Dirty politics and corruption in New Zealand

Following on from my article from yesterday on the theme:



  "This is awesome. ‪John Key avoiding answering the questions like a Slater on a Hook. This man couldn't lie straight in a Rothchilds-made bed."


--- Kevin Hester

'Like a Slater on a Hook' – John Key grilled by Radio NZ

THIS HAS TO BE LISTENED TO!

There is nothing quite like journalists turning when their reputations are called into question. We have a Prime Minister who prefers a filthy right-wing blogger to the traditional media because they can do what he wants better than they can armed with what remains of ethical scruples.

Listen to John Key exposed in his lies by Guyon Espiner, who has probably done more than anyone on Radio NZ to talk down any criticism of this government.

Nothing like a journalist scorned!

Prime Minister stands by Minister and Staff

Five days on from the release of Nicky Hager's book, 'Dirty Politics', the Prime Minister has told Morning Report he is standing behind his staff and ministers.

Yesterday right-wing blogger Cameron Slater, currently a guest of the state of Israel, wrote a piece placing Kim Dotcom as the paymaster of the "conspiracy" against poor Cameron  (who earlier called a West Coast youth killed in a car crash as a "feral who did the world a favour", and the people of Christchurch "scum"). Apparently, according the Slater, a series of email exchanges prove that Dotcom the internet entrepreneur was responsible for hacking his emails.

The poor guy!  Victim of his own tactics!

Interviewed by Radio New Zealand this morning, who attempted to cross-examine her, leader of the Internet Party, Laila Harre managed to get her point across - that dirty tricks, borrowed from right-wing Republicans in the USA, are being used to smear politicians - and to trash democracy and turn young people who might otherwise have voted for the opponents, away from voting and towards cynicism towards all politicians. 

Internet Party leader on "Dirty Politics"
Staying with "Dirty Politics",  Cameron Slater is lashing out on his 'Whale Oil' blog, claiming a series of text messages from Kim Dotcom prove the internet entrepreneur is responsible for hacking his emails.

Here is the slug, Cameron Slater, who would not look out of place on a tribune of the Pravyi Sektor or Svododa Party in Ukraine

Later in the broadcast, in a summing up, in addition to carrying highlights with their grilling of John Key, Laila Harre's apposite comments were re-broadcast in full (towards the end of the clip)

Fallout from Dirty Politics Widens

Prime Minister John Key doesn't plan to question his Justice Minister Judith Collins, despite her confirming she passed on the name of a public servant she believed to be leaking information about Minister of Finance, Bill English to blogger Cameron Slater

And for intelligent discussion, here is an interview by Wallace Chapman of Nicky Hager on Radio NZ's Sunday Programme 

Nicky Hager - Dirty Politics

Investigative journalist Nicky Hager is the author of the most talked about book of the year to date – 'Dirty Politics: How attack politics is poisoning New Zealand’s political environment'. Wallace Chapman talks to Nicky Hager about the origins of the book, its revelations, and the state of New Zealand politics.

Nicky Hager's book also made it into the news across the Ditch, in Australia.  Here is Selwyn Manning discussing the book on Australian radio

Here is some of the coverage from New Zealand media

Key dodges sticky issue with offhand denials

"There comes a point when a politician's over-reliance on plausible deniability becomes simply implausible.

"John Key is well past that point with his absolute refusal to accept accountability for the allegations made in Nicky Hager's Dirty Politics book.

"He moved into the farcical yesterday, on many counts. The first was his apparent ignorance that spin doctor Jason Ede still roams the corridors of Parliament, using a staff swipecard"

Blogging,money and blurred lines

The man at the centre of the Dirty Politics firestorm sits on a leafy street in Tel Aviv, Israel, just a block from the shores of the Mediterranean, sipping a blended mint lemonade.

SHUTTLEWORTH BESIDE THE SEASIDE: Cameron Slater in Tel Aviv. The Israeli government helped pay for his visit

John Key: Ede 'briefing the bloggers'

National loses support in new polls

National has lost support, according to two new polls, with one showing Labour was recovering from its recent lows even before the Dirty Politics scandal hit.

The latest 3News Reid Research poll of 1000 New Zealanders shows National down almost 2 points to 47.5 per cent and Labour up over 2 points to 29 per cent.

Labour calls on Nats to name infiltrator

The Labour Party has called on Prime Minister John Key to publicly name the National staff member the party admitted infiltrated Labour's website server in 2011.

