Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Dirty Politics

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  • SteveH, in reply to Sacha,

    I suspect it means the PM approaches Collins and says something like “Hey, Jude, did you do what that guy says you did?” Then he hears her reply. Then he applies his judgement and understanding of his role as Prime Munster, and acts accordingly.

    If he’s grown-up enough.

    He will ask her, according to this story on Stuff: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/10381072/Hager-book-a-smear-campaign-Key

    But it will be exactly the same as the last two times (Oravida and the leaking of Bronwyn Pullar's name): he'll ask, she'll deny, he'll say he's taking her at her word and that's the end of it. There should be an independent inquiry. I really wonder what Collins has that makes Key repeatedly back her versus the way he let Maurice Williamson fall on his sword.

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report

  • Kyle Matthews, in reply to SHG,

    Oh yay, theft analogies.

    How about if the person makes a duplicate of whatever he finds and leaves the original behind?

    You mean, like what the Watergate burglars did when they took copies of documents, which eventually led to the resignation of a sitting President.

    Stupid talking point...

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to SteveH,

    rude txts?

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to SteveH,

    He will ask her, according to this story on Stuff

    ah, not quite

    Key also said he accepted assurances from Justice Minister Judith Collins that she did not leak details about ACC whistleblower Bronwyn Pullar to right wing blogger Cameron Slater.

    But he said he would look at claims Collins got a prisoner moved for Slater.

    No *asking* there - and he has explicitly ruled that out to other media outlets this afternoon. Same approach as with John Banks - no, not read the report. Know nothin. Hands clean. Head in sand. Arse in air..

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to SteveH,

    I really wonder what Collins has that makes Key repeatedly back her versus the way he let Maurice Williamson fall on his sword.

    Regular botox treatments.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • andin, in reply to SHG,

    Gotta say, a totally unauthenticated email reproduced in a book after being supplied to the author by a totally anonymous source is hardly what I’d call “proof”.

    So are you going to read the book? Or just dismiss it out of hand

    raglan • Since Mar 2007 • 1891 posts Report

  • SteveH, in reply to Sacha,

    No *asking* there – and he has explicitly ruled that out to other media outlets this afternoon. Same approach as with John Banks – no, not read the report. Know nothin. Hands clean. Head in sand. Arse in air..

    That's what I meant about another round of "hear no evil, see no evil". Can he get away with that again?

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report

  • cindy baxter, in reply to "chris",

    February 2014: Key interviewed in a standup about GCSB, SIS, etc. Starts off talking about how he was called by a "member of the public" who turns out to be Slater.

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/9723130/Looks-like-Slater-is-Keys-Peters-source

    Later in the interview (click top left), Key admitted to calling Slater. During the interview it becomes clear they talk often.

    auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 102 posts Report

  • cindy baxter,

    Oh and this:

    NZ's apparent top blogger on Facebook.

    547 likes.

    Nuff said.

    auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 102 posts Report

  • T Oliver,

    Halfway through the book now. The tobacco company stuff is jawdropping.

    Since Jun 2010 • 1 posts Report

  • Ben Austin,

    I had a look at the Wheeler ebook site, but it seems to be some sort of public lending ebook service. However Amazon seems now to have an ebook version of the book for the Kindle.

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report

  • Angela Hart, in reply to T Oliver,

    Can you elaborate a little for those of us who cannot currently access the source?

    Christchurch • Since Apr 2014 • 614 posts Report

  • Caleb D'Anvers,

    I’ve got to say, the NZ media’s craven approach to this so far confirms some of my worst fears about where the country is headed. I remember, during the period 2005-8, when pretty much all media were actively hostile to the Clark government, there was much talk of “narrative” and “a tired government” and “holding power to account.” There was a suggestion that, when National came in, the fourth estate would continue the same antagonistic approach it’d taken with Clark. But no. Over the last 6 years it’s become clear that most prominent media figures are far more comfortable with a government of the right than they were with one of the (nominal) left. In an increasingly shallow and celebrity-obsessed media economy, it seems that journalists now view power and material wealth as marks of moral authority. They know whose side they want to be on. And that’s not exactly conducive to democracy.

    It seems that, sometime between Brash’s Orewa speech and now, we lost a country.

    London SE16 • Since Mar 2008 • 482 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Ben Austin,

    I had a look at the Wheeler ebook site, but it seems to be some sort of public lending ebook service. However Amazon seems now to have an ebook version of the book for the Kindle.

    $21US for an ebook? I'll wait till tomorrow for a physical copy. I would have paid $12-15.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Trevor Nicholls, in reply to Caleb D'Anvers,

    the NZ media’s craven approach to this so far

    No dissonance allowed in the Key of 7 Sharp.

