The Standard Week: August 1-8
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11:45 am, August 8th, 2008 - 23 comments
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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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Kua hinga te manawa kairākau o Te Rua Tekau Ma Waru Tiwhatiwha te po! Kakarauru i te po! Ka rapuhia kei hea koe kua riro! Haere e te Ika a Whiro ki o tini hoa kua ngaro atu ki te Pō ...2 weeks ago
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Tēnā koutou katoa – it is a pleasure to be here today. I would like to begin by acknowledging the important leadership role you all play in ensuring a quality health system New Zealanders can trust. There is enormous clinical expertise in this room covering a wide range of disciplines. ...2 days ago
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Kia ora koutou katoa. Nau mai, haere mai, piki mai. Ki te mihi atu ahau, ki te manwhenua nei, Te Atiawa, Ngāti toa rangatira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. Thank you, Andy, for your introduction. Let me acknowledge you as the new Chief Executive of the Social Investment ...7 days ago
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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?
Also this week, the sprout came back! yay.
cheers pb
Good to have you back Sprout.
sprout. I think they were expecting it to be like this http://www.theparistraveler.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/paris-liberation.jpg
Not like this?
http://sp.uconn.edu/~wwwcoh/paris.jpg
🙂
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.
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
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?
meanwhile
A good positive week
How come you dont think that the fact that New Zealand is in a recession as significant?
Let’s have another National conference next week and see if their stories have changed!
Friday
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
Phil, good job on the brave face about the next polls.
Like a good economist, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is…
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.
“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!
PaA, are you the mystery ‘hip’ individual?
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.
This blog should be renamed “The Hollow Blog”. Where are the real issues for voters, like crime, the economy, etc?
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.
Swampy – read this
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?page_id=2#you_must
That will tell you what you need to do.