Polity: The Internet Party is born… temporarily

14 comments on “Polity: The Internet Party is born… temporarily ”

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1. Tracey 1

   27 March 2014 at 11:57 am

   This is kind of reminding me of the America’s Cup.

   Two billionaires (and NZ) pitting their monstrous insatiable egoes against each other….

   Key and Banks pissed off DotCom so he is going to stay in their faces…

   Sometimes it feels like we are all being punished…
   • lprent 1.1

     27 March 2014 at 12:09 pm

     Like Rob, it does seem to me that the Internet party is politically a minor distraction.

     But what I’m puzzled about is how intense the PR campaign has been against dotcom and the internet party. Over the last weeks we’ve seen some pretty concerted and persistent attempts to smear and nobble it. But I’m wondering a bit.

     It doesn’t matter to me particularly if it has been TV3 being fed material for the ratings or Cameron Slater being given drip fed his lines. The sheer scale and obviousness of the attack seems to me to be kind of counter productive in the demographic that the IP appears to be targeting.

     They’re the uninterested and usually disassociated internet generations. They know instinctively what marketing campaigns on social and mainstream media look like. That is why they never believe them. This looks like an ideal kind of campaign to designed to attract them to an underdog – especially this latest one on some collectible from 50 years before they were born.

     Makes me wonder who is feeding this bumfff to the unsophisticated fools at TV3 and the even more credulous blogs. What looks like a deliberate smear campaign against an underdog party when they’re opening membership… It may be an ideal marketing campaign for their disenfranchised audience.

     Either way, it looks to me that one side or another is spending a lot of money on PR
     • karol 1.1.1

       27 March 2014 at 12:14 pm

       Agreed, Lynn. And I made a similar kind of comment under micky’s post, about the smear against Dotcom being likely to have the opposite impact as intended on the demographic that the IntP is targeting.
       • lprent 1.1.1.1

         27 March 2014 at 12:21 pm

         Saw that and 😈 just responded to it…
         • karol 1.1.1.1.1

           27 March 2014 at 5:41 pm

           heh.

           I must say, though I’m no fan of Dotcom or his party, the main policy outline has some good elements – and it will definitely appeal to those that are IT savvy, but not necessarily very political.

           Stuff -.

           As part of the Internet Party’s launch it released its key policies, which included pledging to cut internet connectivity costs by 50 per cent, creating a government-sponsored digital currency and stopping “mass surveillance” of New Zealanders by the Government.

           The Internet Party also planned to get better internet connectivity and digital tools in schools.

           Labour’s leaked ICT policy also included a plan to give free computers to low-decile schools.

           The difference between the Internet Party’s policies and the policies of other political parties was the Internet Party had “the competence to make it happen”, he said.

           This is a pretty narrow election manifesto.

           Also, Dotcom’s direct way of calling out the National Party as the people behind the MK smear of him, will get him a fair bit of support from some voters – and also meets the Mana Party criteria of saying that the IntP will not support a National government.
           • Tracey 1.1.1.1.1.1

             27 March 2014 at 5:45 pm

             its understandable that the policies are narrow. its a party with a particular interest. in some ways thats a great thing cos you know what any party that formed a coalition with them would be asked to concede. it doesnt matter to me if tgey have an economic policy or welfare policy as long as they stick to their knitting.
     • Tracey 1.1.2

       27 March 2014 at 12:25 pm

       i suspect the answer is personal. banks doesnt want a criminal conviction and key thinks dotcom may have proof of his lies. egoes brother. big money men with bigger egoes.

       i cant work out what else they are scared of… perhaps dotcoms mobey could buy a couple of whistleblowers.

       the left just need to remind people only one person has been wined, dined, helicoptered, accomodated in hong kong and donated to by dotcom… JOHN BANKS
2. Tracey 2

   27 March 2014 at 12:26 pm

   IP plans to get internet to all nzers… this will require purchase of devices, much lower monthly fees…
3. George 3

   27 March 2014 at 1:10 pm

   Rob’s right. The right-wing billionaire party is a large balloon for a man with an ego. Let it pop.

   To others: It’s not a distraction. It’s a way to end the news cycles for a number of important stories involving 3 female ministers. That’s the way it plays.

   It’s also a useful tool to associate those who have visited the alleged Nazi-lover in the last several years. The only way to kill the association is to start up some pretty robust criticism – which is electorally sound in any case.
   • Tracey 3.1

     27 March 2014 at 5:48 pm

     the greens started off as a narrow issue focused party. not comparing anyone in greens to dotcom, in case anyone decides to draw that long bow.

     halving internet fees and more computers in low decile classrooms could fit with mana…

     perhaps he could announce wind and solar farms to power all his servers too?
     • karol 3.1.1

       27 March 2014 at 6:03 pm

       The Green Party NZ started off with the NZ Values Party, via the Alliance, to what it is today – not such a narrow focus initially as the Int Party.

       In May 1972 a meeting at Victoria University, Wellington, launched the Values Party, the world’s first national Green party.

       The party contested the 1972 general election, with radical new policies such as zero economic growth and zero population growth and promoted reform of laws covering abortion, drugs and homosexuality.

       These policies formed the world’s first Green election manifesto ‘Blueprint for New Zealand – An Alternative Future’.

       This was the outcome of a group of people with a strong commitment to politics and social/economic issues, working together towards a new kind of politics. nothing like KDC’s lurch into poltics.

       I recall the Values Party used the books The Greening if America, and Small is Beautiful – as kind of guides to their values and platforms.
       • Tracey 3.1.1.1

         27 March 2014 at 6:06 pm

         i guess i meant as much perception, as policies. i first voted them solely on their environmental stance not their economic policy and didnt see them as influencing that per se…

         i would at 10-15%
         • karol 3.1.1.1.1

           27 March 2014 at 6:27 pm

           I voted for the Values Party way back – didn’t really see them as Green so much, as wanting a different kind of politics and society: one where the kind of society aimed for is more important than putting the primary focus on (capitalist) “economics” as the 2 main parties did. I think, at that stage, I didn’t understand the difference between economics as a focus on “growth” and the alternative sustainable, steady state economics. I just didn’t like how Labour and the Nats focused on it.
4. Lanthanide 4

   27 March 2014 at 10:18 pm

   The internet party claim to have gotten support from a currently sitting electorate MP, but are refusing to name the party or the MP.

   Be funny if it were Banks.

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