The Daily Blog was proud to present this weeks Table Talk along with Voyager, IKA and Coalition for Better Broadcasting.
As the NZ media landscape continues to be robbed of its most critical voices, blogs are increasingly becoming the only place left beyond a handful of journalists, Dita De Boni at TVNZ and RNZ where you can hear opinions that challenge authority. It ain’t cheap and if you are in a position to contribute to the Daily Blog, please do so here.
There were many fascinating insights on the night, the fact so few of them have made it to the news headlines speaks volumes to how blind and deaf the mainstream media now are.
Fran O-Sullivan’s comment that what we saw from Dirty Politics was a black ops campaign operating straight out of the PMs Office was interesting.
There was Dita De Boni’s claim that TV3 Management destroyed Campbell Live because it was political was as fascinating as John Campbell’s absolute silence on the issue.
Most interesting was the new fact that Nicky Hager stated that the Police had tried to arrest him and had attempted to tap his phone rather than just raid his house for evidence on who hacked Cameron Slater.
Just consider that for a moment. The Police weren’t really looking for evidence as to the identity of RawShark, they were actually trying to arrest Hager and attempted to spy on him after he humiliates the Government. A Journalist targeted by the police for highlighting unethical behaviour by the Government and no other media outlet even pick up on this new revelation.
Unbelievable.
The passion for journalism and its importance was expressed by all the participants and the need for a properly funded public broadcaster that can’t be eroded the way the media have been meted to now
When I was banned from Radio NZ for criticising the Prime Minister, many thought that was just an aberration, but as the Government has gone from strength to strength, every news avenue, every critical voice, every progressive opinion has been snuffed out.
In August of last year, Nicky Hager released his bombshell book, Dirty Politics, which highlighted a level of corruption and abuse of political power at the heart of NZ’s democracy that has never been seen before.
One year on – what has changed?
Let’s remind ourselves of the allegations again.
- Rodney Hide was threatened and blackmailed into standing down over lewd text messages by Jordan Williams who was the numbers man for Don Brash. Don Brash went onto to be the next Leader of ACT after Rodney Hide left.
- Tobacco, big sugar and booze lobbyists pay to print articles on Whaleoil and then comment with the most disgusting hateful language aimed at public health activists.
- Public servants are named and crucified for political gain.
- Jordan Williams smears Labour Party sex lives on Wikipedia
- Slater has a prostitute friend who tries to dig up dirt via the brothels on Len Brown, John Boscowan, Labour MPs, the Herald’s editors and Duncan Garner.
- Slater was instrumental in the Len Brown sleaze campaign while living with his father who was the campaign manager for Brown’s main opponent.
- The mainstream media enable and collude with Slater on his black op hatchet jobs.
- Slater had a prisoner removed to a remote prison who ended up attempting suicide because Slater’s ‘friend’ didn’t want her daughter visiting the inmate.
- Slater hacked into Labour Party computers with the help of Jason Ede and downloaded their entire database including donors.
- Slater was provided information from the Secret Intelligence Service by way of being briefed on a specific question for an Official Information Act request.
- Slater and co plotted to attack the head of the SFO
- And most damning of all, The PMs Office colluded with the Secret Intelligence Service to manufacture a smear to attack Phil Goff, Leader of the Opposition, months before the 2011 election using a far right hate speech merchant like Slater as the vehicle.
So what has happened since August 2014?
Key claimed the entire event was a communist conspiracy, attacked Hager personally and refused to answer any more questions, remarkably, the mainstream media who had been so easily manipulated by Slater allowed Key off the hook.
The Right ignored the law that specifically allows for stolen emails to be published if they meet the public interest threshold and continued to personally attack Hager as a hypocrite who used stolen emails. Their refusal to engage in the allegations exposed how frail their defence was.
The Police, instead of investigating Slater, dropped all charges and instead in a remarkable move, busted into Nicky Hager’s house, seized all his papers (including information on Police corruption), lied about not looking at his notes and ruined his credit rating by contacting his bank. That case is still pending.
