media trots out: control of the judicial process.
Evidence is information, and information is typically obtained by copying it from the original source. When copying is misrepresented as theft, it appears that the evidence has been obtained unlawfully and is therefore inadmissible in judicial proceedings.
This is significant given the corporate media’s role of defending the status quo: in the corporate world the state is the final arbiter of justice. Also given the association between Judith Collins and Cameron Slater, Slater’s correspondence as described in Nicky Hager’s book means that the issue of controlling the evidence has serious implications for the National party.
One thing I’ve noticed that’s concerning to me is the manner in which politicians usurp what should be ‘judicial’ powers – especially evident with Immigration matters, but across the board.
Why do we not have proper ombudsman-like independent bodies to handle such matters rather than having to appeal to Ministers of the Crown who’re open to lobbying and political expediency?
I don’t understand why we’ve not heard more from the judiciary over the years but its been a gradual chip chip chipping away at their role in a functioning democracy.
If you listen to “Insight” – you’ll understand the potential for being able to buy PR and Citizenship status, and for legitimate refugees and others to be either stuck in limbo with no means of support, OR simply deported (sometimes when they have rip-off employment issues needing investigation). It’s all very convenient.
Interesting to see at about 2.30 Gower shaking his head in disapproval when Lisa Owen explained that JK and other nats wouldn’t come on the programme.
Couldn’t finish watching it myself..too much Slater is bad for health.
The problem is snippets are particularly misleading in this case because in order to really understand you have to read the book. The relentlessness and weight of what Hager has uncovered is part of what makes it so affecting. A whole chapter would give a better idea. Even if just one aspect is illuminated, people could start to taste the decompositon.
It is slandersous to suggest that the Standard is in any way comparable. Probably nothing in NZ politics is. None of us here is perfect but we’re not freaking evil.
‘Hager’s Dirty Politics – Death threats or hit jobs?’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 16, 2014
“Let’s be clear, no one deserves death threats, but Slater is now outed as the Wolf that cries boy, and all attempts to justify his actions by pointing to the angry reaction that has occurred because he has been outed simply don’t wash and quite frankly are open to a level of scepticism…”
I need to go look up the exact bits in the book, but I’ve also been thinking that RNZ has a bit of a dilemma now. If Hooton has been using his spot on RNZ to disseminate false information* and that is part of the whole thing that Slater and NACT have been doing, then that’s a clear conflict of interest and must surely breach broadcasting standards.
I was gobsmacked that Kathryn Ryan had Hooton on the day after the book release, and then, after letting him comment for most of the spot as an independent commentator, tried to ask him about what Hager says in the book about him and his own involvement. It’s like she had no sense of where the boundaries lie or what is proper (sorry to sound so old fashioned). This more than a lot of the other stuff worries me, because while we can expect Slater and co to be unethical, manipulative and have no sense of right and wrong, we might still reasonably expect an organisation like RNZ to be able to tell the difference between someone whose opinion is independent versus someone who is up to their neck in the thing being discussed.
*by ‘if’ I mean beyond the usual bullshit he peddles.
Part of that included the question Ryan put to Hooton about the ‘conversation’ between him, Cathy Odgers and Cameron Slater in which, I think, Hooton provides to Odgers Nicky Hager’s address. This despite the clear indication from Odgers that this would be dangerous for Hager.
His ‘defence’ was that Hager’s address was publicly available (e.g., in his submissions to select committees). That misses the point completely, of course, given the context within which he apparently offered Hager’s address up to someone who had indicated what she would do with it and how dangerous that would be for Hager’s security.
Ryan just let that answer stand and did not follow it up to point out that the public availability of Hager’s address was not the issue in relation to Hooton’s behaviour – either she had not read the book properly or she simply didn’t want to cause a scene.
The link to the Media Watch item can be found on this page (for those who cannot access the way the link happened above – obliterating some of my text in the process):
A BSA complaint should be lodged this is not the first time Hooton has bullied people who he Doesn’t approve of its time he went RNZ ‘s credibility on Hooton is a joke and shows whose pulling all the strings in the Media in NewZealand, While bomber Bradbury highlighted John Keys throat slitting gesture in parliament he was given the chop straight away!
Hooton published Hagers address in a very intimidating way he should not only be sacked but prosecuted!
Funnily enough, I was just talking to a former National voter in the whanau. He’s decided to vote NZF after reading the excerpts in today’s Herald (so much for my theory above) and reckons that they will be the main beneficiaries of all this.
Quite possible. They’ll never vote Labour, Greens are too flakey, that Dotcom is a crim (and Hone isn’t far behind), Colin Craig – bah. So Winston is all that is left, you know what you are voting for, and you know what you are getting.
“I think we can kiss goodbye to Winston going into Govt with the Nats
The Nats Brand is just too toxic”
Probably the biggest danger at this point for the left is people assuming that, voting NZF because they believe that will keep Labour in the centre. However history tells us that Peters will do whatever he wants and whatever works for him at the time. For instance, were Key to resign as leader/PM, what is to stop Peters supporting the new, reformed National party?
Peters/NZF is never a vote for the left, and if you want a change of govt this year then vote for an actual left wing party.
“For instance, were Key to resign as leader/PM, what is to stop Peters supporting the new, reformed National party?”
If Key does it before the election, National won’t be in a position to form a government.
If he does it after the election, in negotiation with Winston, National voters will be in an uproar and there will be cries of “tail wagging the dog” like you’ve never seen before. ACT getting charter schools pales into insignificance if Winston got to choose the PM.
Are you suggesting that Peters doesn’t have the capacity to influence coalition negotiations to the point that he gets to decide who the govt is? History says otherwise.
Or perhaps you are saying that the National Party would rather lose the election than have Winston dictate who is leader. I doubt that. I also doubt that the National Party membership will have any overt power in that decision. Voters will have no say.
“If Key does it before the election, National won’t be in a position to form a government.”
Do you mean because voters will swing away from a party that replaces its leader that close to the election? Maybe, but are you willing to take the risk? I’m not.
Are you suggesting that Peters doesn’t have the capacity to influence coalition negotiations to the point that he gets to decide who the govt is? History says otherwise.
Of course he has chosen the government before. But he has not simultaneously chosen the leader of that new government.
Or perhaps you are saying that the National Party would rather lose the election than have Winston dictate who is leader. I doubt that. I also doubt that the National Party membership will have any overt power in that decision. Voters will have no say.
That is exactly what I’m saying. Any government formed from such an arrangement would not be appreciated by the NZ public and would be seen as illegitimate. As much as National might like this outcome (they get to hold power), it would be a government under huge criticism and have a hard time getting work done, and of course seriously damage the National party brand.
Note, in the two-part Helen Clark documentary that aired on TV3 last year, Winston said he chose National because Helen Clark and Jim Anderton were literally not speaking to each other and he didn’t see how it would be possible to form a stable government in such a situation. So he probably made the right call, there, especially given subsequent events with the Alliance anyway.
Do you mean because voters will swing away from a party that replaces its leader that close to the election? Maybe, but are you willing to take the risk? I’m not.
Partly that, but mainly because the only reason National is polling as high as it does is “that nice man Mr Key”. I would have thought that was obvious, especially given that the biggest angle about the Dirty Politics book is the way in which it tarnish’s teflon-John’s image.
“That is exactly what I’m saying. Any government formed from such an arrangement would not be appreciated by the NZ public and would be seen as illegitimate. As much as National might like this outcome (they get to hold power), it would be a government under huge criticism and have a hard time getting work done, and of course seriously damage the National party brand.”
You are assuming that it would be done overtly. From what I recall Peters likes to negotiate in secret, and as we have seen this week NACT are masters at covering their tracks.
I honestly don’t think that Key and his mates give a shit about the long term National Party brand other than to the extent that it affects their power. They will be weighing up the relative merits of getting another term at this point in time even if it means being in opposition for longer after that.
Note, in the two-part Helen Clark documentary that aired on TV3 last year, Winston said he chose National because Helen Clark and Jim Anderton were literally not speaking to each other and he didn’t see how it would be possible to form a stable government in such a situation. So he probably made the right call, there, especially given subsequent events with the Alliance anyway.
Chooky has often cited that. I’d like to see two other credible sources that support that view. It’s certainly not how people at the time saw it playing out. Looks like Peters spin to me.
Partly that, but mainly because the only reason National is polling as high as it does is “that nice man Mr Key”. I would have thought that was obvious, especially given that the biggest angle about the Dirty Politics book is the way in which it tarnish’s teflon-John’s image.
Still a risk though, to vote for Peters on the assumption of what other swing voters might do.
You are assuming that it would be done overtly. From what I recall Peters likes to negotiate in secret, and as we have seen this week NACT are masters at covering their tracks.
Um, it would have to be public? John Key wins the election, then immediately stands down and the leftovers of National form a government with Peter’s propping them up? Don’t you think the MSM might be asking questions about why Key decided to stand down, given that he’s committed to staying for the full term if he wins this election? Pretty drastic turnaround to stand down within the weeks of a good election victory, don’t you think?
Personally I see Winston as leaning towards Labour, not National, although I know many others don’t agree.
Chooky has often cited that. I’d like to see two other credible sources that support that view. It’s certainly not how people at the time saw it playing out. Looks like Peters spin to me.
Difficult to see where any other sources would come from to back it up. It’s possible Winston is using it as an excuse to cover up his decision that ultimately proved to be an unpopular one that didn’t stand the test of time. The other point here of course, is that rather than saying “Winston went with National before, he’ll do it again”, you could say “Winston went with National and it turned out to be a disaster…”. And that’s before you factor in John Key’s particular venom towards Winston.
Still a risk though, to vote for Peters on the assumption of what other swing voters might do.
Of course, if you want to change the government, you should vote left, not NZFirst. My point is that your bogeyman of Winston orchestrating a National-led government by getting Key to stand down is far-fetched.
You’re still making quite a few assumptions. Perhaps Key resigns for personal reasons. Perhaps National think he is a liability. Maybe there are more revelations before the election. The scenario you present of Peters orchestrating this himself the week after the election isn’t the only way it could go down. And you have far more faith in the MSM than I do in regards to asking the right questions.
“Personally I see Winston as leaning towards Labour, not National, although I know many others don’t agree.”
That’s not relevant though. The point is that Peters can’t be trusted as a vote to change th govt, irrespective of what one thinks about his politics.
“My point is that your bogeyman of Winston orchestrating a National-led government by getting Key to stand down is far-fetched.”
No more farfetched than the idea that he would go with National in that election where lots of lefties voted for him. Peters is capable of much more than you are giving him credit for, that’s the point.
You’re still making quite a few assumptions. Perhaps Key resigns for personal reasons. Perhaps National think he is a liability. Maybe there are more revelations before the election. The scenario you present of Peters orchestrating this himself the week after the election isn’t the only way it could go down. And you have far more faith in the MSM than I do in regards to asking the right questions.
“Personal reasons” is of course possible, but he is on record as saying he will stick around for the full term if he wins this election. So if he tried to use the fig-leaf of ‘personal reasons’, I think he’d have to give a little more detail.
It seems unlikely that National would see Key as more of a liability than they would shacking up with Winston in what would obviously be a very unpopular government.
More revelations before the election is possible I guess, with the obvious one being KDC’s coming just 5 days before polling day. Key could stand-down as a result of that, but I suspect any revelations that were so damaging to Key, would also damage National and once again Winston wouldn’t want to stitch up such an unpopular government.
That’s not relevant though. The point is that Peters can’t be trusted as a vote to change th govt, irrespective of what one thinks about his politics.
Yes, I agree, but the point you are making, which I’m arguing against, is that we could end up with a National government where Key resigns that is propped up by Winston. This really is incredibly unlikely. My comment about Winston’s politics is irrelevant to this particular point, I just threw it in there to give you an idea where I’m coming from.
No more farfetched than the idea that he would go with National in that election where lots of lefties voted for him. Peters is capable of much more than you are giving him credit for, that’s the point.
No, it is far-fetched. Winston went with National and Bolger. You are proposing a situation where Winston goes with National and not-Key. That is a very different scenario, one which would be publicly untenable. Why would Winston prop up an unpopular and likely-to-be-viewed-as-illegitimate government when he could just go with the left? He already made this sort of decision back in 1996 and it did not go well for him (although again, the situations are not directly comparable).
Now, if you just want to say, Winston would go into coalition with National after the election with John Key as PM, I have no problem in agreeing to that. The point is you’re suggesting an outcome where Key isn’t PM.
Rubbish. A timeline is presented noting that Hide suddenly decided to step down for undisclosed reasons, and that the dates of the alleged blackmail would explain it. There is a big difference between saying that a theory fits, and saying that any other explanation must be a lie. The difference isn’t a matter of pedantry, either, but one that you could drive a truck through.
Yeah, I read that. I have no idea whether it’s true or not, but it pays to remember that it’s just another person claiming to know what went on (without saying what did). There seem to be quite a few of those right now, on all sorts of subjects.
I’m sure that if Hide is completely confident about his story then he will risk the discovery motions and slow gears of justice and start a defamation suit.
On the other hand if he does not, then it won’t be surprising either. As it involves politics, the public interest parts of the Lange vs Atkinson decision will kick in.
Incidentally calling someone a liar is not “actionable”. It appears to be a common (and quite boring) misconception based on the old common law basis of libel/slander. These days we only have defamation and it largely concerns itself with facts. There appears to be no statement of false facts. There is understandable speculation.
It’s not easy being a person of conscience in a totalitarian state
The few who have spoken out of line have been threatened or denounced as traitors.
After Haaretz commentator Gideon Levy accused air force pilots of perpetrating “the cruelest (and) most despicable deeds” against Gaza’s weakest and most helpless,” his employer hired him bodyguards. Readers cancelled their subscriptions, people stopped in the street to insult him and government whip Yariv Levin denounced him as a liar, a “mouthpiece of the enemy” who should be put on trial for treason.
“I have never faced such aggressive reaction, never,” Levy told AFP in his cramped office at Haaretz in Tel Aviv, away from the coffee shops where he fears being insulted. “Nobody cares here about the suffering of Gaza. More than this, if you dare to express empathy you are a traitor,” he said.
