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</div> <div class='status-msg-border'> <div class='status-msg-bg'> <div class='status-msg-hidden'>Showing posts with label <b>The Media</b>. <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/">Show all posts</a></div> </div> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Tuesday, 12 February 2019</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0xMK3A3QZa6HHDSpF71mwtq3UbhHnDQCE1Hb9r7LII82x9s-FmINtwj_Tc2wACq0TY4OHuph5jNLQM14WsWN4zIWK1ufB9_JXqLCjxfVmK3kLIaVQmIjZKo4qnFvbefITJIFPpuJzMw/s1600/bear.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='2932158055298887404' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='2058805312096600472' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='2058805312096600472'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/02/standing-up-to-china-real-reason.html'>Standing up to China: The real reason National is tanking and Labour is up in the polls</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-2058805312096600472' itemprop='articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0xMK3A3QZa6HHDSpF71mwtq3UbhHnDQCE1Hb9r7LII82x9s-FmINtwj_Tc2wACq0TY4OHuph5jNLQM14WsWN4zIWK1ufB9_JXqLCjxfVmK3kLIaVQmIjZKo4qnFvbefITJIFPpuJzMw/s1600/bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="249" data-original-width="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv0xMK3A3QZa6HHDSpF71mwtq3UbhHnDQCE1Hb9r7LII82x9s-FmINtwj_Tc2wACq0TY4OHuph5jNLQM14WsWN4zIWK1ufB9_JXqLCjxfVmK3kLIaVQmIjZKo4qnFvbefITJIFPpuJzMw/s1600/bear.jpg" /></a></div> Ok you primitive screwheads listen up!<br /> <br /> So its political poll time again and holy hells bells look at those <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/110507447/labour-shoots-ahead-of-national-in-new-poll" target="_blank">results</a>, really look at them and tell me what you see.<br /> <br /> Yes thats right Labour up, National Down, the Greens slipping and NZ First plunging into well below the 5% threshold in what looks suspiciously like what happened two months before the last general election when Jacinda Ardern blitzkreiged the opposition via the polls and then later on at the polling booth.<br /> <br /> And lets put the mechanics of these movements aside for the moment and take a look at how this has been reported in the media or more importantly how this is being reacted to in the media.<br /> <br /> Firstly we have Stuff which delivers the bad news via Henry Cooke in rather succinct and factual terms while noting the steaming pile of issues that Kiwibuild and the Karel Sroubek scandal were BUT without directly drawing the obvious conclusion that despite these two very damaging situations Labour has come out the other side with a jump in polling.<br /> <br /> Then we have <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/110518398/poll-hit-for-national-party-and-leader-simon-bridges" target="_blank">Tracy Watkins, also of Stuff</a>, delivering a rather tepid opinion piece which tantalizingly hints at what may actually be going on behind the scenes but ends up with a lot of overly dramatic sentences or questions which state the obvious (such as "is it time for National to panic?") without really delivering any of the juicy analysis promised.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile over at the NZ Herald "political commentator" <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12203093" target="_blank">Bryce Edwards</a> does his usual plagiarist cut and paste job of other peoples work in his latest political roundup which is just sooooo lazy that I genuinely wonder why the Herald employs him and why he does not just make a list of links he wants us to read rather than desperately trying to add value to them by clumsily inserting his usual summary of things.<br /> <br /> For Kiffloms sake Bryce, I have heard you speak on Radio NZ and its clear you have both a brain and opinions so why cant you just put these tedious lists to bed and tell us what you actually think, sheesh!<br /> <br /> Then there is <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12202883" target="_blank">Audrey Young</a>, also of the NZ Herald, doing just that by stating that its way too early for the knives to come out for Bridges. Well at least its her own opinion and not just a five minute list making exercise which makes its all the more a pity that shes completely and utterly wrong! Not only are the knives out they have been out for months but are held in "stasis" by a certain factor we will get into soon.<br /> <br /> So lets check out the blogsphere shall we, perhaps there is more wisdom to be had there. <br /> <br /> Over at National party supporting Kiwiblog, David Farrar, is, expectedly, talking things down and doing damage control by explaining this away as some sort of summer "<a href="https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2019/02/latest_poll-66.html" target="_blank">bump</a>" in polling because the PM was out at Davos and saying he will be "more interested in the next poll" but pausing just long enough to not the potential exit of both NZ First and the Greens in the next election based on the current polls.<br /> <br /> Well at least its more analysis than the mainstream media but David is just being disingenuous by making it out that Kiwis cared about Jacinda headlining at Davos to be the real reason for the jump Labour has made (and the related decline of National) because this poll is also coming out in the period of the afore mentioned Sroubek and Kiwibuild muck-ups so you would think pressing issues more close to home would negate any temporary spin from mingling with the globalist elite for a few days.