Hard News: Dirty Politics
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mark taslov, in reply to
it’s the PM
Low-hanging fruit that.
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I noticed that when Key was giving his statement to the Nation concerning the resignation of one Judy Colons that he was devoid of necktie, a deshevelled demeanor was noticeable. One wonders whether the supposed hold that Colon had over the late PM was that she was the holder of the tie rack, an obscure medieval position held by powerful ladies of the night. We have all heard the Shakespearian voicings of the Scottish play in whit many have observed the wiccan trio which are heard to song ” Hubble Bubble tie and trouble” us making one wonder about the origins of Ms Colon’s hold over the Minister sub prime.
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Low-hanging fruit that.
No excuse, Some of the poorest most ignorant people I have met, begging even, can speak with eloquence and have empathy, to boot and deserve more respect. I have great conversations with homeless living in cars and campervans that know what our PM is like and express it's wrong they cant get a benefit without a postal address and don't vote. They are perfectly valid citizens of this country. They even care about the homeless in cars around them who are stuck with many mental issues. But , they know. They seem to be the only people who care about all the other displaced. I'm always close to tears. It's hard driving away cos I cant see properly. Yeah, Fuck John Key.
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FletcherB, in reply to
If you concentrate when Gower has the PM attention , when others try to ask questions there is evidence of intelligent questions in the struggle to be heard but the PM ignores them. We think they are negligent but they are there. So it’s a matter of pressing the likes of Gower who gets preference, all you twitter types.
Do you think Gower specifically gets the PM’s preferential treatment? Or perhaps, when offered three questions to answer, he chooses the least challenging one? I know I would….
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
Maybe,
but it doesn't matter. He's forceful and wins. That's fine if you are in the business surely. Point being, that man gets there and he does this twitter stuff so citizens need to start pushing if they want answers to specific questions. He has one advantage ,Polis call him Paddy, its an affible name. it rolls off the tongue, it sounds friendly. Makes him approachable before he suggests anything. -
And the whole sordid affair has also made the UK/AUS Spectator, courtesy of the Lower North Island's wowser-in-chief Karl du Fresne. It's not quite Poe's Law territory, but I'm mildly amused by the 'barbarians at the gate' vibe of the article.
Oh, and also Al-Jazeera.
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Paul Williams, in reply to
Dirty Politics has also made the Times of London, but the article’s paywalled. Ditto for this Crikey article by an expat NZer.
NZ politics is also on the ABC website..., great! I have long argued with Australian friends that NZ politics is clean... guess not so much anymore.
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Farrar puts a brave face on it:
While the last six months has been a torrid time for Judith, I do think people will recall she achieved a huge amount as a Minister for five and a half years as Police, Corrections, ACC and Justice Minister.
To paraphrase Terry Pratchett, less five years good behaviour than five years Not Found Out.
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izogi, in reply to
I have long argued with Australian friends that NZ politics is clean… guess not so much anymore.
Is it naive on my part to have an impression that NZ’s public service is actually pretty good, and it’s the political branch which is most susceptible to dodgy practices and conflicts of interest when handling accountability?
Apart from an election and (symbolically) the Queen, I’m still having difficulty seeing who the Prime Minister is actually accountable to, in a way that’s actually effective, when it comes to following the law and ensuring that it’s followed by himself and his minions.
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Ian Dalziel, in reply to
Spinner… undrama?
Polis call him Paddy
Paddy’s across the questions
Polis, straight bat, field his balls
Paddy licks the lectern while
Polis get grilled in the mallsthe media is the massage…
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simon g, in reply to
I’m still having difficulty seeing who the Prime Minister is actually accountable to, in a way that's actually effective
Cathy Odgers, apparently. She runs the left wing conspiracy now.
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Dismal Soyanz, in reply to
"When thieves fall out."
So if Odgers is Key's informant, it would appear that the email is an excuse to sack Collins. Such irony.
It seems like Odgers had to fall on her own sword and maybe she wanted to either help Key one last time or revenge for Collin's apparent denial of their relationship.
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Good morning class. What have we learned today?
1. That it was Odgers who supplied yesterday's email to Key
Knowing Fairfax was investigating the hacked emails, it is believed Odgers (known by the blog name Cactus Kate) went through her own emails and found some that could be seen as implicating Collins. This correspondence then found its way to a Beehive staffer on Friday
I think Russell Brown's @Publicaddress tweet sums up the motivation behind that release nicely.
So: mindful of the polls, they needed a pretext to dump Collins, but it couldn't come from Hager's book. So this email turned up. Amirite?
