I like Stuart Nash, his ambition and brains are a rare combination on the Left, but when I say ‘Left’, I mean as broadly a definition as possible in order to fit Nash into it because Nash has a lot of friends on the right.
Lots of them.
Now while Matthew Hooton will take to twitter and breathlessly claim when questioned over his closeness to Nash that he is also friends with Shearer and Grant Robertson, I can’t recall Hooton ever hosting a fundraiser for anyone other than Stuart Nash at the Northern Club, NZs richest and most right wing bastion of wealth.
But it’s not Nash’s closeness to Hooton that is in question, it is his relationship with the Sith Lord, Simon Lusk. Lusk is to Slater what drinking is to driving, mix the two of them together and you get Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics.
The rumours, and I have to be clear on this, they are only rumours, is that in 2012 financial backers of Nash paid for a report from Lusk on Nash’s political options. Pre Dirty Politics such an idea, while questionable, could be explained as wanting to canvass all opinions and points of view, of course post Dirty Politics, any Labour Party MP seen to be taking advice from Lusk is akin to having a public wedding with Cameron Slater.
I think Nash is a bright star in Labour, he has the ability to pull National voters across in a way few Labour MPs could, and I enjoyed a very long discussion with him at the Spirit Level lectures on how to seriously tackle poverty, which is why I think he has a role to play on the front bench for the symbolism of unity he could provide, his relationship with Lusk however means he could never be a realistic option for leadership because he could forever be compromised if the report exists.
As for what the report proposed….
If Paddy Gower gets onto this story, Nash will have to white knuckle the scrutiny and hope Lusk plays ball. Nash might want to have a word in Slater’s ear too and ask him to stop writing positive blogs about him, it just makes it all look too obvious.
Labour simply doesn’t have the talent pool to go crucifying MPs who talked to right wingers.
5 things Nash needs to do to woo over the boiled meat and 3 vege electorate of mythical middle Nu Zilind…
1 – Start referring to himself immediately as ‘The Nashy’
2 – Speargun a large fish over Summer, preferably an endangered Tuna so that he can start having a fight with the Greens. Hunting something with a social media photo of him standing over whatever he has killed would also suffice.
3 – Kick a ball around with some All Blacks.
4 – Pick more fights with the Greens over climate change and oil drilling.
5 – Dump all that complicated girl stuff like gender equality, rape culture, maternity leave, and social justice as that complicated girl stuff makes the blokes down at the sports bar choke on their mince pies.
6 – Bash the bennies and get Cameron Slater’s other mate inside Caucus, Kelvin Davis, make some derogatory remarks about Maori and violence all under the guise of ‘manning up’ and confronting domestic abuse.
For the record: On September 2, 2014 Stuart Nash’s connections were being discussed on this TheDailyBlog report by Frank Macskasy
In the comments area, Stuart Nash responded to the speculation as follows:
STUART NASH says:
SEPTEMBER 2, 2014 AT 7:19 PM (EDIT)
To be honest, I am surprised that the left can’t see the ‘black ops’ currently being practised by the right for what it is.
Yes, I know Simon Lusk as he lives in the Bay. We have actually worked on a project of mutual interest – the battle to get a degree of transparency at the HB Regional Council with regards to the Ruataniwha Water Storage Scheme. Simon was actually working with MPs from Labour, the Greens, a number of local Nats and a couple of ACT people, as this is very much a cross-party local issue.
Simon is not working on my election campaign, I have never paid him for any services, and there is no agreement re Mana-Internet.
I am also very disappointed that people are trying to link Kelvin’s campaign to Lusk. I am a huge supporter of Kel and think he is a great candidate and is a fantastic MP who will continue to make a very valuable contribution to Labour, his electorate and NZ. I am 100% supportive of him going incredibly hard to win his seat.
Also be aware that the Nats are playing ‘divide and rule’ politics with candidates like Kel and I when they link our names to Lusk and Whaleoil.
Joyce in particular, Key in the past and now Finlayson, have all linked my name to such rubbish. Whaledump, however, has come out and said that he has nothing on me – which I always knew.
This is about trying (unsuccessfully) to discredit a candidate who has the chance to win back a seat for Labour currently held by the Nats. Pretty obvious and rather crude I would have thought.
