5AA Australia: Dirty Politics Investigation – Let The Public Judge

Nicky Hager’s Book Dirty Politics – Let The Public Judge Its Findings

Selwyn Manning and 5AA Australia’s Peter Godfrey discuss the revelations in Nicky Hager’s book: Dirty Politics.

New Zealand’s best investigative journalist Nicky Hager has launched his latest book titled Dirty Politics.

The book exposes how the Prime Minister’s office has coordinated and orchestrated a political hit team, using proxies, right-wing bloggers to attack, vilify, and demonise the Prime Minister, John Key’s opponents.

Longstanding press advisor, Jason Ede features prominently in the book. His emails, and those of their blogger attack dog, Cameron Slater, are damning.

Nicky Hager said last night: “In some cases it’s political blackmail, there are many cases of digging sexual dirt to try and scare and threaten people. There are many cases that looked to the country as if they were spontaneous acts of politics which were actually orchestrated from the ninth floor.”

The ninth floor refers to the Prime Minister’s suite in the Beehive, the executive wing of New Zealand Government.

The correspondence, upon which the investigation is founded, most often takes the form of email.

Emails between Jason Ede, Cameron Slater, between Justice Minister Judith Collins, between more conservative elements, blogger and former National Party researcher and National Government pollster, David Farrar.

The nature of the emails is a revelation where their motivations to destroy their opponents is clear, direct, targeted and precisely orchestrated.

The book reveals a direct relationship between Slater and the Prime Minister, who are in regular telephone contact over sensitive issues.

In 2011 the Prime Minister’s office used its knowledge of secret Security Intelligence documents to tip off Slater and arrange an attack on then Labour leader Phil Goff.

The PM’s men drafted Official Information Act requests for Cameron Slater to use. And the SIS handed over the information in record time. That information was then used against the Leader of the Opposition in the New Zealand House of Representatives..

Also, in another incident, Slater and the PM’s press advisor Jason Ede discussed how they entered the backend of the Labour Party’s website. Ede discussed how he got away with being caught out because he used variable IP addresses on the computer he used to access the political opponent’s IT system, trawled the private details of its members, account numbers, references.

Once again, that information was then used to attack the National-led Government’s political opponents during the 2011 election campaign.

Yesterday, prior to the book’s launch, the Prime Minister (believing it was going to be an expose based on the Edward Snowden spy revelations) moved to destroy the author’s reputation and credibility.

The Prime Minister said: “Most people know that Nicky Hager is a screaming left-wing conspiracy theorist. He’s hardly an authority on these matters . . . I’m not terribly worried.”

After the book was launched, the Prime Minister declined to comment until he had a chance to read the book.

But overnight, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said: “This is a cynically timed attack book from a well-known left-wing conspiracy theorist. It makes all sorts of unfounded allegations and voters will see it for what it is.”

Well, now it is up to the public to decide what is unfounded and what is fact.

My advice: obtain a copy of Dirty Politics and express your view.