<br /> <br /> Meanwhile no mention either way over at <a href="https://norightturn.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Norightturn </a>but with the end of the Saudi Sheep Deal, climate change and NZ's open government being rated as marginal perhaps dear old Idiot Savant has other things to report on, maybe, maybe not, but its absence is noted. However as this is one of the better political blogs out there I am prepared to let it pass this time.<br /> <br /> But aha, whats this I spy, its the Pundits Tim Watkin noting that the whole thing was "<a href="https://pundit.co.nz/content/newshub-poll-if-this-is-the-winter-of-bridges-discontent-he-cant-be-too-discontented" target="_blank">inevitable</a>" and describing Judith Collins as the "complicating factor". Really Tim? Really? But Tim speaks some truth when he notes that its "a long way till the next election" but like all the other examples here there is almost no real analysis of whats gone on and playing the "its inevitable" card is the journalistic equivalent of Deus Ex Machina.<br /> <br /> The sun coming up is inevitable, death and taxes are inevitable and given your half baked attempt at describing whats gone on as "inevitable" so is my opinion of your post as a "lazy hack job" inevitable, and you can quote me on that.<br /> <br /> And finally over at The Daily Blog we get Martyn Bradburys usual take on things which given his political views, is that view is Bridges is a "<a href="https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/02/11/national-party-plunge-in-latest-poll-simon-bridges-is-a-dead-man-walking/" target="_blank">dead man walking</a>" which is not new and I could have told him that in October last year with my <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/dead-party-walking.html" target="_blank"><i>Dead Party Walking</i></a> post.<br /> <br /> But even Martyn, who can usually be relied upon to make schadenfreude entertaining rounds, out his post with the usual warnings about Judith Collins like she is the political boogeyman and how "right-wing pundits will pray this is rouge" with "rouge" being the polls result and not Collins going bezerek in a cabinet meeting.<br /> <br /> Yet even in the Fifth Estate the takeaway on this poll result is way off and while mindful of <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/05/repeat-after-me-its-just-poll-its-just.html" target="_blank">my previous wisdom about political polls</a> I think its time to set the record straight on why here and now after over 12 months of consistent polling, consistent rumblings of leadership challenges and things like Jamie-Lee Ross that only now is National getting hit in the one thing that has previously been unassailable and was its bedrock of both party discipline and future fortune: Nationals (some say magical) 46% party polling.<br /> <br /> And just over a year ago I was pointing out that <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/01/rehabilitating-national-party-part-i.html" target="_blank">sooner or later that 46% was going to slip</a> in my series of posts about rehabilitating the National Party but no one was listening then so just for once I am going to say "<u>I told you so</u>" because, unlike Tim Watkins saying saying its inevitable after the fact (easy thing to do Tim), I was saying it was inevitable 12 months ago when there was absolutely no indication that it would drop and in fact was defying all expectations in the post election enviroment.<br /> <br /> But lets get to the real question about why it has dropped now.<br /> <br /> Conventional wisdom is that its been that gosh-darned Jamie-Lee Ross and his damaging effect on National party polling and moral.<br /> <br /> However that makes no sense because the previous Colmar Brunton poll showed absolutely no change to that magical 46% and that was taken right in the eye of the storm that was Ross saga and with the public having full view of the buildup of things in the months before so explaining this away due to Jamie-Lee Ross is just idiotic.<br /> <br /> But there is a connection to Jamie-Lee Ross and National getting mugged in its polling and that is the revelation that National MP Sarah Dowie was the person telling Ross to kill himself via text which has not gone down well with the public despite a cabal of certain female National MPs, staffers and some in the <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/jamie-lee-ross-sarah-dowie-tracy.html" target="_blank">media trying to paint her as the victim</a> in the piece while Ross got characterized as the rapist in waiting.<br /> <br /> As I have said in previous posts its takes two to tango but Dowie, in an age where that kind of behavior is absolutely not acceptable, went well beyond the fold.<br /> <br /> With things like #meetoo and the review on bullying and harassment in parliament Dowie gets exposed as just as bad as any misogynistic male MP who thought that their position or name made them safe and as such its rather fitting that she not only get investigated by the Police but if found to be the sender of that text (and we all know it was her but let the system do its job) then she be cast out of parliament because if it had been Ross (or any other male MP doing such a thing) they would have been gone as of yesterday and the public views on the matter reflected that.<br /> <br /> So some splinters of the Jamie-Lee Ross saga have done some damage here but it was always minor and in the end Bridges exercised some degree of damage control, even if only after the fact, by not talking about Ross any further but it was certain parties in the media who sought to paint this in a rather jaundiced light (as described above) that made the backlash there what it was. But still this was not what brought National down.