Humble Pie

383
26

Papakura-election

Oh. My. God. This was a heartbreaking nightmare.

I was wrong, horribly, horribly, horribly wrong. I honestly believed that the resources, the media attention, the vile toxic politics exposed by Dirty Politics and the mass surveillance lies would have seen NZers turn against Key.  I thought 250 000 children in poverty, the lack of economic strategy beyond rebuilding from an earthquake and crony capitalism would sink Key.

It didn’t, people rallied around him and gave John Key his largest victory ever. I am speechless. I thought New Zealanders would react angrily at seeing the real Key, they didn’t.

Sue Bradford was right, Josie Pagani was right, and god damn it- the mainstream media were right. I was dreadfully wrong.  Perversely Dirty Politics and the mass surveillance issues benefited National.

The magnitude of this loss will reverberate for a full 3 years.

The Greens deserved so much more than 10% – they ran an incredible campaign. I thought Cunliffe’s TV debates had given him a boost and Hone, I honestly thought he had Te Tai Tokerau. They spent the time there, they were tireless in their endeavours but Winston’s endorsement of Kelvin became a kiss of death. The loss of Hone, one of the great civil rights politicians of our time is a painful blow.

There were a handful of moments which stuck out during the campaign that the left never managed to recover from, it was frustrating seeing those needless mistakes occur but analysis of that is for another time.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

National now have full spectrum dominance, and are able to cement into place vast changes in welfare, education and public services. It is a spectacular win for Key, neo-liberal policy and right wing corporate media and a disheartening blow to those at the coal face of poverty and inequality.

It is a sick indictment when Cameron Slater manages to come out as a winner in all this. We are a lesser country for this result.

The only way this could have been worse is if the Conservative Party had won.

From a personal perspective, I will step back from blogging for a couple of weeks to reflect on things. There need to be voices from the left who can redefine what progressives need to do to end this terrible, terrible Government, but today I don’t think I’m one of those voices.

I am bitterly disappointed.

 

 

383 COMMENTS

    • Yeah I was confused by this because it’s not entirely clear. Apparently the voter participation rate was 77%. In order for that to be true, the 254,630 special votes listed on electionresults.govt.nz are not included in the total 2,112,522 votes counted.

      So it looks like a full quarter of a million special votes haven’t been counted yet.

    • These votes will probably be rigged to suit National as the election probably was. Kohn Key says Judith Collins will be brought back into cabinet after enquiry, hate to say it but I told you so unfortunately. I think most knew that though.

      • how could this election be rigged? People voted, they were counted, and the result is what it is. If a large number of people were not moved by the yawn-fest that was dirty politics and the moment of truth, then that is their responsibility, not the responsibility of those who actually gave a damn and voted.

        “The Greens deserved so much more than 10%”. How can you say this? All the parties get what they deserve, either on the positive side of the ledger or the negative. MMP provides total transparency over what people actually think of each party and their policies, that is why MMP is so great.

        So Saturday night showed clearly what NZers thought of KDC, the shambles that was the internet party, Labour’s “vision”, the conservative one-man band, and the Greens.

        It was a joy to watch, an absolute joy.

      • Sorry but exactly HOW do you rig an election in NZ? Lets hear your theories, I’m curious as to how you justify a claim like that.
        What makes you think National want to harm our country?
        What makes you think national supporters want our children to suffer?
        The mindset of the left just beggars belief sometimes.

        • Anyone who wants us to sign up to the TPPA wants to harm our country. This is signing our sovereignty over to the American corporations.

    • A niggle:

      That’s true, but not as clear as it first appears. The proportion of those enrolled, who then turned up to vote, increased this year. That’s the 77% versus 74% statistic. But there was a lower enrollment rate this election, so the increase in turnout as a proportion of the eligible population was a pretty negligible half a percent.

      I’m honestly not sure how to read this. I’ve read people claiming that the public was more engaged in this election, but there were also changes to the voting regulations that made advance-voting easier, and voting from overseas this elelction could be done simply by downloading a .pdf, filling it in, and uploading it to the EC. I would expect those changes to increase the number of votes cast, even if public engagement remained the same. Given the changes and the small total increase in total voting rate, I’m far from convinced that the apparent increase in engagement represents an actual shift in voter engagement.

      Analysis at Stats Chat:

      http://www.statschat.org.nz/2014/09/22/so-we-had-an-election/

    • As far as I can tell from elections.govt.nz, this is incorrect. That keeps getting quoted by MSM, but it’s wrong. 1.01 Million votes for National this election, 1.058 million last election. The only way for their proportion of votes to be higher this time is if total participation went DOWN.

      http://www.elections.org.nz/research-statistics/enrolment-statistics-electorate

      Total votes + special votes = 2,367,152. That’s 75.4% of the total 3,140,417 enrolled. Not 77. Out of the total number of eligible population 3,391,100 that’s 69.8% who voted.

      1,023,948 eligible voters did not vote. More than the number who voted National. Once again.

      • I’ve just double-checked the numbers myself from Electoral Commission and Parliament sources. A full breakdown is below. As far as I can tell, you’re right that the 77% statistic is off the mark. A possible explanation for the difference between our 75.4% estimates and the 77% estimate might be down to the exclusion of informal votes from the numbers we’re seeing (presumably the EC knows how many there are). They’re included in the official numbers from 2011.

        It’s not true that “The only way for [National’s] proportion of votes to be higher this time is if total participation went DOWN”, because the counted votes include the special votes in our 2011 data, but not in our 2014 data. When we have the specials as well, the total number of votes for National in 2014 will undoubtedly increase (although, if this election is like most elections, National’s *proportion* of votes will decrease when the specials are released).

        But in summary: there’s been a small decline in the enrollment rate compared to last election, and a pretty negligible increase in the voting rate (1.9% as a percentage of enrolled voters, or 1% as a percentage of eligible voters). Given that there were changes that made voting easier this election, there is no strong evidence to support the claim that voters were more engaged this time around.

        Full breakdown:
        2011:
        Eligible population = 3,280,000
        Enrolled population = 3,070,000
        Enrollment rate = 93.60%

        Total votes cast = 2,257,336*
        * includes informal votes

        Votes as a percentage of enrolled: 73.52%
        Votes as a percentage of eligible: 68.82%

        2014:
        Eligible population = 3,391,100
        Enrolled = 3,140,417
        Enrollment rate = 92.61%

        Votes counted = 2,112,522
        Special votes = 254,630
        Total votes = 2,367,152

        Votes as a percent of enrolled: 75.37%
        Votes as a percent of eligible: 69.80%

        Sources:
        http://www.electionresults.govt.nz/electionresults_2014/partystatus.html

        http://www.parliament.nz/en-nz/parl-support/research-papers/00PLLawRP11041/the-2011-general-election-provisional-results

        http://www.elections.org.nz/events/past-events-0/2011-general-election/2011-general-election-official-results

  1. Chin up. Take care of yourself. NZ is a bland moderate compliant place in the main. It makes for a peaceful democracy.

    • My biggest fear is TPP,when and if it come to be , the nat supporters will not be so smug.
      We have no way of stopping John Key if he decides to go ahead with the corporate takeover. if it comes in and Labour does win in 2017 it wont make any difference because once signed ,its set up to never be overcome.
      Im sure I read somewhere that David Cunliffe said he would go for tpp,
      but on their website its showing the negative side to tpp.
      Sort of mixed messages.
      The consenus of the the left coalition is too many chiefs wanting prominence, instead of all parties sitting down for discussions,it was fought out in the media, Labour blaming dot com is wrong, it was labours lack of strategy.Key played on all the dissention .

      • There are PLENTY of references in Sun SZU’s art of war about the use of spying ( eg:use of propaganda/MSM , spreading of confusion , discouraging news ) the use of fifth columnists eg: ABC’s in Labour to subvert…smear campaigns /lies…

        And the Roman tactic of divide and conquer…

        All of these tactics were used in this campaign against the Left.

        Mentioned once about a whole generation who now need to be reeducated…they were not born in 1984…it is all they have ever known..the neo liberal dogma.

        And how do they become re educated in this segregated modern age of city life?….well the internet… BUT !…..

        AS Che Guevara opined …radio.

        Why radio?,…well in this hi tech age…radio is still effective to bring on guest speakers uninterrupted by a biased media…therefore can engage large numbers. It is cost effective , relatively -,and can be used as multi media quite effectively.

        One only has to look at the effective use of media this election by the Right…to see how and when news was being manipulated for their cause.

      • The TPPA is my top concern too. In the same way National interpreted their win last time as the public mandate to proceed with asset sales, National will interpret this victory. God help us all.

        • I agree about the TPPA but it can be stopped if there’s enough of a public uproar. I know that’s a big ‘if’ but its a really big deal and we need to fight it.

            • Prof Jane Kelsey has also written some really informative articles on the TPPA & TISA on the Daily Blog earlier this year.

              This is really scary stuff. But the biggest scare is few NZers have any idea about these agreements and how they will effect all of us.

              I am encouraging friends and family to read the Daily Blog every day and every night.

              Knowledge is power.

          • But how, is the question. I feel completely helpless. We need a journo or someone willing to be a lone voice in the wilderness and stand up against the MSM but from what I’ve observed they’re like hens’ teeth. What about Winston, he loves a good stoush.

          • no it can’t be stopped by public uproar. even referenda aren’t binding remember? even if 87% of the country condemn it publicly it makes no difference.

      • Yes I totally agree Labour can only blame itself with its infighting and lack of loyalty to a leader once chosen. It is very sad that we will not see the Harawira Harre Minto and Sykes presenting an alternative view to the status quo in parliament. I think there is a pressing need for an alternative television channel as the current news sources are clearly biased and when the people are fed bullshit they vote accordingly

        • I notice the vote ‘thumbs down ‘ trolls from the Right wing particually do not like that idea – that gives us all a clue as to what is missing for the Left ….a mass media outlet to desiminate, reeducate , provide forums for and coordinate exclusively for the Left as a movement.

          I advocate radio for its relative ease of setting up and cost effectiveness….further on down the track more complex mediums can be added.

          That is why radio is so prized in so many instances when combating govt dogma….from Che Guevara to the SOLIDARNOSC union movement in Poland.

  2. Thanks Martyn for all your hard work. You’re a champion and fighter. I always enjoy reading your analysis even though I don’t always agree, but most of the time I do. Take time off—disappear. Not in Hawaii I’m guessing. I’m concerned about the future too, but we can’t just lay down and die. Maybe there needs to be greater inter-party consensus and strategy on the Left with a bit more pragmatism. I think I’ll take a couple of weeks off following blogs just to clear my head. It’s disheartening.

    But, thanks again.

    The revolution will not be televised.

  3. National now have full spectrum dominance

    A party that depends on fictions in order to maintain power only dominates the ignorant.

    The lesson from Hager’s book is that dirty politics tends to stops people from participating, and this favours the right. The solution for the left is to identify an alternative political process rather than trying to win on an uneven playing field.

    • This defeat is extremely disheartening. Any suggestions for an alternative political process? Is the solution to try and convince National voters they’re misguided or to become involved in more direct action/activist politics and build a big enough movement to bypass parliament?

      • The process is two pronged…one is to educate using various unencumbered forms of media which lessens the chances of disruption by opposing groups….

        The second is to use activism to continually and visually place issues before the public to promote public discussion. Your trade unions being a powerful and legitimate medium ….teachers, trades , service people etc.

        All of these , like any campaign , are not short term objectives…but are of prolonged duration.

      • “Any suggestions for an alternative political process?”

        Direct democracy where people can appoint proxies if they don’t want to participate directly. The main differences with the current system would be the promotion of democratic ideals and the abandonment of party positions (in favour of finding policy arguments which have popular support).

        I’d imagine that appointing proxies could be fairly fine grained, i.e. a voter could appoint different proxies for different issues. Also there’s no need for this process to be constrained by the current civil system so long as it upholds the principle of democratic protection of minority rights.

        A coherent message backed by large number of people who are prepared to hold public rallies isn’t something that can be ignored by the MSM or by parliament.

    • MMP is not an uneven playing field. People vote according to their point of view and conscience. MMP is completely the utterly transparent, and it was very transparent what NZers wanted on Saturday night. People choose to be disenfranchised ie choose to be uninterested.

      • And also to not understand fully the issues presented to them , chose to believe the MSM slant, ……

        basically were content to make an uninformed decision based of feelings.

        You don’t find that sort of apathy in nations that have had violent revolutions or severe govt military/police oppression when given the opportunity to vote in a free election.

      • The problem isn’t with MMP, it’s with the left-right political divide, which puts the left on the back foot when aggressive and dishonourable tactics are employed.

        The solution IMO involves both the left and right finding their common values and abandoning political strategies which are vulnerable to corruption.

  4. You are not the only one Martyn.

    I am disgusted at the million plus people who couldn’t be bothered to vote answer the million plus who think it is okay for kids to starve and people to struggle to buy meds etc.

    This is not the country I was born into in 1951.

    This is a sellout to corporations and the 1%.

    As average kiwi said this election was taken nationals way by Asian immigrants who only give a f..k about their own selfish ends and have no idea of kiwi’s social conscience history.

    Also the mainstream media as you have said have a lot to answer for.

    This is new Zealand version of the USA 2001 election where bush robbed the election .

    New Zealand is going to pay a horrible price for this day in history.

    • As an asian/black that is very insulting
      Closet racism/xenophobia of the left-this is why it was hard to get my family to vote left

    • Dream on. There are no kids in this country starving. Travel to third world countries and you will see real poverty. The kids you refer to need love from caring parents not social handouts. The parents in most cases are usually ferals who can breed but can’t feed (their kids). Your whole post is an example of why the left have been destroyed at this election. It is the politics of greed and envy & refusing to accept any individual responsibility. Keep it up you will be decimated at the next election as well!

      • You are wrong, and you are so cruel.

        During several years teaching in South Auckland, I taught kids with their spines showing through their shirts; kids with mildew on their clothes; kids with scurvy. Most were from families where at least one parent worked full time.

        I don’t blame you for your ignorance – the mainstream media will never highlight the horror in our society – but I urge you to pursue a more realistic view.

        Little kids are people.

        These are children, who don’t deserve what is happening to them.

        • You’re right BOT, I have a friend with two kids who only ate meat once a week so her kids could have it. And she wasn’t on drugs or boozing it all away , just to put that out there. I don’t think that Mike would listen to either or any of us though.
          Not really sure why he’s on here to be honest – it just come across as rather callous and a bit ignorant.

          • Mike is probably here so that he has a complete picture of the way the country views the election and the issues that people are concerned about. He obviously disagrees with the opinion s expressed here and has said so.

            It would be a boring world if we all stuck to our own sphere and didn’t look around once in a while.

            I look at blogs on the left and right to make sure I don’t become too one eyed. You should check out Whale Oil to see the other side of the fence sometimes. The moderators have cleaned up the site and from what I can see you can expect a robust discussion without the abuse for which it was previously known.

            • Sorry, being mean and judgy about people on the breadline is not giving a complete picture – it is just showing ones prejudices – as Mike was. It’s odd suggesting checking out Whale Oil – unless Cameron Slater has had a ‘road to Damascus’ conversion he obviously feels in his heart that those who are not like him or above him are beneath his contempt and deserve nothing. This is not about discord but about what kind of society we will tolerate. People holding open discussion do not refer to all poor parents as ‘ferals’.

              • I don’t think Whale Oil has a monopoly on being mean and judgy. I haven’t seen anything on this blog to suggest that all is sweetness and light here.

                In fact there is quite a lot of violent rhetoric here and also outright nutty conspiracy theory.

      • DONT feed the trolls. A down- vote is troll food which incentivises them. The Daily Blog seriously needs to stop with the down-vote option.

  5. I will not rest. I am defiant from midnight last night.

    But you do so, sir, and thank you for your compassion and integrity.
    We await your return.

  6. Me too!

    Lessons to be learned:

    1) Personality is everything.
    2) The youth vote doesn’t count for anything, especially so if their parents are National supporters.
    3) Representing the centre is the only way to win.
    4) Saying “I don’t remember” is perfectly acceptable to our media, unless you have historical evidence, unless it was your “office.”
    5) Electoral races are not about local representation, they only serve to promote a candidate from another party or to prevent one from gaining a seat.
    6) Personality is everything.

  7. “The loss of Hone, one of the great civil rights politicians of our time is a painful blow.”

    This is very sad , not so much for Hone, (gives him a chance to rethink his priorities in life) but for those Mana represented. The next three years look impossibly bleak for them….

    And Labour what really do they stand for? Who do they represent?
    Not those Mana represented that is for sure.

    Inside or outside parliament the fight goes on.

    • Sadly, many in the Labour caucus do NOT stand for the Labour Party that I first joined in 1980. Too much dead-wood relics of Rogernomics and right wing fellow-travellers, and left voters know this, and refuse to vote for them.

      • Yes – I agree Peter Archer – until the old (and new Rogernomes) go then Labour is not fit to govern. What is more, those Rogernomes – commonly called the ABCs by the media – have been disloyal to both their Party and their Leader with their constant public tittle-tattle. They are there to serve their own purpose : time they went out into the real world instead.

    • I have voted for Hone in the last two elections and chose not to this time round for two reasons …how often was he actually in the debating chamber and the alliance with KDC is toxic. He made his own bed..

