Posts by Alfie

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  • Hard News: Dirty Politics,

    The usually conservative ODT published a strongly worded editorial this morning calling for Judith Collins to be sacked.

    Right-wing blogger Cameron Slater, someone Ms Collins regards as a friend, claims to be a political player. He is not. He is a blogger.

    Is this what the country's democracy has become? Personal attacks, led by a minister and fed through blogger conduits (which operate without the standards applied to traditional journalism)?

    Mr Key is undoubtedly under pressure. His campaign is being derailed, and he - at least to date - has not handled it well.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Sacha,

    doesn't seem like a credible claim.

    But it's being reported by the MSM so it must be true. ;-)

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    At $30 a pop that is $660...

    In fact it's an even more impressive $6,600 that the young nats have donated to Mr Hager. ;-)

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    First Darren Watson gets muzzled...
    Will they be gagging 7 Days next?
    With all their 'one-liners' National says
    they'll do the comedy, thank you...

    Banning free speech? It's getting sillier by the day. Does anyone know who appoints members to the Electoral Commission - isn't Judith Collins the minister concerned?

    And (a rather loose connection) Stuff reports that young Nats in Waikato are burning 220 copies of the Hager book.

    What's next? Compulsory arm bands for left-leaning musicians?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: We can do better than this,

    Another Herald story, this time from Brian Rudman on the Nats' hacking of Labour's computers - It's only dirty politics when someone else does it. Once again the comments are open.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: We can do better than this, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Not content with getting her own way against all odds in Parliament, Judith Collins has named a new lane in the Chchch Justice & Emergency Precinct after a friend from Auckland...

    It might have been worse. She could have called it Oravida Lane.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: We can do better than this,

    John Armstrong refers to the "huge cracks" starting to appear in the National Party's "it's all lies" defence to Hager's book.

    In resolutely defending the indefensible - especially when the indefensible is as well-documented as it is in Hager's book - John Key was not only starting to sound and look rather silly, but he risked eating into stocks of one of his most valuable commodities - the degree of trust he has built up with large portions of the electorate.

    And readers comments are enabled on this one.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics,

    Gordon Campbell has written a considered article stating that it's Key’s ‘nice guy' persona – rather than the contents of Hager’s book – that's unraveling.

    When future historians seek to identify the exact moment when the prime ministerial career of John Key hit the downward slope, they may well point to Key’s interview yesterday with Guyon Espiner on RNZ’s Morning Report. In particular, they’ll cite the broken record moment when Espiner repeatedly asked Key whether he thought the behaviour of his Justice Minister Judith Collins was OK, and Key kept on trying to ignore the question. Was it OK with Key that one of his Cabinet Ministers has admitted that she secretly released to Cameron Slater the name of a public servant that she thought might have leaked some information that had embarrassed the government, thereby exposing that individual, as Espiner noted, “to some pretty serious death threats.” Is that OK?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    Sorry to be pedantic...but wasn't that from the Holy Grail?

    Well spotted Rosemary. I was mixing my Pythons.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • Hard News: Dirty Politics,

    How the worm turns. Slater describes Ede as "squeamish" and "gutless" for not fronting up to the media. And he appears to be lashing out at others in his circle.

    Slater also defended asking an ex-prostitute from information about politicians. He said they were "all a bunch of sanctimonious pricks who claim to be innocent who claim to be innocent in all respects and above reproach. I've been around politics for a long long time and I know that's bullshit."

    As Slater grew up in the bosom of the National Party, I guess he's speaking the truth for once.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

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