Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category
Soo busted. Cambridge Analytica’s extensive dirty tricks shopping list exposed
Good god. This is devastating. And, at another level, deeply ironic. Watch below. 19 minutes of your time well-spent. And to think we used to regard Crosby Textor as ratbags, huh? Just goes to show. This exposé also puts into context our local wannabe political activists highlighted in Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics — remember […]
Stages of grief after an electoral loss
Don’t let anyone tell you this stuff isn’t real. It’s absolutely natural to cast around for blame, and then a fresh-faced leader after a not-exactly-unexpected-but-oh-boy-we-got-our-hopes-up election loss/disappointment. How long before Dr Jonathan Coleman is persuaded to throw his hat in the ring again? He’ll be getting sweet-talked by now, I reckon. – P
Ask not for whom the bell tolls. (Betteridge’s law of headlines.)
Almost never a good sign: Anyone familiar with Betteridge’s law of headlines knows how that works … But Bill English says calm down, it’s OK. Well, for him, anyway. (That’s too bad about Paula Bennett, then, eh?) Personally, I don’t think Bill English did enough ‘wrong’ in the last New Zealand General Election to deserve […]
“Let’s put aside the obviously cynical nature of [Simon] Bridges’ faux-outrage …”
Best line I’ve read all week. From a delightful column by Andrew Geddis at Pundit: ‘Simon Bridges thinks that Simon Bridges is eroding parliamentary democracy‘. Seriously, it’s a lovely column. Go and read it if this stuff appeals to you. With bonus Edglering in the comments. Bravo to all concerned. Even my Tory mates think […]
Is undisclosed, paid PR the new normal in politics?
It’ll be no surprise to readers of ThePaepae.com that I despise behind-the-scenes, subterfuge public relations and opinion shifting efforts, especially if they’re funded in a non-transparent way. By coincidence, if you examine the tags dirty PR and dirty politics on this blog, the same cast of characters keeps on appearing. Over time that can make me […]
Peters: “New Zealand First intends to tip their trough upside down.”
Presented without comment today, Friday, before coalition negotiations to form the next New Zealand government begin in earnest. (I’ve left it out of blockquote style to aid legibility.) Rt Hon Winston Peters New Zealand First Leader Member of Parliament for Northland 18 November 2016 National Never Out of the Trough It seems as though the National Party […]
Why is Matthew Hooton SO UPSET at efforts to increase voter turnout? (AUDIO)
Here’s some commentary from PR professional Matthew Hooton, owner of the ‘Exceltium’ PR agency*, on how he sees efforts by New Zealand’s Electoral Commission to increase voter turnout. “I think the way the Electoral Commission has behaved, taking upon itself (despite having no statutory basis) to try and massively increase the turnout to try and […]
‘Dirty Politics’ – two worthwhile retrospectives & some new developments
The Spinoff website recently carried two worthwhile retrospective articles looking at the impact of Nicky Hager’s book Dirty Politics. Read them if you’re interested via the links below. First, ‘Sunlight did what sunlight does: Nicky Hager on Dirty Politics, three years on’ (link to The Spinoff here) which includes a good number of points with […]
About Matthew Hooton’s declared loyalties
I’ve discussed Matthew Hooton a few times here at The Paepae. My views of his ‘service’ to political commentary in New Zealand have hardened lately. I find Matthew a personally very engaging, even charming man. There can be few smoother and more persuasive spin doctors in the slippery ‘opinion-shaping’ game in New Zealand – especially […]
On the ‘NZ Taxpayers Union Inc’ PR attack machine
Following some discussion on Twitter about this astroturf political attack machine’s activities, I’ve been asked for these. They’re public documents available on the Register of Incorporated Societies … Application to incorporate a society (see names below*) ‘NZ Taxpayers Union Inc’ 2013 financial report ‘NZ Taxpayers Union Inc’ 2014 financial report ‘NZ Taxpayers Union Inc’ 2015 […]
Michael Hayden on James Comey
Former CIA boss Michael Hayden talking on BBC Newsday about what an honest, careful, note-taking, honourable and honest opponent James Comey is, in his experience. Archived here in case BBC audio fails to play. MP3 file “Michael Hayden on James Comey” by BBC Newsday 8 June 2017 prior to his appearance before the US Congress […]
The defamation case that never was
Prompted by a reported comment in court yesterday where dirty PR attack blogger Cameron Slater claimed to be “…by profession a journalist; I was simply doing my job” I had a wry chuckle at how far Slater Jnr has come from ‘Peter, FFS, I’m not a journalist, I’m a partisan blogger, when will you fucking understand […]
High Noon for duelling banjos Slater & Craig
One way or another Cameron Slater is going to have to get used to not having Colin Craig as a meal ticket/bogeyman to scare funds out of his cult members. It’s been awful watching Slater, his deputy dog Pete Belt, and wife Juana Atkins milk the outrage and paranoia they have foamed up among the […]
Silencing critical voices with personal attacks
Watch this video. It’s short, less than 5 min, but it’s very good. The ‘flack’ filter — attempts to attack, invalidate and delegitimize “inconvenient” media narratives (starting about 3′ 30″ in the video) — was clearly on display in the NZ Government and NZ Defence Force spin response to Nicky Hager & Jon Stephenson’s book […]