  8. Whilst the support for National seems beyond incomprehensible, the broad lesson to be drawn for the left is surely that you can’t win an election on distractions. National is clearly perceived as embodying sound economic management – a wrongheaded view but that’s the message they’ve successfully conveyed to the public. What will ordinary New Zealanders remember about the left’s campaign? Kim Dotcom, Dirty Politics, and apologies for being a man. Those like myself who visited The Daily Blog seeking discussion around a coherent alternative economic vision for the left, discovered instead a seeming obsession with negative personality and bourgeois identity politics, with seemingly endless bouts of FJK, WhaleOil, “rape culture”, gender quotas and blind support for Islam – non-issues that frankly mean little to the general electorate. As someone who has worked in display, you realise that you literally only have a few seconds to gain the attention of most people – politics in NZ is much the same. The left’s great failure has been in getting the important messages across. There are 3 more years to think about that.

    • I have only been reading the Daily Blog for a short time but the focus on progressive talking points is very off-putting. Reading the comments one imagines an angry mob of ideologues obsessed with victim politics, shouting down all opposition, and now, predictably, characterising the voting public as mindless sheeple. Well done.

      • Destructo – it may’ve escaped your notice, but “progressive talking points” is the raison d’être of this particular blog. What else would we be here for – gardening tips?!

        • Let me refer to the examples from the previous post then. Whatever the merits, the idiocy of debating parliamentary gender quotas or removing the presumption of innocence in sexual assault cases months away from an election begs belief.

          Unfortunately throwing your oar in with left means being bullied into accepting a long laundry list of approved positions on every issue. From a personal perspective, being Catholic and pro-life, could be a problem if you vote Greens/Mana, or even Labour.

          • This is a place for discussion – it is still important to discuss things of importance outside of the election process that are happening now (the world doesn’t stop because we’re ready to reassess our representatives, lol). The opinions express here are opinions – if you don’t agree then don’t feel bullied, just listen and take what you want & leave the rest. I feel bullied all the time in the outside world by those on the right – shouted out with what is really rhetoric often (try bringing up studies and get ‘the laugh’) but it doesn’t stop me discussing – unless it gets nasty – try
            whaleoil to see – no don’t, I’m not that mean! Differing opinion is alowed here – your one is here,case in point.

            Being pro-life shouldn’t deny you the posibility of voting left – it is a concious issue and you’ll find pro & anti abortionist on both sides, and if this is the most important issue to vote on you must realize that being prolife should carry on past a child’s birth.

            • Interesting points here. I am I suppose, a mild social conservative, but still vote Labour with some commitment, and always have. A few fruity men and uppity wimmin in Labour is a small price to pay in comparison to the destruction of the NZ social order that is occurring under this current self-serving lot. I implore other such mild conservatives to stick with Labour in future!

          • Yes and so it should be a problem at this point in history. The planet is overpopulated , it’s resources are dwindling it is simply irresponsible to create life that cannot be adequately supported and nurtured.
            s .And that is what happens in families where birth control is not rigorously practiced. It is the 21st century the outdated anti female stance of Catholicism long ago ceased to have any credence in this world of ours.
            I have encouraged my children to adopt. There are so many unloved children. Childbirth is a horrendous experience and debilitates a woman’s health.The emotional and psychological benefits of parenting can be easily acquired thru adoption I have observed a large number of successful waangi adoptions. It works.

          • I agree Destructo. Although I am by nature strongly socialist and interested in social equality, I am feeling extremely disenchanted by the ‘package deal’ I am expected to sign up to on the Left, which includes anti-science positions which are in my view just as misanthropic as the economic positions of the Right.

            • The ‘package deal’ is manipulative, dictatorial, a form of blackmail; accept the all-encompassing progressive religion or face being ostracized from the social circle and/or organization.

              Many of us as union members have found ourselves being ‘instructed’ on what to think in regards to issues that have nothing to do with employment law or economic justice.

              • In which case then , stick with those issues that are relevant to you by all means…I too believe in the union cause, and am vehemently opposed to the Employment relations Act for example . privatisation – the list goes on…….but any discussion /forum of the Left will by nature include ‘social ‘ issues –

                It is one small reason why we talk of ‘social democracy’….issues that people feel relevant that reach a critical mass whereby policy is need and thusly a framework of legislation built around those policies..

    • The primary thrust in any media campaign would be that of reeducation between the difference of free market neo liberal economics and social democratic style Keynesian economics… these can be presented in simplified form to underline the principles of each.

      Economics is where most peoples concerns lay….out of this comes many other social issues.

      THAT is the topic used to interest the voter.

      A society’s ethics and values develop over the generations…hence the ever changing ‘issues’ of a social nature being revised in law eg: the death penalty.

      Another thing is open democracy…which is so easily subverted. Such as we see with many of our institutions today. Hence ‘dirty politics’. But when people are overly concerned with economic stability …governmental integrity can so easily become a casualty. As we have seen.

      A good example of this is the public’s acceptance of the Nazi’s. Full employment , full bellies….a direction given to a ‘great’ future .

      The rest is history.

      With echoes of ‘We are on the cusp of an exciting future ‘made just before the election…..

      • By we I suspect he meant the Bilderbergers and the big corporations mostly the same thing,Key is a very sly person.
        I believe all the mps leaving national know the full story and it sickened them. In dirty politics it stated that mps in national had to sign a declaration they wouldn’t tell of what they knew , probably their pensions were at risk.
        MPS in national are afraid of Key except Judith Collins,notice he has recruited a number of ex lobbyists , little America thanks to Key.

    • David Cunliffe had all the ammo in his arsenal to beat Key.
      dirty politics book, spying claims of mass surveillance, the group on moment of truth, he chose to be a gentleman a vicars son, so defensive when john key put him down , he stood on his head to prove to key He was a man !!!!!! To prove he wouldn’t have a rag tag coalition, he went against hone harawira and dot com, he praised Key for bringing us through down turn , Key borrowed $60billion to do it, put people into poverty and no jobs,he handed Key another tool “oh even david cunliffe praised key for getting us through”was the right wing media words . so cunliffe successfully killed off his his possible coalition partners, Greens didn’t help by making too many demands,Keys words “Cunliffe will kow tow to greens” So anxious was cunliffe to avoid critisism from Key,he was like a child trying to please teacher.Key ignored the book, ignored and rubbished moment of truth,ignored Judith Collins wrongdoing until he couldn’t get away with it,pretended he never had anything to do with whaleoil,he never made any attempt to miss an opportunity,dismissed everything Cunliffe said and laughed at him , Cunliffe even defended his red scarf, he was like a scared minnow in the pond with a shark,
      Cunliffe lost the internet mana their place by backing Hones labour opposition ,then had the cheek to blame dot com ,because of course John Key didn’t like him, makes one wonder whos side Cunliffe was on ,Maori will take a long time to get over labours actions.

      • I would have to agree…either Cunliffe lacks the ‘mongrel ‘ in him and is too fixated on being the gentleman statesman (hence the distancing from IMP) …..or he is a closet neo liberal himself.

        Or too afraid of the ABC’ s to stand up for the principles of the Labour party.

  9. Like Chloe King said – social movements, now. People need to see that people want change.

    But welcome, 3 years of hell.

  10. Thank you Martyn Bradbury for all your hard work, you must be exhausted. I strongly suggest getting out into Aotearoa/New Zealand and reconnecting with the bits that you love about it for a month. Three years to regroup and keep pushing policy that will make a real difference to NZ’ers and NZ. I’m positive that we can bring about change its just going to be harder than I had hoped. Oh well time to roll up the sleeves and get stuck into it starting by joining a political party this morning. Thank you all who work and give time here!

  11. I’m tired of this world. . . So many basking in the glorious ignorance :(.

    Just wait NZ till we follow Aus, US, UK etc with the fake t3rr0r @Axe, Militarized PoPo, indefinite detention with classified evidence, . . . etc etc the laundry list is endless. We are now firmly wedged under their UMBRella. People are asleep, slouching toward their own self imposed slavery. The people get the leader they deserve I suppose, . ..and supposedly what we deserve is the so called smiling assassin. The masses are morally compromised, that is the problem here, . . .morally and mentally impaired, unable to use that most precious organ located in thy skulls, no awareness, only conformism.

    When people describe our country by the preponderance of sheep, . .. they aren’t talking about the 4 legged variety. 🙁

    • Here’s my two cents, that will likely not see the light of day.

      Stop calling the voters idiots because they don’t vote the same way you do.

      Any party claiming to be a party of the people must first seek to understand the people and meet them on their terms, not look down on them as if only you know all.

      Because you don’t.

      The people are always right. And they have spoken. Listen.

      All posts containing the phrase “This will not be printed/see the light of day/posted/etc”, or similar, will be binned. Getting tired of that reverse-psychology tactic. – Scarletmod

      • Agree 100%
        People who vote national are idiots,some of them have functioning though proccesses.
        Instead of looking at them with disdain we need to understand how to get them to vote left

        • If you think they are idiots, you’ve lost.

          Voting for a political party, for the next three years, is an act of faith by both the intelligent and the challenged. “We are twice armed if we fight with faith”. Key made it easy to believe in National. Cunliffe made it hard to believe in Labour.

            • The MSM were attacking Key and National – constantly. Both political editors on both networks are clearly pro-left.

              If Key was looking good – and he was – it was because the public saw how he calmly dealt with a sh*tstorm.

              You know the lefts biggest problem in the last few years? Their echo chamber.

              • “The MSM were attacking Key and National – constantly. Both political editors on both networks are clearly pro-left.”

                Rubbish. The Donghua Liu Affair clearly demonstrated the very cost relationship between the Nats and certain msm.

                You simply haven’t been paying attention.

        • Sorry but this is exactly why the left lost. Calling the over 50% of our population who voted Right, idiots!! Not exactly open minded and accepting of other peoples opinions and rights is it? But then thats always been the lefts problem.

  12. Rest and reflect.

    Whether you like or or not, I voted National but would have voted Labour had they had Shane Jones as leader, and didn’t try and compete with the Greens – and so would have enough like me. Enough to affect change.

    Play your part. Be more positive and by that, I mean demonstrate it…don’t make it a bumper sticker.

    Win me back to my original left position when I was younger.

    • Shane Jones and the Greens. Were those your reasons for voting national?
      What about policies? And its not anybody’s job here on TDB to “win” you back. Its a discussion site. You can make up your own mind, and clearly, you did.

  13. I am one of the centre left voters that deserted Labour. On a number of occasions on this blog I tried to express a view on why labour was headed for disaster. The comments more often than not never saw the light of day. When they did I was ridiculed.

    I am saddened by last night’s result. I shall be even sadder if the Labour Party shows no signs of learning lessons and contes blaming a right wing media.

    Ben, if your comments were deleted, there must have been reason. If your posts are published and are ‘ridiculed’, that is the cut and thrust of debate. If we delete comments ridiculing you, we’re censoring people who disagree with you. It cuts both ways. – Scarletmod

    • I have no idea the reason for deletion. All I will say is that my comments were never abusive, they were on topic and I did not resort to obscene language. I suspect though that my opinions were not welcome.

    • There does not appear to be any reason for why posts are deleted on this blog. Anything that did not agree %100 with the status quo gets deleted, thats why there is so little in the way of open debate. Maybe it was just Bomber who was deleting them I’m not sure.

      Oh yes, deleted like this one. Conspiracy theorizing much Sansa? Trust me, if posts are deleted, there is good reason. – Scarletmod

    • Couldn’t agree more and looking through these comments, Labour will be passed over as the main opposition if they don’t learn from this election. The majority of NZers do not accept your world view that John Key is evil and believe that he has done a good job through difficult times, even the Labour leader acknowledged this.

  14. But before you go for a well-earned rest – thank you for your huge energy and commitment to maintain honesty and openness. Don’t stay away too long we still need you and TDB, possibly more than ever. Kia kaha Martyn!

  15. As you say, a nightmare. I despair about this nation and its blindness, I expected so much better of us. The fact that voting was down is significant and indicative that the right-wingers’ strategy is working. The left need to be more canny and wily and even change the vocabulary, get away from the left and call it justice, or humanity, or decency, or egalitarianism – anything that gets away from the narrow perception that left is associated with bludgers and laziness.

    • I despair about this nation and its blindness

      It can be summed up in two words: willful blindness.

      Nothing more nor less.

  16. I guess maybe it came down to who people believed? The MoT was believable for some, Dirty Politics was believable for some.

    But most just didn’t buy it, for various reasons.

    I still think it was not so much a voting of Key back in, but a failure in a party or group of parties to be elected in over him.

    The left needs unity and policies that resonate with its core, not a mixed bag that tries to appeal to everyone.

    • Yes….a forum of general cross party consent , to hone policy, submit fresh ideas…of the Left bloc. The danger being…is that it becomes less discernible which party is which.

      The balance would be among issues that take precedence from one party to another…but surely a consensus of the core values would be a uniting factor.

      • I don’t see any value in party politics, especially politics which focus on left-right political differences. IMO the arguments to watch are between big goverment statists and small government libertarians, especially about security and ethics.

        I agree that finding consensus on core values is essential.

  17. In my opinion, Te Tai Tokerau electorate didn’t so much vote Hone out, I think they disapproved of the company he kept. The sweetheart deal he did with Kim Dotcom was his downfall.

    • So Mike@NZ, you disapprove of all “sweetheart deals”? Or just the ones involving small leftwing parties that are otherwise hamstrung by lack of resources?

      Because from where I sit, it seems to be one rule for ACT and National (lots of wealthy benefactors) and another for Mana-Internet (one wealthy benefactor).

      It’s hard keeping up with all these multiple rules; some benefitting the Right; others detracting from the Left.

      • Agreed Frank, human nature often sees one side of the story ,often portrayed by Media.National lights on opposition weakness and beats it up to an extent that it becomes truth.
        dot com was always going to be the fall guy because of Warner brothers need to get him extradicted. As a NZ resident he deserved support whatever his faults ,why should Warner brothers who not so innocent call all the shots and Key doing what they want ,Key is the bigger wrongdoer, hes supposed to be protecting NZs,fat chance of that.

      • I didn’t say I disapprove of all or any sweetheart deals. All I said was that in my opinion the voting public made their decision. Whether it was a right or left leaning deal is irrelevant.

        My intention was not to be smart or facetious. If it was, I would have said ‘we won, you lost, eat that’ or something similar.

      • I believe the deal he made with Dotcom was his downfall. He had a support base, an ideological position that appealed to many people, and an electorate that mostly supported him. However there are enough people in this country convinced (on minimal evidence) that
        KDC is certainly and unashamedly a criminal that it hit his vote hard.

        I for one will not forgive Kim Dotcom for killing off Mana, one of the very very few truly progressive parties in NZ politics. Now its basically the Greens or bust.

        • The entire left lost votes because Internet Mana weren’t ruled out as coalition partners. Despite having some hugely credible people involved they suffered a huge lapse of judgement by hitching themselves to KDC. As for minimal evidence of wrong doing – get real, file sharing sites that pay affiliates are all rotten to the core. The real problem is KDC seems to be the only site owner that has been targetted.

        • You’ll not forgive Dotcom, for goodness sake! The membrs of the mana party debated for 4 hours the possibility of doing the deal at their AGM, they then agreed to take it to their rohi for discussion and a vote, this was how the decision was made, you can hardly blame Dotcom for that. It was a risk and the members and leaders of Mana knew it. Had they not taken the gamble at all they would have got Hone back in and that would have been that, they would still be wondering whether they should have taken the gamble. They scored too many own goals with Corkery’s meltdown, they should have accepted her resignation, the leaks of emails from one disgruntled candidate, Hone’s anger with the media didn’t help things, when a TV reported was trying to ask him about his views on dope. And frankly him reneging on post election interviews that had been lined up by the MSM is unhelpful to say the least.

          I am a Green party voter and am disappointed at their final talley, they ran a great campaign and Labour are gutless disgrace.
          The public don’t see the left having got their act together. And of course many of us don’t see Labour as being on the left anyway, they are so weak and frightened of big business.

          • There was no way Hone was going to be allowed back in with the people he would have brought in. They are far too radical and left.

            Wasn’t he almost killed in a car crash?

            People think that Hone is Mana. The members decided that they would go with KDC, not Hone on his own. You don’t know Mana politics if you think that.

            Sue Bradford was right only because of the way the news media’s spun stuff about KDC, and they way they carried John Key’s churlish comments. The great majority of New Zealanders who vote believe the sound bites they hear but do little to follow up. That is why Stuff etc are just mere easy reads and sound bites.

            There is far more going on in this election than meets the eye. That vote is unbelievable, literally unbelievable. We now have what is effectively a dictatorship. People who believe that protest will stop the TPPA are in for a rude awakening.

            And while Labour tars away at himself, John Key and his henchmen are laughing at the #DIrtyPolitcs they wrought on us and got away with. But it will take a while to realise what has actually gone on here. But not until TPPA has been passed and corporates run our country. People need to wake up. I follow the situation in the Ukraine and the manipulation of the West in there against the enemy – Russia is again unbelievable. But it is happening, has happened and the West news media has helped to spread the propaganda. Definite parallels with what is happening here.

