Who will be the next Labour leader?

[Davo36]

I am not a crook! For instance.

[speights boy]

And only because Forrest Gump just happened to be looking out his hotel window that night.

Talk about bad luck !

[Perry]

No, it's not asking for perfect recall, but....

It's about full disclosure when lack of memory is obviously not an issue.

It's not that simple, even if it would be nice if it were so. Being 'economical with the
truth' is not confined to politicians. Even the NZ Property Investors' Assn. does it!

I refer to their "Landlord of the Year" competition. It isn't what they initially say.
It is the Landlord of the Year with an unspecified number of entrants gleaned solely
from members of the NZPIF.

Some other LL could be so much better than the NZPIF first choice, but one would
never get to know that.

[speights boy]

Bryce Edwards writes about it at great length today.

Tricky mix of money & politics

For most voters the finer details will be irrelevant and boring, but this doesn't mean that it's a 'beltway' topic of little consequence.
Instead, the battles over hypocrisy and untrustworthiness are becoming a defining feature of New Zealand politics.

In an escalating battle over personal behaviour, business interests and donations, all parties seem to think that they can score easy points against their opponents, but the reality is everyone involved ends up looking hypocritical and 'tricky'.

But the central issues are actually quite profound and important.
And the debate over the influence of wealth in politics will continue to be a major feature of New Zealand politics.

In the end, all politicians lose out from this focus on where they get their money from, and how they spend it.
This is why, until recently, politicians avoided such fights breaking out.

[Perry]

Hypocrisy?

Voters would never hold New Zealand Politicians to ethical
standards higher than their own, now, would they?

[Bob Kane]

Cunliffe gone by Christmas?
(credit to bluekiwi for identifying this possibility)

[cube]

Gone by 21/9 if he loses the election

[drelly]

Gone by 21/9 if he loses the election

When he loses the election... surely?!

[PTILoveYou]

Shane Jones is making his moves to replace Cunliffe now, after Labour loose the election of course.

[Perry]

They're All The Same

Shonkey 'Tricky' With Donation Dinner Details.

John Key has been caught up in a "tricky" donations controversy
of his own. After demanding that David Cunliffe name donors to
his trust, it turns out the National Party received up to 21 donations
worth up to $105,000 after a dinner with Mr Key. But their identities
have not been revealed and, on The Nation, Mr Key said it will stay
that way.

Antoine's is one of Mr Key's favourite restaurants. It is in his
Parnell neighbourhood. In 2010, official records show it donated
$105,000 to the National Party. But that was actually the total
proceeds of a dinner with Mr Key where guests paid $5000 each
to be there. There were up to 21 of them.

[artemis]

I don't think the 2014 election is a done deal by any means. Mr McCarten is likely to be superb at getting the voters to the polls. That could easily tip the balance to a Labour / Greens government.

[Wayne]

I do hope it is close - being closer forces them all to sharpen their act.
Of course the downside is the increase in 'port barrel' politics.

[speights boy]

Shonkey 'Tricky' With Donation Dinner Details.

They're all the same ?

Which was the point of Bryce Edwards in his article I posted.

Because of that, as he said, the issue around political funding is an important issue.

[speights boy]

Mr McCarten is likely to be superb at getting the voters to the polls.

Currently balanced by Cunliffe, who appears superb at getting the centre swing voter to veer in the centre right direction, as opposed to the centre left.

[Perry]

Politics and obfuscation are Siamese twins.
The only thing anyone should be surprised
at in all this is that they're surprised at it.
It's likely never been any different and even
less likely to change for the better, in future.

Does it end up as: less dirty than thou