And the latest from Radio New Zealand

John Key says Collins claims a 'smear'

Radio NZ

The Prime Minister is standing by his Minister Judith Collins, who is under fire following the release of the book Dirty Politics. John Key told Morning Report it was a smear campaign.

Nicky Hager's book, released last week, claimed senior National Party members and staff were involved in feeding embarrassing and potentially damaging information on political opponents to right-wing bloggers.

The minister has admitted she passed to Cameron Slater the name of a public servant, who the blogger then said was the source of a leak to the Labour Party. The leak had allowed Labour MPs to question Finance Minister Bill English in Parliament about his accommodation allowance in 2009.

Mr Key told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme he hadn't asked Ms Collins about the matter.

"At the end of the day we're five weeks out from an election, people can see that Nicky Hager's made a whole lot of things up in his book, (they) can see he can't back a lot of them up," he said.

"People can see this is a smear campaign by Nicky Hager."

Listen to the full interview with John Key on Morning report 

Asked whether it was appropriate for the Justice Minister to pass on the name of a public servant who was then severely sanctioned on a website, he said he did not know all the details.

"What I do know, is that it is a series of selective pieces of information, many of which can't be backed up."

Ms Collins is also facing pressure to stand down as a minister over whether she leaked confidential ACC information to Mr Slater. She has strenuously denied those allegations.

Mr Key was asked if he was happy to associate himself with Mr Slater. "At the end of the day he's not my guy, Cameron Slater ... anyone who knows Cameron Slater knows that he's a force unto himself."

The Prime Minister said that, whether he liked it or not, social media was now part of the media network and he had to deal with it.

He is also standing by former staff member Jason Ede, now working for the National Party, for accessing a Labour Party website that was meant to be secure.

'No knowledge of OIA request'

The book also alleged the Prime Minister's office tipped off Mr Slater about the contents of classified SIS documents and how to request them in order to smear the then-Labour leader Phil Goff.

The book raises questions about how Mr Slater so quickly got a copy of a briefing given to Mr Goff early in 2011 from the Security Intelligence Service. It says Mr Key or his office must have been involved.

Mr Key said the Official Information Act (OIA) request did not come across his desk and did not sign off on it.

"I knew there were requests, I would have known because generally they say there's a series of requests into the SIS or the GCSB but they often sign off on, well they always sign off on, things on their own timetable. We've got slightly better processes now, so they'll tell me."

Dotcom not linked to Hager book - Harre

Internet Party leader Laila Harre has rejected suggestions that party founder Kim Dotcom is linked to information used as the basis for Mr Hager's book.

Listen to Laila Harre on Morning Report ( 8 min 20 sec )

Laila Harré, leader of the Internet Party.

The book is largely based on material hacked from Cameron Slater's Whale Oil website, and Mr Slater believes Kim Dotcom was the source. Both Nicky Hager and Mr Dotcom have denied that.

Ms Harre told Morning Report the situation was clear. "Nicky Hager and Cameron Slater are the two people whose evidence is out here on this source of the hacking. Who do you believe? Nicky Hager has said that the origins of the information had no association whatsoever to do with Kim Dotcom."

Meanwhile, the Internet Party leader is demanding the Prime Minister remove any responsibility Justice Minister Judith Collins has for the Electoral Commission.

Ms Harre said it was untenable for Ms Collins to remain responsible for the commission when she is so deeply involved in activities outlined in the book.

From the corporate National Business Review

PM acknowledges staffer accessed Labour web server — but brushes it off with an All Blacks analogy

Prime Minister John Key has conceded he new one of his party's staffers accessed a Labour Party website, but has brushed it off with a sports analogy.

"Whatever we do we musn't let this get in the way of carrying out our agenda"

OneNews-ColmarBrunton snap poll: voters shrug off Hager book

A Colmar Brunton snap poll for One News has found 77% have heard of Nicky Hager's new book Dirty Politics.


But only 28% say they believe its allegations its allegations about an organised smear campaign carried out by National. 42% did not beleive Mr Hager's allegations. 29% didn't know.


And 82% say it has not negatively influenced their view of National.

Backed up by TV1 which is what the part of the country that doesn't watch TV2, watches

Will 'Dirty Politics' claims affect the election?
Judith Collins and Grant Robertson with their reactions to Nicky Hagar’s new book