Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Dirty Politics

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  • Deborah, in reply to ,

    Off-topic, replying to Steven above.

    Never worries me in the slightest, Steven. :-)

    New Lynn • Since Nov 2006 • 1447 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to SHG,

    I just don't see how that's possible. Unless Slater was running a mailserver and/or storing archived correspondence on the same box as his webserver, which would be fucking retarded for a site like his.

    I've done some of this stuff for a living and you would not believe what some people use their servers for. A problem with running virtual servers on one box for efficiency's sake is that, if one is compromised, the whole box is open unless you've boxed very, very clever. Also, people believe the hype about the cloud and do everything there "because it's so convenient". Because we inadvertently leave linkages between different pieces of info, and don't even know that we've done it, often, an air gap between what you publish and what you hold as private is the best way to be sure, and even that's not guaranteed.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Nick D'Angelo,

    I know politicos will say other stuff is worse but Joe Public doesn’t really care. But playing with people’s lives is different.

    And I think you're really onto something here -- look at the Leveson Inquiry. Honestly, I'm not proud to admit it, because the way a lot of celebs and members of the Royal family were treated was abso-frigging-loutely disgraceful, but it was Milly Dowler's mother's testimony that was the real gut punch. I think most of us can just empathize more with the mother of a murdered child than Hugh Grant or Tony Blair.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Danyl Mclauchlan,

    Weirdly, most of the correspondence seems to be Facebook chats, which I can’t quite see how would possibly be hacked using a DDOS attack on the WhaleOil site.

    Slater strikes me as the type who archives his chat sessions, in case he feels he has to "deal" to the person he's chatting with at a later date. Which, to be fair, I've done myself in situations where I want evidence of a confrontation.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Keir Leslie,

    The chapter on the anti-public health lobbying is absolutely chilling. Also Martyn Bradbury gets played like a fiddle on pages 72-4.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Sacha,

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Grant McDougall,

    I saw CTU boss Helen Kelly buying three copies of the book at UBS, Dunedin, this morning; doubtless it'll give her plenty of food for thought, too.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to stephen clover,

    Of course subsequently Slater, Ede, Simon Lusk and whoever it was at national.govt.nz who exploited the security flaw and downloaded the data can not have not known exactly what they were doing.

    Hem, coff national. org .nz

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Keir Leslie,

    On page 157, Lusk organises a hunting & fishing weekend. Invitees: Lusk, Slater, Ede, Williams, John Pagani, Stuart Nash, and Conor Roberts, (No sign if they take up the invite or not.)

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • Keir Leslie,

    And apparently Jordan Williams ghosted this lovely post on WhaleOil. The guy's an absolute scumbag --- let's attack women for getting involved in the political process? (Page 159.) No reputable media organisation should be using him as a commentator.

    Since Jul 2008 • 1452 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Dylan Reeve,

    Also had him as a guest on the Discourse Podcast a couple of times and again, while having different political views to me he’s always seemed pretty reasonable. I guess I just kind of want to like him somehow :)

    He cultivates that, and he can be funny, irreverent and fun to be with. But, having been an InternetNZ councilor with him and regularly interacted, I would not trust him an inch. I think the most revealing thing he ever said to me was, after a tour of the White House he went on, that his biggest regret was not being able to meet Karl Rove (which to me says an awful lot about the way he views the political process).

    He plays the 'good cop' to Slater's 'rogue cop' but they are joined at the hip and on the same message. In 2008, they traveled the country in the Blogmobile (a loaned Winnebago) interviewing politicians (Labour and National) and putting the videos on YouTube. What's missing is the actual site they created where they once noted (October 8 2008) that they had discussed :

    We have debated whether a before and after photo of a hoarding would constitute enough proof for convictions. We reckon it may, so will limit ourselves to just taking photos of ones already altered.

    No mention of whether it was legal or not - clearly, they knew it wasn't - just whether or not they'd get caught.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Grant McDougall,

    No reputable media organisation should be using him as a commentator.

    I just shook my head in despair when Jim Mora introduced him on the panel yesterday.

