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John Key planned our mass surveillance

Written By: - Date published: 8:07 am, September 15th, 2014 - 65 comments

John Key and National let the GCSB spend 12 months on plans to conduct our mass surveillance.  Without telling us.  And he intends to release the details now only for political considerations. Without Glenn Greenwald’s presence we probably would never have learned about this.

Blue on the polls

Written By: - Date published: 12:04 pm, September 14th, 2014 - 62 comments

Landline polls are a traditional gripe for lefties. But this election polls look seriously out of whack with reality.  Is National at 55%, 50%, 48% or 46%? But it’s always far too large for a party at National’s current stage in the political cycle. Just unbelievable and highly unlikely.

Nat two track strategy – March to Sept

Written By: - Date published: 9:58 am, September 13th, 2014 - 26 comments

Nicky Hager has exposed the two track strategy of the Whale Oil, Kiwiblog, Nat smear machine.  Why is it allowed to continue?

Donghua Liu Letter: More Dirty Politics

Written By: - Date published: 7:06 am, September 12th, 2014 - 55 comments

Frank Macskasy at the Daily Blog has produced a timeline on the 11 year old David Cunliffe – Donghua Liu letter that shows some more seriously dodgy Dirty Politics

Cunliffe v Key – Round 3

Written By: - Date published: 8:01 pm, September 10th, 2014 - 87 comments

Round three between David Cunliffe and John Key is scheduled for tonight.  John Campbell will moderate and Paul Henry will provide expert comment …

Slater backs down

Written By: - Date published: 11:08 am, September 10th, 2014 - 67 comments

The Slater application for an injunction against various media outlets has been settled by the media agreeing  to not to use information that was not in the public interest, including but not limited to Mr Slater’s wife, children, medical information, the death of his mother and other inherently personal information regarding Mr Slater and his friends.  The way is now clear for further stories on Dirty Politics.

NRT: That empty void again

Written By: - Date published: 12:21 pm, September 9th, 2014 - 8 comments

A bit over a week ago, I complained about the empty void at the heart of the election: Nationals refusal to release policy. And it has struck again today, in the form of Nationals fiscal “plan”. We actually have a government seeking re-election while offering no specifics about what it intends to do in office. But don’t they have a lovely picture of John Key?

Is National’s sleaze unit feeding the Slater again?

Written By: - Date published: 11:10 am, September 8th, 2014 - 138 comments

Cameron Slater, National’s attack blogger has written a sleaze post on Martyn Bradbury. This shows far too much intelligence for the ever lazy Cameron to have researched it. Has National’s research unit (into dirt) resumed using that sock puppet again? We should be able to look and find out which blackmailed journalists they touch up as this story progresses. Time to follow the dots.

Perceptions of National’s government

Written By: - Date published: 12:57 pm, September 6th, 2014 - 114 comments

There is how John Key and a few of his acolytes like to think of his government. Then there is how everyone else now does. The many ministers who have been abusing their position, were caught and ‘resigned’.  Now we can see the true nature than lurks beneath. A vote for National is a vote for Cameron Slater.

Two weeks to go …

Written By: - Date published: 11:05 am, September 6th, 2014 - 139 comments

Two weeks to go and polls suggest that National’s slide in the poll may be arrested.  But for how long?

NRT: Sensationalising the status quo

Written By: - Date published: 1:41 pm, September 4th, 2014 - 55 comments

Pity the political reporter. Committed to horse-race style reporting and desperate for an ‘angle’. Patrick Gower on 3 News last night was desperately talking up how “complicated’ National’s… current arrangements are?? Use your brain Paddy…

National’s campaign train wreck

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 am, September 3rd, 2014 - 243 comments

So far National’s election campaign has been a train wreck.  What was meant to be a leisurely walk to the finish line has turned into a limp.  David Cunliffe is more than holding his own against John Key.  And dirty politics is having a gradual corrosive effect on National’s support.

Labour’s broadcasting policy: public service TV-RNZ

Written By: - Date published: 10:03 pm, August 31st, 2014 - 40 comments

Labour’s broadcasting policy includes setting up a new public service TV channel, to be located with RNZ, incorporating RNZ values.  The Greens are open to the idea. NZ First has a similar policy.  Laila Harre makes some good points about public broadcasting and industrial relations. [Update: RNZ report; video clip added]

From Twitter

Written By: - Date published: 8:18 pm, August 31st, 2014 - 34 comments

All your trashing the SFO connections. h/t DebsHancock

Well that deteriorated quickly

Written By: - Date published: 9:00 am, August 31st, 2014 - 170 comments

The Sunday Star Times has reported on the Hotchin – Slater attack on SFO boss Adam Feeley.  The email which caused John Key to effectively sack Judith Collins as a Minister was provided by Cathy Odgers.  The intent was to put off a SFO/FMA investigation into Hotchin.  This is third world stuff.

Is Judith Collins gone?

