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Apology to Minister

Posted by on April 2nd, 2012

Received via intermediary an email (part of one of a series, copied below) which caused me to review my suggestion that Joyce was involved in the Lusk/Act coup.

I have subsequently looked at my posts and thought again about the material I received at the time. I relied too heavily on one source and was probably wrong. The (partial) email below slaps me a bit so I thought I should share it.

Boag is close to senior Ministers and party figures. The Collins/Lusk camp needed to get her out of the way to then use her relationship with the others to target them. I won’t name who they are but the Collins/Lusk endgame is for Collins to emerge as the leader of the party, and Lusk to take over running of the party organisation. Yes, it is that insane.

Simon Lusk is the organiser behind Collins’ machinations. He is persona non grata within most elements of the National Party. Mallard fingered him in the House last year for his involvement in the Brash coup in Act, which he did organise. However Mallard got it spectacularly wrong when he claimed there was a secret deal between Joyce and Lusk for Lusk to take over Act. Joyce hates Lusk and was happy for Lusk to be severely embarrassed when it backfired.

So while I don’t think Joyce is a good Minister I was probably wrong in this instance and for that I apologise.

Filed under: blogs, national
12 Comments

bill english funds bryce edwards

Posted by on September 23rd, 2011

Interesting disclosure from David Farrar yesterday. He, along with Matthew Hooton, and (waste of members money) PSA are bankrolling Bryce Edwards, one of the few remaining supporters of the Alliance, to provide the political commentary which mainly attacks Labour and the Greens from the looney left. The guy makes Margaret Mutu look like a well balanced academic.

As we all know the majority of Farrar’s income comes from the taxpayer via a “research” arrangement.

I wonder if Bill English signed the deal off or whether it was just a nod and a wink.

Filed under: blogs
68 Comments

4000 posts on Red Alert

Posted by on August 15th, 2011

Thought it was worth noting. Well done everyone. And to our readers and commenters.

Update:

37 out of 42 Labour MPs have posted on Red Alert. Some more than others.

No surprisingly, Trevor wins with 1,185 posts
Clare 605
Grant 448
Chris Hipkins 257
Darien 249

There have been 89,271 comments.

I reckon what we’ve done is ground-breaking and real. We’ll keep thinking of new and better ways to communicate with you.  It’s a two-way street. Without you we’d just be talking to ourselves.

Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, blogs, Red Alert
16 Comments

The trolls under the bridge

Posted by on August 9th, 2011

One of the childhood stories that sticks in my mind is that of the Billy Goats Gruff. It’s a Norwegian fairytale and it tells the story of three goats who try to get over a bridge inhabited by a nasty troll underneath. They work together and manage to get to the other side safely. The troll is vanquished.

Time to use that strategy. The trolls who inhabit this site are on notice.

You have been tolerated for long enough. Your tactics are increasingly obvious. Real debate is encouraged on Red Alert, but not trolling.

You will be banned without notice.

I was going to put this post up a few days ago. Instead I ran a poll. As a litmus test. The results are pretty clear. Of the people who comment, most are put off by the tone of many commenters.

In the last couple of weeks the intensity of trolling by anonymous commenters on Red Alert has increased.

Genuine comments will be posted, no matter what their angle. Moderating policy will be followed.

If you are anonymous, breach the moderating policy and provide a false email address which can’t be verified, you will be banned. You can email one of the moderators if you want to contest the decision. But you must provide your identity to us which will be kept confidential.

If you are a regular commenter and breach the moderating policy you will get a warning. If you are banned you can email one of us to put your case. It will be heard.

That’s fair. Because this blog is for everyone, it’s not a playground for nasty trolls.

Filed under: #ownourfuture, blogs, comms & IT, Red Alert
105 Comments

Poll: How do you feel about commenting?

Posted by on August 7th, 2011

How do you feel about commenting on Red Alert posts?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

NB: You can answer more than one question

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, blogs, Red Alert
64 Comments

Moderation

Posted by on July 28th, 2011

I thought it might be time to have a chat about our moderation policy on Red Alert.

It’s been a while since we told you all what it is, and it’s important that we remember that new people view Red Alert all the time; there are new commenters. And some of the existing ones can forget.

I thought it might also be useful to say a few words to anyone who has transgressed the policy and found themself  “in moderation” (where their comments get held up until they have been vetted and approved. Or worse, have been banned.

The Red Alert moderators (myself, Trevor, Grant and Chris) will review your status if you ask us to.