      • Blaming the lost of the seat on a single individual is unfair. It was ultimately a culmination of factors. Personally I changed my party vote from Mana to Green b/c of the comments made by Georgina Beyer which made me uneasy.

        Otherwise TTT was a hard fought battle. Once the PM waded in and Labour refused to pick up on the strategy of keeping Hone, frankly Hone did an incredible job to keep the margin as small as he did.

    • no you are wrong…it was NOT the company Hone kept!

      …it was the vicious right wing msm and Nact PR black ops ….and tribal short sighted Labour which was his defeat in this Election…and the Left went down with him ( but they will arise again!)

      ….and labour should have known better …especially when the Nact boot boys joined in and the Nact loving Maori Party and NZF….shame on all of them!

      • Oh yes, I’m sure you’re right, the left will rise again. Helen Clark brought them back from (arguably) worse than they are in now.

        It is interesting that if I was using the word ‘vicious’ or the phrase “shame on all of them”, I would have been referring to the ‘black ops’ type smear attempt surrounding the dirty politics scandal. Maybe timing the release of the campaign at a time when the public were looking for policy and political vision was seen as contrived and dirty in itself, I don’t know.

        I am not sure if you should be so quick in ‘dissing’ so many political parties, five in total. Who was it who said “keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

        • Would you like us all to leave Mike…..?

          Now the interesting thing would be that if all us ‘Lefties’ suddenly did…now who would you practice your neo liberalism on then?……

          Each other?

          So then the logical conclusion would be…..no one wanting to clear your garbage….so you would live in your filth…

          No one to do those menial factory jobs….so you would no longer get your ‘cheap’ discretionary and vanity goods.

          And being a good neo liberal you would all claw each other to get the highest profit and lowest price….which would stall your economic gain from each other…

          And who would want to work on the land as a farmers laborer…oops!….there goes your milk and corn flakes….

          Neo liberalism…the system of use and abuse…..so long as its not happening to you…..

          Just some other sucker that you can pay a peasants wage to provide you with the comforts of life.

          • It is sad to read that you consider you and yours destiny as a menial labourers job. For the record, my first job was a tree pruner, then on to a farm labourer. Open air, hard honest work.

            Those jobs have changed a lot here. I can’t get people to work for me if I ask them to do what I used to have to do. Heavy lifting, digging a ditch by hand, etc. job applicants just say ‘no, I don’t do that’.

            In a region such as Canterbury that is in the situation of having more jobs than people to do them, never underestimate the bargaining power of prospective staff.

            • Been doin that sort of stuff all my life mate…and Iv’e seen the appalling wages employers try to get away with…firm in the knowledge that there’s always another guy down the street who will work for peanuts.

              Made more when I was 20 working in the bush doing heavy construction pre 1984 than I ever did afterwards. Until I was self employed. And every other job after that if I worked for someone was the same appalling wage. Now that I’m back to being an employee…its back to the minimum/near minimum wage in this ‘rockstar economy’.

              That’s why we’ve got 500,000- yes – 500,000 expat people who don’t vote here living in Australia ….mate.

                • I don’t think this thread is the place to discuss personal reasons or choice , do you?

                  Suffice to say because of what we ALL observe….what I wrote in the above doesn’t change one jot for tens of thousands of people.

                  If you cant/refuse to acknowledge that….lets see how the neo liberal ideology treats you and yours if you/ they have a set back.

                  Learn to look outside your small square…its a big world out there.

    • Kim Dotcom is wealthy John Key is wealthy Dotcom is alleged to have committed a crime Keys friend John Banks has been proven to have committed a crime. The spin the media puts on the facts is all important

  18. While there will always be winners and losers in an election, I personally think this is a fantastic result for New Zealand as a country. From an individual perspective, it is easy to align with policies which help personal circumstances, and no doubt there are some terrible situations out there when viewed in isolation – but from a broader view of how the country and a population as a whole can flourish this is clearly the most positive result the country could have hoped for.

    As a side note, how Hone Harawira, who has always struck me as a savvy politician, thought it would work out well to sell his campaign to universally disliked Kim Dotcom is dumbfounding. I do feel sorry for him because he should have been a shoe in in Te Tai Tokerau.

  19. The left is not going to ever get back in again unless they can show some unity. Labour and Greens have to present themselves as a credible Government together – the equivalent alternative block to National. Labour is simply not big enough on their own to be able to say “we’ll leave it until after the election to decide who we will work with.”

    Because without this certainty it appears that the more unstable the world we face the more voters will turn to the only stable option they have.

    And above all work has to start now on lifting the enrollment rate and getting those voters engaged. If we had 77% of enrolled voters turn out and National got 48% of them then that is 37% of enrolled voters. But what % of eligible voters is this? And so can we honestly call it a democracy?

    • We can start by having a major purge of all neo liberals in Labour….that is not to say they still cannot be politicians , rather, to have the courage of their convictions and join , say , National and stop being fifth columnists in the Labour party.

    • Bob, it is not about numbers enrolled, it is all about candidates representing the working class people of NZ. These candidates need to know what it is like to be a worker, it is as simple as that.

      The Labour Party needs to get back to its core principles, that is why so many didn’t bother to vote for them. They are no different to National.

      We want an end to Rogernomics and the rest of the rats..t policies that are still being promoted by the Labour Party.

      • “These candidates need to know what it is like to be a worker, it is as simple as that.” so why are there so many unionists in the ranks… middle NZ doesn’t identify with these people anymore

      • Hey – as a working class person I will STRONGLY disagree with your assersion that there is no difference between National and Labour. If Labour had got in I would have gotten a pay rise of $2 an hour and my friend’s breaks would have had protection and the rhetoric is much more friendly to workers. National – no pay rise and rhetoric “If you’re not ambious, you deserve crappy wages cos it’s unfair to small business” *note: I don’t work for a small business. And this is just work policies! Has anyone HEARD what David Cunliffe was saying??? The answer was of course no. But at lease we all got to hear the rightwing/media propoganda.

  20. Poor you Martyn . I’m terribly sorry for you . I’m terribly sorry for Selwyn Manning also . All your good work . I can’t believe it .
    My hear is broken . I now realise , more than ever , that I’m sharing my country with fools and morons .
    The moronic , hateful , cruel , deceitful kiwi has won .

    • Or have they !

      Check this out !

      Sir John “Hugh” Williams KNZM QC (born 23 September 1939) is the current President of the New Zealand Electoral Commission and a retired Judge of High Court of New Zealand.

      Thank you for signing my petition: Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.!

      Every single person who joins strengthens our call for action. Send the email below to friends and family, and post this link on your Facebook wall:

      Click to share this petition on Facebook

      Let’s make change together,
      Josh


      Here’s the petition for forwarding to your friends:

      Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.

      Something doesn’t seem right with recent the New Zealand election. Evidence of fraudulent voting and it makes no sense that people would local vote left and party vote right. Is this another case of Electoral Fraud?
      http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Hon_Sir_Hugh_Williams_KNZM_QC_LLM_Recount_NZ_2014_Election_I_believe_it_was_rigged/?tDwgaib

      • the petition has reaches nearly 9000 signatures, but im still not sure that HON HUGH WILLIAMS initiated it or is just the person to send it to.
        How likely is this petition going to make a recount.Key is PM judge and jury on everything in this country.he ignors what he wants to,is it likely our voices will count?
        85% didn’t want asset sales, he ignored it, the will of the people has been stolen and Key is totally in control,this is a dictatorship,

        No other PM has behaved in this way. do we have a lawer with the knowledge to explain how we overcome this travesty,or do we just accept it.

        • to reply to myself ,I have encouraged quite a few to vote and 3 people emailed to ask if Hon Hugh Williams thinks it rigged why cant he check it out ,I realise now it is he who will receive the petition,not as the his words under his name imply.

      • The petition for recount had better get going ,the signatures have slowed down, if there is any fraud its giving the right time to erase it if its possible.

  21. I want to thank you Bomber for everything you have achieved in informing the people in this very important blog.Keep the flag flying Martin as you are a ray of light in this very dark place.

  22. Today I still think you are one of those voices.

    Stick with it Martyn.

    It is mind-boggling after all that has gone on in the past few months to see results that reflect exactly what would have happened if some group was able to directly influence the outcome by manipulation.

    It is hard to comprehend until the bias of the MSM is factored in. If Pagani is chosen to represent the Left on TV3 it shows how skewed the whole sick set-up has become.

    I am looking forward to your return so that once again we can rattle the cage of those corrupt bastards.

  23. I am struggling today to get my head around the fact that the people I live next door to, all around me, just voted FOR mass state surveillance.

    I think a bit of civil disobedience may be in order. I think I may collate a list of keywords to use in all comments online, and email communications, which will bring me up in the algorithms that the spies use. If enough people do this often enough their results will be meaningless. Or at least, we can make their jobs of spying on us more difficult. And I’m all for that.

    • Funny you should mention keywords.

      I need new control arms for the suspension on my old bomb of a car.
      The milk tankers terrorize us on our narrow country road and cause pot holes that are the size of a land mine blast. The violence of hitting one not only wrecks the suspension, it also shakes the vehicle around so much that it can destroy the cells in the battery.

      Such is the roading in the state controlled Kaipara District these days.

      • Now include that sad state of the Kaipara roads in every email as white text on a white background and normally the recipient wont see it, just the 5 Eyes. It is the only way to break them now, before they break more of us. Don’t let them win. Flood them with disinformation to make the spying methods they are using irrelevant.
        If they were really after terrorists then they must think the terrorists are really really dumb to think they don’t know about encryption. The only information they will be getting will be on anyone who opposes the ruling party with their minds and words.

        • “white text on a white background”

          I was wondering how not to annoy everyone I email. Thanks for the tip.

      • We are a bunch of intelligent creative people. I’m sure we can figure out ways of getting organised and creating some civil disobedience.

        Non violent civil disobedience actually is more successful than violent means.

        We can use love, as in the Rose Revolution, or humour like the Yes Men do.

        We can use new technologies like twitter to organise.

        We can share ideas here, on Facebook, twitter, other blogs…

        We don’t have to take it lying down.

        http://www.ericachenoweth.com

        and

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJSehRlU34w

        Erica Chenoweth discovered that non violent civil disobedience is more likely to be successful than other means, and that you only actually need 3.5% of the population actively involved for it to succeed.

        If we want to stop mass state surveillance we can do it.

        If we want to stop mining in Kaurenga Valley we can do it.

        • The media were a lot to blame being for the most part national propaganda merchants. How about cancelling subscriptions to all Fairfax publications ,even the local media are owned by Fairfax. Channel one more biased than channel three boycott tv1.
          Civil sit ins are usually met by police,no such thing as peaceful in most governments eyes.
          Start thinking people ,my mothers motto ,” never give in ,never give up.” we are behind you Martyn

    • I had the same idea. let’s do it. Gandhi had the right idea, passive non-cooperation, it worked a treat to end British rule in India

    • Your hyperbole, Lara, possibly explains part of the disaster. Whether you like it or not GCSB NSA and all the other spook stories got in the way of the things that are important to most people and that is health, education, housing, and putting food on the table.

      Population surveillance is nothing new; Hitler, Stalin, McCarthy perfected the art long before the digital age. In spite of the hysteria I am sceptical about your claims of MASS surveillance. And there are people and countries that do engage in mass surveillance that worry me far more than GCSB or the Yanks.

      • Ben if “health, education, housing, and putting food on the table” are what matters, then what I don’t understand is why so many voted for more unaffordable housing, low wages, greater inequality, cuts to education and an overburdened, underfunded health sector.

          • And like unmandated mass surveillance of a population by its govt , that has deliberately lied/covered the fact of what agenda it REALLY had, …..the onus is still on the population to regard ALL issues and not be so lazy with the facts.

            It is the people of that country- NOT the govt – that determines the parameters of their democracy- otherwise that right is forfeited through ineptitude and negligence.

        • Thank you for signing my petition: Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.!

          Every single person who joins strengthens our call for action. Send the email below to friends and family, and post this link on your Facebook wall:

          Click to share this petition on Facebook

          Let’s make change together,
          Josh


          Here’s the petition for forwarding to your friends:

          Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.

          Something doesn’t seem right with recent the New Zealand election. Evidence of fraudulent voting and it makes no sense that people would local vote left and party vote right. Is this another case of Electoral Fraud?
          http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Hon_Sir_Hugh_Williams_KNZM_QC_LLM_Recount_NZ_2014_Election_I_believe_it_was_rigged/?tDwgaib

          • Still dosnt tell us if Hugh Williams believes it was rigged ,or is it just you Josh, is he the one who will arbitrate ,or just receive petition?
            I believe it was rigged also,and well done for your efforts .

      • There are some concepts which appear first to be simple, but on further reflection are not quite so simple. These concepts are integral to a healthy functioning democracy.

        The right to innocence until proven guilty.

        Separation of the system of justice from government.

        And the right to privacy, to be free of governments spying on citizens.

        Mass state surveillance is anathema to democracy.

        History gives us many examples where mass state surveillance did not end well.

        For it to be imposed upon citizens, without their consent, and for government to lie to us about it, is very serious indeed.

        History also teaches us that those who raise concerns about the creep of state power are often ridiculed and ignored… sometimes until it is too late.

        Privacy is not just wanting to hide bad things, privacy is a human right in a civilised society. Everyone has something to hide. Now we all may have something to fear, and it’s not terrorism.

        Learn your history Ben.

  24. “the mainstream media were right” that was a huge problem Martyn – they were almost 100%Right. When voters rely on what they read, watch and hear to provide them with information to make a decision, the role of the media is crucial. MSM in NZ let NZrs down, they treated democracy with disdain with their heavily biased campaign reporting.

    Take a rest but don’t be hard on yourself – you, and everyone else at the Daily Blog worked so hard to provide a critical analysis. Take time off but come back fighting. Time for a rebuild – time to get rid of any trace of neo-liberalism from the Left. A Third Term is very difficult for any party.

    Strategically I always thought that Dirty Politics and Dotcoms big meeting would go in National’s favour- first you get the news, you react defensively – as NZ voters did, then it sinks in…it will come back to bite them but it was too close to the election.

    Jamie Whyte getting a salary courtesy of us….now that hurts!

  25. I’m actually shattered. So disappointed with the people of this country. Did the left not bother to vote because of the bad weather or something?
    So disillusioned.
    I can’t even bring myself to read the herald today, I’m sure they will be trumpeting the landslide victory.
    Sigh.
    All we can do now is cross our fingers for the investigations into dirty politics to bring some of these dodgy bastards to justice.
    But I won’t hold my breath.

  26. A very honest piece Martyn. You have worked hard and tirelessly and deserve a break from it all. I think Dotcom is screwed now. The ruling elite are going to do everything within their power to get him stateside as quickly as they can.

  27. The power of media and the subtle PR messaging was well managed by National or whoever watches over them.

    The number of incorrect statements and misleading testimony and illusions presented through the media can hardly be random events.

    For example earlier this week an accountant giving expert status on National Radio during nine to noon, presenting a case that inequality has not changed in NZ over recent years. A gross lies at best.

    The statistics show an increasing gap of both wealth and income while the bottom 50% continue the slide to own less and get less.

    Testimony on National radio cannot be relied on and why this clown was able to influence the public so close to the election with gross inaccuracies is beyond belief. Who manages this.

    Our public service and media have diminishing independence from powerful and controlling political construction.

    The public seem oblivious so management of the right wing narrative is expertly manipulated by PR industry unseen before in NZ at this level. A US presence is more than suggested.

    • I have thought about this election and it seems that the big business machine won the election not so much National , most people see through Key but he is very confident because of his backers.
      So trying to fight corporates would have been impossible for anyone not in their favour, they put key in to gain their agenda, they will not
      let an election spoil their ultimate aims.
      Snowden and Assange are proof of that, they are hero’s but a lot of the world sees them as traitors because big business wants it that way.

      People wonder why dot com was irritable with people ,he knows the score,i admire him for the fight he puts up, just because he classed as a crook dosnt make it fact,and people going on about his weight and nationality really sickens me, the 2nd world war ended 72 years ago,
      .Hitler was probably a plant and doing what his backers told him to do,
      nothing changes.

  28. Martyn I am as gobsmacked, saddened and generally disheartened this morning as you obviously are. I think we witnessed last night a deep insight into the fundamentally individualistic, greed-driven and inherently flawed society we have become. Yes, having drunk from the poisoned chalice of neoliberalism New Zealand has ceased to acknowledge the importance of community and need for a more egalitarian society.

    However, 3 years is not long in the overall scheme of things and the fight goes on. Democracy spoke last night but it will speak again in the future (hopefully) and perhaps sanity will prevail.

  29. I never thought I would see you write a story like this but the writing was on the wall as soon as foreigners stepped into our political system and slagged off the PM and threatened to take the Govt down. I don’t know about you, but to me, Kiwis don’t like it when things like that happen to our own and I don’t think at this time it matters what side you are on. It just doesn’t work and only causes a backlash which is entirely what happened. I do feel sorry for Hone but his campaign collapsed when he joined up with Dotcom. Even KDC sort of intimated that.
    Money just can’t buy you everything.

    • It can buy an election, be in no doubt that has just happened – National have a wealth of donors who take their campaign fund well out of the reach of any left wing party. And if you don’t like foreigners stepping into our political system, wait until the TPP signed and all our legislation is vetted by US interests. Wake up!