2. Poor Cam Slater is feeling hurt and intends to take action against Key.
Last night Slater revealed he would lay a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner over Prime Minister John Key releasing the email that led to Collins' resignation.
Yet more effort to distance Key from this sordid mess? Let's see if Slater actually follows through with this "threat".
Delicious as it may be, the spectacle of this nest of rats apparently eating their own provides yet more distraction and fails to deal with the bigger issue -- the rot within which has been perverting the National Party since 2008. According to 'Dirty Politics' Lusk has 13 (now 12) people within the National caucus and he's grooming the next generation of far right candidates.
I'd like to think that many in the National Party will be revolted at the power which C&M (Lusk, Slater, Graham, Williams, Odgers & Co) have attained by stealth -- power which has enabled them to pervert democracy, insert their own candidates and influence the direction of the Party.
There are bound to be honourable people within the National Party who are sickened by the revelations in the book.
It's time for those people to stand up and be counted.
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Russell Brown, in reply to
And the whole sordid affair has also made the UK/AUS Spectator, courtesy of the Lower North Island’s wowser-in-chief Karl du Fresne. It’s not quite Poe’s Law territory, but I’m mildly amused by the ‘barbarians at the gate’ vibe of the article.
Sigh. This:
... as demonstrated by a YouTube video showing Dotcom, looking like a cross between a gangsta rapper and the Führer at Nuremberg, inciting a youthful crowd chanting “F–k John Key” at a Christchurch rally. This is not politics as New Zealanders know it.
In reality, of course, Dotcom does not look remotely like either in the video. Du Fresne's a clown.
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Joe Wylie, in reply to
There are bound to be honourable people within the National Party who are sickened by the revelations in the book.
There have been a lot of pious affirmations lately about the existence of these unicorn-like elvenfolk. Finding one that would risk sullying its fine mind by actually reading the book seems even harder now than at the time of The Hollow Men.
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Alex Coleman, in reply to
Also worth bearing in mind that Odgers and her employers parted ways 'by mutual agreement' earlier this week.
Possibly unrelated. Everything is possible.
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A while back I was concerned that if National were to win a third term many people would suspect that the election was somehow rigged. In light of recent events I believe any doubt would now be unlikely.
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andin, in reply to
that the election was somehow rigged.
Well not rigged just manipulated. Language is a weapon, when the rules of discourse become clay pigeons.
But be careful not to examine the barrel with your tongue... might blow your own head off.
WHOOPS.... -
If the just announced SIS inquiry somehow exonerates all concerned just before the election -that would be a fine thing for Key and co. , no? Is there any suspicion that the information that got Mrs Collins sacked will be also disproved, and then, in combination with the SIS thing just before the election, the National party will be able to claim proof of conspiracy and march on triumphant. I want the whole lot looked into not just these two claims.
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Alfie, in reply to
If the just announced SIS inquiry somehow exonerates all concerned just before the election -that would be a fine thing for Key and co. , no?
It certainly would and it feels like it's shaping up that way. Miraculously, Key may not be required appear at the hearing. Now how does that possibly work?
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It seems very hard to believe that this inquiry will be able to operate in a climate of political neutrality. The consequences for Nationals fortunes are so clearly wrapped up in the result. It will surely be seen - rightly or wrongly - as a veracity test for the whole book. I think an inquiry should definitely happen but very concerned about how it will proceed, and under what conditions.
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izogi, in reply to
The consequences for Nationals fortunes are so clearly wrapped up in the result.
Are they? I hope I'm pleasantly surprised, but I'll believe that it's going to significantly affect National's support when I see that actually happen. Mostly because I'm struggling to see a typical National supporter voting for anyone else for the same reason they probably wouldn't have done so before any of this happened: they don't want to, at least unless another party provides good policy-backed reasons for it.
Few people follow or care about politics day to day compared with those who hang out in the political blogosphere. It's easier to resign to the belief that all politics is dirty (plenty of apologists are already out there reinforcing this), screw up your face and vote for National even if the way it's run disgusts you, than it is to vote for a party you really don't want in government for policy reasons.
This is why the checks and line of accontability for the conduct of Ministers and their staff need to be more stringent and constitutionally embedded than simply saying "people will vote them out if they do badly".
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Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to
But be careful not to examine the barrel with your tongue…
Double barrel... Double speak...
innit -
Steve Barnes, in reply to
Double barrel… Double speak…innit
Wish I had said that...
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Sacha, in reply to
I'll believe that it's going to significantly affect National's support when I see that actually happen.
Apparently National's own internal polling conducted by Mr Farrar put the willies up them enough to push the button on Collins. The lag into public polling might take a few weeks..
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