Slater doing his interview from Tel Aviv is not a coincidence here, Zionism has long been present within the conservative tradition of the right. But to be fair there are also honourable values within that conservative tradition, the light and dark threads have been there since the time of the Roman empire.
Ugly Truth Slater claimed he was still in regular contact with John Key .Shonkey is claiming the opposite. A Slater Slip up excuse the pun but Key and Slater are Compulsive Liars telling more lies to cover previous lies!
Claiming Labour caucus members regularly feed him information what BS!
Cameron “Whale Oil” Slater is bleary-eyed, having spent 24 hours on a plane, and now finds himself in a war zone during a ceasefire. It’s Friday in Israel; Saturday back home.
He’s one of a group of international journalists invited to visit by the Israeli government, which has been earning bruising international condemnation over the civilian death toll in the Gaza conflict.
Is it me, or is dirty politics just describing the actions of some privileged white folk?
These white folk are just so unsure of themselves and their white privilege, they fear losing any power? These same white folks, then use said white power, and privilege – to attack, and vilify anyone they see in the way of their keeping power? Hell they even attack other white folk, later, a whole city of them. Funny how some of the most nasty comments are directed towards poor white folk, they got class hatred going on too?
Beyond the fact that this is happening in NZ and the power elite here is European patriarchal and caucasian, I don’t follow what you mean. Maybe you could be more specific eg give an example of the nasty comments directed at poor white folk.
There needs to be a better word for the cultural dysfunction here in NZ, and to some degree otherwise known as “European patriarchal”, than the standard broad brush of “white privilege”. I’m white, but not white enough (not that I’d want to be given the examples set for me) and know exactly what white privilege has cost me and can see it every day. To refuse entirely to be white in my world, I’d have to live on the street. The things I refuse to do, for example, emulate that goddamn cowardice that unpins NZ white culture, has cost me big time. Life makes cowards of us all, unexpectedly, but to hell with always and only swinging at he little guy. I often wander around muttering about goddamn whities, and I’m white.
Historically speaking, what we see here is not sourced from Patriarchy, or European in a specific sense. If we allow other cultures to trace their roots back to year dot, just to find something admirable by today’s political values, it is not consistent or fair to maintain the line that ol’ whitey may not do the same. If we restrict white culture to the past few hundred years, we’re already seeing how it was distorted from an earlier time. But if we go back a thousand or more, we find something very different.
We find a patriarchy that was more enlightened than any of the isms available today. Seemingly as an oxymoron, early patriarchy did not restrict women from owning or inheriting property or maintaining respected positions within a group. It didn’t kick them out on their ass if their husband died or left them. It did not seek to control their sexuality either. It allowed groups of people with limited wealth and power to band together to form equally representative groups in political matters, so that they were heard too – communism within a patriarchy. There were severe penalties against wealth and power attacking those not as powerful. Mental illness was known about and allowed for; xenophobia was not something they were interested in at all.
It’s not good enough to wave around patriarchy and men as some sort of inherent evil in the world, since forever. We need to call it what it is: Greed and avarice. Being white, or being a greedy whitey has a certain style, no doubt about it. Most of us can spot it. But whites don’t have a singular claim to greed with all other peoples just honest babes in the world. As most of you know, when a culture tries to appease and assimilate into white greed, things get really complicated, take a look at what it did to Indian culture, for an example. I saw evidence of that at the supermarket yesterday, and how many steps removed from the original event is that?! Yesterday too, I received a flyer from a company that was using aboriginal patterns and they’d included a long spiel about how it was ok, because the artists were being paid. No one comes out clean once they “dance with the devil” and unravelling it becomes impossible.
Something went badly wrong in white culture around the time the Saxons (not to imply blame) went on a rampage across their corner of the globe. But there are records, romanticised or not by time, of what was before then. What is ol’ whitey’s excuse for not appealing to the source values of his culture?
Nicky Hager has just told Wallace Chapman that his email source has refused him permission to release the original emails (Hager says he handed them back to the source so he could not be injuncted) because he (the source) is probably going to release them.
Hager has asked him not to release the personal stuff, but who knows what will be released?
This is dynamite-fun and games ahead.
Meanwhile Hager says he does not believe Key when he says he didn’t know what Ede was up to. (Duh!). It is the Key-Ede link that will destroy Key-this is what the media should be concentrating on, as Patrick Gower is doing in the Herald today. Funny how Ede has gone to ground.
Gower is concentrating on the Ede’Key connection, but only because he’d be an ass if he didn’t. Hence the sprinkling throughout his article of some Key-esque bullshit.
From Gower’s article
“And so far this campaign there’s been all sorts of tricks to get to Key – ”
“F-John Key” chants
At an IMP event, probably orchestrated to some extent.
anti-Semitic graffiti
afaik there is zilch evidence tying this to the left.
the clever blues song Planet Key
A song written by an independent musician who afaik has no ties to any political party.
and even a burning effigy.
done by a small group of people who also have no affiliation to any political party.
None of those really worked and, as usual, Key has charged on through.
Probably because none of them were designed to hurt the Key brand in beltway terms. They all had different agenda that are probably illegible to many in the beltway.
There’s a lot of faux outrage from the Labour Party about dirty politics. Let’s face it, if five years of Labour’s emails were leaked there’d be a similar book.
Really? give us some examples then Paddy so we can make a valid comparison.
Thanks BG, yes I didn’t think you were supporting Gower’s article, I just got a bit carried away with his bullshit. I agree that Hager’s statement about the emails is very interesting.
“I don’t do stuff with him, believe it or not. I don’t leak because I don’t need to. Look, ministers might feed things, and other people might feed things, but I just don’t do that. If I want to do something I just say, ‘I’m doing it.’ “
So Ministers might feed things eh – what did you really know key-with-the-faulty-memory – it will come out.
What’s the last book you read?
“Portrait of a Prime Minister. John Roughan’s book.”
Don’t laugh. A bit earlier in the piece he explained…
He said he found Portrait of a Prime Minister, a mildly hagiographic account of his life by New Zealand Herald writer John Roughan, “a lot more interesting than I thought I would”
Personally I hope the revelations of how filthy key and the rest of them are destroy the political life of him and he has to scuttle off right quickly.
Nicky Hager said the same things first to Susan Wood on Q&A this morning .. worth a look but
footage not online at TVNZ yet but this written summary is:
My what a fascinating week. Shonkey always admired Muldoon and it seems perhaps he’s gone straight to the piggyplaybook in his use of the sis.
Unlike back then we have some new voices and this material from hager which didn’t exist back when Moyle was the target.
Liking the Labour campaign message, keep on that and the costed policies whilst others can examine this gov’t and their corrupt behaviour. Time for the NACT to reap what they’ve sown.
A rerun of the hollowmen is required before 20/9/14.
Why getting rid of sub editors is a bad idea No94: The New Zealand Herald.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: “You would be mad to try to get on a plane if you had a child abuse inquiry hanging over you.”
However, people who have been questioned under caution by police can apply to the US Embassy for special consideration for a visa and will be assed on an individual basis.
Kim Dotcom has analysed Whale Oil’s traffic and has concluded most of it is bot-generated, with only 30 percent coming from NZ. He posts a graphic of his findings in this tweet https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/500719306947059713
I have been thinking quite a lot about ‘safe’ and former ‘safe’ Labour seats, and of National’s increasing popularity within these electorates. Especially Auckland Central.
Nikki Kaye won the Auckland Central electorate in 2011 by a mere 700 odd votes. A very small majority. Before 2008 the seat had been safely in Labour’s hands since 1919. Jacinda Ardern was popular enough that she should have been able to bring the seat back safely into Labour’s hands. But the Greens Denise Roche won 2,903 votes, effectively splitting the left vote, and allowing National to take the seat, despite overall having less votes than that of the left.
My question is since it seems this election will come down to the wire, wouldn’t it be prudent for Labour and the Greens to work together on this one, for the Greens to withdraw their candidate and throw their support behind Ardern. It would be a tough sell admittedly given Roche’s support in certain areas, but Roche will not win that seat, it’s just not going to happen. So why bother running? Isn’t it counter productive to do so?
Labour and Greens need to show unity in Auckland Central, every seat counts.
KJS One 11.14
“wouldn’t it be prudent for Labour and the Greens to work together”
Yes. But that can’t be done because Labour wants to test themselves before the NZ public for their own individual league rating, even if it could lose them the election. Great strategic thinking.
Ideological purity has nothing to do with the constraints limiting Labour’s approach. Rather it is a bad mix of internal political rigidities and strategic disconnects.
Not when it’s a fight between parties who will get over the 5 percent mark. Then it’s a case of maximising party vote. The Greens gained nearly 8000 party votes in Auckland Central in 2011, they would likely see a reduction those numbers if they didn’t have a campaign team there. Strategic voting centres on getting minor parties over the mark to bring in coat-tailers. On a national level, Auckland Central doesn’t really matter as both Kaye and Ardern are already both going to return to Parliament.
That said, there is some mana to holding an electorate seat and I would much rather see it with the left.
It could be done that way. However, having a strong candidate provides a convenient and powerful focal point for events, leadership and media/journalists during an electorate campaign.
National makes a big deal of their “list MP for [electorate]”, don’t see why the Green’s can’t do the same. Obviously sitting MPs should be used to their best advantage during the election campaign, so they can still focus electorate-level events on that MP, just on the day you can’t vote for them on the electorate ballot.
In fact, it would mean the sitting MP could comfortably campaign across several adjoining electorates.
I guess it’s conceivable that having a Green MP on the electorate vote would increase party votes for Greens. I’m specifically talking about when someone gets into the polling booth and sees the voting ballot, here.
It does also make the campaign electioneering easier to just say “I’m your electorate candidate” rather than some other vague thing about vote for Green party but not me personally.
There is at least a strong effect in Rongotai (Russel Norman) and Dunedin North (Metiria Turei). In both those electorates the Greens scored well over 20% party vote.
Yes, but is that because their name is on the ballot, or because they’re personally campaigning there? They can do the latter without the former, allowing other left wing parties to win the electorates while hopefully still garnering the same party vote. Or perhaps even more, since as I suggested they could then campaign in other nearby electorates without looking like carpet baggers.
is that because their name is on the ballot, or because they’re personally campaigning there?
I think it’s a bit of both.
Partly it’s because their names are on the ballot with a Green logo beside them.
I understand some people think that people are more likely to Party vote Green, if they see a GP logo included beside the list of electorate candidates.
“I understand some people think that people are more likely to Party vote Green, if they see a GP logo included beside the list of electorate candidates.”
It legitimises the party. Silly, I know, but in lots of ways we all are 😉
KJS, the official GP line this election is to go for the party vote (the implication is for voters to vote tactically on the electorate vote if they want to). I think it’s fair to make the case for the GP to step back in an electorate where their absence increases the chances of a left wing govt. But as I understand it that is not the case in Auckland (Waitakere was similar). Where the issue is about who wins the electorate and becomes the MP for that area, I think the GP is right to campaign hard in the seat because it increases their party vote. You have to remember that Labour are not doing the GP any favours either. Note that the GP has not stood candidates in the two crucial Māori seats (TTT and Waiariki), but then there are other crucial seats where it has stood candidates so who knows what is intended. By crucial I mean where the outcome of that electorate could affect the left’s ability to form a govt.
I wouldn’t suggest Greens don’t campaign for party vote, but rather that they focus entirely on that, and do not run an electorate candidate.
It’s true that both Kaye and Ardern will be returning to parliament regardless, but if the seat goes to Labour that still means another list MP can come in, and above all, a moral victory in reclaiming a seat that was Labour for the greatest part of a century.
Perhaps Labour feels they can unseat Kaye without support from the Greens, especially since the Greens lost 4.6% of their previous electorate vote and -1.3% the previous time, so there seems to be trend, but is it worth the risk? Labour and the Greens will need to form a coalition to govern, perhaps this is a case where Labour can offer the Green something concrete.
Thank you Pete, Weka and trickledrown for your reponses, interesting reads.
Standing someone in an electorate seat IS campaigning for the party vote, that’s why they do it (partly anyway). You get a much bigger presence if you stand someone in the electorate than if you don’t. The GP are experienced in this and know what they are doing. It might not suit Labour, but like I said Labour aren’t doing them any favours either.
Myself, I would prefer to see more accommodations made, but we have this history now that includes NZF fucking with MMP early on so it’s a bit skewed, and then Labour fucking with the GP which forced the GP to harden up and go for exactly what they want without having to consider Labour.
but if the seat goes to Labour that still means another list MP can come in
No, that’s not how it works.
The total number of MPs depends on the party vote. Electorate MPs automatically get seats, and then the list MPs are used to “top-up” the allocation until they reach equivalence with their party vote.
So, say Labour got 30% of the vote, which entitles them to 36 MPs total. If 25 of those MPs are electorate MPs (and Jacinda lost the seat), they get another 11 list MPs, amongst them would be Jacinda due to her list ranking (so there are 10 ‘other’ list MPs). If Jacinda wins the electorate, they get 26 electorate MPs and their total number of MPs remains unchanged at 36, so they get 10 ‘other’ list MPs.
So the outcomes are identical. It is only when the party vote is equal or less than the number of electorate won, OR the person who wins the electorate seat is low down on the party list, where the winner of an electorate seat matters for the makeup of Parliament.
Not clear from your post but it looks like you are confused on mmp? If labour is entitled to (say)35 seats because of hte part vote, winning an electorate will in fact mean one less list MP, not one more. They would be entitled to 35 – whether they are list or electorate is irrelevant.
If you are confused about MP I think that is a great illustration of the problems with our version of MMP. You, who are obvoiusly keenly interested in politics, and partisan still dont understand how MMP works. What hope for the average punter?
“If you are confused about MP I think that is a great illustration of the problems with our version of MMP.”
What other “versions” of MMP are there? The whole point of MMP is that it has locally-elected representatives but that the Parliament is determined by the national party vote. That’s actually what “Mixed-Member Proportional” means.
well you know what I mean. I should have said PR instead of MMP.