If we allow their lies to become truths then they have won that battle. Personally, I couldn’t care less what Finlayson, Joyce or Key say about me, but it does surprise me when Labour people start believing their rhetoric, because it means that their lines are beginning to get cut-through.
Please be assured, that I would not be standing in Napier for Labour, I would not have run a 3 year campaign to win this seat and the right to represent Labour in parliament, and I wouldn’t be putting a bunch of very good volunteers through hell if I wasn’t Labour to the core.
I hope this answers your questions.
“5 – Dump all that complicated girl stuff like gender equality, rape culture, maternity leave, and social justice as that complicated girl stuff makes the blokes down at the sports bar choke on their mince pies. ”
5(a) Do it via cosy, chummy chats with the blokes on sports radio shows and farming radio programmes.
I wonder why “Nashy” didn’t reply to Frank in the first instance on FB? (I’m assuming he didn’t?)
if paddy gower got hold of any story, it would still be tripe and onions
Talk about Labour hasn’t got such a large talent pool?
Yes that is true.
Labour has not played decisively over the Dirty politics when they had it on the mat, and the press were asking if Labour were going to press charges.
.
The electorate noticed this so if labour couldn’t organise a good fight like Slater has why are labour really to lead the country?
We need strong MP’s and few are available, as we lost Sane jones as he was what we needed they stuffed that up too.
My advise is let the younger 40ish generation like Nash loose as the old guard just mucked it all up and now we have Nicky being hung out for what?
You do know that Hekia Parata’s husband financed Shane Jone’s leadership bid?
Bugger mobile phone postings.
While there is broad opinion on the right that Stuart Nash would make a good leader I think they would prefer Cunliffe, Robertson or Little who all lack charisma and would have limited appeal to the majority of voters, thereby helping John Key to win a fourth term.
any association with Lusk or Whalebile, show a lack of integrity, so sorry “Nashy” cry me a river
What is relatively clear now is that NatZ are now out to totally destroy the labour Party evidenced tonight by the TV coverage of this so called collusion between Nashy and Lusk because the whole story was only cooked up by Lusk and a high flying property investor in Wellington close to Key, according to the news tonight.
So dirty politics is well and alive as usual for the NatZ still trying to further destabilise Labour’s remaining carcass.
Labour had better get smart quick or die a painful death.
Like I said labour has already dropped the ball over Dirty politics and should have sealed the Bee Hive for evidence the day the leaks were announced coming from the 9th floor.
Now labour are fighting for their existence it is pitiful.
Ummm… how would the Labour Party seal the Beehive?
Come on David Cunliffe – step up and take charge. I’ll be voting for you.
Stuart Nash wants Labour to become the party of his great-grandfather, Sir Walter, a cabinet minister in the First Labour Government, and Prime Minister in the second. I do too. Norm Kirk was PM when I became interested in politics.
Anyone – ANYONE – who is prepared to water down their message by collaborating willfully with known neo liberals becomes a quisling automatically.
And any ‘Left ‘ political leader sacrifices being called one if they do.
Neo liberalism is globalist (anti sovereignty by nature ), favors the super wealthy 1% that consider themselves ‘ Born to Rule ‘ , is hostile to not only workers but ANYONE who does not align themselves with that ideology , is totalitarian by definition , and is totally and UTTERLY un-democratic and DEFINITELY finds Social Democracy an anathema.
Nash ……you have been warned.
Nash’s win was the direct result of McVicor splitting the Nats vote. With the likes of Hooten and Lusk clearly involved with Nash, you have to wonder about what role they had in getting McVicor to stand in the Napier electorate- it’s too big a coincidence to just be good luck for Nash.
The number of labour people who think known operatives on the right are somehow their friends is depressingly worrying
Stuart Nash’s claim that he is “Labour to the core” tells us absolutely nothing under the current circumstances. And I can see no reason why he, like any new MP, should not be obliged to earn the trust he seeks, and perhaps spend some time familiarising himself with his new job. As it is, he looks a bit like Shearer Mark II – a right-wing approved newby, this time younger, prettier and more dynamic.
Sometimes I look with envy upon Germany and Russia – their leaders may be imperfect, but at least they are real political leaders, not ambitious climbers with PR makeovers.
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