In a remarkably similar modus operandi of Slater, Donghua Liu made ridiculous claims about donating $300 000 to Labour, fanned by the NZ Herald – one of Slater’s favoured enablers – the entire thing stank of another black ops hit by Slater and Co. The Herald claimed they had a signed piece of paper by Liu that made his allegation an affidavit, that the editor couldn’t tell the difference e between signed piece of paper and an affidavit was jaw dropping. Herald columnist John Armstrong went on to demand Cunliffe resign because he forgot an 11 year letter. Armstrong has never called for Key’s resignation despite all the allegations in Dirty Politics.
The SIS – the same agency that helped smear Phil Goff, gains mass surveillance powers, a huge increase to their budget and more resources.
Judith Collins was let off after a whitewash investigation into her involvement with Slater.
Campbell Live was killed off for political reasons after he caused Key too much embarrassment over Dirty Politics.
Slater won ‘Blog of the Year’ for his Len Brown story, and Cannon wouldn’t step in and take it back despite the disgusting level of coercion and involvement in manufacturing that story as outlined in Dirty Politics.
Rachel Glucina, the female Whaleoil who seeded her gossip column with right wing black ops spin, masqueraded as a PR expert when she was really writing a story for the NZ Herald that twisted Amanda Bailey’s words and painted her out as a political agent with an axe to grind. It showed the NZ Herald was still more than willing to play Dirty Politics to favour Key. The Press Council roasted the Herald for this shortly before Glucina left and the Editor stood down.
Matthew Hooton who handed Slater Nicky Hager’s address in the hope of Cathy Odger’s criminal clients would kill Nicky is still a panelist on every major political show.
Slater is still on ZB as a political commentator.
David Farrar who works hand in glove with Slater is still a political commentator.
Ben Rachinger alleged to have been paid by Slater to hack into the Standard. That allegation sits in front of the Police waiting investigation.
Colin Craig was attacked and smeared in another dirty politics attack and is now in the process of taking Jordan Williams and Slater to court for defamation.
This chart gives an idea of the wicked web of deceit spun…
…but it leaves out the mainstream media who so willingly played along.
But the deepest shock to have come out of Dirty Politics is that NZers rallied to Key and re-elected him in a landslide. The nation who tore Helen Clark to pieces for signing a painting she didn’t paint didn’t recoil in disgust at Key’s outrageous abuses of power, they rushed to support him. What this says about us as a country I’ll leave to the historians, but the 2014 election result made us a lesser society.
Rewarding malice, cruelty and spite because your house price is over valued is a shame National voters should never be allowed to live down.
Nothing has changed in a year, the same players and still playing the same dirty politics and the same mainstream media are enabling it.
We are a lesser people for allowing this political sadism to dominate our political agenda, and at some stage the sleepy hobbits of muddle Nu Zilind have to take responsibility for allowing this cancer to rot Parliament and the Press Gallery to the core.
That awkward moment when Kim Dotcom, Assange, Snowden & Greenwald tell NZ that Key was lying and spying & they voted for him & TPPA anyway
The video of the talk will be posted up on The Daily Blog this week.
Thank-you for summarising just how #corrupt the Key Regime is. By far, the worst govt we have even had, way way worse even than Muldoon.
Years ago I went to shoot a TV interview with Muldoon at his Auckland home. Securitibank had just gone belly-up, and we asked him what he was going to do about all the pensioners etc who had lost their life savings. He cackled: “I’m not in the business of providing social welfare to finance companies.”
I remember thinking “What a detestable little shit you are!” But compared with the cynical, corrupt bunch who are running the show 30-odd years later, Muldoon was a saint. Sigh.
BRILLIANTLY SAID ! ! – Slimmy birds of a feather flock together.
The fact that so many still support this hypocritical ” out of touch ” PM should be a wake up call to how asleep and uneducated most are in this country. To continue to support a lying and unethical man who is more of a corporation than a real good man continues to stun me.
