So while there might be some whistleblown material in the book, I would presume that some was literally stolen (as an employee) and leaked to Hager, or to someone else who gave it to him.

Actually one thing that becomes clear as you read the book – and I'm surprised…

Tse Ming might be able to point out another one of those lucky pass-holders,…

jim mora said something along the lines that the interest in bassett was…

Bassett shamefully repeated the David Irving comparison, and then threw up several smokescreens (e.g. "I'm not a member of the National Party!" – so what?), unchallenged by Mora.

Laughable, if it wasn't so offensive.

The other side…

I'm no lawyer, but any employee of parliamentary services, or the national party, who printed out and took away, or possibly even forwarded onto elsewhere, the emails and other materials, is probably looking at 'theft as an employee' or something.

I'm no lawyer either, but I do understand that…

Who noticed Mr English had, by all media reports, 6 people backing him for leadership. Hmmmmmmmm.

I've always thought they must have come from disgruntled ex English staffers or…

the current evidence we have that the emails were "stolen" is that (presumably) Hager's legal advisors have told him he was caught by the injunction.

They're probably in a better position to know than just about anyone else – if they think they're covered it means they think they're stolen…

He'll retire to a life fitting an ex-almost-PM

What, travelling the world raising awareness of climate change? fantastic!

A Brethren with email??? He must be the mole.

This is the funny thing with the EB, in my experience. They avoid communications technology like it's Satan's own, yet they'll happily get others to use it for them.

A few years ago, my employer had a large EB-owned business as…

I finally get a quip made on kiwiblog about me! My name is referred to in the book. But it's a different me, some inner circle Nat. No, I'm no whistle blower. Hope I didn't get the real me in trouble by…

The emails only exist because Brash was a neophyte, needed coaching and was obviously…

Why doesn't someone ask Hickmott (the Brethren sender of the email) if he actually sent it. Is that too obvious?

You never know. When it broke, National wasn't even going to admit to meeting them, but then the EB blew it by saying so at their press conference.

Anyway, got…

I just get the impression he doesn't really have any underlying philosophy at all.

Good. That would be a return to the practical, pragmatic, maintain the status quo view that informed the National Party of old. The traditional National Party line has never been much more than keeping the socialists…

When did he join National? Did he do anything…

Shame Mary Wilson didn't have the wit to ask him if, well, the Brash…

weapons-grade stupidity of the National Party strategists who thought that attacking Labour over corruption and credibility was somehow going to work when Brash's mis-steps were hanging over them.

That's the wonderful thing about politicians (of all persuasions), they are such habitual risk takers that there will always be…

That wouldn't explain how Hager was able to get copies of Nationals internal polling results, schedules, minutes of meetings, and interoffice memos, let alone the emails between Keenan, Long and Sinclair.

If I understand DPF and his commenters today, Brash has a national.org.nz address which he doesn't necessarily read, and…

2. NZ is such a small place. It's naive to think that such things can be kept hidden.

Entirely true. So one wonders at the weapons-grade stupidity of the National Party strategists who thought that attacking Labour over corruption and credibility was somehow going to work when Brash's…

Once the topic was finally & nervously broached it was interesting to hear the differing reactions from the hosts.

He: "Damned shame, a hell of a nice guy, has been stiffed by the unscrupulous (named a prominent Nat insider)."

She: "Lying,…

1. the Exclusive Bretheren connection didn't help the nats at the last election. I thought it was a bloody stupid decision to risk being tainted by an association with people who are so obviously nutters, and so it proved to be.

Well, it seems clear that people inside the party…

methods perfected by the American intelligence agencies to destabilize "unfriendly" regimes all over the world are being used by secretive groups with hidden agendas in their own countries...

Ridiculous. Let's not forget that:

1. the Exclusive Bretheren connection didn't help the nats at the last election. I thought it was…

Perhaps all it took was "can I use your computer to check my email" to someone in the Nats...

Correct me if I'm wrong (because I ain't checking) but didn't Brash say today or in the weekend that he has several email addresses, but only one that he himself reads?…

One of the intriguing things, in my mind, is the way National's grab for power appears to have consciously mirrored that which worked for so long for the Republicans in the US.

Terence, that should worry people not only in this country but everywhere in the world.

Hager book seems…

it should be noted that the killer Brethren-to-Brash email, the one Hager says Brash forwarded to Long, appears to have been to a national.org.nz address, and therefore would not have gone through the Parliamentary email system.

That makes more sense to me.

Yes, but I'm pretty sure Nicky Hager isn't on their xmas card list.

No, I think he makes some of their other lists though!

Technically, most emails are terribly insecure, and probably several people unrelated to either sender or receiver could have 'hacked' Don's email and gotten this information. None…

But I have to say I enjoyed hearing Hooten admitting that actually he is embarassed about the book and his parts in it and that he had acted like a bit of a "dick". (my word not…

I can't wait…

That was the sort of smug, self-serving interview that would tend to confirm unfavourable perceptions of Bassett. I'm guessing his Dom Post editors are not too pleased with him.

He was dreadful this morning, so wrapped up in his own importance (and talk about a name-dropper). Does anyone know whether…

Dymocks on Lambton Quay has about 70 copies not already pre-ordered, in case anyone needs a copy.

Let the speed-reading begin!

Michael Bassett is claiming ...

That was the sort of smug, self-serving interview that would tend to confirm unfavourable perceptions of Bassett. I'm guessing his Dom Post editors are not too pleased with him.

Quite a trick that.

I really wish that someone like Colin James had written it so that it would be a credible behind the scenes study of a political campaign.

Quite by chance, I picked up a copy yesterday of a book I've never seen before: 'The Making of a New Zealand Prime Minister'…

I would say I was surprised that parliment didn't use encrypted email,

I'm pretty sure they do.

