Right wing blogger Cactus Kate says some good stuff. A lot. Even though I disagree with some of it. (Like she cares. Sure.) - click to visit her blog.

Nice to see conservative blogger Cactus Kate calling conservative blogger David Farrar for being a National Party mouthpiece the other day …

Labour’s argument goes a little something like this. Their core voters are married couples with two kids earning say $50,000. In the House today Labour bombarded the National Party with examples of such people in their electorate struggling to make ends meet. It is fertile ground because hand on heart no one can say that after John Key and co’s “tinkering” with taxes that these people have been compensated for the increase in GST to 15%. Whenever there is sanctioned increase in prices, of course suppliers hike prices more that the GST increases. They do so because they can get away with it because everyone else is increasing prices.

Which is why tinkering with taxes was such a bad idea. The package of reforms didn’t go far enough. The Nats chopped and chose what was saleable, in the meantime forgetting the anomalies they leave, the openings they gave the opposition.

The National Party research unit were quick to provide comment via Kiwiblog. (I have known David for 16 years and I know he doesn’t write with the word “bullshit”…it would be as obvious as someone else writing my posts for me and being delightfully polite). Anyway the Unit found some MAF stats…

This, and her recent take-down of hired gums and right-wing flack Matthew Hooton,

There are those on our side who are weak. And on the right, the weak need not be cuddled, they need to be drowned.

I am calling time on Matthew Hooton.

I am doing so because I have lost patience in his over the top dribble aimed at promoting himself as a right-wing random shock jock “Michael Laws” of political analysis and public affairs. I like Matthew, even though I do not know him well. I am patient with him because he’s quite cute and charming, those sort of men always get a second or even third chance with me. I have three left wing Facebook friends. I would have four but Trevor Mallard has run out of friend slots. I have Facebook friends who are repeaters and I find them all at least principled. Matthew on the other hand is now defriended for the terminal position of being unprincipled while pretending to be right wing.

Matthew has a long political career behind the scenes, lets forget that and concentrate on the recent highlights of his principles as it is an awful read:

– Matthew Hooton was a paid advisor to Don Brash when Brash was about to rule the world….

*Sigh* Well put, doncha think?

And then there’s her declaration that she is a drone-like ACT Party voter right-or-wrong …

Let me first start by saying I unequivocally support ACT. Other than Priscilla Tate you will not find a stauncher female member of the Party.

Within wide limits, I don’t care who the Leader of the Party is. I have and always will vote ACT. So I support the new Leader Don Brash and you will not find one word against him on this blog other than if he is too soft and his top marginal tax rate targets are too high. …

… confirm my respect for her. Not just mine, clearly: Cactus Kate Wins Inaugural AirNZ Blog Award. Well deserved.

Oh, and you have got to love her contarian view of the Hotchin ‘asset freeze’ soap opera, which I linked to in Defamation? Or law of consequences? I appreciate her serious ‘Hold on a @%&$@* minute!’ approach and the research and thought behind her analysis. Very excellent. Respec’, Kate!

Yep, Cactus Kate rocks, whether I agree with her politics or not (er, not, actually). Her at-times foul language (for effect, I’m sure) and typical VRWC* penchant for ad hominem attacks notwithstanding, I find her authentic. (Not that she should care what I think — not her core audience.)

Keeping it real

I much prefer it when people stab you in the front as she does. We discussed this briefly in Taking a direct approach quoting former Clinton politico John Podesta:

“If you’re going to be critical of your friends I think you ought do it on the record — not behind their backs.”

MUCH better than the alternative, in my opinion. Yep. That’s how I try to do it, too.

– P

* Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. I’m surprised you asked.