Search Results

  1. Searching for the right answer

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 1:31 pm, July 29th, 2008 -  9 comments
    Categories: national, slippery
    Tags: ,

    Hint: it ain’t chocolate.  

  2. Hunt for the real John Key proves fruitless

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 9:40 am, July 28th, 2008 -  83 comments
    Categories: john key, slippery
    Tags:

    So, what have we learnt from the 18,000 words on John Key the Herald published with so much fanfare over the last two weekends? We’ve learnt that, even if you devote a good portion of three senior journalists’ time to study the matter for six months, it’s still bloody hard to get any clear idea […]

  3. Chasing Peters, it’s easier than examining policy

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 10:22 am, July 22nd, 2008 -  97 comments
    Categories: election funding, nz first
    Tags:

    For my part, I don’t see the big deal in all this Peters donation stuff. Transparency in election funding is important (and it’s something that National and ACT have constantly opposed) but there is no evidence of Peters has been purposely secretive. A legal defence fund set up for a court case involving Peters received […]

  4. So what is a subprime then?

    Written By:  Dancer -  Date published: 10:26 pm, July 19th, 2008 -  23 comments
    Categories: humour, International
    Tags:

    The phrase “subprime” seems to have become part of our universal vocabulary – reflecting global uncertainty, events beyond our control, and financial complexities. A subject of great importance and seriousness – until I saw this clip from Bird and Fortune…perfect Sunday viewing.

  5. The same dream

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 11:17 am, July 16th, 2008 -  5 comments
    Categories: greens, labour, progressives, youtube
    Tags:

    Some people don’t seem to understand that being of the Left does not mean being soley allied to Labour or the Greens or the Progressives. It means fundamentally holding beliefs that are fundamentally also held by Labour, the Greens, and the Progressives, a common thread of principles that binds the Left. 08wire.org explains with the […]

  6. Growing opposition to Immigration Bill

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 12:07 pm, July 14th, 2008 -  13 comments
    Categories: activism, im/migration, youtube
    Tags:

    Nick Butcher has produced this excellent video opposing the Immigration Bill (which we blogged about last week and is covered in more detail here). There’s also a website and an ipetition. This really is an appalling Bill and I take my hat off to Nick and co for having the initiative to organise public opposition […]

  7. Key refuses to answer your questions

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 6:34 am, July 11th, 2008 -  41 comments
    Categories: interview, john key
    Tags:

    You’ll remember our ‘interview the leaders‘ series. John Key has been the only leader missing, we’ve given his office plenty of extensions on the deadline – enough, as they say, is enough. So, if any journalists would like to ask Key these questions from our readers, that would be much appreciated: General question: Of which […]

  8. David Slack at Drinking Liberally Auckland

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 11:30 am, July 9th, 2008 -  13 comments
    Categories: activism, drinking liberally
    Tags: , ,

    (Via: greylynnsinglesclub)

  9. Chief Press Sec O’Sullivan leaves Key questions open

    Written By:  Sam Cash -  Date published: 8:54 am, July 9th, 2008 -  44 comments
    Categories: john key, Media
    Tags:

    Today’s Herald sees Fran O’Sullivan making another valiant effort to dig her hero, John Key, out of the hole he’s in over his non-disclosure of Tranz Rail shares while asking written parliamentary questions in 2002. Unwittingly, her contribution raises more questions. Fran writes that Key’s written questions to Cullen were based on information which was […]

  10. Havoc interviews Hager

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 5:44 pm, July 7th, 2008 -  15 comments
    Categories: election 2008
    Tags: , , , ,

    Hager confirms that his info comes from a leak from within the National Party, not as the Nats would have you believe, a devious external computer hacker intent on exposing them.