    • But it is OK for foreigners to own our banks, power stations, land, telecommunications, health services and prisons? Not even on to it mate . i knew kiwis were thick , but I hadn’t considered just how thick they could really be. We won’t own a fucking thing in 3 years . I now have another one of my offspring applying for aussie citizenship. Thanks alot another 6th generation kiwi family ceases to exist.Another old person with no family here to care for them that’ll be my future. And my grandkids will be Aussies despite my imploring not to have children.

    • Utter Tripe Brian of Mt WGTN. Kiwis need to show more integrity, but the majority do not care – until THEY get the redundancy letter. Then they start to care.

      But right now, many Kiwis are happy for kids to be living in poverty, for families to be living in cars or garages, and ignorant to the fact that the US are planning to tie us to the TPPA & TISA.

      You cannot blame the outcome on KDC, he may not know our ways, but he has seen the evil side of this country – no different to the Tuhoe people.

      Many NZers are shallow, the comments after the Nigel Latta docos, would lead you to think that we are a caring society. We couldn’t care less, that is why we have to endure this evil government for another three years.

      • commentators on this blog – you dont seem to get it… the majority of NZers do not think the sky will fall on their heads if a centre right govt is in charge, they dont buy into your conspiracy theories – give nasty politics a rest. Campaign on real policy and issues – play the ball not the person and give people a genuine alternative party to vote for that actually stands for something

        • It’s more than a “conspiracy theory”, ‘Voice’. When a Minister is forced to resign, an Inquiry is launched into SIS activities, and a Party apparatchik goes into hiding – it shows something seriously amiss.

          None of Hager’s revelations were disproved.

          By contrast, your Dear Leader changed his story on a daily basis and was caught out fibbing and with-holding the truth.

          Only a Right Winger in full defence-mode calls seeking the truth “nasty politics”.

          “play the ball not the person” – what? You mean how Key referred to Pulitzer prize winning, internationally acclaimed, journalist, Glenn Greenwald as a “henchman” and “loser”? Is that playing the ball?

          Key was shown to be duplicitous over the last two weeks. His own henchman, Jason Ede and Cameron Slater were outed for their dirty dealings; and Collins’ mis-use of information became public knowledge and destroyed her political ambitions.

          “Conspiracy”?

          I don’t think so.

          • Sorry . I’m dumping this where I think it may have most effect . @ Frank . Hi .
            Thank you for signing my petition: Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.!

            Every single person who joins strengthens our call for action. Send the email below to friends and family, and post this link on your Facebook wall:

            Click to share this petition on Facebook

            Let’s make change together,
            Josh


            Here’s the petition for forwarding to your friends:

            Hon Sir Hugh Williams, KNZM, Q.C., LLM.: Recount NZ 2014 Election – I believe it was rigged.

            Something doesn’t seem right with recent the New Zealand election. Evidence of fraudulent voting and it makes no sense that people would local vote left and party vote right. Is this another case of Electoral Fraud?
            http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Hon_Sir_Hugh_Williams_KNZM_QC_LLM_Recount_NZ_2014_Election_I_believe_it_was_rigged/?tDwgaib

            • A devination on I ching. The previous work with I ching said be careful of making mistakes with partners, we thought it meant after the election,but it was obviously leading up to it. This time it said success in persuing the petition in I ching has to interpereted correctly ,that is our interpretation, we will win and changes made .
              Are there others out there using I ching to confirm .
              I feel uplifted I was so depressed, Someone said that Key commented there would be no beneficeries after 2017, so no jobs, more looking , low wages more competiton,and of course burglaries and theft, this would be under Key

  30. Martyn, I want to give you a hug. Your commitment to TDB has been huge – thank you so much. Only a small minority of voters are deeply interested in politics. The rest have more pressing things to occupy them and thus have no idea what’s really going on.

    • The comment above is from me, not from some mysterious ‘Undefined’. Don’t know what happened there.
      The Electoral Commission says: Voter turnout for the 2014 General Election is estimated to be 77.04% of those enrolled as at 5pm Friday 19 September. This compares with a final 74.21% turnout of those enrolled in 2011.

  31. Martyn, you are a strong voice for the left and for that I am truly appreciative of your staunch efforts and dedication to help change NZ for the better. Thank you, thank you my friend.

    I am unbelievably appalled at the election result, the outcome of which is more disturbing than I feared!

    A vast majority of NZers has given FJK and his vile government a mandate to continue in the same despicable manner it has been doing for the past six years – a low waged economy, child poverty, uncontrolled immigration, along with encouraging foreign property investment, locking out first time Kiwi home buyers! In the background, hovers the ominous spectre of the TPPA!

    Then there is the suspect activities of the GCSB, Cameron Slater’s continued involvement in working for government, as well as being a source of “information” for msm, the latter having sold out to bring about this sickening outcome!

    Watch FJK reinstate Collins to a senior cabinet position! Nothing will have changed!

    And greedy, selfish NZers have voted for all of this!

    TDB has done an excellent job in giving confidence to those of us on the left to keep going and we still can. The good fight is yet to come and as a united collective, we can do it through staying strong and determined.

    Kia Kaha friends.

  32. I couldn’t watch the TV coverage. I saw snippets here and there, but even before it began, I had a shrewd idea how it would go. I thought Hone Harawira might squeak in – and I mean squeak – even with after Win ‘Lazarus’ Peters shafted him. Nope…

    I doubt that Mr Harawira has a future in national politics – maybe he should look to the local. I would have thought any Party I voted for would garner more than 1.6% of the overall vote.

    At any rate, I took one look at the numbers with just 1% of the votes in and already knew by and large the final result with IMP having no better than a 50-50 chance of scoring a seat. I didn’t expect NZ1st to do quite so well, though. Otherwise it was going to be Nats first and everyone else last.

    In the words of General Robert E. Lee, after his final failure to push the Union Army off the Cemetery Ridge at Gettysburg: ‘Too bad! Too bad! Oh, too bad!’

        • That’s right actually- he accepted a position lecturing at a University after the war was over,….living peaceably and not wanting to discuss the war….AND was humble enough to accept his responsibility for the ensuing hardship of the South.

          Interesting man .

  33. We will miss your posts Martyn. You have been a beacon of hope in all this. How selective have I been in what I read and what I believe – I trust my radar but didn’t see this coming. Not this bad.
    And now there won’t even be a proper inquiry into the fiddling and deceptiveness that this govt has carried out.
    Do we have to put up with this knucklehead until he decides to quit?

  34. Me too Martyn – it was shocking that so many people voted, or didn’t vote and thereby allowed, National.

    This isn’t just about political differences it’s about corruption and undemocratic practices; that so many people can turn a blind eye to it in order to get a few scraps from the tables of the rich is totally depressing.

    Nonetheless those of us at the coal face will roll up our sleeves and continue to support the marginalised and the environment face to face with this toxic government.

  35. Independent inquiry into the mainstream media’s extrreme bias is a good place to start.

    Practically every political news story for the past 3+ years in stuff et al has been told from the Nat’s point of view. Criticism of Key is then met with defence of “their man” from the public. They identify with him pnpy because all the coverage of him does too.

    It was no secret to the staff of stuff/fairfax NZ that management intended to get the Nats elected again.

    All the news of corruption at the highest levels of govt is still there, it’s just with the current newsmedia carrying on as they do now these stories are never going to be heard.

    • is that your answer to a resounding defeat – an independent inquiry into how the media spins the story of the day?

      i suggest a more inward inquiry starting with who you have leading your party and the messaging you use – try being positive?

      • At least with being negative about a govt blatantly lying in collusion with a biased MSM ….you can do something about it.

        Being in denial means you never do a thing.

  36. Martyn, this result is not your fault. Don’t beat yourself up.
    Mainstream media wasn’t “right” as you say. Their polls proved to be right, but corporate media was always there for National.

    Listening to NatRad this morning I found the most convincing and over-arching reason for the result is that there simply was not sufficient demand among the majority for change. There will be endless discussion about the detail of why it happened the way it has.

    Your role, and that of this site, will be more important than ever from here on out. Things change and evolve: you never know what is around the corner. You must keep up your good work of being this vital rallying point for progressive thought.

  37. We live in a country full of political illiterates .

    Those of us who are a bit older have a memory of a country that used to be great and we remember why it used to be great .

    Unfortunately we are outnumbered by a mass of people who think Kim Kadarshian breaking a fingernail is a tragedy , who think mainstream media tells the truth and who are too lazy and stupid to even google for information.

    This morning on facebook I have watched friends reacting in shock and then I watch while one people they know admits proudly that they voted for National and you can almost feel the the shock and anger multiply.

    I thought the 81 tour divided families and friends , if anybody I know voted National I think that I would forever remember them as a traitor to NZ.

    Oh…and thanks Labour , for thinking for years and years that fighting for the ‘middle ground ‘ was the way to go …you fuckin’ morons .

    GUTTED that Mana , the ONLY Left Wing party in NZ , has been king hit like this and angry that Labour joined in with the Nats and NZ First in knocking it down. I reluctantly gave my Candidate vote to Labour as a tactical move but never ever EVER again .

    Ahem. Understand your anger, MS, but ease up on the abuse please. -Scarletmod

    • I am with you all the way MS. I first voted for Labour on my wedding day in 1963, and have been worried about the change in this party since Douglas & Prebble fooled us all in the 80’s.

      Labour needs to get back to it’s core principles.

      Mana will be back – but twice as strong.

    • Bullshit less than 50% to National and over 48,000 votes less for National than last time.Thanks to Colin Moonlandings.

    • That’s my point . It’s chilling proof that over half the country are fucked in the head . More than thirty years of Neo Liberalism has caused permanent mental illnesses to at least 50 % of NZ’s population . % 50 of New Zealand’s population now think it’s ok to be vial , dishonest , treasonous , treacherous and without grace or class .

  38. Yes, it’s heartbreaking. I hope Cunliffe doesn’t have to fall on his sword. He did well in the debates and his minor gaffs were blown out of all proportion by the media.

    I used to be a labour voter (voted Green) and they need to address the middle-left and liberal-left people like me who are turned off by what are seen as the ‘far left’ quarter of labour (yes I know that they are not that far left but it’s easy for the media to portray them like that). The Nats and their backers have been successful in portraying the left negatively, but those of us who are on the left don’t feel represented by labour either. That needs to be addressed. I agree with the idea of ‘generational shift’ mentioned by one of the commentators on the telly this morning (a Mayor?). It’s not an age thing, it’s about attitudes and beliefs.

    • and then theres me, also used to vote Labour, this election voted Green

      I’m turned off by the remnants of Rogernomics in Labour.

      It was the Labour party which produced ACT. Originally ACT members came from Labour after Roger Douglas hijacked Labour in 1984. This was the opposite to the original core values of Labour.

      I saw a resurgence in support for Labour when Cuniliffe was voted leader. It eroded over time, and I thought I could see a softening of Cuniliffe’s stance. It looked like the Rogernomes had got to him.

      So I would say Labour needs to return to its core values and it must kick out the remaining Rogernomes. Until it does that traditional Labour voters will not trust it.

  39. I knew it and said it at the time that Hone hooking up with KDC was the worst move he could make, and am extremely sorry to say that I was right.
    You need to understand that with an aging population, the vote is almost of course, going to go to the right. Colin Craig would not have got a look in a few years ago, but he does appeal to that demographic, and that is chiefly, god bothering, homophobic, child hitters. If we had binding referenda all along men would still be able to beat their wives legally, and women would barely be voting. Again, you really need to understand this, and that a hefty proportion if not the majority, of immigrants will vote that way as well, especially if they needed bucks to get into NZ.
    I am extremely disappointed that someone like Jacinda Adern may not make it back and Judith Collins will, it speaks volumes for what the sentiment is at the moment.
    Hone was becoming one the best MPs in the end, what a bloody waste.
    At the end of the day, you can’t buy elections, well you can’t buy them in an obvious fashion, and that is really probably a good thing.
    I also think a lot of people swung back to Key when he began to make noises about things like setting up a registry of foreign property buyers, now I fully expect him to say “Tricked ya” and the TPPA now looms large over us, shareholders will profit from public money for schooling, caregivers will still be receiving crap wages and the environment could be about to get a caning.
    Good on yer, you actually have to get people ONSIDE to win

    • Im in the older age bracket and not a Nat voter and a lot of my friends , we oldies remember the good old days but I never remember it being because of National, Most of the good times have been in the Labour years,but there wasn’t the planted PMs then they were ordinary kiwis. American influence has eroded decency in NZ.

  40. Two things are for the sure, The Daily Blog must continue.
    And Mana Movement outside of Parliament must continue with Māori focus renewed and socialist supporters should push their revolutionary politics even more.

    The Internet Party should keep going too and a relationship maintained with Mana but the strategic alliance ended. That was for one time and place.

    The searching analyses will occur but this country will never be the same, this was a fork in the road election. There are now officially two New Zealands.

    • @ tiger Mountain….not so sure Internet Party allIance should not be maintained …i thought the Internet party was a good mix with Mana

      ….lets face it Hone and Int/ Mana lost because the Labour Party would not cooperate strategically and Nactional and NZF and Maori Party turned on Hone and Int/Mana and delivered the final blows…

      ….in addition the Int/Mana Party especially and the Left and Cunliffe in particular faced vicious journalists and misleading journalism, and dirty black ops PR day after day …by PR merchants aligned to the Nactional Party and connected to countries outside New Zealand….

      …the next step should be to deconstruct this journalism, these journalists and the biased right wing msm for their smears and expose them

  41. I understand your despair. I share your real concerns. I do not understand the result. I do not share the values and standards implicit in the decision. As a grandmother, and usually silent follower of progressive tweets and blogs, thank you for your efforts, engagement and analysis around this election. Please be resilient and courageous. NZ needs the voices of challenge and integrity more than ever now.

  42. I’m not convinced Pagani was right myself – the damage done by the Left failure to form a united front pre-election is incalculable – but Labour tracked steadily down from Cunliffe’s selection, when an amicable Left alliance seemed a strong possibility.

    Labour ended up with Rob Salmond’s centrist policy “we only need a few 100 000 votes” – it doesn’t seem to have worked especially well. Perhaps the blame should lie with the policy followed – neo-liberal appeasement – rather than the broad left policy including Mana that was not followed.

    Ultimately I suspect it was a triumph of the media propaganda campaign – Joyce’s subversion of media neutrality. He seems to have achieved his wish – a goverment that is immune to democratic censure. I wonder if he realises the realpolitick implications.

  43. Well….this is what happens when a house is divided- first off…the neo liberals in Labour should either leave or join a more doctrinally – in – keeping party. Such as National….and end the constant and deliberate division.

    IMP was the bogeyman and symbol of all the right wing animosity….Davis was poison…when you have National advocating for the oppositions candidate to lend weight against a serious threat…not only to neo liberalism….but to the very issues this govt has miserably failed on (and now will only worsen )…you know they feared Hone. You know they feared Greenwall, Assange , Amsterdam , Snowden , and Mr Kim Dotcom.

    You know they feared the message of the poverty in this country , the apallingly low wages for so many workers….the substandard housing , the decades long rorts by corporates for commodities such as power , telecommunications et all…

    New Zealanders so easily forget in their mad scrabble to ensure their lives are doing ok….and the hell with the rest…..to pay that mortgage, to make sure ‘me and mine’ are ok , Jack…that there is now conditions in this country that never existed before….

    It consists of ‘dont show me any of that – I just want to on the winning side and to hell with all those loosers ‘!

    This was never in the spirit of the original Labour party or even what this country was foundered on.

    Many would far rather believe a lie and so long as they cant see the effects of that…are content to stick with the status quo…..and this….follows the 10 steps towards totalitarianism that Naomi Wolf wrote about.

    Mr Dotcom…..hold your head high – poison?…..NEVER !!!!! …the only poison is the neo liberal ideaology of self at all costs and lies as an expediency to reinforce a victory against anyone who would stand in your way. You Mr Dotcom have tried to warn New Zealanders , as did Hone , Laila , ….it is not your fault if they are so wilfully blind they will not listen.

    I am more than annoyed at Mr Peters. I am furious at the factionalism , egos, ambitious goals of individuals over the group , and most of all the evil deciet of fifth coloumists among the flock.

    The ABC’s must forthwith be expelled from Labour.They have consistently opposed , hindered and worked counter against the Left bloc.

    They must be dealt with before any real progress can be made in rebuilding the Labour party.

    • If you want to blame Winston, then be consistent and stick it to the Greens and IMP too! , they are all guilty, look at the close electorate seats, The Greens need to pull their heads out of their asses as do NZ first to NEVER EVER PUT up a candidate in the tight electoral seats, for if they had stuck to a simply party vote rather than stealing votes from the labour candidates we would have won, and yes its sad to say that but MMP doesn’t exist in this country, not with dirty politics, welcome to American politics people, stay sharp, vote strategically in 2017!

      • To a point you may be right , but you know as well as I do there was a concerted effort to knock out IMP…and Hone became that target. When you have the PM advocating for the biggest opposition party to stand against a small opposition party….what is the motive?

        Obviously that small party is perceived as a threat.

        And one cannot run from the fact that the neo liberal ABC’s in Labour have deliberately hindered Labour for over 6 years.

        THERE ….is the real collusion with the Right.