<br /> <br /> What about things like the Kiwibuild saga toppling over spectacularly in the early new year or the rancid stink from the Karel Sroubrek scandal that left Labour, Jacinda and Ian Lees-Galloway looking like a king sized hypocrites; shouldn't have those things had some effect in leveling out the poll result?<br /> <br /> Well yes they should have and they probably did but when in the context of National selling citizenship to right-wing billionaire Peter Theil and its nurturing of the toxic and cancerous Housing Hernia one foreign drug dealer and a flawed but honest attempt to fix said hernia fall very rapidly into perspective as minor moments rather than deliberate and dishonest politics.<br /> <br /> Thus we come to the real reason that National is down in the polls, or more correctly, Labour is up: Standing up to China.<br /> <br /> Sure National scare-mongered it up as much as they could but in the end the current government saying no to Huawei for the 5G deal was the right thing to do and Simon Bridges going on TV to moan that New Zealands relationship to a country that is not free, democratic, jails it citizens for no reason, censors their internet, will risk war for its own stupid pride and will happily turn back an Air New Zealand flight due to accidentally mentioning Taiwan is not going to wash.<br /> <br /> And that's it, that's the reason why after so long and so much Labour is finally up in the polls; because it made the most ethical decision so far of this government <u><b>AND </b></u>followed it through with action. If Labour could do this for things like tax, housing and all the rest Kraff knows where it and National would be polling but I cant imagine that National would be above the mid 20s.<br /> <br /> National has been in China's pocket for so long (as Chinese spy Jin Yang is still a member of the party) that National probably don't even realize how distasteful being seen as a quisling is but Ross's recording of Bridges talking treason/sedition on behalf of China is one of the great scandals that the media just don't have the stones to investigate but the public no longer remain comfortable with China as our largest trading partner and using its size and leverage to undermine our democracy though it infiltration of politics both here and abroad.<br /> <br /> Thus with National out of government China is no longer getting a free ride and that means that we may still trade with them but we wont be offering up our backsides for China's pleasure.<br /> <br /> Something to note also here is that this was not some side effect of Jacindamania, the PM tried to stay well out of it and in the end it fell on Andrew Little, the GCSB and the Five Eyes relationship to see this through and for a public that had been desperately waiting for the government to fire on something and hit a six this was the first time it did since the first 90 days and look what happened.<br /> <br /> Supporting this is the minimal movement in preferred PM polling (with Jacinda and Judith slightly up and Simon slightly down) showing that the movement in the party polling is not related to personality politics but rather it was solely an issue which drove this change.<br /> <br /> Of course Judith Collins is now polling Higher than Simon Bridges and Bridges definitely has something to worry about but when has he not had to worry about his position as leader. As I have stated before its the toughest job in politics so unless he was harnessing personal mojo like Jacinda Ardern or John Key he was never going to be stroking it big all over the electorate in the preferred PM stakes.<br /> <br /> All of this means that while Judith is polling higher she has not dethroned Bridges, yet, but she has out evolved him and that means no slick PR is going to take Simon any higher than he has been and his stock is now falling.<br /> <br /> Also that "stasis" effect we have around who will be next leader of National in relation to jolly Judith Collins is due to the high degree of doubt around not only Bridges as being the man for the job but also Collins being the woman for the job (<a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/110524842/judith-collins-says-she-isnt-interested-in-tough-job-of-national-leader-but-doesnt-rule-it-out" target="_blank">despite her repeated protestations that she does not want it</a>: Your fooling nobody Judith!).<br /> <br /> Bridges may not yet have the toxic cast that Bill English had roughly one year ago but as I mentioned late last last year the warranty on his time as leader "has expired" and that view came after I spent an evening speaking with moderate/centrist young Nats and listening to their views on who should be leader.<br /> <br /> Short answer to the long question: They don't know who should lead but they sure as heck know it shouldn't be Bridges or Collins.<br /> <br /> Nor should it be Paula Bennett, as her recent demotion to drugs "spokesperson" and subsequent beating by Chloe Swarbrick live on national TV showed that Bennett's limited intellect and long history of hypocrisy make her unsuitable to even be deputy leader let alone as some sort of vocal mouthpiece on an issue such as drug reform.<br /> <br /> In fact if there is a moral to this story for National it was they should have taken my advice last year ago when I said that for Bridges to succeed as leader he needed to <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/07/simon-bridges-political-stillbirth-or.html" target="_blank">get rid of retched golems like Bennett, Brownlee, Smith and Collins (the remainders of the Gang of Five) and remake the upper party to his own design by letting some younger blood in</a>.