  11. Havoc interviews Key on Crosby/Textor

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 1:51 pm, July 7th, 2008 -  37 comments
    Categories: john key, slippery
    Tags: , ,

    Here’s some great audio of Key running Crosby/Textor lines to avoid answering Havoc’s questions. Around the half way point my personal favourite C/T line even makes an appearance: “I intend to run a positive upbeat ambitious campaign; I think it reflects my personality”. As Havoc observes “[John] you’ve spent the last nine months gaining New […]

  12. Democracy under attack

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 3:02 pm, July 6th, 2008 -  27 comments
    Categories: election 2008, same old national, spin
    Tags: , , ,

    Ruth Laugesen’s got a piece in the SST today entitled “How National’s spin doctors operate“. She points out that Crosby/Textor’s methods, contrary to the opinion of many other journalists here, do differ from what are considered standard focus group and polling methodologies. Auckland University political studies senior lecturer Jennifer Lees-Marshment suggests that C/T are different […]

  13. Video: The Century of the Self

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 7:25 am, July 6th, 2008 -  13 comments
    Categories: International, interweb
    Tags:

    Hager’s Crosby/Textor revelations and the ensuing debate reminded me of this four party BBC documentary by Adam Curtis: The Century of the Self. Embedded below is part four entitled “Eight people sipping wine in Kettering”: To many in both politics and business, the triumph of the self is the ultimate expression of democracy, where power has […]

  14. The making of some (commercial) magic

    Written By:  Dancer -  Date published: 8:36 pm, July 5th, 2008 -  Comments Off on The making of some (commercial) magic
    Categories: International, youtube
    Tags:

    As usual we’ve been running the hot political stories this week but I, for one, need a breather. And what better way to relax than to watch people create an amazing scene of fluffy white stuff floating around? It’s not the snow and wintry weather that’s covering the country. This is the Making of Foam […]

  15. One door closes, another opens

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 9:48 am, July 3rd, 2008 -  8 comments
    Categories: blogs, election 2008
    Tags: , ,

    A shame to hear that our mates at blogblog have called it quits for now but a delight to see that our friends from keepleftnz.org – active at the last election – are kicking off “the smartest political fun in the galaxy” on July 7: 08Wire.org

  16. Crosby Textor spin the use of Crosby Textor

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 1:52 pm, July 1st, 2008 -  33 comments
    Categories: john key, spin
    Tags: , ,

    I wish some journo would ask Key whether Crosby/Textor helped him with lines on how to handle questions about his using them – they must have a standard set they give their clients. Would Key really have thought of this one himself: John Key says the vast bulk of advice he takes is from the […]

  17. Same old National. Same old spin.

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 10:46 am, July 1st, 2008 -  39 comments
    Categories: same old national, spin
    Tags: , ,

    Former National Party MP Marilyn Waring wrote in the introduction to The Hollow Men: I must admit to a sense of anticipated despair about the treatment [the book] might receive… The focus may be on looking for and condemning the leakers as opposed to scrutinising an appallingly mendacious political campaign. This has been precisely the […]

  18. John does a Don

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 2:23 pm, June 30th, 2008 -  76 comments
    Categories: john key, same old national, slippery
    Tags: ,

    Remember Noelle McCarthy’s 95bFM interview with Brash in which she got him to admit to knowledge of the Brethren pamphlets? Student radio has done it again. Hager’s weekend article in the Sunday Star Times detailed an ongoing advisory relationship between the National Party and political consultants Crosby Textor. But RDU’s Kate Gorgeous asked John Key back in November 2007, “Have you got […]

  19. Same thing?

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 2:47 pm, June 26th, 2008 -  42 comments
    Categories: history, john key
    Tags: ,

    In an attempt to cover for John Key’s ignorance of New Zealand history, National’s Gerry Brownlee has pulled out a quote from Michael Cullen that he asserts says the same thing as the Key quote. You compare: Key: “We’re not a country that’s come about as a result of civil war or where there’s been […]

  20. Ministry advised against concurrent referendum/election

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 11:15 am, June 26th, 2008 -  44 comments
    Categories: child discipline, election 2008, slippery
    Tags:

    In line with Ministry of Justice advice, the Government has decided not to hold the child discipline referendum at the same time as the election. You can read the entire advice document here: Holding a referendum at the same time as the general election is not recommended because  “From 1999, we know that voters would […]

  21. Old man’s law

    Written By:  Tane -  Date published: 12:19 pm, June 20th, 2008 -  62 comments
    Categories: crime, greens, maori party
    Tags: , ,