I’d just like a simpler system. Maybe MMP with no thresholds and no coat tailing. I don’t like the inequity that its possible to create with the threshold and with electorate seats.
I think you’re being a little off colour there. It is evident from what has been said that yes, I was mistaken in thinking that winning an electorate seat would result in an additional MP, but I don’t think that means I am confused about MMP on the whole. I don’t think it was an unreasonable assumption for someone not familiar with the intricacies of MMP to think that you have a party vote which determines X number of list MPs and then electorate MP’s are tact on to the total.
Despairing at the ‘hopes’ of the average punter based upon on a simple mistake of one passionate young man is quite unwarranted.
Despairing at the ‘hopes’ of the average punter based upon on a simple mistake of one passionate young man is quite unwarranted.
I don’t think so. I think the majority of “punters out there in punter-land” (to quote Don Brash) don’t really understand how MMP works, including the ones that think they do. Many probably understand the broad strokes, but like yourself, get hung-up on the details.
Thankfully the system rather protects against this, in the fact that generally it’s only the party vote that matters. Once they abolish the coat-tailing rule and drop the threshold, it’ll matter even less what the average voter understands, or doesn’t, about how the system actually works.
Rather unusual for Stuff online but there is this piece of satire written under the heading John Key’s Diary. The only mention, I might add, of Nicky Hager’s book on the site.
I would try to post a link but am posting this from my phone and am already crosseyed with the effort and besides I am in the middle of a bush about to go for a walk.
Steve Braunias has been doing this series of ‘secret diaries’ every week for months, about a figure in the news that week, usually politicians. He’s done ones for Cunliffe, Colin Craig, Jamie Whyte and McCully, amongst others, all of which I’ve read on stuff.
I always do appreciate your anal retentive replies even when directed my way. Perhaps because I am not so retentive that I did miss reading link 435 on page 7689.
Now, don’t disappoint me by not linking to every Hager item on the front page.
More importantly, why didn’t you mention these dairies before, as obviously, they’re a good read.
I look forward to the link which says that you did.
I am sitting on a log in the middle of nowhere thinking; I am hungry, where’s the nearest shop.
I always do appreciate your anal retentive replies even when directed my way. Perhaps because I am not so retentive that I did miss reading link 435 on page 7689.
Don’t make sweeping claims about “the only story on the site” if you haven’t actually spent the time to check that. The story I linked to, at the time of writing this, is 4th in the politics section on the home page. Earlier in the day it was the 2nd or 3rd story. Hardly “page 7689” or “link 435”.
More importantly, why didn’t you mention these dairies before, as obviously, they’re a good read.
I look forward to the link which says that you did.
Because I actually have found most of them to not be very funny. The John Key one is ok. I particularly like the Whyte one, which is why I linked to it now.
I don’t think I’m under any obligation to post every link I find interesting on stuff.co.nz to this blog; in fact I think people would be rather irritated if I did. I’m not really under any obligation to post anything on this site.
Here I am thinking that you are about informing the greater left about other opinions, but apparently not, your particular viewpoint counts more. If I find something particularly interesting to this forum, I would share it. We call it tatau tatau, an expression of togetherness.
But you are absolutely right – you don’t have to share a thing.
Stuff is usually presented by the general left as corporately driven. Its articles lean to the right and conversely the left is in the cold. That occasionally some article bears fruit in otherwise infertile dirt should be enjoyed and not choked on.
Now have the last word as I am about to have a coffee and cake.
Actually the point behind my reply to you was rather an admonishment against hyperbole, than anything else. It irritates me.
But I have also discovered, reading several other blogs over the last few days due to Dirty Politics (generally TS is all I read), that a lot of people actively avoid Whaleoil or The Standard because they consider both sites to be full of crazy partisan loons. Personally I don’t think The Standard is full of crazy loons (there are of course, some), but hyperbolic comments such as yours (regardless of their merit, or the intent behind them) doesn’t help the perception that people here are crazy. So I like to point it out to their authors where I can. I wish no ill-will whatsoever.
Instead of saying “site” I should have said “front page” because I was looking for anything on Stuff to suggest they were giving oxygen to Hager’s book. At the time I could see nothing on the front page to say otherwise. I am not a great fan of stuff but did click onto the diary thing out of curiosity.
I confess I don’t watch the broadcast media much but it puzzles me that apart from the bit about hacking Labour’s website we don’t seem to have seen anyone looking to Nact party presidents etc for comment. After all they now employ Jason Ede don’t they?
Are we alse seeing more women interviewers because they are unlikely to frequent the gentlemen’s club?
I always rather though that that was the case ‘a tainted president’ yet they continue to hang onto him. Pity the public right to know takes a back seat.
However, you would have though there would be some party spokesperson fronting up even if it was only to claim the moral high ground “It came from us”.
Does anyone still care about GMO’s in our food supply? They are still around and I’m guessing more so if we sign the TPPA. http://farmwars.info/?p=13246#more-13246
The lack of Right Wing Spin Bullies on this site today is is very peculiar given their indefensible circumstances !
I believe they are regrouping for a new strategy being worked out over the weekend ready for another onslaught tomorrow !
Berend de Boer Joyce Key and Hooton will be burning the Midnight Oil to work out a strategy to shift the blame of their corruption!
Indeed – Infused/Puckish/Jamie Lee Hooten et all have extended morning prayers and are busy learning their lines – they’ve got to get it right – loading bullshit on bullshit doesn’t seem to be working too well. There’s “From the Right ….. and From the Right ….” on NinetoNoon tomorrow, as well as those in-depth, incisive breakfast TV ‘spots’
“While Slater was having his photo taken for this article, a text arrived – from Justice Minister Judith Collins. He wouldn’t reveal its content, but exclaimed that it was 4am in New Zealand and wondered out loud what she was doing up.”
Who pays the piper on stuff News had a big dig at Big donors extracting favours from National !
Dongwha Liu”s connections to John Key and Judith Collins connections both with Orivda !
The Electoral commission should be looking at the$6.3 million in secret donations to New Zealand.
The Stuff article calls it corruption and it should have no place in NewZealand!
can’t link on not so smartphone!
The whale is beached and and flailing around looking for water somewhere near the dead sea!
As Rob pointed out Team Key continue to pour Oil on a fire to try and calm thongs down showing how desperate they are!
So if Slater gets who has hacked him wrong the flames will turn into an inferno!
Steve Braunias’s Satire is pure gold on Merrill Lynch Bangster John Key.
The smiling assassin feeding a sack of raw meat to Slippery Slater Crusher Collins in the sewer that runs under parliament while the smiling assassin becomes the laughing assassin!
All the visits to the mansion by Clare Curran, Russel Norman, Winston Peters, Laila Harre, Martyn Bradbury, Alistair Thompson, Nicky Hager. They are all part of a mega-conspiracy to wreck an election, all for the benefit of Kim Dotcom.
Key said he doesn’t know what Ede’s role with National was now.
Eh?
See I would’ve thought that with all the events of the last week, with all of the questions about Ede and his ties to the PM, and all the potential his actions have to damage the PM, Keys would’ve had someone find out everything there is to know about exactly what Ede is is up to right now and made sure he wasn’t doing anything that might be a bad look for Keys and National.
But hey, what do I know about image-driven control freaks?
I wonder if when Ede moved from the PM’s office to the National Party he sought and received a reference from his boss?
I’m not sure when Ede became a National Party employee but I presume they hired him because of the skills he demonstrated while working in the PM’s office.
After all, it’s election year and those particular skills may have been thought to be very useful to ‘bolster’ an election campaign?
I am saddened by the love fest arising from the posting by a police informant and especially one who is quite probably a sex criminal as well. Anyone worth listening to knows how careful and thorough Nicky Hager is. He doesn’t need a reference from someone who made a living off lies and betrayal.
I agree. Some have gone over the top… but lets be clear that just because others – including me – were willing to give him credit for submitting the post here (and I have no knowledge of sexual criminality) it hardly constituted a “love fest”.
Prime Minister John Key says he can’t explain why “black ops” spin doctor Jason Ede still has a staff access card to Parliament.
Ede was spotted in the Parliamentary complex last week – with a security access swipe card – despite National saying he is employed by them at the party’s Wellington head office.
– Andrea Vance
Nice opening from Andrea Vance. There’s hope for pressure journalism in this country yet.
Cunliffe said on Radiolive (during an extraordinary speech about ‘the book’) that he had a staffer attempt ringing Ede & it went thru the parliamentary switchboard. So, still on the payroll it seems.
Left a post on Whaleoil decrying the death threats directed at Cameron and suggesting I would assist him in reporting these to the police….his moderators removed my post. Why? Why would Cameron not want to report these numerous threats he has been receiving?It’s very simple to track back and identify where online threats originate….but why on earth would he not be interested?
Probably because he realises that there is this thing called ‘karma’. And you cannot spend the last 6 months acting like a wannbe brownshirt without it coming back to bite you on the ass.
Feel sorry for the kids though, they never asked for Slater to be their father. If he was my dad, I would hang myself.
Victimizing himself!
his txt claims are laughable!
When the real person who handed Hager releases the real emails and himself all Slaters slipperyness will have him going to Alaska next For a lovin with Sarah Palin!
Have read the book
It is jawdropping
Another thing about it, that I haven’t seen talked about alot, is the jacking up of National Candidate selections for the electorates. And also the man called Simon Lusk.
Seriously, all Members of the National Party need to read this book. IF they had any delusions about their fine upstanding party of gentlemen and ladies, they might be in for a shock
Might be a bit of stuff going down within its hallowed walls methinks !!!!!
If the leadership doesn’t want to answer any of the questions raised by “Dirty Politics” and Slater, then perhaps the journalists should start picking off individual National MP’s for their opinions regarding the closeness of the likes of Slater, Ede and co to their beloved party.
I bet many of them are as appalled as Jo.Bloggs is over this. Saw one less than happy looking electorate MP striding for her plane to Wellington this evening. May have been that she had just seen the latest poll on tonight’s news but suspect she may also be feeling the affects of having to be connected with Slater and co.
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Screen recording has become an essential tool for various purposes, such as creating tutorials, capturing gameplay footage, recording online meetings, or sharing information with others. Fortunately, Dell laptops offer several built-in and external options for screen recording, catering to different needs and preferences. This guide will explore various methods on ...
A cracked or damaged laptop screen can be a frustrating experience, impacting productivity and enjoyment. Fortunately, laptop screen repair is a common service offered by various repair shops and technicians. However, the cost of fixing a laptop screen can vary significantly depending on several factors. This article delves into the ...
Gaming laptops represent a significant investment for passionate gamers, offering portability and powerful performance for immersive gaming experiences. However, a common concern among potential buyers is their lifespan. Unlike desktop PCs, which allow for easier component upgrades, gaming laptops have inherent limitations due to their compact and integrated design. This ...
The annual inventory report of New Zealand's greenhouse gas emissions has been released, showing that gross emissions have dropped for the third year in a row, to 78.4 million tons: All-told gross emissions have decreased by over 6 million tons since the Zero Carbon Act was passed in 2019. ...
Experiencing a locked computer can be frustrating, especially when you need access to your files and applications urgently. The methods to unlock your computer will vary depending on the specific situation and the type of lock you encounter. This guide will explore various scenarios and provide step-by-step instructions on how ...
While the world has largely transitioned to digital communication, faxing still holds relevance in certain industries and situations. Fortunately, gone are the days of bulky fax machines and dedicated phone lines. Today, you can easily send and receive faxes directly from your computer, offering a convenient and efficient way to ...
In our increasingly digital world, home computers have become essential tools for work, communication, entertainment, and more. However, this increased reliance on technology also exposes us to various cyber threats. Understanding these threats and taking proactive steps to protect your home computer is crucial for safeguarding your personal information, finances, ...
In the ever-evolving world of technology, server-based computing has emerged as a cornerstone of modern digital infrastructure. This article delves into the concept of server-based computing, exploring its various forms, benefits, challenges, and its impact on the way we work and interact with technology. Understanding Server-Based Computing: At its core, ...
The absolute brass neck of this guy.We want more medical doctors, not more spin doctors, Luxon was saying a couple of weeks ago, and now we’re told the guy has seven salaried adults on TikTok duty. Sorry, doing social media. The absolute brass neck of it. The irony that the ...
Buzz from the Beehive Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones relishes spatting and eagerly takes issue with environmentalists who criticise his enthusiasm for resource development. He relishes helping the fishing industry too. And so today, while the media are making much of the latest culling in the public service to ...
Having written, taught and worked for the US government on issues involving unconventional warfare and terrorism for 30-odd years, two things irritate me the most when the subject is discussed in public. The first is the Johnny-come-lately academics-turned-media commentators who … Continue reading → ...
Eric Crampton writes – Kainga Ora is the government’s house building agency. It’s been building a lot of social housing. Kainga Ora has its own (but independent) consenting authority, Consentium. It’s a neat idea. Rather than have to deal with building consents across each different territorial authority, Kainga Ora ...
Muriel Newman writes – The Coalition Government says it is moving with speed to deliver campaign promises and reverse the damage done by Labour. One of their key commitments is to “defend the principle that New Zealanders are equal before the law.” To achieve this, they have pledged they “will not advance ...
Chris Trotter writes – The absence of anything resembling a fightback from the public servants currently losing their jobs is interesting. State-sector workers’ collective fatalism in the face of Coalition cutbacks indicates a surprisingly broad acceptance of impermanence in the workplace. Fifty years ago, lay-offs in the thousands ...
The Green Party has joined the call for public submissions on the fast-track legislation to be extended after the Ombudsman forced the Government to release the list of organisations invited to apply just hours before submissions close. ...
New Zealand’s good work at reducing climate emissions for three years in a row will be undone by the National government’s lack of ambition and scrapping programmes that were making a difference, Labour Party climate spokesperson Megan Woods said today. ...
More essential jobs could be on the chopping block, this time Ministry of Education staff on the school lunches team are set to find out whether they're in line to lose their jobs. ...
The Government is trying to bring in a law that will allow Ministers to cut corners and kill off native species, Labour environment spokesperson Rachel Brooking said. ...