    Wellington, NZ • Since Nov 2006 • 325 posts Report

  • Hebe, in reply to nzlemming,

    $21US for an ebook? I’ll wait till tomorrow for a physical copy. I would have paid $12-15.

    Got the ebook tonight. In a houseful of political junkies that is a bargain: loaded on the Kindle and three laptops via Kindle Cloud. It means avoiding unseemly scrapping over who gets to read a printed copy first.

    Christchurch • Since May 2011 • 2899 posts Report

  • Ben Austin, in reply to nzlemming,

    The UK Amazon price is about $25.30 NZD, fwiw

    London • Since Nov 2006 • 1027 posts Report

  • Rich Lock, in reply to Caleb D'Anvers,

    seems that, sometime between Brash’s Orewa speech and now, we lost a country.

    If I wanted to be uncharacteristically optimistic, I'd point out that 'dirty politics' has sold out faster than any other book recently, including, apparaently, the last 'harry potter'. They literally can't print it fast enough.

    Also, a google search for 'dirty politics' brings up Public Address as the fourth result, all the others on the first page of results being NZherald, stuff, TV3, etc.

    Yer MSM may not want or know how to engage with this, but it seems J. Public is pretty keen.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report

  • Andre Alessi,

    Asked about the suggestions that Labour’s records of the incursions pointed to his own offices, Mr Key said: “I don’t think that’s right. It’s nothing to do with our office.”

    Mr Slater and a National Party Headquarters staffer were able to gain access to Labour’s records because of a security flaw on the party’s website.

    Mr Key suggested that even if Mr Ede had accessed the records, “of course it would be fine to go and do that” because they were unprotected.

    Asked if he stood by Mr Ede, Mr Key responded: “Yeah absolutely.”

    Mr Ede left Mr Key’s office this year and is now working at National Party headquarters on its re-election campaign.

    http://m.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11309076

    I know I’m normally a fairly cynical person, but jfc that’s shocking even to me.

    No mention of the prisoner transfer stuff on Stuff or the NZ Herald, do we think Collins has had the lawyers out already?

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

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Caleb D'Anvers,

    Stolen by gypsies?

    between Brash’s Orewa speech and now, we lost a country

    Have you checked the remaindered good s table....
    :- (

    But, I know what you mean it's as if everything that was good about NZ has been pumped out stealthily and replaced with whatever vapid plasm that powers Key, Joyce, et al....

    We are a shade of our former selves
    We are ashamed of our farmer cellls
    We are a sham of formed elves
    - one (or maybe all three) of these is true...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • cindy baxter, in reply to Andre Alessi,

    No mention of the prisoner transfer stuff on Stuff or the NZ Herald, do we think Collins has had the lawyers out already?

    Morning Report talked about it and said they've sent an OIA to Corrections, who will respond within 20 working days, (unless Slater gets it first).

    Mr Ede left Mr Key’s office this year and is now working at National Party headquarters on its re-election campaign.

    Yep, but this is normal in election campaigns where staff go over to work for the Party rather than being paid by Min. Services. Leave of absence, etc. Given his black ops rep, it's only natural that Ede would make that move this year.

    Key's getting himself into a bit of a pickle over those comments, which may well come back to haunt him.

    auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 102 posts Report

  • Alfie,

    It's a new day and the Morning Report interviews suggest that the National Party PR machine has come up with a new strategy - deny everything... Hager apparently made it all up... nothing to see here, folks. That line might work on dedicated right winger voters but it's coming across as pretty desperate. It looks like Slatergate has the legs to run for a lot longer.

    Has anybody asked exactly when Ede stopped being an accountable public servant and started being paid out of the Nats HQ Black Ops budget?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report

  • william blake,

    A small moment of delight on Seven 'Sharp', Hosking ends by firing the question to Joyce, " are you in trouble", replies " no, I'm not in the book". Hosking, " no, no is the National Party in trouble?", Joyce.......

    Since Mar 2010 • 380 posts Report

  • Thrash Cardiom, in reply to william blake,

    Yes, spotted that one. I thought Joyce looked quite pleased when he got that out.

    CHB • Since Nov 2006 • 55 posts Report

  • Russell Brown,

    David Farrar is now claiming to have been “hacked or spied on" because two scripts (one for polling, one for canvassing calls for Louise Upston) used by Curia are quoted in the book.

    But surely these are documents he gives to humans to read out over the phone to other humans? I don’t get where hacking of his computers is required at all. It seems far more likely that someone simply leaked them. And it someone was to go to the trouble of hacking Farrar’s systems, wouldn’t they take much more interesting stuff than two things that weren’t exactly a secret anyway?

    And, in fact the footnotes for the Farrar chapter explain this: they say Hager's source was "an employee".

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report

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