    Frogblog has footage of Nandor Tanczos blasting the Government’s anti-tagging legislation and noting that “Judith Collins would be screaming about the nanny state if we tried to tell her that she had to keep her Chardonnay under lock and key.” Sounds like Hone Harawira was in fine form too: “Tagging is ugly and offensive and […]

  22. Petrol price hits parties in the polls

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 7:16 am, June 17th, 2008 -  120 comments
    Categories: economy, labour, polls
    Tags: ,

    A reader sent us this graph. It plots President Bush’s approval rating and the price of petrol. (the price of petrol is upside-down, a fall in the price is a rise on the graph) As you can see, spikes in the price have been followed by a fall in Bush’s support and the reverse is […]

  23. Key’s slippery promises on waste

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 3:27 pm, June 14th, 2008 -  50 comments
    Categories: john key, national, slippery, tax
    Tags:

    National has staked it all on delivering bigger tax cuts than Labour. To remain credible, they need to deliver $20 a week on average more than Labour. That’s $3 billion a year. The operating surplus is gone, so where will the money come from? John Key has been repeatedly referencing the fact that the government […]

  24. Political monogamy

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 1:42 pm, June 13th, 2008 -  43 comments
    Categories: activism, International
    Tags: , , ,

    Thought this might make a good followup to Steve/Trotter’s comments in the post below. It’s from the group TruthThroughAction.org – a group of independent filmmakers who create content in support of Democratic causes.  It may also serve as a timely warning to any women planning on attending the next of John Key’s young professional networking […]

  25. Behind the secrecy

    Written By:  Tane -  Date published: 2:06 pm, June 12th, 2008 -  8 comments
    Categories: same old national
    Tags: , , ,

    Reading a_y_b’s piece on National’s policy talks with the Real Estate Institute I’ve got to say it struck me as having shades not so much of the Brethren fiasco as the leaked Insurance Council memo from the last election. According to a letter given to Labour’s Clayton Cosgrove by a member of REINZ, the real […]

  26. Many liberals, many drinks at Drinking Liberally

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 12:49 pm, June 5th, 2008 -  9 comments
    Categories: activism
    Tags: ,

    Drinking Liberally last night was another raging success. The crowd was about 80, lots of new faces and good fun had by all. Given an open brief, Michael Cullen went back to his roots. He talked about social democracy and what it stands for; what that meant growing up in a working class family and […]

  27. Regrets? I’ve had a few

    Written By:  Eddie -  Date published: 11:57 am, June 3rd, 2008 -  24 comments
    Categories: same old national
    Tags:

    Is Don Brash trying to help or hinder John Key? A revealing couple of articles (a news story and a feature) in the Sunday Star Times in which the former leader – full of self pity and self loathing in equal measures by the sound of it – says his two biggest regrets were supporting […]

  28. On the perils of polls

    Written By:  Steve Pierson -  Date published: 11:28 am, May 30th, 2008 -  43 comments
    Categories: Media, polls
    Tags:

    We’re used to hearing that a poll has a margin of error but what does it mean? A margin of error of 3% doesn’t mean the poll’s numbers are definitely within 3% of the ‘real’ numbers, it means there is a 95% chance they are within 3% of those numbers; that is, one in 20 […]

  29. National’s campaign to muzzle union continues

    Written By:  IrishBill -  Date published: 4:14 pm, May 21st, 2008 -  139 comments
    Categories: dpf, election funding, same old national
    Tags: , , ,

    It seems National has succeeded in the first step of its campaign to muzzle the EPMU and the fifty thousand workers it represents. Over at the bog our mate Davey is crowing about the high court win that recognises the union as a legal person for the purposes of the act. This still means that […]

  30. The day there was no news

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 10:25 pm, May 19th, 2008 -  5 comments
    Categories: interweb
    Tags: , ,

  31. Key lacks leadership on climate change

    Written By:  all_your_base -  Date published: 5:02 pm, May 19th, 2008 -  26 comments
    Categories: climate change, john key, slippery
    Tags: , ,

    National has pulled its support for the emissions trading scheme which is intended to set limits on the emission of greenhouse gases and penalise polluters. This is the latest in a long line of Key’s shifting positions on climate change. First climate change was a “complete and utter hoax”. Then as the environmental mood gained momentum […]

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