Cancelling urgently needed new Cook Strait ferries and hiking the cost of public transport for many Kiwis so that National can announce the prospect of another tunnel for Wellington is not making good choices, Labour Transport Spokesperson Tangi Utikere said. ...
A laundry list of additional costs for Tāmaki Makarau Auckland shows the Minister for the city is not delivering for the people who live there, says Labour Auckland Issues spokesperson Shanan Halbert. ...
The Green Party has today launched a step-by-step guide to help New Zealanders make their voice heard on the Government’s democracy dodging and anti-environment fast track legislation. ...
The National Government’s proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act will mean tenants can be turfed from their homes by landlords with little notice, Labour housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty said. ...
Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson is calling on all parties to support a common-sense change that’s great for the planet and great for consumers after her member’s bill was drawn from the ballot today. ...
A significant milestone has been reached in the fight to strike an anti-Pasifika and unfair law from the country’s books after Teanau Tuiono’s members’ bill passed its first reading. ...
New Zealand has today missed the opportunity to uphold the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, says James Shaw after his member’s bill was voted down in its first reading. ...
Today’s advice from the Climate Change Commission paints a sobering reality of the challenge we face in combating climate change, especially in light of recent Government policy announcements. ...
Minister for Disability Issues Penny Simmonds appears to have delayed a report back to Cabinet on the progress New Zealand is making against international obligations for disabled New Zealanders. ...
The Government’s newly announced review of methane emissions reduction targets hints at its desire to delay Aotearoa New Zealand’s urgent transition to a climate safe future, the Green Party said. ...
The Government must commit to the Maitai School building project for students with high and complex needs, to ensure disabled students from the top of the South Island have somewhere to learn. ...
Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey and his Government colleagues have made a meal of their mental health commitments, showing how flimsy their efforts to champion the issue truly are, says Labour Mental Health spokesperson Ingrid Leary. ...
Māori are yet to see anything from this Government except cuts, reversals and taking our people backwards, Māori Development spokesperson Willie Jackson said. ...
The Coalition Government’s refusal to commit to ongoing funding for social housing is seeing the sector pull back on developments and families watch their dreams of securing a home fade away, says Labour Housing spokesperson Kieran McAnulty. ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has completed a successful trip to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, deepening relationships and capitalising on opportunities. Mr Luxon was accompanied by a business delegation and says the choice of countries represents the priority the New Zealand Government places on South East Asia, and our relationships in ...
New Zealand is demonstrating its commitment to reducing global greenhouse emissions, and supporting clean energy transition in South East Asia, through a contribution of NZ$41 million (US$25 million) in climate finance to the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-led Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM). Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Climate Change Minister Simon Watts announced ...
The Government is today releasing a list of organisations who received letters about the Fast-track applications process, says RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “Recently Ministers and agencies have received a series of OIA requests for a list of organisations to whom I wrote with information on applying to have a ...
Attorney-General Judith Collins today announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister David Jonathan Boldt as a Judge of the High Court, and the Honourable Justice Matthew Palmer as a Judge of the Court of Appeal. Justice Boldt graduated with an LLB from Victoria University of Wellington in 1990, and also holds ...
Education Minister Erica Stanford will lead the New Zealand delegation at the 2024 International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) held in Singapore. The delegation includes representatives from the Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) Te Wehengarua and the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa. The summit is co-hosted ...
A stopbank upgrade project in Tairawhiti partly funded by the Government has increased flood resilience for around 7000ha of residential and horticultural land so far, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones says. Mr Jones today attended a dawn service in Gisborne to mark the end of the first stage of the ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters will represent the Government at Anzac Day commemorations on the Gallipoli Peninsula next week and engage with senior representatives of the Turkish government in Istanbul. “The Gallipoli campaign is a defining event in our history. It will be a privilege to share the occasion ...
Science, Innovation and Technology and Defence Minister Judith Collins will next week attend the OECD Science and Technology Ministerial conference in Paris and Anzac Day commemorations in Belgium. “Science, innovation and technology have a major role to play in rebuilding our economy and achieving better health, environmental and social outcomes ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The Prime Minister was accompanied by MP Paulo Garcia, the first Filipino to be elected to a legislature outside the Philippines. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon and President Marcos Jr discussed opportunities to ...
The Government has announced that $20 million in funding will be made available to Westport to fund much needed flood protection around the town. This measure will significantly improve the resilience of the community, says Local Government Minister Simeon Brown. “The Westport community has already been allocated almost $3 million ...
The Government is proud to support the first ever Repco Supercars Championship event in Taupō as up to 70,000 motorsport fans attend the Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, says Economic Development Minister Melissa Lee. “Anticipation for the ITM Taupō Super400 is huge, with tickets and accommodation selling out weeks ...
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has announced an increase to the Rates Rebate Scheme, putting money back into the pockets of low-income homeowners. “The coalition Government is committed to bringing down the cost of living for New Zealanders. That includes targeted support for those Kiwis who are doing things tough, such ...
The Coalition Government is investing in a project to boost survival rates of New Zealand mussels and grow the industry, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones has announced. “This project seeks to increase the resilience of our mussels and significantly boost the sector’s productivity,” Mr Jones says. “The project - ...
Benefit figures released today underscore the importance of the Government’s plan to rebuild the economy and have 50,000 fewer people on Jobseeker Support, Social Development and Employment Minister Louise Upston says. “Benefit numbers are still significantly higher than when National was last in government, when there was about 70,000 fewer ...
The Government’s commitment to doubling New Zealand’s renewable energy capacity is backed by new data showing that clean energy has helped the country reach its lowest annual gross emissions since 1999, Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says. New Zealand’s latest Greenhouse Gas Inventory (1990-2022) published today, shows gross emissions fell ...
The Government is bringing the earthquake-prone building review forward, with work to start immediately, and extending the deadline for remediations by four years, Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says. “Our Government is focused on rebuilding the economy. A key part of our plan is to cut red tape that ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Thai counterpart, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, have today agreed that New Zealand and the Kingdom of Thailand will upgrade the bilateral relationship to a Strategic Partnership by 2026. “New Zealand and Thailand have a lot to offer each other. We have a strong mutual desire to build ...
RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop and Transport Minister Simeon Brown have today announced the Coalition Government’s intention to extend port coastal permits for a further 20 years, providing port operators with certainty to continue their operations. “The introduction of the Resource Management Act in 1991 required ports to obtain coastal ...
Today’s announcement that inflation is down to 4 per cent is encouraging news for Kiwis, but there is more work to be done - underlining the importance of the Government’s plan to get the economy back on track, acting Finance Minister Chris Bishop says. “Inflation is now at 4 per ...
Refreshed health guidance released today will help parents and schools make informed decisions about whether their child needs to be in school, addressing one of the key issues affecting school attendance, says Associate Education Minister David Seymour. In recent years, consistently across all school terms, short-term illness or medical reasons ...
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones is streamlining high-level oceans management while maintaining a focus on supporting the sector’s role in the export-led recovery of the economy. “I am working to realise the untapped potential of our fishing and aquaculture sector. To achieve that we need to be smarter with ...
Associate Agriculture Minister Mark Patterson is speaking at the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Adelaide, promoting New Zealand wool, and outlining the coalition Government’s support for the revitalisation the sector. "New Zealand’s wool exports reached $400 million in the year to 30 June 2023, and the coalition Government ...
The Government is making legislative changes to make it easier for new early learning services to be established, and for existing services to operate, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. The changes involve repealing the network approval provisions that apply when someone wants to establish a new early learning service, ...
Changes to the Resource Management Act will align consenting for coal mining to other forms of mining to reduce barriers that are holding back economic development, Resources Minister Shane Jones says. “The inconsistent treatment of coal mining compared with other extractive activities is burdensome red tape that fails to acknowledge ...
Trade, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Todd McClay has concluded productive discussions with ministerial counterparts in Beijing today, in support of the New Zealand-China trade and economic relationship. “My meeting with Commerce Minister Wang Wentao reaffirmed the complementary nature of the bilateral trade relationship, with our Free Trade Agreement at its ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today paid tribute to Singapore’s outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Meeting in Singapore today immediately before Prime Minister Lee announced he was stepping down, Prime Minister Luxon warmly acknowledged his counterpart’s almost twenty years as leader, and the enduring legacy he has left for Singapore and South East ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon held a bilateral meeting today with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. While in Singapore as part of his visit to South East Asia this week, Prime Minister Luxon also met with Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and will meet with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. During today’s meeting, Prime Minister Luxon ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has made further appointments to the Board of Antarctica New Zealand as part of a continued effort to ensure the Scott Base Redevelopment project is delivered in a cost-effective and efficient manner. The Minister has appointed Neville Harris as a new member of the Board. Mr ...
Finance Minister Nicola Willis will travel to the United States on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the Five Finance Ministers group, with counterparts from Australia, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. “I am looking forward to meeting with our Five Finance partners on how we can work ...
The coalition Government has today announced purrfect and pawsitive changes to the Residential Tenancies Act to give tenants with pets greater choice when looking for a rental property, says Housing Minister Chris Bishop. “Pets are important members of many Kiwi families. It’s estimated that around 64 per cent of New ...
State Highway 1 (SH1) through Wellington City is heavily congested at peak times and while planning continues on the duplicate Mt Victoria Tunnel and Basin Reserve project, the Government has also asked NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to consider and provide advice on a Long Tunnel option, Transport Minister Simeon Brown ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters have condemned Iran’s shocking and illegal strikes against Israel. “These attacks are a major challenge to peace and stability in a region already under enormous pressure," Mr Luxon says. "We are deeply concerned that miscalculation on any side could ...
Hundreds of people in little over a week have turned out in Northland to hear Regional Development Minister Shane Jones speak about plans for boosting the regional economy through infrastructure. About 200 people from the infrastructure and associated sectors attended an event headlined by Mr Jones in Whangarei today. Last ...
Health Minister Dr Shane Reti has today thanked outgoing Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora Chair Dame Karen Poutasi for her service on the Board. “Dame Karen tendered her resignation as Chair and as a member of the Board today,” says Dr Reti. “I have asked her to ...
The NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) has signalled their proposed delivery approach for the Government’s 15 Roads of National Significance (RoNS), with the release of the State Highway Investment Proposal (SHIP) today, Transport Minister Simeon Brown says. “Boosting economic growth and productivity is a key part of the Government’s plan to ...
New Zealand is renewing its connections with a world facing urgent challenges by pursuing an active, energetic foreign policy, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “Our country faces the most unstable global environment in decades,” Mr Peters says at the conclusion of two weeks of engagements in Egypt, Europe and the United States. “We cannot afford to sit back in splendid ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced the Australian Governor-General, His Excellency General The Honourable David Hurley and his wife Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, will make a State visit to New Zealand from Tuesday 16 April to Thursday 18 April. The visit reciprocates the State visit of former Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy ...
Associate Health Minister David Seymour has announced that Medsafe has approved 11 cold and flu medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Pharmaceutical suppliers have indicated they may be able to supply the first products in June. “This is much earlier than the original expectation of medicines being available by 2025. The Government recognised ...
New Zealand and the United States have recommitted to their strategic partnership in Washington DC today, pledging to work ever more closely together in support of shared values and interests, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “The strategic environment that New Zealand and the United States face is considerably more ...
April 11, 2024 Joint Declaration by United States Secretary of State the Honorable Antony J. Blinken and New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs the Right Honourable Winston Peters We met today in Washington, D.C. to recommit to the historic partnership between our two countries and the principles that underpin it—rule ...
By Koroi Hawkins, RNZ Pacific editor in Honiara Solomon Islands’ incumbent prime minister Manasseh Sogavare has been re-elected in the East Choiseul constituency. It is the opening move in the political chess match to form the country’s next government. Returning officer Christopher Makoni made the declaration late last night after ...
Headline: The moment of friction. – 36th Parallel Assessments In strategic studies “friction” is a term that it is used to describe the moment when military action encounters adversary resistance. “Friction” is one of four (along with an unofficial fifth) “F’s” in military strategy, which includes force (kinetic mass), ...
The Fast-track Bill, if passed, would allow three Ministers, unchallenged and unchecked, to approve the immediate extraction and exhaustion of one-off resources. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Stephen Duckett, Honorary Enterprise Professor, School of Population and Global Health, and Department of General Practice and Primary Care, The University of Melbourne iamharin/Shutterstock For many people, the term “bulk billed” refers to a GP visit they don’t have to pay ...
Emmas Hislop, Sidnam and Wehipeihana discuss what’s in a name. Emma Sidnam: Hello Emmas! Thank you so much for agreeing to do this with me. My first question for you is related to what’s been on my mind for a while. It’s very important. You see we’ve recently had some ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Sievers, Research Fellow, Global Wetlands Project, Australia Rivers Institute, Griffith University Chris Brown Humans love the coast. But we love it to death, so much so we’ve destroyed valuable coastal habitat – in the case of some types of habitat, ...
Josh Thomson on the 80s milk ad jingle he can’t stop singing, the beauty of The Simpsons, why Jersey Shore is as good as Shakespeare and more. For someone who spends a lot of time on our screens, popping up in everything from 7 Days to Taskmaster, Educators to Good ...
In apparent defiance of the Biden administration, the Netanyahu government has now initiated missile strikes against Iran. Last Saturday night (Sunday morning in New Zealand) Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles against Israeli military targets. With the assistance of US, UK and possibly French forces, ...
Māori representation brings a perspective that encompasses not only the interests of Māori communities but also a broader, holistic approach to environmental stewardship and community well-being, principles deeply embedded in Te Ao Māori (the Māori ...
This week in Auckland, a group of young people took over the microphone at a ministerial press conference, to explain why they oppose the Fast-Track Approvals Bill. One young woman said, ‘We’re here because we love Aotearoa New Zealand. We want to raise our children in an environment that’s thriving, ...
The summer was wonderful. Evie was wonderful, too; finally a teenager, finally worthy of long, hot days. She shaved her legs for the first time and bought cut-off shorts from the op-shop that made them look long. She got a Warehouse singlet so tight on her new shape that her ...