      • What arrogance! Greens standing aside to give Labour a free run! What about the reverse? At least people understand what the Greens stand for. I see the Greens as the real and effective Opposition to the Natsi’s and the few remaining social democrats in Labour should consider a shift of allegiance.

  44. Bummer dude. Looks like New Zealanders can see straight through the corrupting influence of a filibustering foreigner and put their faith and trust in proven leaders. At least we all benefit from the silence of you, a far left hate speech merchant.

    First and last warning. Otherwise you’ll find your welcome here shortlived. – Scarletmod

  45. Have you considered taking up a different line of work altogether? I’m trying hard not to sound like a troll here because I’m perfectly serious.

    For someone who is ” trying hard not to sound like a troll ” you are succeeding admirably in achieving that role. It must be hard work trolling-when-you’re-trying-not-to-be-trolling. Very tiring. Poor thing. Have a month off. -Scarletmod

  46. Progressive movements have made enormous gains in terms of moral standards, social justice and more recently environmental awareness over recent centuries. especially if progress is measured in effective gains rather than in holding political power.

    As I struggle to understand the surge of support for the National Party culminating in yesterday’s election results, I try to take heart from the few positives: eg the electorate’s rejection of the failed neoliberal theories of the ACT party.

    My guess is that National’s success lay both in John Key’s quirky aw-shucks persona and in the floating voters’ view/perception that the left did not provide reassurance of confidence and economic progress in difficult and uncertain times. This may help to explain why National won party vote share even in seats where Labour was successful in holding the seat.

    What worries me is that voters supported ex Minister of Justice Collins despite convincing evidence of unethical behaviour on her part.

    The most worrying implication of this would be the possible inference that society’s ethical compass is out of adjustment.

    As an older voter, I’ve been shocked by routs before.

    The important step in my view is to develop strong support across the board for a high standard of personal and corporate ethics.
    Then to set a high vision for social economic and environmental outcomes.

    The chief obstacle to progress in these goals is not national party supporters.

    The focus of those who wish to build a better world with equality of opportunity for all is to raise the quality of debate above name calling and corporate spin.

    The prime challenge is to rally strong support for honest open participatory democratic action

    • Everything John Key has done in this country has been to facilitate the lowering of ethics and undermine and derail our democracy. Have you not been paying attention to the shenanigans in select committees and the stacking of quangos with National Party cronies? you need to visit norightturn.co on a daily
      basis. he is on to the machinations of our corrupt, dishonest government filled with a plethora of the most greedy, incompetent ministers I have seen in my lifetime.

  47. Hi Martyn,

    I know we’ve had the odd tiff through the campaign. But I want to tell you that I really admire the courage you have in writing this post. I know these thoughts are hard enough to have privately, let alone to discuss publicly.

    Kia kaha.
    -Rob

  48. Worst. Election. Ever.

    I think this is real turning point for NZ, and not for the better. For me, this is somewhat of a death knell for the NZ I once knew and loved. First of all because of National and its performance as a governing party – I challenge anyone: right, left, centrist, Buddhist, whatever, to put forward a credible argument that key aspects of the way our society functions – national debt, economic growth, crime, health outcomes (especially chronic disease), sovereignty, education, individual debt and the cost of living – aren’t all going to get worse under another National government. And that’s one death blow – I think things are going to get so much worse that it’s going to be incredibly difficult to pull back afterwards.

    Second, because of what it means that we live in a country where the long term trend is declining voter turnouts, and that half of those that do vote want to see this government returned for another term. This is really what disturbs me: not that National won, but that this means that a substantial proportion of New Zealanders vote for them. The list of times Key has been caught lying is jaw-dropping, and not just about small things: financial conflicts of interest, leaking of state information to discredit political opponents, secretive appointments to the head of the spy agency he’s in charge of. And when he doesn’t ‘lie’ he just has selective memory gaps whenever anything embarrassing comes up. Throw in the wider National caucas – front benchers who refuse to ‘believe’ climate change (oh yeah, about that global problem that didn’t get mentioned in the election coverage…), and of course the seedy workings of being hand in glove with bloggers and media to fill news coverage with items which benefit them, or even last week, refuse OIA applications and bury info that doesn’t suit their goals.

    I think the real winner on election night was the NZ Herald.

    And that’s really the final death blow for NZ: the lack of a functional 4th estate to hold these people accountable. The way National have used and abused the OIA process in their favour and engaged in dirty politics via the media represents a very chilling process of propaganda and misinformation that undermines our democracy. And the lesson from this election is: (a) it works, (b) NZers don’t care. Which means from now on, anything goes. If you look at all the seedy things National have done, and that they could now govern alone and people like Judith Collins have been voted back in, then the message for National from the people of NZ is that we don’t care if you’re unethical, or even illegal, in your actions… just keep going. And how far down they’ll go with this mandate is anyone’s guess.

    But I want to thank you Bomber for all the work you’ve done on The Daily Blog. This place has been such a refreshing change from the vapid MSM, and outlets like these will become even more important in the next 3 years. Kia kaha.

    • “I think the real winner on election night was the NZ Herald”. …and the rest of the msm…and the corrupt journalism

  49. What does it say about the conscience of the people when all the truth and justice revealed in the last 3 – 6 months did not change the Government?

    That the neolioberal agenda to divide ( in the words of Noam Chomsky) is to break up solidarity by driving it out of the people to care about others… has worked.

    Which is why beneficiaries are demonised. Because caring about beneficiaries Chomsky says, symbolises caring about another human being. And if that can be driven from the minds of people… then the neoliberal agenda can continue.

    Revolutions are born from the disenfranchised and the forgotten.

  50. As the results stand right now – fewer people voted for National this time than last. Of course there are still the special votes to come. What it suggests is that the truth about dirty politics working into the rights hands is true as many more people stayed home and didn’t vote than even last time. It also doesn’t mean we had a swing to the right – just that National voters kept on voting National despite the overwhelming evidence showing their deception from the top!

  51. Why were your predictions so so so wrong, and why were your predictions, just in line with your wishes.

    I said along the Greens always poll higher than they get and will only
    end up getting between 10-11%.

    You can be a cheerleader for your beliefs or a Journalist, it’s your choice.

    Beasly Pete – we apologise fulsomely for daring to express views at variance with yours.
    – Scarletmod

  52. It is terribly disheartening for many of us. Unfortunately for those of us who are passionate about issues relating to inequality, the climate and protection of civil liberties, most people who live in a consumer culture are too distracted to deeply care. This means that we are forever fighting an uphill battle to make people aware. So many of us are anesthetized by the way the media frames political issues and by John Key’s bland, non-threatening persona. So much so, revelations about how the current political regime operate failed to register as issues to be taken seriously for most.

    That said, there is no time to wallow in despair. The good news that by the grace of Mr Hagar and yourself Bomber, John Key’s brand is slowly being deconstructed. I do believe that with dedicated effort and time this will lead to a small enough decline in his popularity to give progressive parties a chance in the next election.

    Along with Hagar and others, you Bomber play a significant role in helping to wake people up. Although we may always face an uphill battle, we have time to fully utilise the revelations of dirty politics to deconstruct brand Key and his style of politics. I just don’t think we had enough time to do this leading into yesterday’s election.

    Grit your teeth Bomber, your job isn’t done yet.

    • “John Key’s brand is slowly being deconstructed” didnt he just get one of his highest PM ratings ever?

      stop attacking the person and actually give the public some real policy to dissect and then let them choose who they want to run this great country

      • “stop attacking the person and actually give the public some real policy ”

        That’s kind of rich coming from a right winbger.

        Considering that National had bugger-all policy during the election, and Labour and the Greens were releasing material on a weekly basis, I seems your exhortation is directed at the wrong side.

  53. I have to say I really didn’t see that result coming even with the polls.

    Just remember that great men don’t become great men by having it easy.

    And three years is just a blink of an eye once you get busy.

    • Unfortunately in 3 yrs time the damage may not be fixable , John Key will be gone no doubt of that , he has done what he came to do ,hand us over to Big Business,he will leave it to others to clean up the debt and the mess, and he will still be smirking at his cleverness.

  54. i might not agree with half or what you say but I still read you and your voice is very valuable in the political debate. The more people are encouraged to think whichever way they lean the better. Any debate and opinion has to be better than acquiescence

  55. Dont beat yourself up martyn we too are unbelieving of this shock result where all the caring concerned community new zealanders you can not retired

  56. You have every right to be bitterly disappointed, angry, disgusted with NZers….all that. Just put a time limit on it. They are only feelings, not facts.

    What has not changed is this fact: we live in an unjust and corrupt system that is manipulated by the richest and most powerful people this World has ever known.

    If we had the courage last week to take them on, we still do.

    The need for peace justice and equality is still there.

    The dream is still there.

    We are still here, knocked flat but getting up again, one by one.

    We can’t give up because it’s not just us in the fight.

  57. Bomber, I have been voting for 30 years and I have never felt so sad and despondent following an election. And I can’t even begin to imagine how you and all the others who have worked so hard to get the truth out there feel.

    I have never joined a political party either. But following this, I am going to join the Labour Party and I am going to work towards positive change for our country.

    We will take our country back, just not this time.

    • the Labour Party must become less tribal and listen to what its grassroots people want…it must be more willing to help and support other parties on the Left and Not try and take them out eg Hone Harawira with the help of Nactional and cronies Maori Party and NZF

      …Labour is Not a club for the boys and girls

  58. Take a well deserved break Martyn. Take as long as you need.
    Come back with a renewed vigour and pace yourself for the long haul.
    We need your perceptiveness.
    It may be shorter than 3 years.
    I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all your efforts.
    John

  59. I share your pain Bomber, I can’t believe Kiwis can so convincingly endorse such a corrupt cruel callous government. I thought Kiwis were caring people and the mere fact over 250000 children live in poverty would have galvanised voters to vote for a progressive party. I fear too many of my fellow citizens are just greedy selfish uncaring people who remain politically illiterate. I don’t recognise New Zealand any more this country has changed for the worse. With a government with low ethical standards and no accountability and Kiwis just don’t seem to care.

    • they have been duped by some nasty journalism…and journalists and PR black ops who do not have truth or New Zealand or New Zealanders best interests at heart…but they won’t stay duped…the Truth will out!

    • In northland we see a lot of youth slouching around with their caps back to front,they appear to make no effort to find work .
      Its hard to be caring about these youth, so people who are working hard resent having to support them ,I have a family member who voted National because these youth ,females as well.
      Nat supporters I know, when I say but what about whaleoil and dirty politics etc,they say that had nothing to do with Key, I told one of them that Key is a Bilderberger ,response, don’t be silly that’s a conspiracy theory,when I said I thought that the election was rigged, was told I was nuts,it seems nats never admit they were wrong .
      They are in for a rude shock when they get treated like slaves and don’t have being a supporter of nats to have a free ride. Another friend owns 10 houses and said with Key in charge they get to keep them.

      I also know quite a few people who changed allegence because of disgust with Key. so changing peoples minds depends on the outlook of the person.off to bed now nite nite people .

  60. Hi Martyn

    I wish to thank you for many hours of interesting commentary this year. I, like you am deeply saddened at the election result. I am a woman of 69 who has travelled, done the usual OE in the late 1960’s, had a very full life with many experiences of family tragedies ( I have no one left of my generation in my family) so I understand completely the feelings of loss and disappointment and this loss last night is a massive one for I have lost my country. When I have been overseas on different trips I was envied for being a New Zealander, this country of ours with its wonderful egalitarian society and a great sense of fairness to one another was praised, it has now disappeared and another has replaced it with inequality, a low wage economy, hungry children,and a callous mentality in people who are educated and should be aware of their history yet they have voted this government in again.

    Martyn, last night the lights went out in New Zealand and we are in darkness. I pray for my country and for my fellow citizens. Keep up the good work.

    • Barbara,

      At 70 yrs. old I have suffered the same shock after living in US and Canada as a 1944 born kiwi all envied me as a Kiwi.

      Returning several years ago am now seeing this Country has slipped beneath the waves of humanity since this Government ruled over us all, they have no moral fibre or compassion and the almighty dollar is god to them.

      These are sowing seeds of social unrest on a scale never seen before.

  61. Dear Bomber, thank you for everything you have done, we all appreciate what you and the Daily blog have done leading up to this election, and there are many contributing factors which lead to this defeat;
    1. The main stream media are Nationals cheerleaders and now they will be rolling with glee at what they have done to serve their corporate elitist masters.
    2. The baby boomers with their little nest egg off a few rental properties voted for National to secure their retirement money, they believed the media and their lies about the capital gains tax and this is because New Zealanders don’t give a flying fuck about anyone else in this country other than themselves, their close family, their job security, their New LED Tv on hire purchase and what ever materialistic crap they worship.
    3. The youth vote, those so disconnected from politics and spawn of a bent Media and a failed education, ignorant, racist, prejudice and selfie loving drop kicks didnt vote, only 27% of all eligible voting population aged 18 to 34, why they didnt vote is simple, they dont know what the rest of the world has vs what we have had in the former great Nation, they no nothing about our history nor do they care, their attention span is minuscule, their care of other people apart from their family and friends, next to nothing, and any of them with any brains or kaha got up left for greener pastures in Australia like me years ago and have not looked back.

    4. I blame the green party, NZ First and Labour for thinking they can accumulate as many votes and compete and most of the electorates against each other, for if they had worked together from the start we would have one,
    1.The electorate of Ōhāriu is a prime example, and its the same result as it was in 2011, Peter Dunne would not be in parliament if the Greens had not put Tane Woodley in as a candidate.
    2. The Auckland central electorate, again Jacinda Ardern only lost by 647 votes while the Green candidate Denise Roche received 1,537 votes,
    3. The Waimakariri electorate, had the Greens and NZ First not put up a candidate, Clayton Cosgrove would have won
    4.The electorate of Maungakiekie, had MANA and the Greens not put a candidate in Carol Beaumont might have just got in.
    5. The total dumbass electorate of fascist Epsom, why o why do the Greens, Labour and NZ First even bother?? The only way that they would even win there over Act or National is if a localized ebola wiped the population out and we all moved in, its never going to happen! give it up for f$cks sake!, had the Green, Labour and NZ first voters voted for National, ACT would be gone like a poisoned tick on a dogs back!

    And to summarise it all , All parties need to take a good hard look at themselves, Labour need to realise they will never govern alone ever again in this country, The greens, NZ First and MANA need to only every put up 1 to 2 MP’s total, and realise they will never be a major party, Because this is NOT MMP, This is American politics at its finest, and the Left need to sort their shit out and make a major alliance of all the parties prior to the Election otherwise we are destined for another disaster in 2017.

    • You may have hit on something there, although I am not sure the ensuing colour would be that easy on the eye, but I think that Labour and the Greens need to put egos aside, and combine to form one party. Perhaps we are focussing too much on MMP. One thing is for sure though, and that is the coat-tailing must go, and the threshold must drop a bit.
      I am firmly of the belief that a Maori party of some description we must make every effort to support and like Flavell, I think it should not identify with either left or right, it needs to represent how Maori see the world, not swamped out by the tyranny of democracy, as it is where minorities are concerned.
      I think the working man that Labour evolved representing no longer exists in such great numbers, a sign of the times, I am afraid.
      The Greens are on to something about smarter and greener as we can no longer rely on the sorts of thing we did a while back.
      That could be a clincher, I wonder who will lay their ego aside first for the good of the country

    • I think you might be missing the point a bit there. National’s victory came about because of the PARTY VOTE. Jacinda Ardern may have only lost by 647, bit the party vote went to national by a whopping 5000 votes. Even Cunliffe could not win the party vote for Labour. What does that tell us? I don’t know, but I don’t like it.

      • Labour , the greens and NZ first didnt work together for if they had the election would have been closer, The 18-34 year olds, which is my age group out number the Baby boomers and yet only 27% of them voted? had more the 60% voted the result would be in our favour, but they didnt, and I would say that around 80% of the 27% that did vote, voted for National.

  62. It seems the majority of the NZ public are very badly informed. All the real news comes from TV1, Prime tv, and the NZ Herald.

    Maybe if they read News from Journalists who are still left with some integrity. On sites like ‘Asia Times online’ ‘Global Research’ ‘Stuart Littlewood’ ‘Paul Eisen’ ‘Alan Hart’ ‘Gilad Atzmon’ ‘The intercept’ ‘Jonathan Cooke’ ‘Paul Craig Roberts’ ‘Craig Murray’ ‘Antiwar.com’ ‘Occidental Observer’ or the Daily Blog, Things would be different.

    But don’t get too downhearted, The truth will out. Read between the lines on the comments that are allowed in the Guardian, Mail, etc. A lot of people, and exponentially so, “get” what is going on in the World, especially the younger generation. Thanks for the great pieces on the Daily Blog

  63. We, as you, are stunned at this result.
    You have made a connection with a good number of nz’ers who wish for things to change and I for one would urge you to keep up this noble fight for fairness for society, goodness in governance, the eradication of dirty dealing and the exposing of things wrong.
    It now becomes a longer project but a voice is needed to inform on the process and outcomes of what has become known.
    Keep up the good work

  64. It would be my guess that quite a few pro-National votes were actually anti-Dotcom votes. Kiwis hate being told what to do anyway, and they certainly don’t want a moneyed foreigner dictating to them how they should vote. I rather think Dotcom didn’t know this about Kiwis or he may have taken a much lower profile.

