Posts Tagged ‘John Key’
John Key’s flying pig falls to earth
David Fisher took literally years to shed even a little light on how Teflon John Key misled New Zealanders about a mass surveillance system on our internet his government was commissioning for the Americans. The whole very carefully, diplomatically written article is worth reading: John Key, mass surveillance and what really happened when Edward Snowden […]
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 […]
Emmerson on Judith Collins rejoining John Key’s Cabinet
Priceless. I love the detail on her tatoos: Oravida and Slater Jnr’s toxic brand. Wow.
A sad, but pithy assessment of John Key by Rod Oram
I read Rod Oram’s Sunday Star-Times column last night, and, more in sadness than anything, found I have to agree with his assessment: There’s a theory that John Key, Steven Joyce and Bill English have been cunningly carrying out a programme of ‘incremental radicalism’ — privatisations that aren’t portrayed as privatisations so as not to frighten […]
The Hollow Man: PM’s “fabricated” smear on Snowden documents
Evoking FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) is a tactic commonly used by tobacco lobbyists and climate change denialists – attempting to impugn the veracity of evidence. In this case the Prime Minister’s empty smear has been exposed … The NZ Herald‘s David Fisher reports … The Prime Minister’s office has said it has no factual basis for […]
Sorry, but this man is treating us like children (or fools)
John Key's line: As I had reason to tell someone in a completely different context recently … No doubt Mr Key's line, “Look, members of the news media, despite what those NSA/GCSB documents say, you're completely wrong — but it's not my job to tell you how you are” approach will work for some […]
From ‘News of the World tactics’, journalists as ‘little henchmen’ to … #hypocrisy
See earlier: Teapot tape saga sputters out with withdrawal of ‘costs’ action against cameraman.
Dirty Politics: John Key confesses to secret relationship with campaign worker
In the aftermath of the National Party’s emphatic re-election to lead a coalition government in New Zealand, surprisingly little has been made of Party Leader John Key’s confession to a secret relationship. It was contact John Key admitted he was warned not to engage in. “I was told not to … I know I shouldn’t […]
There goes the majority
Proportional representation, New Zealand style.
Allegations re mass surveillance by NZ’s GCSB
Here are the articles published by Glenn Greenwald and Edward Snowden about mass surveillance of New Zealand citizens by spy agencies that form part of the FIVE EYES intelligence alliance. These were released in the lead up to the anyway-you-look-at-it history-making event at Auckland Town Hall last night, ‘The Moment of Truth’ featuring Edward Snowden, […]
Matthew Hooton’s assertions re the Prime Minister’s Office
‘Explosive’ is one of those words that gets kicked around in politics and political reporting to the point where it’s almost lost its meaning. But it’s not an exaggeration to describe right wing spin doctor and self-declared National Party loyalist Matthew Hooton‘s performance on RadioLIVE this morning as incendiary. He effectively called Prime Minister John […]
Pretty impressive, Mr Key.
Anybody trying to portray this politician as out of steam is dreaming. This was a very competent performance today from John Key — admittedly, he appeared to be among friends, and was put under no pressure whatsoever by the cuddly host at NewstalkZB, Leighton Smith … but even so — very smooth, Mr Key.
Here’s the story political journos fixated with sports metaphors missed yesterday
I got bored quickly with the boxing/gladiatorial references to Parliament’s Question Time yesterday. Apparently it was David Cunliffe’s first QT as Leader of the Opposition. The coverage I saw was largely a (sad) case of style being reported over substance. Having earlier in the day defended Patrick Gower’s ‘colour’ and instability, I was intrigued and, […]
Have you voted in Campbell Live’s GCSB poll?
I have not participated in the angst-ridden/gloating discussion about how spymaster prime minister John Key ‘performed’ in his appearance on Campbell Live this week — ostensibly to defend and/or justify his GCSB Bill and its new, to-be-expanded powers of domestic surveillance provisions. Judging by a superficial reading of the reaction to the interview, people’s view […]