When Thomas James was on his solo camp as part of Outward Bound, the keen outdoorsman didn’t find it too challenging, as others often do. In what might just be the perfect illustration of his character, he saw it as a great opportunity to solve a few problems. “I thought, ...
From the unstable and drippy to the hi-tech and pretty, here’s our ranking of all the tunnels you can drive through in this country. The first tunnel seems to have been built in 2200BC in Babylonia, kicking off a global phenomenon for digging holes in order to get places more ...
Lucinda Bennett on the art of being greedy but resourceful. This is an excerpt from our weekly food newsletter, The Boil Up. When I picture the market, it is always this time of year. Crisp air, dripping nose, counting coins with cold fingers. Sunlight pale, filtered through specks of dew still ...
Zoë Colling’s favourite piece in the ‘That’s So Last Century’ collection is a lubrication chart for a sewing machine from the ’60s. It’s about the size of a postcard, and carefully maintained. “I like it that this piece of ephemera highlights that manual and technical side of the skill involved ...
Kia Ora Gaza A passionate haka reverberated through Auckland International Airport as a medical team of three New Zealand doctors received an emotional farewell from a big crowd of supporters before flying to Turkey to join the international Freedom Flotilla to Gaza. The doctors, who left Auckland yesterday, hope to ...
With submissions closing today, Macassey-Pickard says groups around the country have been supporting a huge range of people to make their submissions. ...
Our response to the new legislation is informed by targeted conversations with practitioners working in the system and through an implementation lens. ...
The new ‘Fast-track Approvals Bill’ would give just three Ministers the power to approve or deny development projects. They would avoid the usual checks and balances that are in place to protect rivers, land, the ocean, and communities. ...
COMMENTARY:By Eugene Doyle Helen Clark, how I miss you. The former New Zealand Prime Minister — the safest pair of hands this country has had in living memory — gave a masterclass on the importance of maintaining an independent foreign policy when she spoke at an AUKUS symposium held ...
The government's released the list of organisations provided with information on how to apply - just hours before public submissions on the bill close. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Milton Speer, Visiting Fellow, School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, University of Technology Sydney Before climate change really got going, eastern Australia’s flash floods tended to concentrate on our coastal regions, east of the Great Dividing Range. But that’s changing. Now ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Elizabeth Finkel, Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow, La Trobe University Sia Duff / South Australian Museum In February, the South Australian Museum “re-imagined” itself. In the face of rising costs and inadequate government funds, CEO David Gaimster, who took the reins last June, declared ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alan Pearce, Professor, School of Allied Heath, Human Services & Sport, La Trobe University, La Trobe University This week, Collingwood AFL player Nathan Murphy announced his retirement, brought on by his concussion history and ongoing issues. The 24-year-old’s seemingly sudden retirement, ...
The Mental Health Foundation provides support and resources for those facing the loss of their job, so it’s wrong in the very week the Government adds another 1000 jobs to its tally of cuts, that this is happening. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer, Discipline of English and Writing, University of Sydney Daniel Boud/Sydney Theatre Company Decay, terror, revulsion. These are three of the central themes of Thomas Bernhard’s rarely performed play The President. The Austrian is one of the greatest ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ye In (Jane) Hwang, Postdoctoral Research Associate at School of Population Health, UNSW Sydney Shutterstock You’d be hard pressed to find any aspect of daily life that doesn’t require some form of digital literacy. We need only to look back ten ...
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says threats by ministers Shane Jones and David Seymour to reform or close down the Waitangi Tribunal were “ill-considered”, as legal experts say the ministers may have breached Cabinet Manual conventions. “I think those comments are ill-considered and we expect all ministers to actually exercise good ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rob Newton, Professor of Exercise Medicine, Edith Cowan University Pexels/RDNE stock project You’re not in your 20s or 30s anymore and you know regular health checks are important. So you go to your GP. During the appointment they measure your waist. ...
A new poem by Evangeline Riddiford Graham. Mitochondrial Problem I. It was long drive to Kansas for the man and his dog but you have to understand he said She doesn’t fly. Which calls to mind not carsick shitting barking or whining but a dog who chooses not to as ...
The only published and available best-selling indie book chart in New Zealand is the top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books’ stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington.AUCKLAND1 Hemingway’s Goblet by Dermot Ross (Mary Egan Publishing, $38)Hot off the press, this debut ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Laura Wajnryb McDonald, PhD candidate in Criminology, University of Sydney Less than 24 hours after Ashlee Good was murdered in Bondi Junction, her family released a statement requesting the media take down photographs they had reproduced of Ashlee and her family without ...
Chief executive Shaun Robinson said it has not had any government funding cut, but government-funded contracts have not kept pace with rising costs. ...
The Ministry of Health has delayed the release of its evidence brief on the safety, reversibility and mental health and wellbeing outcomes for puberty blockers. While we wait, Julia de Bres speaks to those with firsthand experience. Best practice gender-affirming healthcare is based on trans people’s self-determination and agency. The ...
Barcelona’s city streets have gone from traffic-clogged to pedestrian-friendly. How? Superblocks. Ellen Rykers explains. This is an excerpt from our weekly environmental newsletter Future Proof. Sign up here. Last week I read a great interview with renowned urbanist Janette Sadik-Khan by The Spinoff’s Wellington editor Joel MacManus: “You can reimagine streets, ...
Student groups ‘Climate Action VUW’, Schools Strike 4 Climate and VUWSA will be on the street in Wellington today, the last day for submissions on the Fast-track Approvals Bill, with a message that the fight against the Government’s ‘War on ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Sofia Ammassari, Research Fellow, Griffith University Since 2014, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity has grown exponentially – and so has the formidable organisational machine of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). These two factors will be key to delivering the BJP a ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Brendon Hyndman, Associate Professor of Education (Adjunct) & Senior Manager (BCE), Charles Sturt University During COVID almost all Australian students and their families experienced online learning. But while schools have long since gone back to in-person teaching, online learning has not gone ...
Yes, they’re better for the environment. No, that’s not a good enough reason for me to use them. Once every 26 days or so, my period arrives, and if struck by an act of God, I am caught red-crotched without products. How, after 17 years of this, do I still ...
“It will cause significant harm to our environment and communities. It is completely at odds with New Zealanders’ relationship with nature and our need for a low-carbon, sustainable economic future." ...
The Chair of the National Maori Authority, Matthew Tukaki, has warned a Parliamentary Select Committee that fast-tracking legislation is a perilous practice that undermines the core tenets of democracy, transparency, and accountability. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tim Tenbensel, Associate Professor, Health Policy, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau Getty Images Since coming into power, the coalition government has adopted a simple but shrewd see-how-fast-we-can-move political strategy. However, in the health sector this need for speed entails ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Anastasia Hronis, Clinical Psychologist, University of Technology Sydney Darya Sannikova/Pexels Whether you’re watching TV, attending a footy game, or eating a meal at your local pub, gambling is hard to escape. Although the rise of gambling is not unique to Australia, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Wong, Forrest Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia Have you ever wondered if there are more insects out at night than during the day? We set out to answer this question by combing through the scientific ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Carol T Kulik, Research Professor, University of South Australia IR Stone/Shutterstock In Australia, it’s not the done thing to know – let alone ask – what our colleagues are paid. Yet, it’s easy to see how pay transparency can make pay ...
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is sounding a warning to migrants, that running foul of the law may see them leaving the country prematurely. ...
The government’s plan to get 50,000 people off jobseeker support by 2030 has had a rocky start, writes Catherine McGregor in this excerpt from The Bulletin, The Spinoff’s morning news round-up. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. Beneficiary numbers are up – and so are ...
Raglan Roast is a staple of Wellington coffee culture. But with five branches across the capital, which one is the best? I am a die-hard Raglan Roast fan. It’s consistently the most affordable cafe in Wellington, and one of the only places you can get a coffee after 3pm. So, ...
Residents of University of Auckland halls are being urged to withhold their accommodation fees from May 1, in a bid to force the university to take student concerns over rent hikes seriously.The University of Auckland is facing a strike from students over the cost of on-campus accommodation. The Students ...
New Zealand and the Philippines have signed a new maritime security agreement and stated their concerns over activity in the South China Sea, as Chinese vessels continue to flout international law. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos committed to signing a Mutual Logistics Supporting Arrangement by ...
The thousands of government “back-office” job cuts are causing widespread pain in the capital city. In today’s episode of The Detail, we speak to three journalists and a think tank researcher, looking at the larger picture around the cuts and what effect it will have on Wellington, a city that’s ...
Opinion: The famed American architect and urban designer Daniel Burnham once said, “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood!” Burnham wouldn’t have been referring to the transport plans in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past five years; projects so big they hadn’t the credibility to ...
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Karol, can you accept that parties from the left have engaged in smear politics in recent election campaigns?
[lprent: If you want to ask one of my authors a question, then make it quite specific and explain why they should bother answering. And read the policy before I wind up having to ban you.
In this case remember that karol isn’t a member of any political party. She probably has better things to do (like writing detailed posts) rather than extracting information to a lazy dickhead who hasn’t bothered to put any effort into making their question specific.
If I see another “pig-fucker” question from the ACT playbook (why you idiots all sound the same is beyond me), I will kick you off the site. This is your warning. ]
greg – can you accept that this is of a completely different order of magnitude from anything which has gone on before?
That it involves not just smear tactics against members of other political parties, but smear tactics within the National Party to advance the political careers of the clients of one of the smearers – whose political agenda is to push the National Party further to the Right?
That it involves smears against people who protect the public interest?
That it involves smears against third parties to advance the commercial interests of the right-wing, anti-union mates of the smearers?
That all this smearing was done by people intimately connected to the National Party and in close personal contact with key NP politicians and members of the government – including Mr Teflon Man himself?
Greg, may I counter with a question for you? Why is it when facts are in the open domain the right always cries foul despite being the ones responsible for the bad decisions that precipitated those facts?
Hey greg, can you accept that the PM’s office has co-ordinated smear campaigns with Whaleoil, allowing the PM to claim that he has no knowledge, when in actual fact Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog?
Key suggests content for Slaters blog?
Citation needed
Yeah you probably should find a cite for that one, Conty. It doesn’t look anything like what CV said.
“when in actual fact Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog”
Kinda says it there doesn’t it? Key talks about content for the Whaleoil blog. Perhaps CV would like to clarify what he means if he didn’t mean Key himself frequently talks to Cameron Slater about content for the Whaleoil blog
Nope.
“talk about” does not equal “suggests content”
Talking about something for a blog, as opposed to content on a blog, would suggest it hadn’t been posted and it was a discussion, or a suggestion, about contents which could or should be posted. If CV didn’t mean that then he can say so.
“…and it was a discussion, or a suggestion…”
…or a donut. Or an antelope. Or a blueprint for a flying machine.
I mean if we’re just going to add random words to other peoples sentences to change the meaning, fill your fucking boots.
Or as I call them, seminars.
Yes Conty, “talks about content”. So why didn’t you just say that instead of claiming that CV said Key “suggests content”, which he didn’t say at all?
Oh Rodney – hasn’t, can’t read, brain hurts, math hard, dot dot dot, its all lies cause I’m like Banksy – don’t do wrong, can’t be wronged, Jordan and Don wouldn’t lie to me……
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11309981
Amazing how many people can jump to judgement without actually reading the book.
Dimpost has a rather nice post up laying out the timeline of Hide’s departure from ACT.
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/the-rodney-hide-allegations/
That is an excellent post and well worth reading.
Well challenging and concerning times.
Are we surprised at the revelations in hagers serial book, or is it a case of connecting the dots in the public demain.
With the labour strategy of be positive vote for positiveness and it’s raft of sound costed policy releases labour must stay on message, on strategy and stay united to present to the swing switch voter a solid front that portrays a real meaningful alternative to the dirty swilling wallowing corporate Tories who think any means to achieve the end result is legitimate and who cares cause the public are really blind dumb and turned off.
Time for real labour to step up and represents the people.
Time for real labour to keep above the mire the dirty trick and blackest of political arts that really is foreign to the average kiwi outlook.
So mr cunliffe and co keep positive.
Think positive, act positve, be positive and dream/ hope for a better nz.
I think Cunliffe should reply to Key’s stupid line of “the left don’t want to debate policies”, by inviting Key to a snap debate, and pointing out that Key offered Cunliffe a debate earlier in the year, and then re-negged on it after Cunliffe accepted.
Nice
Over on Kiwiblog I’ve been going on about the difference between theft and copying for a few days now. Initially I described the motivation for this as being to the copyright industry’s desire to increase the size of their catch via US fair use doctrine. However there is a more important reason for the abuse of the English language the the media trots out: control of the judicial process.
Evidence is information, and information is typically obtained by copying it from the original source. When copying is misrepresented as theft, it appears that the evidence has been obtained unlawfully and is therefore inadmissible in judicial proceedings.
This is significant given the corporate media’s role of defending the status quo: in the corporate world the state is the final arbiter of justice. Also given the association between Judith Collins and Cameron Slater, Slater’s correspondence as described in Nicky Hager’s book means that the issue of controlling the evidence has serious implications for the National party.
Rodney Hide just posted about the emails that “everyone agrees were stolen”.
I’ve posted some legal references which show that “everyone” is mistaken.
Mr Hide, are only people who agree with you real people?
Anyone who is familiar with Rodney’s musings will know he lives in a little bubble world all of his own.
Interesting “Insight” documentary on Immigration this morning (RNZ) – audio under http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
One thing I’ve noticed that’s concerning to me is the manner in which politicians usurp what should be ‘judicial’ powers – especially evident with Immigration matters, but across the board.
Why do we not have proper ombudsman-like independent bodies to handle such matters rather than having to appeal to Ministers of the Crown who’re open to lobbying and political expediency?
I don’t understand why we’ve not heard more from the judiciary over the years but its been a gradual chip chip chipping away at their role in a functioning democracy.
If you listen to “Insight” – you’ll understand the potential for being able to buy PR and Citizenship status, and for legitimate refugees and others to be either stuck in limbo with no means of support, OR simply deported (sometimes when they have rip-off employment issues needing investigation). It’s all very convenient.