    • And some will have woken up this morning and thought “oh fart, what have I done” it will be just dawning on them that they have effectively put paid to a registry of foreign ownership of land here, and doing something about our sovereignty being sold up the river. I would lay odds that many of them are barely aware of the TPPA and what it could mean.

    • Yeah cobber….I guess he should of said nothing at the trial of your mate Banksie as well eh?

      Yep…Kiwis don’t like being told what to do OR having to hear the truth when it doesn’t suit , eh mate.

      And I guess according to your logic , Kiwis would just as soon as not have to strain their brains on anything harder than a 30 second soundbite from a biased media as well…

      Hell …..no wonder it was so dang easy to ignore what Mr Glenn Greenwald was saying for over a week…..eh Cob.

    • Karen,
      You are so accurate here,

      Kiwis at heart do not want to be told what to do, I am one incensed by Maurice Williams building act changes that prohibit do it yourselves to fix their own properties.
      That is just one example but our character is very independent folks shows even in my son who has been working in Germany for 9 yrs. now and always has trouble with employers who try to order him around and as a tradesman he resists every time and has a solid reputation there for it as “that crazy kiwi” so I don’t like any political party who tells me “I know best”

  65. Comment deleted. Repetition of potentially defamatory comments. Last warning (and not the Collins-style either.) – Scarletmod

    • The ‘stuff’ as you call it was so credible it was beautiful. Maybe a very strong brew for a lot of New Zealanders, but when they add their own Thames valley cream and take another sip, things will start happening. My kiwi army dad used to say very frequently, ‘Nothing is lost by reconnaissance.”

      He was right.

  66. Thanks martyn, although it was an undesired result, I have really enjoyed reading what you had to say on the weeks before election! It has most certainly become my daily blog

    All the best

  67. National voters 100% believe that National and John Key have created more jobs and reduced national debt. I don’t know where they get their information from – sound bites most likely – but the source needs to be found and countered and overwhelmed with the truth.

    Another 3 years of not giving a shit about each other and ignoring root causes cos it’s too hard. Well done, New Zealand.

  68. Your old mate Brewer here Bombs. I’ve been outside NZ on an aid mission for some time. Got my vote in by fax then tuned in to listen to the results. Man I know how you feel. I think I’ll sign up for another three years here when I can lift my head out of my hands.
    Regards

  69. Come on people, we might not be able to stop them, but we can make every step as difficult as possible; so let’s give ’em hell – there’ll be plenty of opportunity. To start with let’s make sure Labour sort themselves out.

  70. Of course it could be rigged by compartmentalization. We would never know. If it´s a legitimate election it says we don´t mind rampant corruption or being spied on. When the Reserve Bank, incensed by the apathy, go to town on interest rates, National supporters, ( the ME ME ME´S), will get exactly what they deserve.

  71. Martyn, My hero,

    You were always there to lift us up when all seemed lost.

    Don’t leave us like this.

    You are the best of Investigative Journalism we have, so I want to leave you with a project on your return from a well deserved break.

    Here is my suggestion for a citizens free voice.

    We need to start another revolutionary TV or radio free citizens voice broadcast network.

    I am 70 yrs old and when I was 18 along came our free Hauraki radio station, can we reinvent the media network again?

    In these times we need a citizens free broadcasting network, and you can begin a fundraising drive to get one established as you came back from your break ok?

    Borrowed this end from Mike as it finishes my suggestion best.

    “Along with Hagar and others, you Bomber play a significant role in helping to wake people up. Although we may always face an uphill battle, we have time to fully utilise the revelations of dirty politics to deconstruct brand Key and his style of politics. I just don’t think we had enough time to do this leading into yesterday’s election. Grit your teeth Bomber, your job isn’t done yet.”

    Thank you Martyn for being you and our best voice for the people.

    • Agreed as why was Key so sheepish last night?

      We know they do break all rules to win at any length..

      Poll results can be manipulated.

      Global evidence in the form of 21.4 million sites on goggle show polls are manipulated and there are suspicion around this corrupt Government that may have been the case here in NZ as this is the most unusual poll result “never seen before in history” BBC report this morning so perhaps the results need to be independently verified?

      Wonder if Key would allow it.

      In Florida they called an official independent recount of the florida election returns as they were on a knife edge.

      It was a justifiable request as historically it was Democrat territory for years.

      They called for this after Clinton’s Dem candidate lost to Jeb Bush in late 1990s and the decider for the federal election.

      I was there and they looked fishy results but the Republicans wouldn’t allow it, and everybody wondered why, what were they afraid of?

      https://www.google.co.nz/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+election+poll+results+can+be+manipulated

  72. You fought the good and just fight Martyn…… along with Internet /Mana and Hone and Laila and Annette and Johnny….and Dotcom ….and Glen and Edward and Julian and Robert

    ….with company like that you are a HERO amongst HEROs….take a good rest ….that particular Election is fight is over by fair means and foul ( mainly foul)….but the WAR is not yet over….

  73. I am an historian and my specialty is military history, WWI and WWII in particular.
    I always wondered how Hitler was willingly voted into power by the German people – now I know. Last night I experienced it first hand.
    The German people did not care about the loss of civil rights of certain groups of people, all they could see was ‘the economy’s is getting better’. More money in my personal pocket.
    There is no difference here in NZ.
    I keep hearing how FJK has improved the economy – and just as the German people’s short-sighted ignorance and selfishness led to disaster for their country; this same cry has made the people of NZ blind to what they have lost to achieve this economic improvement.
    People who voted National and people who did not vote yesterday, have sold this country out to the US (TPPA and mass surveillance), the Chinese (vast land purchases) and large global corporations (Monsanto).
    The German people deeply regret their decision – just as NZer’s will in the future.
    Yesterday was just as dark a day for NZ, as Hitler’s ascension was for Germany.

    • I too studied history and my family’s roots are in Europe.

      I am deeply offended by your comment. Regardless of National’s short-comings, there is no way comparing National to the Nazis is anything other than just plain wrong.

      I doubt you are a historian, or a serious one with that kind of comparison. My family knows the Nazis from real history – not your twisted academic version.

      • Steve – if you read Michelle’s comment a little more carefully, you’ll see she was alluding to people’s selfish motivations for voting rather than comparing National directly to the Nazis.

        Hence, you, Sansa, and Ben are jumping to a false conclusion and creating a strawman argument instead of addressing what she actually referred to.

        • Nice try Frank but no. It was not people’s selfish motivations that got the Nazis into 1930s Germany. And you know that.

          And Michelle knows that too. Racism, xenophobia, expansionism…and yes, economic factors, but a world away from the modern NZ experience.

          There are literally a thousand better (and more accurate) analogies than comparing the very worst of human experience to a New Zealand election where (if we take our blinkers off) we have a significantly different set of social factors.

          • But an undermining of democracy by our govt institutions, corruption , a biased and slanted MSM , hidden agenda regards surveillance , and advancement towards a passive/insidious/surreptitious form of totalitarianism , none the less….

            Not to mention loss of sovereignty when Key signs it away to the TPPA as well.

        • Err I think it’s you who might need to read it more carefully, including this gem,

          “Yesterday was just as dark a day for NZ, as Hitler’s ascension was for Germany”

          If that’s not a direct comparison I don’t know what is….

    • What a disgusting and juvenile comparison to make. Godwins law in full effect.

      Ironically Hitler adopted the opposite approach, encouraging the nationalization of assets, insularity and creating a fear of foreigners.

    • Your comparisons are total nonsense. I would remind you that there was a strong anti-Semitic element in this campaign and it was directed against Key. I suspect that behaviour cost more than a few votes.

        • Agreed, Frank

          Too many silly comments by people who know little of history, but love to roll out trite homilies. Michelle made many specific comparisons. The likes of Sansa try to rubbish them by claiming their family suffered, but offer only vague arguments involving insularity and xenophobia instead of answering the substance of Michelle’s points. I believe that the Great Depression and economic reprisals most affected Germans’ behaviour; insularity and xenophobia rate more as exacerbated symptoms than causes. Sansa may call me another twisted academic, but I wonder how he/she can claim authority.

  74. I also am very disappointed, but not totally surprised. I kind of expected a backlash vote from the right wing hard core.

    Agree with all you say, and would add one more thing… the major beneficiaries of this will be the Global Fascist-Corporate Cabal, the people who JK really works for.

  75. One of the big lessons from the New Zealand general election campaign was that in chaos people cling to what they’re familiar with.

    Despite not being a National supporter I was relieved by the outcome. It showed that the sort of politics that has been rampant over the last few weeks doesn’t ring well with New Zealanders. The scandalous allegations, the boasting about how this or that is going to “bring down the Government”, the hysteria, the attacks. By and large the majority ofpeople can’t get behind that sort of rhetoric. Oh they can be opposed to the National Government – I don’t particularly like it myself – but that language isn’t going to get many on-side to support an alternative. It will enrage those who are already enraged and alienate pretty much everyone else. This has been conclusively proven with this result and yet the argument from the most dedicated ideologues is still that people are gullible idiots who have been tricked into voting against their own interests.

    And they wonder why they can’t get anyone to support them?

    It’s an utter failure to look at things objectively – and short of that, strategically. If you’re looking for an answer as to why the left performed so poorly it’s not the time to look at the dirty politics of the right or wonder why so many people could be so complacent as to be “tricked” into voting National. It’s time to look at how absolutely the left failed to present itself as a viable and positive alternative. To Labour and the Greens’ credit they tried, they were just washed away by the tide of bullshit emanating from matters like Dirty Politics, the Moment of Truth, attacks on John Key, and Kim Dotcom in general. All of which acted to either turn people off or turn them away. The fact that few on the left could see this, the fact that I had to defend myself on sites like The Guardian and others when making this very point, the fact that you, Martyn, were repeatedly incorrect with your predictions on Twitter last night, just shows the severe lack of objectivity from the left. I’m reminded of Fox News reacting to the election result in 2012, the lack of understanding as to how they could have possibly lost despite telling themselves so hard that they were right and everyone agreed with them.

    All I can say is that I hope a lesson will be learned from all this. Based on many of the post-election comments I’ve read I’m not exactly encouraged though.

    • This is why in a court of law there are mitigating circumstances….in this case…a MSM in collusion with right wing govt.

      One of the first things to fall in a closing society is an objective media that investigates and reports ALL sides of the political spectrum.

      We wish to demonstrate our lack of Xenophobia?….we certainly didnt extend that value towards Mr Kim Dotcom , did we , now…..

    • Agree completely Simon.

      I was working in polling stations and people said things like, ‘I’m not interested in politics’ even though they are voting. They didn’t understand the implications behind the Dirty Politics book and weren’t interested in finding out. What campaigners have got to remember is that most voters don’t care about politics. They are the people you have to inspire. Maybe some left leaning commentators have lost touch with the electorate.

      • Jo, most NZers, don’t read a daily newspaper, only watch the news headlines, but fully soak up Breakfast on TV 1. They do not know what is going on, but worse still they can’t be bothered to find out.

        I find it amazing that whenever I bring up the topic of TPPA, most look blankly not having a clue what you are talking about. GRRRRRR

        This is why the National Party will rule for another 3 years.

  76. There is the question of the registered voters that didn´t vote. About a million. Perhaps many of them did vote but the data disappeared. It´s been done before. Not in this country some will say. Allot of what has happened in this country recently we would have thought NOT in NEW ZEALAND!!! Too many people would have to be in on it some will say. I say no, not really. All the good, honest vote counters would have done their job well. It would just take a couple of crooks in charge of the final tally to lose any inconvenient data. That´s how compartmentalization works. People that are doing their part right, are not privy to what anyone else is doing, just their part. Hone, losing his seat, is very convenient for National. I wouldn´t put it pass them, anyway.

  77. Michelle Hedges

    I have immense respect for those who study history.

    At 70yrs old I grew up in the shadow of a generation that endured WW1, a great depression and WW2 and the call for me to learn history has never abated.

    That generation knew history but in our modern “dumbed down world”
    few see the relevance of the importance of the pitfalls we see looking back in history.

    Michele if you can find out about the secretive meetings key has been to here it may help read here, John Key meets with Nazis and keeps this from NZ?

    “Very Very dangerous people we have in power here in NZ”

    Why didn’t PM tell NZ he was into Bilderberg?

    List of Bilderberg participants 4
    New Zealand
    • John Key (2011-2012), Prime Minister of New Zealand

    http://twochurchesonly.com/supmat/03/most_influential/bilderberg_group/list_of_bilderberg_attendees.pdf

    http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Bilderberg

    This a Nazi founded organisation.
    Creator and chairman of the Bilderbergers was a card carrying member of Hitler’s SS and repeatedly lied when asked if he was a Nazi party member as a student (separate page all about Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands)

    No Bilderberg meeting agenda has ever been made public. “It is the epitome of low-profile dark ops, a shadow government hidden in a doorway.” According to critics and close observers, it’s agenda is to weaken all world leadership but their own. It is also, according to a U.S. law called the Logan Act, [15] illegal:

    http://twochurchesonly.com/supmat/03/most_influential/bilderberg_group/list_of_bilderberg_attendees.pdf

    http://bilderberg.org/bildhist.htm

    Creator and chairman of the Bilderbergers was a card carrying member of Hitler’s SS and repeatedly lied when asked if he was a Nazi party member as a student (separate page all about Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands)
    This photograph was taken at the first Bilderberg meeting at Prince Bernhard’s Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeek, Holland in 1954. Hugh Gaitskell is in the far corner of the room looking rather sceptical and you can just see him scratching his chin.
    Another more limited photo of the same room which includes chairman Prince Bernhard is here

    I

  78. It’s interesting to see this thread has 118 replies? that’s what happens when you lighten up on the extreme censorship and encourage open debate. Kudos.

    Hardly. TDB’s recycle bin is over-flowing with pixels from obnoxious comments I have deleted. The day is not done, and I have banned several people already. If Righties thought ‘Bomber’ was tough, this moderator has little tolerance for trolling. I have no problems with opposing views, but defamatory comments; abuse; mindless derision; repetition, etc, will not see the light of day. Them’s the rules. Don’t like it? Tough. Try another blog. Ok, lecturing done, back to it. – Scarletmod

    • No I think your moderation is fantastic. Look at how many comments the previous moderator was allowing through, and how 99.9% of them were the ones that agreed entirely with his views….

    • Juvenile.

      Is this the best contribution you can make? The Right may own the “dirty” tag, but comments like this only reinforce the view that the Left are spiteful and childish.

      How can the Left own the moral high-ground with such comparisons? Aren’t we meant to be starting to show middle NZ (who actually are the ones you need and reply on to deliver a left government) that the Left are not as bad..?

  79. We here in the US who you would think might have our wits about us, after the mess this country has caused around the world, voted again twice in succession for leaders who had a corporate, warmongering,neocon agenda and proved it in their first terms, which here last four years not three. That makes sixteen years in all we will have lived this nightmare and it is still going on.

    You, Martyn, have done nothing wrong and neither have any of the good people around them. I am very glad to have made the acquaintance of all of you; you are heroes.

    When all the media and the big corporations are against you, and when indeed hard times haven’t yet really hit for most New Zealanders because of the lovely place that country still is, the locals still feel secure enough to get huffy when good people from outside the country try to warn of dangers ahead.

    Those good people didn’t lie. John Key has placed your safe little country in the crosshairs and like it or not, eyes are turning in that direction and not just five of them. There is a real and present danger, and you have been correct to sound the alarm. If, in a big country like the US, we protesters have felt more insecure since war became national policy, in aiding and abetting that same policy are New Zealanders really as safe as they wish to be?

    I was saddened that the lady from the Green Party saw fit to blame the whistleblowers in her concession speech, and strictly as an outsider, the caution with which both Labour and Greens politely approached the serious matters Internet Mana was bringing up meant that the latter stood alone and unsupported. (Incidentally, I know many are not pleased with Winston Peters, but his concession speech warned of difficult times ahead for the party in power because of past policies, and a day of reckoning indeed is not out of the question. Remember, Tricky Dick Nixon got re-elected also, and then came Watergate.

    It’s not over until the fat lady sings. God bless you all, and the gentlemen who brought the bad news in that rivetting Town Hall meeting. Bad news but also the truth New Zealand needed to hear.

    My very best wishes for strength, patience and courage to you all.

    • Martin you need to follow the situation in the Ukraine. Not through Western news media but alternative news media sources: Dr Paul Craig Roberts, Gerald Celente, Global Research, Professor Steven Cohen, Info wars, The Nation, Democracynow.org, Vineyard of the Saker,
      Russian TV, Zerohedge to name a few, Graham Phillips who reports from Novorossyia can follow him on twitter. This will give you a definite steer as what is happening here with John Key and his love US policy. It is pretty overwhelming but be good for you to know how things can be manipulated by the West for their own ends. And how the news media is used to spin their lies into a story made believable for the busy populace. You may gain a better understanding of why things turned out the way they did here in this election. Yes Juliania – we are not ready yet to hear about the bad that is happening in the world. We believe and are led to believe that the US govt. are our friends, upholders of democracy etc. Even the left here are delusional about this.

      • They added the ‘socialist ‘ part to appeal more to the working class Germans , however….they abhorred trade unions and any form of ‘socialism ‘ was erroneously viewed/branded as ‘communist’.