Look at who is above him and who pulls his strings, as well as pulling Helen Clarks strings. They are beholding to the same masters.
Thanks Martyn for again putting out the ugly truths that need to be said and written over and over so maybe some of it will sink into the stubborn sheeple half brain and half asleep idiots who continue to support the likes of this horrific and disgusting PM.
I was outraged for weeks by Dirty Politics. Key and cronies are worse than mere hollow men in empty suits, they are actively malicious. Bomber’s description of this government as a “criminal enterprise” is incisive and entirely accurate.
The sociopaths who do the worst damage to society are not the rough characters behind bars, they are the wolves in pinstriped suits who wreck millions of lives with the stroke of a pen.
+100
“Rewarding malice, cruelty and spite because your house price is over valued is a shame National voters should never be allowed to live down.”
Something that made me wonder today – Throughout the entire housing crisis, which Key insists is not a crisis, his response has been “It’s a supply issue” rather than the lack of CGT detracting from investment in manufacturing. So, by that logic, all we need to do is build more houses, and the crisis will be averted, and houses will be affordable. Today though, in the NZH, Bill English tells us that there is a risk of the Auckland market crashing if there is “too much supply.”
So which is it we need? More supply, as Key says? Or less, as Bill says.
One thing we don’t need though, is any more pictures of Bill English like the one in the article, looking like he’s about to go down on an invisible Gerry Brownlee.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11520936
Well both are right. It IS a supply issue as FJK notes. But he ain’t gonna do anything about addressing the undersupply ‘cos that would curb property price inflation, and property price inflation is what keeps natvoters happy.
And Blinglish is also right. If the supply issue is addressed – e.g. by building more houses (or alternatively, by curbing or even reversing immigration) then the market would return to more realistic property prices – i.e. property prices would fall by a huge amount. This also is NOT what natvoters want.
So they are both talking about different sides of the same coin.
@ Richarquis: “looking like he’s about to go down on an invisible Gerry Brownlee.”
Erk! Such a mental picture. But so true…
You forgot to mention, as well as Campbell being scrapped, one of the most high profile politically biased right wing idiots got given a prime time show to spout his pro national party propaganda almost every evening, Mike the idiot Hosking.
Pretty depressing when you put it like that. What’s even more depressing is the absence of any foreseeable change. Time to renew my passport.
A depressingly good summary of the most shameful period of our political history, that the besotted rightwing voters voted this corrupt National Party government back in again. It makes an utter mockery of the cherished (but foolish) idea that politicians are somehow “accountable” to the public every three years… well that utopian folly has been well and truly thrown out the Beehive’s 9th floor window along with Ede’s laptop and Key’s cellphone text transcripts… instead of allowing wrongdoers to get off scott-free with whitewashed, purposely limited-scope enquiries, we need a publicly initiated mechanism to indict, put on trial, and ultimately sack corrupt or incompetent MPs. Can’t see it being voted in for at least a couple of years though…
Thanks Martyn.
With everything laid bare, as has been done here, a very nasty and dangerous scenario has been exposed, requiring some serious official scrutiny.
Keep the good work coming TDB, because msm certainly won’t. Well not while FJK is paying for the reciprocal favours!
What % of votes did national have at last election ,less than half I believe.
They did a hachet job on Internet Mana and Labour,and Labour didn’t support Greens or I/M, they would have been a good coalition.
On Rt this a.m it was reported that one blogger in USA said Russia killed innocent families by bombing Syria, no proof, but it was picked up the government and American newspapers and Russia was the fall guy for America who killed millions in their bombing.
This is how the press is used for the benefit of 1% and it just escalates because people are gullible, and Russia is still the “baddy in the world”.
NZ is the same,the government and press know how to fool some of the people , Kim dot com was used as fall guy for dirty politics.
Before he was rubbished as a “fat criminal german” because he brought proof of Keys dirty politics,after he was rubbished as a chancer using his money to avoid extradition to USA, all believed by some of the public with preconceived opinions ,its time the public was educated to think for themselves.