Here’s the moderation policy:

  1. Keep it relevant to the post.
  2. Keep it clean. Don’t use offensive language. We’re tolerant, but we use the test of wanting to have intermediate age school kids using this site for research.
  3. Don’t make it personal. Stick to the issues rather than the person. By all means criticise what people have said or done, but do it in a way that is not personal. Leave families out of it. And we moderate attacks on National and ACT MPs on the same basis as Labour.
  4. Don’t tell lies

If you’re commenting for the first time, your comment will go into moderation, and is generally approved. After that your comments should automatically appear.

But if you step outside the guidelines, you’ll be placed “in moderation” which means your comments will sit in a box and be looked at by one of us before being approved.

(more…)

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, blogs, comms & IT, Red Alert
45 Comments

Mea culpa

Posted by on July 18th, 2011

Turns out it was my cockup that resulted in an email intended for supporters getting out into the blogs and then the MSM.

I added a few friends and acquaintances who are interested in politics to a list to get the package stopping asset sales and doing a tax switch to my normal supporters list. They got that on Thursday as the embargo came off.

Unfortunately for me I used that list again instead of my normal supporters list on Friday evening when I described the positive response to the package.

On it inter alia was David Farrar.

My bad. I’m sorry.

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Filed under: blogs
29 Comments

The beached humpback whale missed the friendly penguin

Posted by on July 7th, 2011

Woke far too early and for the first time for a while went to the blubbery one’s site. Always helps me sleep.

He has had fun searching through my Facebook friends and indentifying unusual characters. I don’t care. It is all open.

What amazed me was that he missed that I was Facebook friends with his best friend the penguin. No not Happy Feet.

His blogmobile sharing agent for Bill English – David Farrar.

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Filed under: blogs
4 Comments

How much is the world’s slowest Indian paying whale

Posted by on July 3rd, 2011

I see that the skills of the Slater Lusk team are being put in behind Aaron Bhatnagar’s attempt to get the National party nomination for Epsom.

Paying these people who helped Brash roll Hide seems wrong. In fact the whole idea of hiring consultants to win party nominations seems unclean.

Filed under: blogs, national
48 Comments

Transparency the best option

Posted by on June 18th, 2011

Am pleased and heartened to see that Rob at The Standard has outed himself as a blogger. Brave and wise I reckon.

I understand why some people blog under a pseudonym. I understand why some comment on blogs and in social media under one. It’s probably better all round if we were ourselves. Unfortunately, the world of politics encourages secrecy and intrigue, and can punish honesty and transparency.

I’m all for open-ness. Sometimes that may appear to be a naive position. But in the long run it’s better for us all.

If you are full of doubt, have a read of this. I think it’s the best example so far of how transparency reaps benefits.

Greg Jericho, also known as Grog’s Gamut is an Australian public servant, blogger, and journalist. He came to prominence during the Australian federal election in 2010 when Australian Broadcasting Corporation director Mark Scott referenced his blog during a speech.[1] He was subsequently outed by News Limited journalist James Massola, a move that provoked widespread condemnation and criticism amongst the Australian blogging community.[2] After a break from blogging following his outing, Jericho has resumed blogging and providing opinion items for other outlets, including the ABC.

I don’t like the way Greg Jericho was outed (I was in Australia when it happened) but I think the way he handled it was great.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, blogs, comms & IT, Social media
22 Comments

Lusk, Farrar, Slater, Williams to run anti MMP campaign

Posted by on May 29th, 2011

A few weeks ago I ran a series of posts which outlined the role the shadowy Simon Lusk in National Party selections, the Brash Act leadership coup and indicated that he was chasing the lucrative anti MMP campaign.

I don’t think I’ve ever had as many National MPs thanking me – for letting them know how someone they trusted was in fact outsourced by Steven Joyce to do work in the coup to put Brash into Act. Many were not aware that he had a role in several selection campaigns some of which was sub contracted to Whaleoil.Many however suspected what polls now show, that Brash has significantly higher negatives than Hide and that women who supported Act would abandon the party. Interesting how Joyce has moved – with this, the Mediaworks scandal and the mess he has made by indemnifying Telecom for UFB losses – from hero to close to zero.

The Sunday Star Times today has part of the story:-

Those behind a campaign to shoot down MMP have killed before.

The right is getting ready to fire both barrels at MMP. A group of activists with links to National and Act are busy preparing a campaign against the electoral system. They are hardened politicos and some happen to share an interest in hunting, shooting and fishing. But it’s not clear if they’ll kill off MMP.
(more…)

Filed under: act party, asset sales, Attorney-General, blogs, coalition management, comms & IT, Contractors, Elections, Electoral Law Reform, ipredict, national, outsourcing, Selections
64 Comments

Let’s not game

Posted by on May 25th, 2011

hone

Lots of demand following TV3 article for a link to lets-not.co.nz wasn’t meant to make available till Friday but have a look, play the game a few times to see the scenarios and give us feedback.