      • Yes, the term socialist does imply left policy, but Hitler was neither socialist or National, (The term National implying for the whole nation). Much like this government.

        Enough on WW2. There are plenty more wars to cover. – Scarletmod

  80. A personal suggestion for you Bomber. Try being a bit less insistent that you are always right about everything. You could demonstrate this by abandoning your really annoying and childish habit of blocking anybody who seeks to promote an idea that deviates from your line. Please reply.

    • Crikey! Most people here disagree with me on this point. Well just keep on blocking people then. Clearly that’s got nothing to do with why we got our asses handed to us by the forces of evil on Saturday.

  81. What I don’t understand is the number of electorates that voted the Labour constituent in and gave their party vote to National. I do not understand how that happens. I understand splitting the vote to other parties on the left but to give it to the Nats? And the language of posters here and the use of the following words. “Unbelievable’, ‘gobsmacked’, ‘shocked’, ‘don’t understand’, ‘stunned’, ‘struggle to understand’ and’ beyond incomprehensible’. As am I, and I wonder why as Lanthanide pointed out somewhere else that not even the Right Wing pundits believed the results or that the msm polls were mostly right. I am suspicious of this result.

    • Well I was one who split my vote. I happen to like my Labour MP who works tirelessly for his constituency. Sadly I as not prepared to give my party vote to Labour and risk an unstable coalition of four parties when I disagreed with most of the policies of those parties.

      I am not happy with the outcome but am prepared to live with the consequences. If the LP sorts itself out I will return to the fold in 2017. There were thousands like me so keep your paranoia in check.

      I would also have to say that some of the spiteful comments from the left hardly encourage a change of heart. I find the undisguised hatred for those with opposing views quite disturbing, and the extreme right is just as bad. I happen to believe that Key, Cunliffe, English, Parker, Honeweira, Peters, Norman, etc are all decent human beings. They just happen to believe in different philosophies. Whether they are right or wrong does not make them evil.

  82. I noticed last night John Key remarked during his victory speech that “We kept WFF even though we borrowed to pay for it”. He couldn´t resist a quick dig at the have nots even then. Actually John, you have borrowed like there´s no tommorrow to pay for tax cuts for the rich, that we can´t afford. We will all have to pay the piper but you will blame the have nots again. Many of the rich of course only get rich by exploiting the have nots, but SSShhh! It´s a secret!

  83. Labour’s inability to capture the centre swing vote is the result of appearing more progressive than working class. There’s appears to be no tolerance for any variation of opinion on that end of the political spectrum, and if you happen to be a white male you better shut up and sit in the corner.

    New Zealanders react badly to being told what to think. The far left’s desperate hysterics, conspiracy theory sideshows and attempts at emotional blackmail have thoroughly repulsed voters this time. I say this as a Labour voter who’s become increasingly miffed by the lack anything “positive”; despite Cunliffe’s adequate performance, he and the Labour brand were tarnished by the divisive rhetoric of Internet Mana.

    If there’s one positive thing to take from the outcome, it’s the failure of Act and the Conservative party, which suggests most New Zealanders are still essentially sane and not completely lacking compassion.

    • With a generous helping hand of the biased MSM slanting articles and sound bites, avoiding policy on a political party’s policy launch ( eg: the deliberate Sabin / Parkins attempt at the interview of Kim Dotcom , even when told NO several times ) and general selectivity of important aspects of many other topics and majoring on straw man argument side issues.

  84. I see plenty of blaming others here, and calling National voters stupid.
    But perhaps, just maybe you guys are in the minority and most of us just don’t agree with your politics.
    With a democracy that’s the risk you take, sometimes the other guys win.

  85. After the election is before the next election. We need to keep working to keep them honest, now more than ever.

  86. I think the National/Nazi comparison is a valid one. Ruling by corruption and propaganda, pitting one set of constituents against the other. No need for concentration camps, just make the undesirables so poor they have no options or freedom.

  87. New Zealand has certainly changed. Its inhabitants, previously noted for their honesty and fair-mindedness, are now happy to have a government that normalises things that even a decade ago were considered abhorrent: child poverty, minority bashing, environmental piracy, mass surveillance and of course dirty politics.

    • It is the young that will suffer the most in the country because of the burgeoning debt now $88 Billion and rising $300 000 a week with National and our exports dropping in value as we speak.

      Gone are the heady days of a “rockstar” economy, we are now heading down the slope.

      No “Brighter future” here and National will be under the spotlight as we go forward.

      I believe their are several remaining assets this Government have on their secret agenda to arrange sale of now.

      Key was apparently questioned on his ability to shed more assets to those overseas investors he met probably when at the Bilderberg’s meetings, but he will not reveal this, as the code of secrecy is upon him not to publically state what goes on inside those meetings.

      ACC, Solid Energy and Kiwirail are three but several including Kiwi bank and NZ Post are two possible others also say some.

      Speculation here but…
      It is also highly possible later this Government may privatise some parts of our major roading networks such as high traffic routes that privateers would welcome as the toll revenue stream would be high.

      Welcome to the sale of assets phase three.

  88. your not the only one i think there needs to be a long hard nosed discussion we must never allow other election result like this.i iam heart broken because the voter have given this corrupt government absolute power uncheaked by any colition partner
    they will go for broke and most us have fair idea whats comeing there is a bright spot moari have come home to labour welcome back . and the new zealand economy best days are well behind us we are going see a collapse in the export figures and along with a collapse in the tax take the government books have been cooked.

  89. Kudos to you, Martyn, for swallowing dead rats and eating humble pie (hope like Stevie Marriott you don’t need no doctor after that tonic mix). It’s not your fault that you care passionately about the future of our lovely country and been unable to take your message to all those ungrateful dead heads out there that didn’t even bother to vote.
    Please keep talking to us after you have a good rest.

  90. In ‘The Hollow Men’ John Adsell promised us his job was to change NZ’ers default from socialist to capitalist.
    Key/Slater ‘rat f cking’ politics, and the subsequent vote rush to National prove that pretty well where we at .

  91. I’ve read all the way through these mostly fantastic comments and unless I’m mistaken , I could be the first to say ; I smell a large , festering rat .

    The results were rigged . There . I’ve said it . I do not believe that , that little fucker made up that kind of ground .

    I do not believe that 48 % of the voting public voted for a dirty , snivelling little liar like Jonky .

    The 2014 NZ general election was surely rigged .

    As sure as Jonky’s a liar . As sure as jonky has very , very powerful owners who have him on a short leash .

    We should not be complacent here .

    We must not be fooled .

    It’s my earnest belief , based on my instinct and my common sense , both of which I have the utmost respect for , say that this election was a con job . It was rigged . I don’t know how , and I have no proof .

    It was rigged .

    And if one thinks about it , it could be the perfect crime . He gets in , we get angry with one an other , the innocent , minor parties are discredited and Labour may as well be hung .

    I believe this election was a con job . A swindle .

    How would we know ? We’re told the numbers . So what ? We were told many things by jonky and his minions . How do we really know the stats were not fiddled ?

    The answer to that , is that we don’t know at all . We have no idea what the fuck went on behind those closed doors .

    One of my boys had a rat once . Ratsie used to live under ( ? ) ‘s jersey . It was very disconcerting to see a lump moving about under that jersey when ( ? ) was eating dinner at the table . ( ? ) ‘s grandmother used to park Ratsie between her ample bosoms and feed him crumbs while they watched TV together .

    I remember once , while at the movies in New Brighton in Christchurch as I was returning back to my seat after having to pee I saw Ratsie run along ( ? ) from shoulder to shoulder as ( ? ) watched on . The people in the seats behind were pointing and whispering and looking as if close to screaming and fleeing .

    In later years , Ratsie took to the wonders of the spare room with its mountains of junk and stuff and found a new home in an antique bellows organ and in there , in its innards , Ratsie made his home by chewing through the bellows . When I idly pushed down on the peddles once in stoned exuberance to impress my friends with a tune all I got was an emphysemic wheeze from the organ and a squeak from the rat ! Rest assured The organ and Ratsie did get a decent burial .

    That little rat . It was a gentle wee beastie and clean as a whistle . It was a sweet smelling little thing with no stink at all .

    Unlike Jonky .

    No matter how hard jonky washes behind his ears , he has the stink of a liar and his lies , and the lies of his ministers gives me the right to call his bluff .

    This election was rigged .

    • There are several anomalies with this election. Firstly, there was the last 3 News-Reid Research poll before the election.
      “National are on 44.5 percent, and they haven’t had a result lower than that in the 3 News poll for five years. It’s a danger zone for the Prime Minister and means he soon could be out of power.”
      According to Sean Plunket, he said on RadioLive that 44.5 percent was generous as an insider had told him that the National party’s own internal polling had them on only 41 percent. Add to this the historic precedent for overstating the polling support of the right and you would have to say they were in real trouble.
      Most right wing pundits at the time seemed to be in a real state of panic. So what happened …
      How could Judith Collins be voted in? How could Christchurch vote National back in? How could Simon Bridges be voted back in?
      How could the stuff Ipsos poll which has been widly out from the 2011 election results be the most accurate this time round. Very strange. Someone needs to investigate this.

      • I know a counter who told me that JC really did get a high number votes (straight out of the box) in a polling station he was counting in. It was a poor area too. I’m not saying fraud doesn’t happen, but on a local level JC probably did get the votes claimed.

    • If you believe that, put your real name on your post and go down to your local police station and lay a complaint. The truth is every time an idiot like you opens their mouth more Labour voters leave.

  92. Lol even a staunch green auppoerter like myself saw this coming.
    Why are some of the commenters so gobsmacked?the problem with left wing is that it is polarising-i know from experience
    MY BIGGEST SUGGESTIONS-all parties (esp left)need to ease up on the xenophobic/anti-immigrant stance.As a chinese leftie i can say that among chinese boters there is this perception that people pn the left want thtm to ‘go back their country’ or not buy houses

    • The objection to immigration does not come from xenophobia but from a desire to keep NZs population small. Kiwis actually like our open spaces and we are being forced into smaller and smaller ones because of growing population. We do not all think that growing populations is anything but a ponzi scheme as we are living in a world now that humans absolutely must address their overpopulation of it.
      I am not prepared to drop my aversion to constant immigration just so no one can call me a xenophobe.

    • PS you can buy a house to live in, what we object to is NON resident foreigners from wherever, hoovering up the housing stocks, there is a world of difference.
      And many of us would like the settings altered so that investing in housing is made unattractive so we can start to get back to the majority of people owning their own homes. They should not be regarded as speculative capital accruing means for speculators from anywhere, including here

  93. Well Well,

    TV 0ne “Sunday” 21st Rachel Smalley hosts a very good episode on “small town heartland NZ” dying from lack of investment from Government, and centres on Wanganui.

    This showed that the Government is spending nothing on the regions and all on Auckland, Wellington and other major centres only.

    The program finishes with the prospect that these smaller towns will die eventually and people will be forced to move to the main centres.

    Wow it is a watch and see.

    Pity it wasn’t screened before the election eh? Oh of course that is because it would hurt FJK election chances.

    Did someone say our public media was not controlled and influenced by Government?

  94. Martyn, there is a very clear trend of a widening gap between the party votes for National and Labour. It started in 2005, about the time Crosby-Textor were engaged. It hasn’t bottomed out yet. Every election, 90% of the vote is split between National, Labour, Greens and NZ First.

    You’re dismayed, I’m dismayed, because the public didn’t see through the PR work of Crosby-Textor on National’s behalf. That’s all we need to do, is stop the CT machine somehow, or employ even better strategists. Trouble is, we’d need to do it honestly. We can at least make sure that the entire voting public know who and what Crosby-Textor are, by the next election.

  95. Kia kaha Bomber. come back. I will miss your posts. I have spent the day not watching any mainsteam media or TV and not reading the newspapers. I think that is the best thing for my sanity. Perhaps we could all try this one. Turn our back on them.

  96. a few thoughts:
    1. no ID was required for voting (this leaves room for fraud, as people can steal other peoples voting letter with “easy card” and vote in their name. There are already tweets on twitter from national supporters bragging that they have done just that.
    2. After the first results came in that came after the early vote results there was less the 1% difference for each party in all the votes coming in all night. The results barely moved.
    3. We know now that the government is corrupt and the 5eye spies are spying on us. So it is not unlikely that a corrupt government and those spies wouldn’t use corrupt methods to tweak the election results in their favour. It is them who had to loose the most. The results where transmitted over the internet, which gives room for falsification. Why not have live cameras and real journalist in each voting room in the country reporting the numbers live after counting?
    4. The polls just one day before the election had National barely be able to get back in government, let alone without other parties. And now the results give a “historic” result for National to Govern pretty much alone?
    5. Early votes more than doubled this election from last election, but almost the same amount of voters overall?

  97. Thanks Martyn, Today I am grieving the loss of hope for another three years, I too am heartbroken and to hear the voice of someone who expresses feelings I am feeling today feels validating. I feel heartbroken too because the consequences of National policies I live with daily and it is extraordinarily hard especially the dehumanising part. People are not ready to accept or hear some clear realities. Denial is a very human condition especially when seeing some very unpleasant parts of humanity most of us do not want to see let alone acknowledge it lives in close proximity to us. Keep speaking the truth people will eventually catch up in my experience. Stay true and please do not lose sight of your sense of what is right. Our time will come. For now you well and truly deserve a rest.

  98. OK, so dirt, lies and corruption is the political norm and is not only acceptable but also welcomed. That is what we can conclude from yesterday’s result. The right are very good at dishing out the poison, now for the next three years we should find out how good they are at taking it.

  99. I too am shell shocked… I just don’t get it. The left stands for a society that cares for everyone not just those who have already made it.
    What is wrong with NZers? I guess democracy has spoken – albeit to a individualistic and materially driven society.

    • What happened – low turn out especially amongst the young. We are now into the 2nd generation of people who have known nothing but neo liberalism.
      a smug selfish ignorant country who refuses to inform itself of what is really going on.
      A compliant and useless complicit media
      We are governed by the criminally corrupt who have spent 6 years destroying our democracy.
      Critical thinking has not been part of the nZ curriculum for nearly 3 generations.
      We are now an unofficial annexed state of the USA. TPPA will be the final nail in the coffin.

  100. You know Martyn, in a perverse way it might have been better had the Conservatives actually made it into parliament. If they had, then Key would have had all kinds of trouble with them and getting airheads like McVicar and Rankin into line would have been almost impossible. It would have been fun watching McVicar pontificating about reintroducing the death penalty and watching their National mates (?) cringing in embarrassment. Alas, was not to be. At least we can look forward to another three years of Winston driving the speaker mad and getting kicked out of the chamber for telling the truth about the National ministers. Who knows, we might even get a real Mr Speaker to replace the imitation variety we have had for the last three years. Hope you stick with us Martyn and at least you can hold your head up high and say I stuck to principles, not porkies.

  101. Hi Martyn,

    I suggest you keep going with this website. Who knows what you can achieve in time for the next election? But maybe try and tone down the language a bit and try appeal to more people, that way you could have more influence. I have enjoyed reading posts on this site as it has been a much needed counter balance to the main stream media and would be very disappointed to see it go

    All the best, kia kaha

  102. For Gods sake y’awl ! lets not get off-topic !

    Who else has an opinion on this ? Don’t be shy .

    @ D-Man . I like the cut of your jib Mister .

    Think about it ?

    Martyn Bradbury’s taking two weeks off to get his head around how horribly wrong he was in his predictions ! But was he wrong ?

    He’s taking two weeks off to get his head around how he was unwittingly blind sided by bullshit artists . In my fucking view !

    The art of the stoush is that you never , ever telegraph your moves . Ever .

    The negativity of the polls was clear . National was fucked . So , how come they’re in now with a hall mark margin ? I mean , WTF ?

    I can tell you WTF . This election was a fucking swindle .

    I’m a big picture human . I see things holistically . It’s a gift ok . I see our most recent election as a swindle . We now need details people to make true of what I’m alleging . Please ? Come on ! ? Strike while the iron’s hot , my mother would say .

  103. There are so many parallels between the NZ election last night and Al Gore vs George W Bush and the Florida recount. Firstly, there was the exclusion of potential voters. (The Electoral (Disqualification of Sentenced Prisoners) Amendment Act 2010
    Under the Amendment Act, all people in prison on election day are unable to vote.) There was a similar exclusion of voters based on their criminal history in Florida.

    http://youtu.be/GSEOd1W3fZA

    There needs to be a recount. This is election rigging American style.

  104. Couldn’t read the “Landslide” papers today. Couldn’t bear to see the smiling assassins face grinning out from the front page.

    Trying to grasp how people are OK with corruption, inequality, child poverty and mass surveillance. My theory is that people are afraid of change, from Scotland, to Fiji to New Zealand.

    But I also smell a rat, I smell Orwellian “perception management” by the mainstream media.

    No one has mentioned the timing of the anti-terrorist raids in Australia. As a proof by the Bilderbergs that we NEED mass surveillance to make us safe !

    So I join with others to thank you Martyn and The Daily Blog for promoting the values of human rights and equality, the values of a once proud New Zealand who enfranchised women, defied the US nuclear madness and faced down riot police to challenge apartheid and racism.