Written By: - Date published: 11:57 am, August 30th, 2014 - 39 comments

Judith Collins’ tenure as a Minister may be in some doubt.

Look over there! Tax cuts!

Written By: - Date published: 9:06 am, August 26th, 2014 - 7 comments

So National are both so out of ideas and so desperate to take the spotlight off their Dirty Politics that they’re now promising tax cuts. Tax cuts straight after we have a panel of our most prominent economists warning that the ‘rock star’ economy is going to hit the rocks.

Tax cut cynicism

Written By: - Date published: 6:20 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 52 comments

According to the PM, Bill English saying there won’t be tax cuts was both true and untrue at the same time, like a fiscal Schroedinger’s Cat.

Polity: Smoke and mirrors on housing

Written By: - Date published: 12:11 pm, August 25th, 2014 - 14 comments

National’s own fine print takes us from “you can get up to $20,000!” to, at best, “11% of qualifying couples get up to $20,000.” Ouch…. Typical National. Long on glitz. Long on smoke. Long on mirrors. Short on actually helping people.

Just answer the questions John

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 25th, 2014 - 41 comments

John Key has taken to answering relevant questions about Dirty Politics by refusing to answer them.  But these questions go to the heart of the issue of whether he is fit to be New Zealand’s Prime Minister and deserve to be answered.

John Key’s groundhog day

Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, August 21st, 2014 - 52 comments

Poor John Key must think he is in the movie Groundhog Day. The media clearly do not accept his explanation for Dirty Politics. And each day further information comes out which casts more and more doubt on the veracity of what he has been saying.

National’s campaign video and Eminem

Written By: - Date published: 1:01 pm, August 20th, 2014 - 69 comments

In 2008 National breached copyright by using a song suspiciously like Coldplay’s Clocks.  The DVD had to be withdrawn.  It may not have learned as its latest campaign video has music that sounds suspiciously like an Eminem song.  Has it learned and does it have permission?

Shadow play: Key’s 2-track politics

Written By: - Date published: 11:31 am, August 16th, 2014 - 40 comments

Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics tells of the “two track strategy” of John Key’s leadership of the National Party & the country: a smiley nice front, & vicious, covert black ops behind the scenes.  Key has overseen one of the darkest, nastiest periods in NZ politics. Vote Left for necessary, democratic change, for people-centred governance.

GCSB, privacy & Facebook messaging

Written By: - Date published: 2:42 pm, August 15th, 2014 - 7 comments

How private are communications on social media platforms such as Facebook?  It is claimed that the GCSB law’s definition of “privacy” leaves a loophole for warrantless surveillance of messaging by Kiwis on platforms like Facebook.

Polity: Dirty politics: My 2c

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, August 14th, 2014 - 104 comments

John Key - spy vs lie

The use of clandestine SIS files as a weapon of partisan politics is needs to be investigated. John Key or his office discovered classified SIS files that were embarrassing to Phil Goff, got them declassified, then immediately told a right-wing blogger to seek those same newly-declassified files under the OIA, all as a means of smearing a political opponent.

Dirty Politics: The Brestapo

Written By: - Date published: 7:00 am, August 14th, 2014 - 88 comments

I have foolishly never taken Cameron Slater very seriously except when his attacks have been obviously for the benefit of the National Party. I actually believed that the misinformed and bigoted viewpoints that prevail in his posts were his genuine opinions. It fits his character to drone on about “The Breastapo” “Sucking on the Taxpayers’ Tit”. To discover that such posts were actually written and paid for on behalf of Fonterra actually shocked me.

Naming the game

Written By: - Date published: 6:34 pm, August 12th, 2014 - 78 comments

It’s been interesting to watch the nats and their busy little helpers working away at branding the election campaign as a nasty one.

It’s been disappointing to watch the media falling for it so hard.

ACT goes weird

Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, August 12th, 2014 - 43 comments

ACT Epsom candidate David Seymour is complaining that left voters in the seat may vote tactically.

Polity: Mr Angry tries to reheat 2011 campaign

Written By: - Date published: 12:31 pm, August 11th, 2014 - 13 comments

Steven Joyce is asking about how Labour can afford their policies. Half of the money is what National is planning to spend unwisely. The rest is from documented increases in revenue in a fiscal plan. Unlike National’s mythic surplus, these are solid values. They will produce a solid surplus to pay down National’s debt.

Local Bodies: National and the Poverty Deniers

Written By: - Date published: 9:11 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 24 comments

Poverty deniers are also adamant that the ‘relative’ poverty that may exist has been flatlining for some time and the best way of stopping poverty is just getting people into work. They ignore the fact that 40% of children living in poverty have at least one parent in full-time employment.

NRT: Cronyism in Christchurch

Written By: - Date published: 8:33 pm, August 8th, 2014 - 26 comments

Yes, National just gave an enormous government contract to an MP’s brother. Now, he may have been the best bidder, but up-front it looks like cronyism, if not outright corruption. Shouldn’t the media be asking some very pointy questions about this?