Another interesting thing about John Keys latest sleight of hand,hes just purchased with our money a US $6 5 million mansion in Hawaii for a diplomat,one could ask which diplomat?Key says a Consular General, Hawaii has never had a nz consular general, so who will have benefit ?????!!!!!! this is reported with details in Wake up New Zealand, but nothing in NZ press .
@ ELLE – well this is some news I wasn’t aware of. Thanks for the info.
I knew NatzKEY had purchased an $11m apartment in NY, but didn’t realize one had also been bought in Hawaii for US $6.5m!
Seems like FJK is preparing for when he walks and has begun feathering his own nest courtesy of the taxpayer of course, appointing himself as publicly funded “special” consular general to the state of Hawaii!
There’s nothing sadder than cry-babies:
> Hager’s book got no traction
> Hager is being investigated by the police for various crimes
> Your party got totally rinsed in the election
> Your left wing commentator was dropped
> Your funder will be led away in handcuffs
So you lost. Isn’t it about time you got over it and moved on?
So wrong-doing by those in power doesn’t trouble you. Andrew?
Andrew, you would make a very good Stalinist.
You’re the wannabe Stalin, not I.
The voters were far smarter than you gave credit for. They saw straight through Hager’s slander and the Moment of Truth was the funniest fizzer I have ever seen.
what slander? – no such claim has been made (except by you in your lame attempt to turn this into a conspiracy by linking it back to the labour and mana/internet parties)
but its good to know that trying to expose govt corruption is being a cry baby in your eyes
i know no-ones going to change where you put yourself andrew – but thats rather sad
Andrew, your willingness to overlook wrongdoing by those you support is unsettling and speaks volumes for your lack of moral compass. I guess if it was a Labor government doing the same thing, you’d be up in arms about it? Am I right?
You do your side of politics no favours by your acceptance of dirty politics.
Andrew – “SLANDER”???
Back that up or retract it. What “slander” are you referring to??
> Hager is being investigated by the police for various crimes
Don’t you think that might be a tad defamatory? Or have you got inside knowledge? Or do you really think that Nicky Hager is that dumb?
OK, let’s “move on” into the future.
What does that future look like @AndrewO? What is your vision for New Zealand?
> Hager’s book got no traction
so what – its got no bearing on the validity of hagars claims or the actions of the police in this case
> Hager is being investigated by the police for various crimes
no hes not – and – so what – its got no bearing on the validity of hagars claims or the actions of the police in this case
> Your party got totally rinsed in the election
so what – its got no bearing on the validity of hagars claims or the actions of the police in this case
> Your left wing commentator was dropped
so what – its got no bearing on the validity of hagars claims or the actions of the police in this case
> Your funder will be led away in handcuffs
so what – its got no bearing on the validity of hagars claims or the actions of the police in this case
are you really saying that the worth or validity of any claim of govt corruption is to be judged on popularity?
really? so law breaking is cool if your popular?
thats just pathetic
Nice to see you flying your true colours loud and proud there, Andrewo. No attempt to engage with the issue, though.
Sounds like Andrewo is running scared as he knows, down deep, that John Key is a lying sold out hypocrite and the likes of Nicky Hager are just the opposite. This scares you Andrewo because the truth is slowly coming out about what a train wreck of a govt. and sleezy leaders like Helen Clark and John Key truly are. Just because asleep and uneducated voters put in a horrific puppet leader does not make it right.
The Moment of Truth was a great gift and wonderful event given to this country but because most are uneducated sheeples that believe the propaganda and lies, they could not appreciate what it was even all about. There is more integrity under the finger nails of the likes of Hager; Greenwald and DotCom then there is in the whole body of someone like Key or Clark who are sold out hypocrites. Continue to expose these two leaders more and more.
Andrewo – you state lies, like your beloved leader and you are so wrong Andrewo on so many levels and you may never see why or how with a mind that is buried in the sand and believing untruths and idiot leaders.
Thanks again, Martyn – job well done.