That Slater interview really needs re-posting:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Interview-Whale-Oil-blogger-Cameron-Slater/tabid/1348/articleID/357106/Default.aspx
Whole lotta explaining going on.
Lisa Owen was very good in that interview. Amazing to see a journo actually coping with the material and not being afraid to do their job.
Yeah she’s impressed me lately. And that’s pretty sad, because she’s just doing what they’re all meant to do.
Interesting to see at about 2.30 Gower shaking his head in disapproval when Lisa Owen explained that JK and other nats wouldn’t come on the programme.
Couldn’t finish watching it myself..too much Slater is bad for health.
Nicky Hager picks snippets from the book for the Herald
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11310001
The problem is snippets are particularly misleading in this case because in order to really understand you have to read the book. The relentlessness and weight of what Hager has uncovered is part of what makes it so affecting. A whole chapter would give a better idea. Even if just one aspect is illuminated, people could start to taste the decompositon.
It is slandersous to suggest that the Standard is in any way comparable. Probably nothing in NZ politics is. None of us here is perfect but we’re not freaking evil.
I’ve got a suspicion that the article you point to is misleading. Nicky Hager’s name is not on the byline, and it does not read like his writing.
It does read like one of those anonymous editorials that the Herald is so fond of writing, and not allowing comments on.
+1
‘Hager’s Dirty Politics – Death threats or hit jobs?’
By Martyn Bradbury / August 16, 2014
“Let’s be clear, no one deserves death threats, but Slater is now outed as the Wolf that cries boy, and all attempts to justify his actions by pointing to the angry reaction that has occurred because he has been outed simply don’t wash and quite frankly are open to a level of scepticism…”
Matthew Hooton is not a fit person for Radio New Zealand.
I need to go look up the exact bits in the book, but I’ve also been thinking that RNZ has a bit of a dilemma now. If Hooton has been using his spot on RNZ to disseminate false information* and that is part of the whole thing that Slater and NACT have been doing, then that’s a clear conflict of interest and must surely breach broadcasting standards.
I was gobsmacked that Kathryn Ryan had Hooton on the day after the book release, and then, after letting him comment for most of the spot as an independent commentator, tried to ask him about what Hager says in the book about him and his own involvement. It’s like she had no sense of where the boundaries lie or what is proper (sorry to sound so old fashioned). This more than a lot of the other stuff worries me, because while we can expect Slater and co to be unethical, manipulative and have no sense of right and wrong, we might still reasonably expect an organisation like RNZ to be able to tell the difference between someone whose opinion is independent versus someone who is up to their neck in the thing being discussed.
*by ‘if’ I mean beyond the usual bullshit he peddles.
Don’t blame Kathryn for her producer’s shoddy job.
Yes, the producer’s fault too, but Ryan was asking the questions.
no you don’t understand @ weka – it’s ALL the producer’s fault.
Kathryn has NO input into it (/sarc)
That’s why Mike I-tend-to-agree-with-you-Matthew Williams is used as being representative of “the Left”
On National Radio today, Media Watch did a good analysis of the Hager reporting.
Part of that included the question Ryan put to Hooton about the ‘conversation’ between him, Cathy Odgers and Cameron Slater in which, I think, Hooton provides to Odgers Nicky Hager’s address. This despite the clear indication from Odgers that this would be dangerous for Hager.
His ‘defence’ was that Hager’s address was publicly available (e.g., in his submissions to select committees). That misses the point completely, of course, given the context within which he apparently offered Hager’s address up to someone who had indicated what she would do with it and how dangerous that would be for Hager’s security.
Ryan just let that answer stand and did not follow it up to point out that the public availability of Hager’s address was not the issue in relation to Hooton’s behaviour – either she had not read the book properly or she simply didn’t want to cause a scene.
The link to the Media Watch item can be found on this page (for those who cannot access the way the link happened above – obliterating some of my text in the process):
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
A BSA complaint should be lodged this is not the first time Hooton has bullied people who he Doesn’t approve of its time he went RNZ ‘s credibility on Hooton is a joke and shows whose pulling all the strings in the Media in NewZealand, While bomber Bradbury highlighted John Keys throat slitting gesture in parliament he was given the chop straight away!
Hooton published Hagers address in a very intimidating way he should not only be sacked but prosecuted!
I think we can kiss goodbye to Winston going into Govt with the Nats
The Nats Brand is just too toxic
Funnily enough, I was just talking to a former National voter in the whanau. He’s decided to vote NZF after reading the excerpts in today’s Herald (so much for my theory above) and reckons that they will be the main beneficiaries of all this.
Quite possible. They’ll never vote Labour, Greens are too flakey, that Dotcom is a crim (and Hone isn’t far behind), Colin Craig – bah. So Winston is all that is left, you know what you are voting for, and you know what you are getting.
“I think we can kiss goodbye to Winston going into Govt with the Nats
The Nats Brand is just too toxic”
Probably the biggest danger at this point for the left is people assuming that, voting NZF because they believe that will keep Labour in the centre. However history tells us that Peters will do whatever he wants and whatever works for him at the time. For instance, were Key to resign as leader/PM, what is to stop Peters supporting the new, reformed National party?
Peters/NZF is never a vote for the left, and if you want a change of govt this year then vote for an actual left wing party.
“For instance, were Key to resign as leader/PM, what is to stop Peters supporting the new, reformed National party?”
If Key does it before the election, National won’t be in a position to form a government.
If he does it after the election, in negotiation with Winston, National voters will be in an uproar and there will be cries of “tail wagging the dog” like you’ve never seen before. ACT getting charter schools pales into insignificance if Winston got to choose the PM.
For those reasons, this won’t happen.
Are you suggesting that Peters doesn’t have the capacity to influence coalition negotiations to the point that he gets to decide who the govt is? History says otherwise.
Or perhaps you are saying that the National Party would rather lose the election than have Winston dictate who is leader. I doubt that. I also doubt that the National Party membership will have any overt power in that decision. Voters will have no say.
“If Key does it before the election, National won’t be in a position to form a government.”
Do you mean because voters will swing away from a party that replaces its leader that close to the election? Maybe, but are you willing to take the risk? I’m not.
Of course he has chosen the government before. But he has not simultaneously chosen the leader of that new government.
That is exactly what I’m saying. Any government formed from such an arrangement would not be appreciated by the NZ public and would be seen as illegitimate. As much as National might like this outcome (they get to hold power), it would be a government under huge criticism and have a hard time getting work done, and of course seriously damage the National party brand.
Note, in the two-part Helen Clark documentary that aired on TV3 last year, Winston said he chose National because Helen Clark and Jim Anderton were literally not speaking to each other and he didn’t see how it would be possible to form a stable government in such a situation. So he probably made the right call, there, especially given subsequent events with the Alliance anyway.
Partly that, but mainly because the only reason National is polling as high as it does is “that nice man Mr Key”. I would have thought that was obvious, especially given that the biggest angle about the Dirty Politics book is the way in which it tarnish’s teflon-John’s image.
“That is exactly what I’m saying. Any government formed from such an arrangement would not be appreciated by the NZ public and would be seen as illegitimate. As much as National might like this outcome (they get to hold power), it would be a government under huge criticism and have a hard time getting work done, and of course seriously damage the National party brand.”
You are assuming that it would be done overtly. From what I recall Peters likes to negotiate in secret, and as we have seen this week NACT are masters at covering their tracks.
I honestly don’t think that Key and his mates give a shit about the long term National Party brand other than to the extent that it affects their power. They will be weighing up the relative merits of getting another term at this point in time even if it means being in opposition for longer after that.
Note, in the two-part Helen Clark documentary that aired on TV3 last year, Winston said he chose National because Helen Clark and Jim Anderton were literally not speaking to each other and he didn’t see how it would be possible to form a stable government in such a situation. So he probably made the right call, there, especially given subsequent events with the Alliance anyway.
Chooky has often cited that. I’d like to see two other credible sources that support that view. It’s certainly not how people at the time saw it playing out. Looks like Peters spin to me.
Partly that, but mainly because the only reason National is polling as high as it does is “that nice man Mr Key”. I would have thought that was obvious, especially given that the biggest angle about the Dirty Politics book is the way in which it tarnish’s teflon-John’s image.
Still a risk though, to vote for Peters on the assumption of what other swing voters might do.
Um, it would have to be public? John Key wins the election, then immediately stands down and the leftovers of National form a government with Peter’s propping them up? Don’t you think the MSM might be asking questions about why Key decided to stand down, given that he’s committed to staying for the full term if he wins this election? Pretty drastic turnaround to stand down within the weeks of a good election victory, don’t you think?
Personally I see Winston as leaning towards Labour, not National, although I know many others don’t agree.
Difficult to see where any other sources would come from to back it up. It’s possible Winston is using it as an excuse to cover up his decision that ultimately proved to be an unpopular one that didn’t stand the test of time. The other point here of course, is that rather than saying “Winston went with National before, he’ll do it again”, you could say “Winston went with National and it turned out to be a disaster…”. And that’s before you factor in John Key’s particular venom towards Winston.
Of course, if you want to change the government, you should vote left, not NZFirst. My point is that your bogeyman of Winston orchestrating a National-led government by getting Key to stand down is far-fetched.
You’re still making quite a few assumptions. Perhaps Key resigns for personal reasons. Perhaps National think he is a liability. Maybe there are more revelations before the election. The scenario you present of Peters orchestrating this himself the week after the election isn’t the only way it could go down. And you have far more faith in the MSM than I do in regards to asking the right questions.
“Personally I see Winston as leaning towards Labour, not National, although I know many others don’t agree.”
That’s not relevant though. The point is that Peters can’t be trusted as a vote to change th govt, irrespective of what one thinks about his politics.
“My point is that your bogeyman of Winston orchestrating a National-led government by getting Key to stand down is far-fetched.”
No more farfetched than the idea that he would go with National in that election where lots of lefties voted for him. Peters is capable of much more than you are giving him credit for, that’s the point.
“Personal reasons” is of course possible, but he is on record as saying he will stick around for the full term if he wins this election. So if he tried to use the fig-leaf of ‘personal reasons’, I think he’d have to give a little more detail.
It seems unlikely that National would see Key as more of a liability than they would shacking up with Winston in what would obviously be a very unpopular government.
More revelations before the election is possible I guess, with the obvious one being KDC’s coming just 5 days before polling day. Key could stand-down as a result of that, but I suspect any revelations that were so damaging to Key, would also damage National and once again Winston wouldn’t want to stitch up such an unpopular government.
Yes, I agree, but the point you are making, which I’m arguing against, is that we could end up with a National government where Key resigns that is propped up by Winston. This really is incredibly unlikely. My comment about Winston’s politics is irrelevant to this particular point, I just threw it in there to give you an idea where I’m coming from.
No, it is far-fetched. Winston went with National and Bolger. You are proposing a situation where Winston goes with National and not-Key. That is a very different scenario, one which would be publicly untenable. Why would Winston prop up an unpopular and likely-to-be-viewed-as-illegitimate government when he could just go with the left? He already made this sort of decision back in 1996 and it did not go well for him (although again, the situations are not directly comparable).
Now, if you just want to say, Winston would go into coalition with National after the election with John Key as PM, I have no problem in agreeing to that. The point is you’re suggesting an outcome where Key isn’t PM.
@weka 10.54
Good call.
Danyl post about Hide being blackmailed is pretty amazing
http://dimpost.wordpress.com/
thanks.
permanent link http://dimpost.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/the-rodney-hide-allegations/
Very close to actionable I would have thought. He seems to be publicly calling hide a liar.
Rubbish. A timeline is presented noting that Hide suddenly decided to step down for undisclosed reasons, and that the dates of the alleged blackmail would explain it. There is a big difference between saying that a theory fits, and saying that any other explanation must be a lie. The difference isn’t a matter of pedantry, either, but one that you could drive a truck through.
A commenter there claims to know the inside story and implies that while something dodgy went on, it wasn’t blackmail.
Yeah, I read that. I have no idea whether it’s true or not, but it pays to remember that it’s just another person claiming to know what went on (without saying what did). There seem to be quite a few of those right now, on all sorts of subjects.
Yes, of course. Just thought it was worth highlighting.
I’m sure that if Hide is completely confident about his story then he will risk the discovery motions and slow gears of justice and start a defamation suit.
On the other hand if he does not, then it won’t be surprising either. As it involves politics, the public interest parts of the Lange vs Atkinson decision will kick in.
Incidentally calling someone a liar is not “actionable”. It appears to be a common (and quite boring) misconception based on the old common law basis of libel/slander. These days we only have defamation and it largely concerns itself with facts. There appears to be no statement of false facts. There is understandable speculation.
It’s not easy being a person of conscience in a totalitarian state
The few who have spoken out of line have been threatened or denounced as traitors.
After Haaretz commentator Gideon Levy accused air force pilots of perpetrating “the cruelest (and) most despicable deeds” against Gaza’s weakest and most helpless,” his employer hired him bodyguards. Readers cancelled their subscriptions, people stopped in the street to insult him and government whip Yariv Levin denounced him as a liar, a “mouthpiece of the enemy” who should be put on trial for treason.
“I have never faced such aggressive reaction, never,” Levy told AFP in his cramped office at Haaretz in Tel Aviv, away from the coffee shops where he fears being insulted. “Nobody cares here about the suffering of Gaza. More than this, if you dare to express empathy you are a traitor,” he said.
Read more….
http://news.yahoo.com/witch-hunt-against-israels-war-critics-134302477.html
Slater doing his interview from Tel Aviv is not a coincidence here, Zionism has long been present within the conservative tradition of the right. But to be fair there are also honourable values within that conservative tradition, the light and dark threads have been there since the time of the Roman empire.
Ugly Truth Slater claimed he was still in regular contact with John Key .Shonkey is claiming the opposite. A Slater Slip up excuse the pun but Key and Slater are Compulsive Liars telling more lies to cover previous lies!
Claiming Labour caucus members regularly feed him information what BS!
Look who’s on the payroll.
Cameron “Whale Oil” Slater is bleary-eyed, having spent 24 hours on a plane, and now finds himself in a war zone during a ceasefire. It’s Friday in Israel; Saturday back home.