    The biggest concern is the disengagement of youth if its true that only 27% of 18-30 year olds voted. Allowing tyranny, greed and corruption to have the upper hand. Those missing votes could have made the difference.

    Those of us who desperately wanted to see a change of government, will need to take a breather, like Martyn’s well-deserved break, reflect on everything and come up with a UNIFIED strategy to change the government next election.

    But Oh I quake in my gumboots to think of the damage that will be done – to our education system, to our environment, to our sovereignty until then.
    I hope NZ First, Greens and Labour all follow through and unite to drive a Royal Commission into corruption and abuse of power as revealed in Dirty Politics.

  105. After Dirty Politics and KDC’s Moment Of Truth, we know this election was rigged. The left need to unite and get these bastards, they are using the rigged election to divide and rule the left block, its genius if it wasn’t so sick. Demand a recount of the ballot boxes! Don’t the results of this election seem ridiculous? We would have been fooled hook line and sinker if it wasn’t for how ridiculously over the top the election results are and if we hadn’t read Dirty Politics, and listened to the town hall meeting by KDC. We know they know we know…. Time to prove it and put them in jail with no voting rights and small cells with stale old food thats what they deserve.

    • Can you PLEASE refrain from posting? This is a contender for the most ridiculous post.

      Rigged? Recount…??

      You are one of the reasons why the majority of the country look at the people who support this blog as the “Loonie Left”.

      The reason for the result is NOT through electoral fraud. I mean, seriously. You MUST (like many others posting on here) accept the reality the election was won in the Middle; not out here on the Left. The failure to change the government was the failure of Labour to offer credible leadership, the failure of the Greens to build their base and to sell their credible economic policy and the failure of KDC all round. Sue Bradford (who, while I don’t agree with what she always says, but I admire the fact she is genuine in her heart) nailed it really early on, on MANA should have clicked on to it right there and then.

      • @ Steve D, Did you READ DIRTY POLITICS and listen to KDC’s Moment of Truth. Why would they stop short of rigging it? They are doing every other single creepy,revolting, slimy thing to keep themselves in creepy power, (along with the media). How did the Greens bomb out? Or is N.Z so full of Proles, Trolls, and Greed inside and outside the Key government that this is it? What a bummer if this is really it. I find it hard to believe we have descended so far from anything progressive. How did Hitler get elected then? “Crazy loony lefties” just see the truth quicker than the bovine slow lumbering narrow minded straights. Take your blinkers off Steve D, this is a conversation, not intended to insult your blinkered world view. Also was it won by the middle? Or just a whole lot of Baby Boomers interests. I for one am sick of being siphoned by baby boomers interest , then listening to them explain how ridiculous I am for seeing them pissing on my leg and telling me its raining!

      • @Steve D
        The election results seem too neat and tidy considering the many surprises of the election campaign.
        The one thing that gets me is the votes for Internet MANA 2014 when compared with Mana’s 2011 results. In the recent election Internet MANA received 26,539 votes. Compare that to the 2011 election results where Mana received 24,168 votes. That is only a difference of 2371 votes. It is hard to believe that with media exposure, packed halls, the roadshow, political apps, Glenn Greenwald, Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, and Kim.dot.com
        and three million dollars of campaign money would only gain them 2371 votes. This is hard to believe.

        • @D-MAN; Or more importantly,start looking for FRAUD amongst the votes for Kelvin Davis!! ie Any children or dead people. People who have left the country and not voted ever[or any nonvoter.] Any dramatic rise new voters for him. Any dramatic rise in voters with same address[UK 2010. easy to do amongst immigrant households. 3-18] Even has any ballot papers gone missing.[match no. of voters to papers]. There were reports of children recieving registration and people who used more than one Voter ID card.
          Same for Chistchurch and ANY electorate where there is a huge mis-match between vote Labour candidate and party vote national. http://www.globalresearch.ca Search; Electoral/election FRAUD

          • Article written by Greenwald in the Guardian UK on the capabilities of the intel. services[GCSB equivalent]reveals that once the numbers are digitiezed, they are open to hacking and manipulation. His source Edward Snowden,who’s info sofar has proved 100% true.

  106. Certainly challenging times ahead, valuable lessons learned, and time to foster new ideas.

    Undoubtedly National/Act and their supporters will feel emboldened by the result and opportunity afforded to fervently pursue their doctrine; a notoriously predictable one, with thirty to forty years lineage internationally, now floundering across the globe. Considering the many controversies to this point, an accentuated haughtiness will probably get the better of them.

    Credit due to Internet Mana, in my opinion perhaps the most innovative party ever formed. A commendable effort and refreshing change.

    The Internet Party with the $1.29 membership, policy incubator/forum, and bold policies along with Mana, had the great potential to reinvigorate democracy. But with the low party vote, it appears all its merits were not appreciated. Says much of the imagination and dynamism of the population, particularly with regard to youth.

    It appears the superficial school-yard-like popularity contest prevails. Perhaps influenced by the idiot box plunged to ever-deepening idiotic depths.

    Hone and Dotcom portrayed as, and perceived by many in the public, similar to the antagonists in Dotcom’s beloved Call of Duty Modern Warfare series of video games. Corporate Hollywood has its case against Dotcom, but what of Key? While people are entitled to have their reasons to resent either, the former arguably harmed no one here unlike the latter, however the latter is supposedly much-loved by the public. Don’t understand the anti-German resentment expressed against Dotcom. Key often refers to his mother as Austrian.

    I recommend progressives refrain from criticising this government by frequently referring to Key. Remember he’s presented as the ‘nice guy’, and for whatever reason many in the public seemingly accept that and feel indignant towards any unflattering criticism directed.

    Many seem comfortable with a National-led government, for now, the supporters and non-voters. It doesn’t require much observation and thought to divine the eventual outcome.

  107. There is something wrong with this election. It defies common reason that after all the dirty politics, the filthy farms, defiled water, horrendous poverty, etc. that people haven’t responded.
    I’m 70, always been interested in politics, and have NEVER seen left-leaning electorate voters give their votes to National before, even Ch.Ch. East??????????? It just doesn’t compute, something here is seriously wrong.

    What an amazing response to this blog…good to see their are some intellectuals here who are thinking with their hearts and not their wallets.

    • “It just doesn’t compute.” True.

      If there is one thing we should have learned from all the information released during the lead up to the election it is that what appears to be happening and what is actually happening are often two different things.

      Wake up calls have sounded from the time of Hager’s book right up to the day before the election, with Ombudsman Bev Wakem’s warning that we may be in danger of “kissing democracy goodbye” (following whistleblower Gregorash’s revelation that he was told to “bury the bad news”, particularly regarding KDC)
      http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11327328

  108. Everyone needs to stop with the talk of election rigging. The election process in New Zealand is very transparent and monitored throughout its entire process. This talk only makes the left look like a bunch of loonies.

    • “Nothing to see here folks!” – Haven’t we heard that advice before? Eg, not too long before the resignation of the then NZ Minister of Justice.

    • The bit that makes me suspicious is the police “anti-terrorist” action in Victoria at just the right time and with just the right subtext, ie “surveillence is necessary because it protects you from terrorists who want to kill innocent people in gruesome and painful ways”.

      If you know what really happened at Port Arthur and you know about the event was the driving force force for the US warrantless wiretaps then you’ll know what I mean here.

  109. I think the big loser here is the NZ public. Whatever other policies Labour and the Green parties put up, the main direction they were following was to improve the lot of the low paid, the poorly housed, inequality and the poor state of many children’s health and welfare.

    A sizable number of NZer’s clearly weren’t interested in these issues being addressed thinking “as long as I am alright, I don’t really give a damn about anyone else – it is every man for himself”.

    This is a sad indictment on the NZ public who years ago, would happily have lent a helping hand to the less fortunate. Clearly, none of the right vote were prepared to pay a little more to achieve this. We are becoming a very greedy, self interested society and moving a long way away from the New Zealand I grew up in!

  110. I was at the Greens election party when I heard the jarring results.
    Beyond the initial disappointment, my first coherent reaction was that I wanted to turn all the Kiwis who voted National into one person, sit that person on a chair and ask them: “Why did you do that?”, because I was genuinely confused at the decision made the majority of the country.
    And that was my mistake to view it like that because I was trying to apply individual psychology to a ‘group psychology problem’ AKA yet another National Party win despite itself.

    From the perspective of group psychology, democracy requires a horribly large amount of patience because a group will learn, make mistakes and go through same processes of trial and error just like an individual will, and I believe that’s what we’re seeing here in the 2014 election. We’re watching NZ choose to learn things the hard way.

    I consider myself a fairly intelligent, well-reasoned person, so to now be proven that I’m in the minority is rather unsettling. I’m anchored, just like the rest of us on the Left, to a slow-learning group with limited imagination, like being forced to go through school a few years below where I should be at. Of course I’m going to be appear loud, impatient and unruly (like The Daily Blog) because I already know all this stuff and I’m stuck waiting for the rest of the group to catch up.
    That’s why I like reading your work, Martyn, because it’s the voice of that frustrated student.

    But why did NZ vote National this time around? I mean, really?
    Why?… I believe it has a lot to do with the inherent paradox that faces all humans, that The System which threatens our survival collectively is the very same System which we rely on for our individual survival- and people, especially slow-learning, unimaginative people, aren’t able to see that paradoxical relationship from both sides and instead just see it from the side they know- their individual perspective. They see National as protecting The System as it is and ensuring their individual survival, (“I want to keep my job”), whereas the Left can see the larger threat to the collective (“I want to keep my society”-Labour/”I want to keep my planet”- Greens), and can see how it benefits us all to vote the other way.
    It’s still a sad indictment for NZ, but how can this class of slow-learning students, which we are stuck with, ever learn their lessons properly when the mainstream press (to extend the metaphor: the teacher) is so weak?
    Is there not a vacant position in the NZ media where we can start teaching these kids what they really need to know- from a patient, nurturing, group perspective? I’d like to think so, otherwise they/we will always choose/be forced to learn things the hard way.

  111. Hey Martyn – you deserve a rest, you and the rest at the Daily Blog have given so much for this election – with a bloody shitty result , which will be analysed but I’m not gonna do it now. I – like you – am about to have a day off. I will sit in pyjama and shoot a million aliens. I will clean the house . I will sleep. Then I’m gonna refocus on what I can do to survive the next three years. Firstly I will be turning off National (party) Radio, next I will cancelling the daily local paper. We have a mayoral election coming up and I – for the first time ever- will be offering my support as a volunteer to the liberal cadidate. And I will memorise a book…

  112. Darkness descends on the land. But not election rigging – mind rigging.
    John Adsell claimed in ‘The hollow men’ his job was to ‘change NZ’ers ‘default from Socialist to Capitalist’.

    It took three weeks for Key to build a firewall between HIM, and the evidence/knowledge of conspiracy presented by Nicky H two doors along from his office on the 9th floor. Evidence left unread by the lumpen Proletariat in a kiwiBloke type mind-rig PR’d as an act of defiance against a ‘left wing smear’. Key turned Dirty Politics into a left wing smear.
    Voter willingness to ‘believe honest John’, protecting the very man at the top of that heap, would argue Adsell achieved his end.
    It is well known on the farm. You want them through the gate, you open it first. Then put the dogs around behind.

  113. Well then, we`ll just have to get out there and protest.. the Nats won`t like civil unrest. No TTP, education changes, why are we letting them change employment laws, where are the unions or have they all been disbanded?

  114. THe fact that the media jumped on the anti-Dotcom bandwagon and managed to obfuscate the issues should not prevent us from continuing to raise them – Dirty POlitics, the surveillance state, the TPP, neo-liberal policies which have led to ever-increasing inequality and poverty are as important as ever to the future of democracy and justice in NZ

    for a summation of my thoughts on Dirty Politics and neo-liberal economics, please watch these 2 youtube posts – http://youtu.be/dTZdbmXSNWI

    http://youtu.be/ahN0hEqVreI If you can’t beat ’em make fun of ’em

  115. The greatest failure of the radical NZ Left has been the inability of them to base their activism upon strong materialist analysis and coherent theoretical alternatives to the status-quo. Instead the NZ left has been caught in an endless spiral of activism driven by passions dominated by emotions rather than sober minded strategy. But can we blame such activists, when the little that goes the way of theory and analysis is weak opinion based journalism just like this article?

    Let’s get a few things clear. John Key’s National is not Neoliberal. An actual analysis of Capital Accumulation in NZ will show you that while neoliberalism during 80’s and 90’s succeed in lowering the value of labour and increasing the rate of exploitation, it failed to bring the economic dynamism that had been promised to the Capitalist class. Key just like Clark have been pursuing a pragmatic mixed (Neoliberal/Keynesian) economic policy. The cries from the Left that National is still fill of neoliberal ideologues is not true.

    For an actual analysis of Capital Accumulation (something that Social Democrats like Bradbury are unable or choose not to do), follow these links.

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/keys-vision-managing-the-malaise-of-new-zealand-capitalism/

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2011/06/23/coming-apart-down-under-the-decay-of-new-zealand-capitalist-society-from-the-1970s-to-1993/

    For more information why National isn’t neoliberal. http://rdln.wordpress.com/2014/09/16/keys-government-not-neo-liberal-says-unite-union-leader/

    Also, while the fact that our corporate monopoly media, does make it hard for left-wing views to get equal coverage does play a factor, it is not the main driver behind apathy and lack of working class struggle. Due to changes in the labour-market that promote greater flexibility and the rise of Information Technology, NZ workers are more dispersed, lessening the likelihood of strike action and making sure that when such actions do happen Capital can easily respond to it (contract workers etc). As a result of the decentralisation of labour, NZ workers have become increasingly alienated and see themselves less and less as a political class.

    For more information about the lack of class struggle in NZ and the role that technological advances and changes in the labour-market play follow these links.

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2012/10/14/low-horizons-and-the-legacy-of-defeats/

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2012/02/08/low-pay-longer-hours-and-less-social-mobility/

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/bending-over-backwards-new-zealands-temp-economy-and-the-growing-need-for-flexible-labour/

    http://rdln.wordpress.com/2013/05/16/information-technology-and-the-rise-of-new-zealands-modern-servant-class/

    Us folk at Redline (rdln.worpress.com) understand and continuously stress that fact that the radical NZ Left doesn’t stand a chance in organising NZ workers to make a radical stand against Capitalism, when the vast majority of the radical NZ Left don’t even have a theoretical understanding of the ideologies that they profess to belong to (the majority of so called Marxist groups) and choose to spend their time writing opinionated trash, rather than actual material analysis.

    Considering that we now have three years to get our shit together, my suggestion for the radical NZ Left is to start reading Capital and don’t stop until you have finished all three volumes. Once you’re able to hold your own against Capitalist ideologues and provide coherent theoretical alternatives, then NZ workers will start to no longer see you as a bunch of loons or worse yet self righteous douche bags.

  116. It’s important to turn negative experiences into motivation. This election result provides a huge learning opportunity – it shows beyond doubt that what has worked in the past no longer cuts it. The corporate/mass media machine has, by dumbing-down the culture and sowing the seeds of miss-information, groomed a whole generation into cynical compliance and disinterest. Growing numbers of the electorate don’t trust experts. They won’t buy tickets to guilt trips, so moral outrage is now worse than impotent – it’s counter-productive. It has been said that mass media trivialises what is important while making trivia important – the Kiwi anti-intellectual streak is being fed and watered. John Key said that, ‘This is the election of the selfie’ and he was so right – it’s all about ‘shallow’. Kiwis also root for the underdog and so perversely John Key became the victim and not the perpetrator of Dirty Politics/Dot Com, as the questions kept coming and coming and he didn’t flinch. Future campaigning must ‘accent-uate the positive and elim-i-nate the negative,’ be less self righteous and more user-friendly – reassuring rather than badgering – inclusive rather than divisive. We won’t need to lower our standards but will have to modify our expectations and change our tactics.

  117. I’m astonished at the huge increase in right wingers hitting the down-vote button here since Saturday night. Where were they pre-election, there was barely a one. Were they running scared then or is it simply that they’re bubbling with enthusiasm at the moment after the election win? Seriously, can anyone explain this, because I’m baffled. Where have these people been in the past two or three months? Hawaii, without any means of internet communication?

  118. Although the MSM was stacked against the left, the National Party engaged in dirty smear campaigns and lies and its henchman on the blogs engaged in their usual goonery – there was no fraud at this election, at least fraud in the technical sense. The thousands of poll workers work diligently to make sure that does not happen and they take pride in their work. No Ladies and Gentleman, the left got thumped and now they have to get up, rebuild themselves and come out fighting in three years time for New Zealand’s sake.

  119. k everyone… we need to pick ourselves up as we have the TPPA and TISA now to contend with and fight all under the eye of the GCSB / NSA lol. Dust it off and lets get to it. Love to all.

  120. Left-wing scum once again relegated to the gutters where they belong! No place for leeches, deviants and queers.

    You obviously didn’t take my earlier warning seriously. Ponder it during your month-off from this site. – Scarletmod

  121. It’s interesting that you use the term “full spectrum dominance” Martyn. In spite of the appropos, I doubt many here understand the import of the allusion. Some rocky times for the incognizant of all political persuasions now await us, as the agenda is rolled out, and the outcome becomes clear. Enjoy your break old son.

Comments are closed.