Excellent analysis, Martyn. If I may add to the list of people who have been targetted by National or others within the Establishment who collude with the Party;
July, 2009
Natasha Fuller & Jennifer Johnston, solo-mothers
Personal WINZ details released to the media by Social Welfare Minister, Paula Bennett, to discredit both women after they criticised National for canning the Training Incentive Allowance (which Bennett herself used to pay her way through University).
May, 2011
Jon Stephenson, journalist
John Key derides Stephenson’s research into NZ activities in Afghanistan: “I’ve got no reason for NZDF to be lying, and I’ve found [Stephenson] myself personally not to be credible.”
September, 2011
Nicky Hager, writer, researcher
John Key dismisses Hager’s book, on CIA involvement in NZ military activities in Afghanistan: “I don’t have time to read fiction,” quipped the Prime Minister, adding that the book contained “no smoking gun”, just supposition, which, “makes it business as normal for Nicky Hager”. (Despite the book having 1300 footnotes to referencing documentation.)
October, 2011
Martyn “Bomber” Bradbury, broadcaster, blogger
Criticised John Key on Radio NZ. Subsequently banned/ “uninvited” from returning to Radio NZ as a panellist for the Afternoons with Jim Mora segment.
November, 2011
Robyn Malcolm, actor
Criticises the John Key led National government for it’s failures at a Green Party campaign launch, and is, in turn, vilified by the ‘NZ Herald’, and by one-time National Party aspiring-candidate, Cameron Brewer.
November, 2011
Bradley Ambrose, journalist/photographer
Investigated by police after complaint laid by the Prime Minister, over the “Teapot Tape” affair. Ambrose investigated and interviewed by Police. Media office raided. Property seized. Eventually, no charges laid. Government considered seeking costs of $13,669.45 from Ambrose – but eventually decided not to.
March 2012
ACC Claimant, Bronwyn’s Pullar’s personal details are leaked to the media and to a right wing blogger, who has been given her full files, emails, etc. ACC Minister, Judith Collins, and her office are implicated.
November 2012
Dr Mike Joy, environmentalist, scientist, academic. Attacked by both John Key and right wing “media relations/publicist”, Mark Unsworth, for daring to tell the public the truth about New Zealand’s polluted waterways. On 21 November, Unsworth sent a vicious email to Dr Joy that showed the state of mind of Unsworth to be bordering on unhinged.
March, 2013
Annette Sykes, lawyer, activist, President of Mana Party
When Annette Sykes criticised the appointment of sportswoman Susan Devoy to the role of Race Relations Commissioner, Minister Judith Collins responded with “Annette Sykes is a stupid person”.
May, 2014
Katie Bradford, Parliamentary Press Gallery, and TV1 journalist. Judith Collins makes allegations to a TV3 journalist, that Ms Bradford asked the Minister to intervene on behalf of her (Bradford’s) husband to join the police force. This is refuted by Ms Bradford as untrue. Collins later apologises.
September, 2014
John Key refers to to visiting US journalist, Glenn Greenwald, as Kim “Dotcom’s little henchman” and a “loser”.
That’s a useful reminder, thanks.
Yes, it’s good to have these occasional reminders. Glenn Greenwald has won many highly-regarded awards for his investigative journalism, including the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.
Brilliant,thanks Frank! I’ll use that info next time on Facebook or Kiwiblog (they love me on KB!)
NZ gambling association loss of funds over sky city deal….
You have forgotten one Frank and that would be Fran O’Sullivan who is now getting top billing over on W/Oil who seems to be somewhat miffed at her appearance on the recent D/P panel, it looks like she might have been playing both sides of the field although coming from the source it is im withholding judgement until more comes to light
Fran is clearly, at times, playing both sides and I take much that she affirms with a grain of salt. Slick propaganda machine who is also a biased journo for this govt. leading us into the mire and muck of greed and deception. She is pretty convincing to those who are half asleep and she supports corporate greed and the TPPA.
Question her obsessive need to be an authority figure.
Question her full stop.