He’s one of a group of international journalists invited to visit by the Israeli government, which has been earning bruising international condemnation over the civilian death toll in the Gaza conflict.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10391846/Blogging-money-and-blurred-lines
Is it me, or is dirty politics just describing the actions of some privileged white folk?
These white folk are just so unsure of themselves and their white privilege, they fear losing any power? These same white folks, then use said white power, and privilege – to attack, and vilify anyone they see in the way of their keeping power? Hell they even attack other white folk, later, a whole city of them. Funny how some of the most nasty comments are directed towards poor white folk, they got class hatred going on too?
Beyond the fact that this is happening in NZ and the power elite here is European patriarchal and caucasian, I don’t follow what you mean. Maybe you could be more specific eg give an example of the nasty comments directed at poor white folk.
There needs to be a better word for the cultural dysfunction here in NZ, and to some degree otherwise known as “European patriarchal”, than the standard broad brush of “white privilege”. I’m white, but not white enough (not that I’d want to be given the examples set for me) and know exactly what white privilege has cost me and can see it every day. To refuse entirely to be white in my world, I’d have to live on the street. The things I refuse to do, for example, emulate that goddamn cowardice that unpins NZ white culture, has cost me big time. Life makes cowards of us all, unexpectedly, but to hell with always and only swinging at he little guy. I often wander around muttering about goddamn whities, and I’m white.
Historically speaking, what we see here is not sourced from Patriarchy, or European in a specific sense. If we allow other cultures to trace their roots back to year dot, just to find something admirable by today’s political values, it is not consistent or fair to maintain the line that ol’ whitey may not do the same. If we restrict white culture to the past few hundred years, we’re already seeing how it was distorted from an earlier time. But if we go back a thousand or more, we find something very different.
We find a patriarchy that was more enlightened than any of the isms available today. Seemingly as an oxymoron, early patriarchy did not restrict women from owning or inheriting property or maintaining respected positions within a group. It didn’t kick them out on their ass if their husband died or left them. It did not seek to control their sexuality either. It allowed groups of people with limited wealth and power to band together to form equally representative groups in political matters, so that they were heard too – communism within a patriarchy. There were severe penalties against wealth and power attacking those not as powerful. Mental illness was known about and allowed for; xenophobia was not something they were interested in at all.
It’s not good enough to wave around patriarchy and men as some sort of inherent evil in the world, since forever. We need to call it what it is: Greed and avarice. Being white, or being a greedy whitey has a certain style, no doubt about it. Most of us can spot it. But whites don’t have a singular claim to greed with all other peoples just honest babes in the world. As most of you know, when a culture tries to appease and assimilate into white greed, things get really complicated, take a look at what it did to Indian culture, for an example. I saw evidence of that at the supermarket yesterday, and how many steps removed from the original event is that?! Yesterday too, I received a flyer from a company that was using aboriginal patterns and they’d included a long spiel about how it was ok, because the artists were being paid. No one comes out clean once they “dance with the devil” and unravelling it becomes impossible.
Something went badly wrong in white culture around the time the Saxons (not to imply blame) went on a rampage across their corner of the globe. But there are records, romanticised or not by time, of what was before then. What is ol’ whitey’s excuse for not appealing to the source values of his culture?
There is no more wrong with ‘whitey’ culture than there is with pretty much every other culture.
Your descriptions give your bias away
Nicky Hager has just told Wallace Chapman that his email source has refused him permission to release the original emails (Hager says he handed them back to the source so he could not be injuncted) because he (the source) is probably going to release them.
Hager has asked him not to release the personal stuff, but who knows what will be released?
This is dynamite-fun and games ahead.
Meanwhile Hager says he does not believe Key when he says he didn’t know what Ede was up to. (Duh!). It is the Key-Ede link that will destroy Key-this is what the media should be concentrating on, as Patrick Gower is doing in the Herald today. Funny how Ede has gone to ground.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11310029
Gower is concentrating on the Ede’Key connection, but only because he’d be an ass if he didn’t. Hence the sprinkling throughout his article of some Key-esque bullshit.
From Gower’s article
“And so far this campaign there’s been all sorts of tricks to get to Key – ”
“F-John Key” chants
At an IMP event, probably orchestrated to some extent.
anti-Semitic graffiti
afaik there is zilch evidence tying this to the left.
the clever blues song Planet Key
A song written by an independent musician who afaik has no ties to any political party.
and even a burning effigy.
done by a small group of people who also have no affiliation to any political party.
None of those really worked and, as usual, Key has charged on through.
Probably because none of them were designed to hurt the Key brand in beltway terms. They all had different agenda that are probably illegible to many in the beltway.
There’s a lot of faux outrage from the Labour Party about dirty politics. Let’s face it, if five years of Labour’s emails were leaked there’d be a similar book.
Really? give us some examples then Paddy so we can make a valid comparison.
Agreed Weka-Labour needs to counter the Nats argument that “we are bad but they are just as bad”.
(Perhaps I should make it clear that I didn’t mean to imply that I supported the contents of the Gower article.)
Thanks BG, yes I didn’t think you were supporting Gower’s article, I just got a bit carried away with his bullshit. I agree that Hager’s statement about the emails is very interesting.
Interesting some of the quotes in this interview with key just before Hagar’s book was released
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10392394/In-the-swing-of-things
So Ministers might feed things eh – what did you really know key-with-the-faulty-memory – it will come out.
Don’t laugh. A bit earlier in the piece he explained…
Personally I hope the revelations of how filthy key and the rest of them are destroy the political life of him and he has to scuttle off right quickly.
Nicky Hager said the same things first to Susan Wood on Q&A this morning .. worth a look but
footage not online at TVNZ yet but this written summary is:
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/hager-can-t-reveal-original-material-kim-dotcom-not-source-6058922
My what a fascinating week. Shonkey always admired Muldoon and it seems perhaps he’s gone straight to the piggyplaybook in his use of the sis.
Unlike back then we have some new voices and this material from hager which didn’t exist back when Moyle was the target.
Liking the Labour campaign message, keep on that and the costed policies whilst others can examine this gov’t and their corrupt behaviour. Time for the NACT to reap what they’ve sown.
A rerun of the hollowmen is required before 20/9/14.
Why getting rid of sub editors is a bad idea No94: The New Zealand Herald.
An insider told The Sun newspaper: “You would be mad to try to get on a plane if you had a child abuse inquiry hanging over you.”
However, people who have been questioned under caution by police can apply to the US Embassy for special consideration for a visa and will be assed on an individual basis.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11310110
Wallace Chapman really comprehensive and good this morning on Radio NZ ‘Sunday Morning’ on issues related to Nicky Hager’s book ‘Dirty Politics’
….and a very good interview with Nicky Hager himself ( this latter yet to be available on audio)
… also an interview with an academic on the issues surrounding the legality /morality of journalists using hacked emails
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145962/chris-bramwell-explores-dirty-campaign-claims
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145963/marian-hobbs-blames-bloggers-for-new-level-of-nastiness
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145974/dirty-politics-an-ethical-minefield
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/20145971/mediawatch-for-17-august-2014
My comment: Wallace Chapman is a very worthy successor to Chris Laidlaw …I am very pleasantly surprised
Nicky Hager Interview with Wallace Chapman on Radio NZ “Sunday Morning’
…well worth a listen for Hager’s reasons and ethics behind the book ‘Dirty Politics’ based on hacked emails…
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/sunday/audio/20145975/nicky-hager-dirty-politics
Kim Dotcom has analysed Whale Oil’s traffic and has concluded most of it is bot-generated, with only 30 percent coming from NZ. He posts a graphic of his findings in this tweet https://twitter.com/KimDotcom/status/500719306947059713
Nice! Lynn has done some analysis too in the past (tried to find it recently but couldn’t), but it’s handy to have the graphs laid out like that.
I have been thinking quite a lot about ‘safe’ and former ‘safe’ Labour seats, and of National’s increasing popularity within these electorates. Especially Auckland Central.
Nikki Kaye won the Auckland Central electorate in 2011 by a mere 700 odd votes. A very small majority. Before 2008 the seat had been safely in Labour’s hands since 1919. Jacinda Ardern was popular enough that she should have been able to bring the seat back safely into Labour’s hands. But the Greens Denise Roche won 2,903 votes, effectively splitting the left vote, and allowing National to take the seat, despite overall having less votes than that of the left.
My question is since it seems this election will come down to the wire, wouldn’t it be prudent for Labour and the Greens to work together on this one, for the Greens to withdraw their candidate and throw their support behind Ardern. It would be a tough sell admittedly given Roche’s support in certain areas, but Roche will not win that seat, it’s just not going to happen. So why bother running? Isn’t it counter productive to do so?
Labour and Greens need to show unity in Auckland Central, every seat counts.
The same in Ohariu and Epsom KJSone
KJS One 11.14
“wouldn’t it be prudent for Labour and the Greens to work together”
Yes. But that can’t be done because Labour wants to test themselves before the NZ public for their own individual league rating, even if it could lose them the election. Great strategic thinking.
Labour always taking the ideologically pure line.
For a certain length of time they might be ideologically pure, until the ideology changes.
Ideological purity has nothing to do with the constraints limiting Labour’s approach. Rather it is a bad mix of internal political rigidities and strategic disconnects.
@C olonial viper 1.23
“bad mix of internal political rigidities and strategic disconnects.”
Sounds like a colonoposcy? is called for. Situation serious.
Not when it’s a fight between parties who will get over the 5 percent mark. Then it’s a case of maximising party vote. The Greens gained nearly 8000 party votes in Auckland Central in 2011, they would likely see a reduction those numbers if they didn’t have a campaign team there. Strategic voting centres on getting minor parties over the mark to bring in coat-tailers. On a national level, Auckland Central doesn’t really matter as both Kaye and Ardern are already both going to return to Parliament.
That said, there is some mana to holding an electorate seat and I would much rather see it with the left.
Pete an advantage of electorates is they have a lot more funding and electorate MPs
can get a higher voter turnout.
I’m not sure why not having an electorate candidate means they can’t have a campaign team there.
It could be done that way. However, having a strong candidate provides a convenient and powerful focal point for events, leadership and media/journalists during an electorate campaign.
National makes a big deal of their “list MP for [electorate]”, don’t see why the Green’s can’t do the same. Obviously sitting MPs should be used to their best advantage during the election campaign, so they can still focus electorate-level events on that MP, just on the day you can’t vote for them on the electorate ballot.
In fact, it would mean the sitting MP could comfortably campaign across several adjoining electorates.
The GP pioneered using list MPs in electorates.
The point is still that standing people in seats you won’t win still raises the party vote. ie it give the GP more MPs overall.
I guess it’s conceivable that having a Green MP on the electorate vote would increase party votes for Greens. I’m specifically talking about when someone gets into the polling booth and sees the voting ballot, here.
It does also make the campaign electioneering easier to just say “I’m your electorate candidate” rather than some other vague thing about vote for Green party but not me personally.
There is at least a strong effect in Rongotai (Russel Norman) and Dunedin North (Metiria Turei). In both those electorates the Greens scored well over 20% party vote.
Yes, but is that because their name is on the ballot, or because they’re personally campaigning there? They can do the latter without the former, allowing other left wing parties to win the electorates while hopefully still garnering the same party vote. Or perhaps even more, since as I suggested they could then campaign in other nearby electorates without looking like carpet baggers.
Without a candidate it’s a bit tricky to appear at candidates’ meetings and also a bit tricky to get covered by local media.
is that because their name is on the ballot, or because they’re personally campaigning there?
I think it’s a bit of both.
Partly it’s because their names are on the ballot with a Green logo beside them.
I understand some people think that people are more likely to Party vote Green, if they see a GP logo included beside the list of electorate candidates.
“I understand some people think that people are more likely to Party vote Green, if they see a GP logo included beside the list of electorate candidates.”
It legitimises the party. Silly, I know, but in lots of ways we all are 😉
“I’m not sure why not having an electorate candidate means they can’t have a campaign team there.”
Of course they can have a campaign team there, it’s just not as effective. The GP have a lot of experience with this.
KJS, the official GP line this election is to go for the party vote (the implication is for voters to vote tactically on the electorate vote if they want to). I think it’s fair to make the case for the GP to step back in an electorate where their absence increases the chances of a left wing govt. But as I understand it that is not the case in Auckland (Waitakere was similar). Where the issue is about who wins the electorate and becomes the MP for that area, I think the GP is right to campaign hard in the seat because it increases their party vote. You have to remember that Labour are not doing the GP any favours either. Note that the GP has not stood candidates in the two crucial Māori seats (TTT and Waiariki), but then there are other crucial seats where it has stood candidates so who knows what is intended. By crucial I mean where the outcome of that electorate could affect the left’s ability to form a govt.
I wouldn’t suggest Greens don’t campaign for party vote, but rather that they focus entirely on that, and do not run an electorate candidate.
It’s true that both Kaye and Ardern will be returning to parliament regardless, but if the seat goes to Labour that still means another list MP can come in, and above all, a moral victory in reclaiming a seat that was Labour for the greatest part of a century.
Perhaps Labour feels they can unseat Kaye without support from the Greens, especially since the Greens lost 4.6% of their previous electorate vote and -1.3% the previous time, so there seems to be trend, but is it worth the risk? Labour and the Greens will need to form a coalition to govern, perhaps this is a case where Labour can offer the Green something concrete.
Thank you Pete, Weka and trickledrown for your reponses, interesting reads.
Standing someone in an electorate seat IS campaigning for the party vote, that’s why they do it (partly anyway). You get a much bigger presence if you stand someone in the electorate than if you don’t. The GP are experienced in this and know what they are doing. It might not suit Labour, but like I said Labour aren’t doing them any favours either.
Myself, I would prefer to see more accommodations made, but we have this history now that includes NZF fucking with MMP early on so it’s a bit skewed, and then Labour fucking with the GP which forced the GP to harden up and go for exactly what they want without having to consider Labour.
No, that’s not how it works.
The total number of MPs depends on the party vote. Electorate MPs automatically get seats, and then the list MPs are used to “top-up” the allocation until they reach equivalence with their party vote.