You know, Bassett, Prebble, Douglas, De Cleene et. al. wrecked the Labour party and it took 12 ears to put it back together again. Now they've wrecked National as well.

Yes, that's one of the striking aspects for me too. All those people trying to put their little stamp on…

In practice email is highly unlikely to be read unless someone *really* wants to. It's a bit less secure than a telephone call, but not much.

Actually, a lot much. Unencrypted email is viewable by just about every network admin (and…

In practice email is highly unlikely to be read unless someone *really* wants to. It's a bit less secure than a telephone call, but not much.

Your email typically goes to an outgoing mail server at your ISP, then via ISP/backbone routers to a mail server at…

"If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer…

1. Find a wedge issue – in this case race. In the US – abortion, gay marriage.

2.…

My conclusion: Hager could access files, but did not get that particular leak from anybody who was at caucus. Of course, it is also a further unravellling of these claims, once they…

Not quite the same as Labour – who thought it was acceptable with the party logo too.

Graeme – the key word in the Sinclair quote is party vote logo. I don't think even Labour thought a party vote logo was okay.

40% of the people voted for National because they agreed with the policies which National campaigned under. Or because they were fed up with Labour. Or because they picked National and its policies as closest to their own beliefs, even if not exactly in line with them.

However,…

even if it is a small percentage, given the small percentage difference between Nat and Lab in the last election, it is significant.

Another point about your sweeping 40% of the population support Nat monetary policy is that an election is a very blunt instrument. By ticking 'yes' in…

There's a laugh.
1. most National voters just wanted to get rid of Helen
2. as Terence said, National was deceptive about their monetary policies
3. many people were confused as to just exactly what the National policies…

So far the defence has been general to the point of vacuous ("a tissue of lies", "a work of fiction" etc), with a notable absence of specific denials of specific accusations (with the exception of the racing pamphlet mentioned above).

Perhaps your questions will be answered when the various…

Brash aide Bryan Sinclair writes of the postcard to National racing spokesperson Lindsay Tisch:

We [Parliamentary office] could produce our own flyer outlining our racing policy, seeing as HQ won't fund the postcard. As long was we don't put 'vote, donate or support' on it, and we don't use Party…

Ah, the KGB! Excellent. Thanks for clearing that up. That eliminates my other two leading theories, which were the Freemasons, or Aliens.

Of course, it is still possible that Alien Freemasons have infiltrated the KGB.

Hmm. Maybe I'll just concentrate on the first three points.

(2) Hager only had the emails/documents he was given, perhaps he did not get these, or perhaps…

National policy was Act policy and 40% supported it. Therefore 40% agree with it.

There's a laugh.
1. most National voters just wanted to get rid of Helen
2. as Terence said, National was deceptive about their monetary policies
3. many people were confused as to just exactly what…

(1) If he is such a fair journalist, why couldn't Nicky Hager have determined this from a check of National's election return?

(2) There must have…

I actually think National could have succeeded if Brash hadn't backed down so much.

Que?!!

I thought the evidence (or at very least the urban myth – can somone shed some light on this?) was that just a few too many people (urban mums, mostly) got scared…

this should work, even if it isn't pretty (it's still prettier than the above, urgh!)

http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2006/11/those-pesky-unionists.html

Here's http://spanblather.blogspot.com/2006/11/those-pesky-unionists.html/a rebuttal of that fallacy, which I prepared earlier.

I agree: we appear to have an irreconcilable difference of definitions. I take far right to mean far to the right of the economic centre. You take it to mean beyond the pale.

Fair enough.

No – something like 2% (give or take a percent or two) voted for ACT at the last election.

As appears to be well documented in the book, the circa 40% vote that National got was only achieved by them being deceptive about what their economic policies actually were.

an excellent effort. certainly better than Ray Miller's in the SST. i would just take issue with one of your assumptions. you say:

_"Brash has a reputation as an 'honest gentleman' of New Zealand politics, or at least he did until last week."_

This "honest don" thing seems to…

And I want to refer to the quote below…

Terence, we'll just have to disagree over what constitutes "far" but in this discusion it is being used to mean "beyong the pale" and I don't think dismising Douglas' views that way is very constructive.

For the record, I thought National overstepped the mark on…

The Dom Post lead…

Yeah, spelling it Hagar throughout the entry does mar it somewhat...

Clearly I read too many Viking comics in my youth!

Thanks guys (apologies to Mr Hager) – I'll ask David to change it.

Anyhoo, yes of course I've disagreed with my party (which is not Labour, but…

Brash was a naive inexperienced politician who needed coaching. The emails exist because of this need for coaching. Because he was in the early stages of a learning process he did not 'own' the ideas and policies he expressed. All his major speeches…

In four words I can tell you what is false about Irving's book: The. Holocaust. Took. Place.

Can you do anything similar with the following charges?

1. Don Brash was aware that the EB were – effectively – campaigning on his behalf. And mislead the public about this.

2.…

LOL... I'd suggest you put on a pair of rubber gloves and flick through one of Ann Coulter's tomes one time – or if you're…

I'll answer on behalf of – erm – James. Roger Douglas's politics are correctly described as far right, because – as I said above – they are far to the right of New Zealand's political centre (held by fewer than 2.5% of the population at best).

This does not…

the centre of New Zealand's politics would belong to Roger Douglas. His 'centrist' party would be the first in the developed world to have imposed a flat tax. Whether by design or 'unforseen' consequence, tax revenue would drop to a level where…

Danyl's post clearly states, repeatedly, that Hagar's evidence, which is surely how one assesses the worth of his argument,…

So Hagar has shown that the comparison between politics and suasage making still holds. Big deal.

We've come to an…