She and Hekia seem to have hired some slick wardrobe and hair people. They need to look the part to sway the masses and sell their puppet leaders agenda.
Great story written here that inspires and begs to be turned into a documentary TV story of one of the darkest chapters of our political history headed by another chapter of the “gate” stories this time perhaps called “KeyGate” to put the principal offender front & centre of the story as he should be.
There is an electoral swindle going on every election and it runs like this: a lot of often poor and alienated people who change addresses frequently are not enrolled to vote.
Their voting papers never catch up with them/they dont have time/energy/prompting to enrol. Often they are actively hiding from overdue bills, ex partners, Life….
These non enrolled people are however allowed to make a special vote on Election day. The point is this: They believe that they have voted. They have not.
How many disallowed votes due to non enrollment were there last election?
What if a large chunk of the missing voting population was in fact right there, hidden in plain sight….and stripped of their democratic rights by a charade at the polling place? What would you call that? And which Party might this jiggery pokery most benefit?
There were just under 20,000 disallowed votes in the last General Election. I assume that this will include all the people who thought they had voted but were not recognised as voting: but the published results do not split out ‘day enrolments’ as a separate category. So this is about 1% of the total voting population and a long way short of the missing million.
According to the Electoral Commission website 21.08% of the special votes were disallowed a whopping 69,797 votes. and in the Auckland Central could have changed the result.
How come my comments in relation to people on the right’s willingness to address the allegations wasn’t published?
Gosman, how about you take your own advice (for us Leftists to set up our own TV station and newspaper) and set up your own blog? If you don’t like it, no one is forcing you to submit comments here.
Unless all of a sudden, you’ve taken over paying the Server fees?
Except the author of this blog article stated that the right did not address the issues raised in the Dirty politics book. Don’t you want the right to address them Frank?
Let’s apply the same standard to you, Gosman, that you demand of the Left.
Whenever we criticise TV3, the Herald, Seven Sharp, et al, you rear up on your moral hind-legs and pontificate that we should club together and invest in our own newspaper or TV station. Those are your demands, Gosman, not ours.
Here’s one example;
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/05/21/and-then-they-came-for-campbell-live-the-end-of-political-journalism-on-nz-television/#comment-287139
So for you to bleat on about some of your posts not being published is the height of fucking hypocrisy. How about you set up your own blog; pay your server fees like Martyn, and publish whatever you damn well want.
But don’t expect others to pay their money so you can exercise your bloated sense of entitlement. You have no rights to post anything. Not until you pay for the server fees.
So next time you think about moralising about the Left’s criticism of other media companies – I will remind you of this.
What has that got to do with the point I raised Frank? You seem to be deflecting attention away from my question.
BTW if we are discussing hypocrisy I believe you have complained about having your views denied exposure on a number of different media and public forums. Why do you get to complain and no one else can?
Really?
Care to name a few examples?
Because it’s been my stated position that blogs, newspapers, etc, determine who they publish – not whingers who can’t get their own way.
You need to understand that just because you’re a guest here, doesn’t confer “property” rights to you. Just as Martyn doesn’t guarantee that all my submitted stories will be published. The world (or blogs, in this case) does not owe you anything, Gosman. (As you are so fond of telling everyone else.)
Anyway, feel free to come up with some examples of me “complain[ing] about having [my] views denied exposure on a number of different media and public forums”. I’m intrigued – and it’s very rare that you achieve that with me.
Okay lets clear this up once and for all Frank (I hope this gets through moderation as it is painful having to retype comments all the time).
The difference between people like you bleating on about not getting your views heard in the media and the situation here with me and the Daily Blog is that I am not demanding for my comments to appear. I simply asked what happened to them.
There may be a multitude of reasons why they didn’t appear including technical reasons. Even if it was decided to deny my comments because I am an insufferable right winger that is fine with me. This is not my blog as you point out and people here have a right to decide which comments do or do not appear.
Contrast this with your often made demand for your particular take on news to be given an airing on media (both private and public). This is why I have pointed out if you want your view of how news should be reported to be out there then set up your own media company. The problem would be solved.