So, say Labour got 30% of the vote, which entitles them to 36 MPs total. If 25 of those MPs are electorate MPs (and Jacinda lost the seat), they get another 11 list MPs, amongst them would be Jacinda due to her list ranking (so there are 10 ‘other’ list MPs). If Jacinda wins the electorate, they get 26 electorate MPs and their total number of MPs remains unchanged at 36, so they get 10 ‘other’ list MPs.
So the outcomes are identical. It is only when the party vote is equal or less than the number of electorate won, OR the person who wins the electorate seat is low down on the party list, where the winner of an electorate seat matters for the makeup of Parliament.
KJS
Not clear from your post but it looks like you are confused on mmp? If labour is entitled to (say)35 seats because of hte part vote, winning an electorate will in fact mean one less list MP, not one more. They would be entitled to 35 – whether they are list or electorate is irrelevant.
If you are confused about MP I think that is a great illustration of the problems with our version of MMP. You, who are obvoiusly keenly interested in politics, and partisan still dont understand how MMP works. What hope for the average punter?
“If you are confused about MP I think that is a great illustration of the problems with our version of MMP.”
What other “versions” of MMP are there? The whole point of MMP is that it has locally-elected representatives but that the Parliament is determined by the national party vote. That’s actually what “Mixed-Member Proportional” means.
well you know what I mean. I should have said PR instead of MMP.
I’d just like a simpler system. Maybe MMP with no thresholds and no coat tailing. I don’t like the inequity that its possible to create with the threshold and with electorate seats.
I think you’re being a little off colour there. It is evident from what has been said that yes, I was mistaken in thinking that winning an electorate seat would result in an additional MP, but I don’t think that means I am confused about MMP on the whole. I don’t think it was an unreasonable assumption for someone not familiar with the intricacies of MMP to think that you have a party vote which determines X number of list MPs and then electorate MP’s are tact on to the total.
Despairing at the ‘hopes’ of the average punter based upon on a simple mistake of one passionate young man is quite unwarranted.
I don’t think so. I think the majority of “punters out there in punter-land” (to quote Don Brash) don’t really understand how MMP works, including the ones that think they do. Many probably understand the broad strokes, but like yourself, get hung-up on the details.
Thankfully the system rather protects against this, in the fact that generally it’s only the party vote that matters. Once they abolish the coat-tailing rule and drop the threshold, it’ll matter even less what the average voter understands, or doesn’t, about how the system actually works.
Akld Central is super critical due to boundary changes that shifted large blocks of Ardern’s support.
Kiaora,
Rather unusual for Stuff online but there is this piece of satire written under the heading John Key’s Diary. The only mention, I might add, of Nicky Hager’s book on the site.
I would try to post a link but am posting this from my phone and am already crosseyed with the effort and besides I am in the middle of a bush about to go for a walk.
It’s not “unusual” at all.
Steve Braunias has been doing this series of ‘secret diaries’ every week for months, about a figure in the news that week, usually politicians. He’s done ones for Cunliffe, Colin Craig, Jamie Whyte and McCully, amongst others, all of which I’ve read on stuff.
Here’s the one on Whyte, which is very much worth a read: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/10338356/The-secret-diary-of-Jamie-Whyte
“The only mention, I Might add, of Nicky Hager’s book on the site.”
Not at all, you clearly haven’t looked very hard: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10391846/Blogging-money-and-blurred-lines
They’re usually pretty good too.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10392141/The-secret-diary-of-John-Key
Kiaora Lanthanide
I always do appreciate your anal retentive replies even when directed my way. Perhaps because I am not so retentive that I did miss reading link 435 on page 7689.
Now, don’t disappoint me by not linking to every Hager item on the front page.
More importantly, why didn’t you mention these dairies before, as obviously, they’re a good read.
I look forward to the link which says that you did.
I am sitting on a log in the middle of nowhere thinking; I am hungry, where’s the nearest shop.
Don’t make sweeping claims about “the only story on the site” if you haven’t actually spent the time to check that. The story I linked to, at the time of writing this, is 4th in the politics section on the home page. Earlier in the day it was the 2nd or 3rd story. Hardly “page 7689” or “link 435”.
Because I actually have found most of them to not be very funny. The John Key one is ok. I particularly like the Whyte one, which is why I linked to it now.
I don’t think I’m under any obligation to post every link I find interesting on stuff.co.nz to this blog; in fact I think people would be rather irritated if I did. I’m not really under any obligation to post anything on this site.
Kiaora Lanthanide
Here I am thinking that you are about informing the greater left about other opinions, but apparently not, your particular viewpoint counts more. If I find something particularly interesting to this forum, I would share it. We call it tatau tatau, an expression of togetherness.
But you are absolutely right – you don’t have to share a thing.
Stuff is usually presented by the general left as corporately driven. Its articles lean to the right and conversely the left is in the cold. That occasionally some article bears fruit in otherwise infertile dirt should be enjoyed and not choked on.
Now have the last word as I am about to have a coffee and cake.
someone’s obviously never in need of laxatives
Kiaora once was Tim
Are you recommending a course of treatment? And, to whom? And for what reason?
Actually the point behind my reply to you was rather an admonishment against hyperbole, than anything else. It irritates me.
But I have also discovered, reading several other blogs over the last few days due to Dirty Politics (generally TS is all I read), that a lot of people actively avoid Whaleoil or The Standard because they consider both sites to be full of crazy partisan loons. Personally I don’t think The Standard is full of crazy loons (there are of course, some), but hyperbolic comments such as yours (regardless of their merit, or the intent behind them) doesn’t help the perception that people here are crazy. So I like to point it out to their authors where I can. I wish no ill-will whatsoever.
Kiaora Lanthanide
Instead of saying “site” I should have said “front page” because I was looking for anything on Stuff to suggest they were giving oxygen to Hager’s book. At the time I could see nothing on the front page to say otherwise. I am not a great fan of stuff but did click onto the diary thing out of curiosity.
I am sorry for over-reacting.
I confess I don’t watch the broadcast media much but it puzzles me that apart from the bit about hacking Labour’s website we don’t seem to have seen anyone looking to Nact party presidents etc for comment. After all they now employ Jason Ede don’t they?
Are we alse seeing more women interviewers because they are unlikely to frequent the gentlemen’s club?
The Nat Party President is well tainted, do a bit of looking, restraining oders etc.
I always rather though that that was the case ‘a tainted president’ yet they continue to hang onto him. Pity the public right to know takes a back seat.
However, you would have though there would be some party spokesperson fronting up even if it was only to claim the moral high ground “It came from us”.
Does anyone still care about GMO’s in our food supply? They are still around and I’m guessing more so if we sign the TPPA.
http://farmwars.info/?p=13246#more-13246
i prefer this view on GMO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ecT2CaL7NA
The lack of Right Wing Spin Bullies on this site today is is very peculiar given their indefensible circumstances !
I believe they are regrouping for a new strategy being worked out over the weekend ready for another onslaught tomorrow !
Berend de Boer Joyce Key and Hooton will be burning the Midnight Oil to work out a strategy to shift the blame of their corruption!
Indeed – Infused/Puckish/Jamie Lee Hooten et all have extended morning prayers and are busy learning their lines – they’ve got to get it right – loading bullshit on bullshit doesn’t seem to be working too well. There’s “From the Right ….. and From the Right ….” on NinetoNoon tomorrow, as well as those in-depth, incisive breakfast TV ‘spots’
Slater has been cut adrift he will be the fall guy as he is to toxic to be trusted
“While Slater was having his photo taken for this article, a text arrived – from Justice Minister Judith Collins. He wouldn’t reveal its content, but exclaimed that it was 4am in New Zealand and wondered out loud what she was doing up.”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10391846/Blogging-money-and-blurred-lines
I guess Judith is an early bird.
OR Slater could have just been big noting.
Who would know.
Who pays the piper on stuff News had a big dig at Big donors extracting favours from National !
Dongwha Liu”s connections to John Key and Judith Collins connections both with Orivda !
The Electoral commission should be looking at the$6.3 million in secret donations to New Zealand.
The Stuff article calls it corruption and it should have no place in NewZealand!
can’t link on not so smartphone!
I see that slug is about to “reveal” who hacked his computer.
My guess is that he’ll pin it on KDC or someone close to him.
The whale is beached and and flailing around looking for water somewhere near the dead sea!
As Rob pointed out Team Key continue to pour Oil on a fire to try and calm thongs down showing how desperate they are!
So if Slater gets who has hacked him wrong the flames will turn into an inferno!
Steve Braunias’s Satire is pure gold on Merrill Lynch Bangster John Key.
The smiling assassin feeding a sack of raw meat to Slippery Slater Crusher Collins in the sewer that runs under parliament while the smiling assassin becomes the laughing assassin!
I Can(sarc)see why John(sarc)Key doesn’t any Tiolets on Plant Key, So he can climb out of the sewer he has been wallowing in with whale oil!
From blubber boy’s orifice
Yeah right.
TED Talk: Why ordinary people need to understand power
My vote compass result was Green
http://tvnz.co.nz/votecompass
Funnythat
NZ quote for the history from the Prime Minister:
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask whoever is responsible for that. But it’s not me”
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10392956/Jason-Ede-still-has-Beehive-access
This stuck out too:
Eh?
See I would’ve thought that with all the events of the last week, with all of the questions about Ede and his ties to the PM, and all the potential his actions have to damage the PM, Keys would’ve had someone find out everything there is to know about exactly what Ede is is up to right now and made sure he wasn’t doing anything that might be a bad look for Keys and National.
But hey, what do I know about image-driven control freaks?
I wonder if when Ede moved from the PM’s office to the National Party he sought and received a reference from his boss?
I’m not sure when Ede became a National Party employee but I presume they hired him because of the skills he demonstrated while working in the PM’s office.
After all, it’s election year and those particular skills may have been thought to be very useful to ‘bolster’ an election campaign?
It beggars belief that John Key * says * he doesn’t know.
Amounts of cash on left by staff on desks around the office had not been taken either.
http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11310180
Are the oravida offices a honey trap?
I am saddened by the love fest arising from the posting by a police informant and especially one who is quite probably a sex criminal as well. Anyone worth listening to knows how careful and thorough Nicky Hager is. He doesn’t need a reference from someone who made a living off lies and betrayal.
Agreed.
Agree 100%.
Totally unnecessary and in poor taste.
I agree. Some have gone over the top… but lets be clear that just because others – including me – were willing to give him credit for submitting the post here (and I have no knowledge of sexual criminality) it hardly constituted a “love fest”.
I agree too.
“Anyone worth listening to knows how careful and thorough Nicky Hager is.”
That is it in a nutshell.
TV3 News ! 🙂
Yep good stuff Karol. Nats 47.5 Lab 29.0 Gr 13.0 IMP 2.0 NZF 4.6. GAME ON!
Did you notice how happy and PM-like Cunliffe looked and how panicky Key looked?
What a load of rubbish that IPSOS poll is.
One News, slightly different – margin of error stuff.
What were the numbers on TV1?
Labour, Greens & Nats down slightly.
Nats about 50%
Labour 26%
Greens about
13%?11% – they translated it to 13 seats in the HouseIMP big winners – up to 4%
NZF below 5%
Awesome to see IMP moving up. This election is shaping up to be legendary.
Down .5% to 2%. That’s legendary sh!t right there mars.
And poll taken before The Book apparently. Looking good.
Same poll by TV3 in the 2011 (vs. the one tonight )was:
National 57.4 (47.5)
Act 1.6 (0.3)
MP 0.8 (0.8)
UF 0 (0.2)
Right 59.8 (48.8)
NZ First 1.9 (4.6)
Labour 26.6 (29)
Greens 9.8 (13)
Mana 0 (2)
Left 36.4 (44)
Gap between right and left in 2011 was 23.4, now it’s 4.6 – wow, says it all!
Given TV3 was the second most accurate (Roy Morgan most accurate) in 2011 election, it is getting very very close!!!
Very nice comparison Leroy.
Now a good Roy Morgan (which is imminent) would put the icing on the cake.
– Andrea Vance
Nice opening from Andrea Vance. There’s hope for pressure journalism in this country yet.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10392956/Jason-Ede-still-has-Beehive-access
Cunliffe said on Radiolive (during an extraordinary speech about ‘the book’) that he had a staffer attempt ringing Ede & it went thru the parliamentary switchboard. So, still on the payroll it seems.
So are National using Charles Finny now that the usual suspects have been outed by Hager?
Left a post on Whaleoil decrying the death threats directed at Cameron and suggesting I would assist him in reporting these to the police….his moderators removed my post. Why? Why would Cameron not want to report these numerous threats he has been receiving?It’s very simple to track back and identify where online threats originate….but why on earth would he not be interested?
Probably because he realises that there is this thing called ‘karma’. And you cannot spend the last 6 months acting like a wannbe brownshirt without it coming back to bite you on the ass.
Feel sorry for the kids though, they never asked for Slater to be their father. If he was my dad, I would hang myself.
Victimizing himself!
his txt claims are laughable!
When the real person who handed Hager releases the real emails and himself all Slaters slipperyness will have him going to Alaska next For a lovin with Sarah Palin!
Have read the book
It is jawdropping
Another thing about it, that I haven’t seen talked about alot, is the jacking up of National Candidate selections for the electorates. And also the man called Simon Lusk.
Seriously, all Members of the National Party need to read this book. IF they had any delusions about their fine upstanding party of gentlemen and ladies, they might be in for a shock
Might be a bit of stuff going down within its hallowed walls methinks !!!!!
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/17/kim-dotcom-megaupload-new-zealand-interview
Comments are interesting
If the leadership doesn’t want to answer any of the questions raised by “Dirty Politics” and Slater, then perhaps the journalists should start picking off individual National MP’s for their opinions regarding the closeness of the likes of Slater, Ede and co to their beloved party.
I bet many of them are as appalled as Jo.Bloggs is over this. Saw one less than happy looking electorate MP striding for her plane to Wellington this evening. May have been that she had just seen the latest poll on tonight’s news but suspect she may also be feeling the affects of having to be connected with Slater and co.