beware surgeons :)

Euan: No they don't, just as unions don't donate to the Labour Party for shits and giggles. You might, however, want…

Actually, no. Radio time is something National is legally forbidden from paying for (which is why Radio Live will be in trouble if Police get around to charging…

In the sense that a body like the Human Rights Review Tribunal or a Court could look into it and decided whether it had? No. I anticipate that parliamentary privilege/comity between the branches of government tells everyone else to stuff off.

In the sense that…

The core issue as I see it is Lockwood's misunderstanding: it is actually Parliament's accessibility that's being supported, not Mojo's. So it's not a matter of personal support funding.

The inconsistency over…

I understand that the email advice was released before the election on The Standard.

He’s never had an ‘ambush’ interview – read Simon Walker or Stephen Sackur – so long as he’s been within NZ. And once again, if major broadcasting personalities are going to nail their colours to a mast, it’s perfectly OK for them to…

Indeed. Treating is basically bribery, but with food & drink instead of money.

Emph. mine

http://thestandard.org.nz/pms-office-cuts-radio-dead/

That little note about usefulness, made by someone in…

No. Is he corruptly trying to change that body's vote (or someone else's)? If not, it's not treating.

nice

I wouldn't be surprised – though I'm with Graeme on that being just usual business for large projects rather than corruption. Plenty of that elsewhere.

Otherwise you could give them free advertising as long as they pimped your business for free during question time.…

...another interesting (and worrying) piece in that story was:
The Government sees the conference centre as a boon for overseas visitors.…

That’s not what I was meaning when I said “good business practice”.

Sky City is intending to build an expensive convention centre as part of its…

If Sky City thinks it a good business deal to build a conference venue then why do they need changes to the gambling laws? how is building a conference venue such a huge favour to the Government that they need a reciprocal bum lick?

Sound business practice?

How is that possibly corruption? If National was going to…

I'm not convinced either. I just know enough to know that I don't know the answer.

Perhaps it was both. In any event, I don't think it would be determinative. If Key's people suggested it, and Radio Live agreed, that doesn't make them any less in control.

I'm not, but then I'm not a judge.

(What follows is not perfectly formed.)

Yeah, that's true. The problem I have is that on Key's side, he was doing it in order to get free publicity. He wasn't giving anything up in order…

I imagine that was Radio Live, who were trying really hard not to break the law. If you have the PM taking lots of calls on the radio two months before…

The suggestion that Radio Live didn't gain a real and direct benefit from Key's hosting is difficult to sustain. A high profile host, who brings high profile guests, is of substantial value. It wasn't a…

I imagine the real degree of that will be pivotal, including who made the decision not to take calls.

Had he used billboards owned by his company, Clarkson would, in effect, have been depriving his company of money. There would be a financial cost involved, albeit not a cash cost in the…

Donations to whom? Key? Why wouldn't…

running inference...
re the guests on that radio show (Branson, McCaw, Jackson...) can we know if they would have been on with the odious Henry,…

Of course, there's also the possibility that if this is seen as a commercial transaction between Key and Radio Live, that this increases the likelihood (perhaps…