Gosman, you’re tying yourself up in knots.
On the one hand you’re demanding your posts get published;
Then on the other you’re telling us you’re not expecting to have all your comments published;
Which is it?
If you’re not bleating on about it, you’re certainly expending a lot of time and effort with your whinging.
I’ll repeat what I said earlier; if you don’t like it, create your own blog. Pay your own server bills.
But don’t expect some “right” to be published. That right does not exist except in your own head.
We have enough evidence of Keys corruption to put him jail.
He owns the police and probably the law,his weapon is the spy agency.
He owns the media, he probably owns his polititions by some means or other,they are far too compliant to be useful and he uses his leads to keep everyone in line,they are all afraid of losing their salaries to care about NZ and its people.
I have said it before, and repeat it again, we live in the most perfect type of a kind of dictatorship here, where 99.9 percent of the population do not even see it as such. That is because the powers in control use highly sophisticated technological and communication systems, all well resourced by the financial business elite, who pay their servants to do what they want of them. Where there is money, there is power, and there are willing mercenaries ready to do all such black ops and other things.
Do away with all the ones listed above, in the RIP “Fourth Estate”, in politics, in the opposition, even science and the administrations of the Executive, and then the people in need of an income are prepared to work for the elite.
Hence people have settled to focus on the security only of number ONE, and their immediate off-spring, and on consumerism and commercially offered “job opportunities” that keep the income flowing. Benefits are hard to get for any new applicants, that is, because WiNZ has been turned into an “investment approach” system, where people are coerced to take on almost any paid job, as there is no more security and safety living on state support.
Add the Stockholm Syndrome, and the oppressed start supporting their oppressor, as they fear the uncertainty of change. Mistrust rules, and dissent is instantly attacked or ridiculed, so you need few police, no soldiers and have got the population under firm control.
There is an eerie silence in the suburban area near Central Auckland, where I live, almost every night, the “sleepy hobbits” go to bed earlier, to go out and slave and serve their masters again the next day. Few have time for anything else, and if they choose “entertainment” it is in the form of the Rugby World Cup, other sports events, of “The Block”, the cooking shows on TV, and endless “informercials” for the night and morning times, to tell people, what they are supposed to think and go and buy.
I rest my case, Martyn has summarised again, what we have, a shocking reality, a dictatorship that seems to be the most perfect one there ever was in any country.
Well said and could not agree more. Thanks for that insight about Auckland.
Interesting how many whale oil and key supporters come on here just to click thumbs down signs, that’s desperation for you, a hall mark of this key government.
I wonder if any of the sordid carryings-on detailed in Nicky Hager’s book might have escaped deeper media scrutiny, even ten years ago.
I can remember the media, once upon a time, taking on the likes of Muldoon, Lange, Bolger, and Clark, and relentlessly probing for the truth.
I remember current affairs programmes like “Assignment” at prime time tv, showing us what our elected representatives were up to.
These days, despite having the technological marvels of satellite communications and the internet, it appears that many (most?) New Zealanders now know less than we did thirty years ago.
It could be said that the decline in public interest has coincided with the New Right revolution, which has seen the gradual devolution of New Zealand Citizens into Consumers;
YEAR – VOTER TURNOUT %
1984 – 93.7%
1987 – 89.1%
1990 – 85.2%
1993 – 85.2%
Interesting that voter-turnout then declined even more significantly as the internet and tv channels proliferated; newspaper circulation has declined; junk programmes saturate prime-time viewing; and investigative journalism has declined;
YEAR – VOTER TURNOUT %
1996 – 88.3%
1999 – 84.1%
2002 – 77.0%
2005 – 80.9%
2008 – 78.69%
2011 – 74.21%
2014 – 77.9%
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_New_Zealand#General_elections_2
The distractions of a consumerist society, coupled with a media that is more focused on entertainment and superficial “gotcha!” reporting, rather than real, in-depth journalism – is it any wonder that we have seen the rise of the Idiocracy?
Comments are closed.