Filed under: asset sales, blogs, broadband, humour
34 Comments

Where angels fear to tread

Posted by on May 23rd, 2011

Yesterday I did something unusual. A guest post on Whaleoil’s Gotcha Blog.

Unusual because I have studiously ignored his blog for several years and I know many of my colleagues won’t like the fact I entered his territory.

I thought about it for a couple of weeks. It came about because he tweeted triumphantly that he had helped the Labour Party gain publicity over its billboards being mistaken as stop signs. And he mused what else he could do to help us.

I cheekily suggested a coffee, a guest post and that he could come door-knocking with me. He said no to door-knocking, that his reputation would suffer if we had coffee but yes to the post.

Every few days I’d get a reminder about the post. I mulled it over, consulted some people (several of whom thought it was a mad idea) Wrote and re-wrote a post. But decided to go ahead because I said I would and because I believe in what I had to say.

You be the judge.

I doubt it’ll become a regular feature. And NO he doesn’t get posting rights on Red Alert.

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Filed under: #OpenLabourNZ, blogs
14 Comments

Key’s shonkey stats

Posted by on May 17th, 2011

Ben Clark, brother of Rev Dr blogs on how Key attempts to mislead over on the Standard.

Worth a read.

Filed under: blogs, economy
10 Comments

Budget preview – see John’s reply to Don

Posted by on May 14th, 2011

It appears that the penguin still has access to the National Party leaders computer system.

John’s reply to Don is here.

Will be interesting to see if we do get a budget that addresses the deficit that has ballooned under National or just tinkers.

Hat tip Prickly One.

Filed under: act party, asset sales, blogs, Budget, coalition management
7 Comments

Texts from Auckland

Posted by on May 10th, 2011

Txts from Banksy 1

Txts from Banksy 2

Txts from Banksy 3

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Filed under: act party, asset sales, Auckland, blogs, business, by-election, Electoral Law Reform, finance, history, humour, informal economy, internet, ipredict, jobs, national, New Chum, parliament, whaling
16 Comments

Cactus Kate funds Whale?

Posted by on May 9th, 2011

So the Prickly One  is paying Whale’s legal fees http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2011/05/04/who-feathers-penguins-nest/comment-page-1/#comment-173394, which offshore account does that come out of or is it another brown bag?

I’m not sure if she is the sort of lawyer who runs a trust account – her comments have never struck me as generous, but unclear whether it is her cash or just an agency arrangement.

Filed under: act party, blogs, national, outsourcing
39 Comments

Apologies to Whale

Posted by on May 9th, 2011

I loved this format on Whaleoil, even if the messages didn’t appeal. Thought we might try a few cut and pastes. . Assume the format isn’t subject to copyright.

Txts from Whale

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Filed under: act party, blogs, national
12 Comments

A lot more than twenty questions and still going Part IV

Posted by on May 9th, 2011

1. What exactly did Brash get for his $30k?

2. Did Whale and Hooton get cash?

3. What was Lusk’s role in this?

4. Did Joyce contribute or was he just the fixer?

5. How much of it did Banks pay?

6. Was money only paid into NZ bank accounts?

7. What do Leonie Hapeta and Mark Mitchell have in common?

8. Is employing a specific consultant now a requirement to get a contested National Party selection?

9. Is there transparency during the selection process, ie did all candidates know of the consultant and his assistants roles on behalf of those employing him?

10. Does Whale get paid for all his endorsements of candidates?

11. What do Upston, Gilmore, Woodhouse, Lee Ross, Lotu Iinga, Wagner and Blue have in common?

12. Does Bill English realise that he is being undermined by these processes?

13. Did Goodfellow know his parties party’s consultant was moonlighting with Brash?

14. Has the team offered their services to any other party this year?

15. Did Key know of Joyce’s involvement, and if so did he tell his deputy?

16. What did Joyce say to Lusk last Wednesday night after they were rumbled?

More to come…………

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Filed under: act party, asset sales, Auckland, blogs, Book Reviews, censorship, coalition management, comms & IT, national, New Chum
49 Comments

Twenty questions Part III

Posted by on May 8th, 2011

Simon Lusk1Simon Lusk2

1. Who is this guy?

2. At whose funeral were arrangements made?

3. Who was the matchmaker?

4. How much did Brash pay and who funded it?

5. Was support for Joyce part of the agreement?

ps. Might end up being more than twenty questions at the rate the tips are coming in.

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Filed under: act party, asset sales, Auckland, blogs, coalition management, comms & IT, humour, internet, ipredict, media, national, New Chum, parliament, politics, whaling, Wikileaks
36 Comments

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