The Standard Week: August 1-8

Written By: - Date published: 11:45 am, August 8th, 2008 - 23 comments
Categories: standard week - Tags:

What a week. National has been in meltdown over the secret recordings. Bill English’s incredible initial reaction seemed like the launch of a coup – he repeatedly refused to voice confidence in Key and his basic understanding of working for families. But something obviously happened on Tuesday morning, perhaps the numbers were run and English came up short, because English appeared before media, under Key’s gaze, to say he used ‘loose language’, a laughable excuse – how can voicing an agenda directly contradictory to public policy be ‘loose language’?

Just as National thought they had the situation closed down, recordings of Lockwood and Nick Smith also talking about a secret agenda and the use of Crosby/Textor were released. Now, we know this was no one-off. If a single recorder at a single National function caught three senior Nats confirming a secret agenda it must be just a drop in the ocean. In desperation, National tried to turn attention to the source of the recordings, as if it matters. They even resorted to an obviously staged photo of rubbish outside Key’s electorate office that had supposedly been rummaged through – if that’s the best Crosby/Textor can come up with, our taxpayer funds really are being wasted on them. Here are our favourite posts of the week:

Meltdown
…the Key-English leadership team can no longer credibly survive. The only questions are: which of them is going to go? And how quickly?…[more]

English calls for own resignation
National Party deputy leader Bill English said Mr Williams should resign or be sacked. ‘Mike Williams has been caught red-handed saying one thing behind closed doors and another thing to the public,’ [more]

Rubbish
…what kind of chumps does Key take us for? Any fool knows paperwork would be recycled and any sensitive documents would go through the shredder..[more]

Cui bono?
… when we ask ‘cui bono – for whose good?’ regarding National’s borrowing plan, it’s clear that it’s not the people of New Zealand, it’s National’s mates – the money men… [more]

A quick Brethern reference
…departing Tauranga MP Bob Clarkson’s thank-you to the Exclusive Brethren during his departing remarks to delegates. There was some shocked silence and a few laughs but the look on president Judy Kirk’s face was priceless…[more]

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23 comments on “The Standard Week: August 1-8 ”

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  1. the sprout 1
    8 August 2008 at 11:50 am

    i know it’s not the be-all and end-all of fitness to govern, but this has really proved how hopeless National are at returning a serve.

    i wonder if this is what National were expecting the week after their successful conference was going to look like?

  2. Pascal's bookie 2
    8 August 2008 at 11:56 am

    Also this week, the sprout came back! yay.

  3. the sprout 3
    8 August 2008 at 11:59 am

    cheers pb

  4. Tane 4
    8 August 2008 at 12:00 pm

    Good to have you back Sprout.

  7. the sprout 7
    8 August 2008 at 12:16 pm

    thanks t.
    yeah totally that’s what they were expecting sp, which is why they didn’t notice the snipers on top of the Arc d’Triomphe.
    the message for National’s opponents is fight hard to grab hold of the agenda and run with it, because Nats are knackered when it comes to fighting issues that aren’t of their own manufacture.

  8. Steve Pierson 8
    8 August 2008 at 12:45 pm

    sprout. I’m not sure if that’s the cleverest reference ever or just coincidence – there really was a sniper on the Champ Elysees during the parade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_of_Paris

  9. Phil 9
    8 August 2008 at 1:36 pm

    I’m pelased to see that you think the left is still in with a fighting chance, sprout. When the next poll’s come out in about a months time (first to show post-conference movements?) and they show Nationals lead holdiong strong, how will you feel then?

  11. rjs131 11
    8 August 2008 at 2:13 pm

    A good positive week

    How come you dont think that the fact that New Zealand is in a recession as significant?

  12. jaymam 12
    8 August 2008 at 2:14 pm

    Let’s have another National conference next week and see if their stories have changed!

  13. outofbed 13
    8 August 2008 at 2:15 pm

    Friday

  14. outofbed 14
    8 August 2008 at 2:26 pm

    Anyone know why centre bet is not taking bets for the 2008 election ?
    I was just going to put some dosh on Helen
    http://centrebet.com/cust?action=GoSports&ev_type_id=1576

  15. the sprout 15
    8 August 2008 at 2:37 pm

    Phil, good job on the brave face about the next polls.

  16. Phil 16
    8 August 2008 at 3:06 pm

    Like a good economist, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is…

  17. positive and ambitious 17
    8 August 2008 at 4:48 pm

    I’m an (ex)economist too, and I have my money (at pretty good looking odds I must say) on the Nats failing once again. Perfect information and all that.

  18. CMR 18
    8 August 2008 at 5:56 pm

    “National in meltdown.” If this is meltdown the Clark filth are approaching rigor mortis! The possibility of Clark credibly surviving has been zero all of 2008. The only constituents who fail to perceive this are her clutch of weirdo MPs and her taxpayer funded supporters in this forum!

  19. Phil 19
    8 August 2008 at 6:00 pm

    PaA, are you the mystery ‘hip’ individual?

  20. Razorlight 20
    8 August 2008 at 10:23 pm

    Meltdown? Oh Please. There has not been a week go by that you have not thought the worm is turning and it is all downhill for National from that point.

    I think the week has ended with National on the front foot. It started badly with some very embarrassing recordings but by weeks end the story was about Key coming out punching complaining about Labour dirty tactics. The story has evolved into Journalist ethics and whether Labour was involved. The actual contents of the recording was left behind on about Tuesday.

  21. Swampy 21
    10 August 2008 at 8:12 pm

    This blog should be renamed “The Hollow Blog”. Where are the real issues for voters, like crime, the economy, etc?

  22. r0b 22
    10 August 2008 at 9:40 pm

    Where are the real issues for voters, like crime, the economy, etc?

    Here: http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?tag=crime
    and here: http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?tag=economy
    But don’t expect me to always be doing your homework for you.

  23. lprent 23
    10 August 2008 at 11:03 pm

    Swampy – read this

    http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?page_id=2#you_must

    That will tell you what you need to do.

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