    RNZ National banned Martin "Bomber" Bradbury from The Panel due to his alleged bias, I hope they also ban Williams for the same reason.

    Dunedin • Since Dec 2006 • 760 posts Report

  • SteveH, in reply to Nick D'Angelo,

    “When she was Minister of Corrections Judith Collins appears to have had a prisoner transferred at Slater’s request, because a friend of Slater’s didn’t want her daughter visiting her imprisoned ex-partner and Slater arranged to have the man transferred to a more remote prison. The prisoner later attempted suicide”.

    Yep, of everything I've heard so far (having not read the book), this is the one that alarms me most. So many levels of WTF here:
    The Minister can get prisoners transferred?
    She did so at the request of a third party outside the justice system?
    There was (apparently) no review of this move when the guy tried to kill himself?

    With this on top of the poor judgment she exercised re Oravida, I expect Collins' resignation.

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Joe Wylie,

    let the flensing begin!

    Come all you tonguers?

    You know the weirdest shit!

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Nick D'Angelo,

    I know politicos will say other stuff is worse but Joe Public doesn’t really care. But playing with people’s lives is different.

    Whilst I understand your sentiment and nothing surprises me with Collins, I think you have missed another glaring fact that this Govt has been playing with people's lives every day since 2008 but I'd go back into 2005 with Brash , the Exclusive Brethren, and JK in Helensville at least.

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report

  • Michael Meyers, in reply to SteveH,

    No idea if the Judith Collins prisoner thing is true but it would be ironic considering her comments about not getting involved in operational matters for Katie Bradford.

    On a different note, I'm a little surprised by how few actual denials I'm seeing today. Even Mr Slater's denials aren't really denying much of anything.

    Wellington • Since May 2014 • 56 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to cindy baxter,

    Hager’s drilling of Farrar was excoriating, I thought, and Susie left him to do it.

    “Breathless” seems to be the chosen description of Hager today.

    Oh, that was fun!

    Long-time Farrar-watchers will probably concur that that was Farrar in panic mode, trying really hard to appear nonchalant.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Lucy Telfar Barnard,

    Does anyone know if there’s an ebook version available of Dirty Politics?

    not as yet. The hard copy wasn't even on Potton's website yesterday but is now, although 'out of stock'.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi, in reply to Michael Meyers,

    On a different note, I’m a little surprised by how few actual denials I’m seeing today. Even Mr Slater’s denials aren’t really denying much of anything.

    I suspect that's because the official response hasn't been terribly coordinated. One moment they're insisting this is a terrible breach of privacy and an outrageous crime, and the next they're suggesting there's no emails at all, only "allegations". I think we'll see firmer denials tomorrow, when they figure out which approach is more likely to convince supporters.

    Devonport, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 864 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Dylan Reeve,

    But if I understand it correctly Hager claims not to know the source – that the information arrived anonymously in the post on a USB flash drive. That’s a pretty solid dead end for anyone trying to force information from him.

    He said on Morning Report that he had extensive discussions with the person who leaked it to him, negotiating about what would be used and how, so it would be hard to say he didn't know something about them. But it's the digital age - Anonymous is the name of the game and Nicky's smart enough to have held his source at arms length for precisely that reason

    (disclaimer: Nicky is a friend, mainly through his sister but, no, he didn't tell me what was in the book, the bastid)

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Alfie,

    The ODT reports Key as saying that it's "unlikely" he'll ask Judith Collins if she'd shifted a prisoner at Slater's request, or even whether she leaked information to Slater.

    http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/312598/probe-hager-book-claims-fine-key

    The old 'Either I didn't know or I can't recall' trick.

    Bring on those squirrels!

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Michael Meyers,

    Looks like 3 News has got a full 20 minutes video of an interview with Key about the book. "Nothing to see here"...

    http://www.3news.co.nz/Video-John-Key-talks-Nicky-Hagers-Dirty-Politics/tabid/1607/articleID/356848/Default.aspx

    Wellington • Since May 2014 • 56 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Keir Leslie,

    No reputable media organisation should be using him as a commentator.

    It strikes me that several news and media organisations might do a rather thorough clean out of their go-to commentators in the light of this book.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

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