<br /> <br /> And what a difference that would have made if only Jamie-Lee Ross would have been prevented from going bezerk by giving him the position promised to him by Bridges rather than to corpulent bully-boy Gerry Brownlee.<br /> <br /> But its too late now and it does not matter if its Bridges or Collins at the helm of the ship as all Labour has to do is use their position as the government of the day to make a few more things real and you can watch that 41% slide into the 30s and down into the 20s to that place National was in before John Key seduced the party.<br /> <br /> So thats the real reason why the poll results are what they are but there is no need to thank me. I do this because I care.<br /> <br /> <br /> Vootie! <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>E.A.Blair</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/02/standing-up-to-china-real-reason.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/02/standing-up-to-china-real-reason.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2019-02-12T23:11:00+14:00'>23:11</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/02/standing-up-to-china-real-reason.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 14 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-121313707'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=2058805312096600472&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/China' rel='tag'>China</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/Labour%20Party%20NZ' rel='tag'>Labour Party NZ</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20Party' rel='tag'>National Party</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/Polling' rel='tag'>Polling</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Media' rel='tag'>The Media</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Thursday, 31 January 2019</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdvdzWsCiPXcpPE-uRVtiUdwqY5pkxkUOU9T93UwT11LK0YMHhub2EitTDZQoy6zfZai8Pvnxdbbpon7kC3wvOTklEBrUFwKFIxw8I4TT2rnVpgJVwa5p4V9qIB1mEsauwaPXCq5_U6w/s1600/stoned.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='2932158055298887404' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='5321120429279582351' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='5321120429279582351'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/aces-high-chole-swarbrick-shoots-down.html'>Aces High: Chloe Swarbrick guns down Paula Bennett in a drug fueled argument live on national TV!</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-5321120429279582351' itemprop='articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdvdzWsCiPXcpPE-uRVtiUdwqY5pkxkUOU9T93UwT11LK0YMHhub2EitTDZQoy6zfZai8Pvnxdbbpon7kC3wvOTklEBrUFwKFIxw8I4TT2rnVpgJVwa5p4V9qIB1mEsauwaPXCq5_U6w/s1600/stoned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdvdzWsCiPXcpPE-uRVtiUdwqY5pkxkUOU9T93UwT11LK0YMHhub2EitTDZQoy6zfZai8Pvnxdbbpon7kC3wvOTklEBrUFwKFIxw8I4TT2rnVpgJVwa5p4V9qIB1mEsauwaPXCq5_U6w/s1600/stoned.jpg" /></a></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <i>"I don't want to know who you use, as long as they're not complete muppets." - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc6uUx5wOZs" target="_blank">Hatchet Harry in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels</a></i> </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> In all the made-up controversy about Jamie-Lee Ross and whats her name last week many people may not have noticed that the first shots were fired in the debate over cannabis reform when Chloe Swarbrick, Green Party drug reform spokesperson, hammered National Party mouthpiece, former hash-house waitress and dole bludger Paula Bennett, for her wishy-washy stance on the issue while both were being interviewed on Breakfast TV. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> But don’t just take my word for it go <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBT8QPgEWgE" target="_blank">watch the clip</a> and see for yourself a serious piece of foreshadowing of the upcoming national debate about legalizing the sweet leaf because if Bennett is going to remain Nationals spokesperson (wait let me put that in quotation marks) “spokesperson” for drug reform then two things are immediately apparent: </div> <ol> <li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Paula Bennett has no idea what she is talking about, and </li> <li>Simon Bridges move of Bennett to the “new” portfolio of drug reform was similar to John Key sending Gerry Brownlee to Defense; ie to get the dead wood out of sight where it can’t do any damage</li> </ol> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Well a fat doobies lot of good that did as Bennett's appearance with some bottle blonde talking head on morning TV came across from the start as world championship level political gibberish as she mush mouthed her way though the intro with a pasted-on smile while waffling factually ambiguous dialog that used as many words as possible to say as little as possible.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> And Swarbrick knew it.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Bennett used two sentences to state the obvious by telling the viewers already knew; that there was a referendum on the matter, that it was binding and that it was a “big move for the country” which is absolute rubbish when half the country is likely to be smoking the stuff.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> But its that third sentence that slid out of Bennett’s mouth which shows where Nationals debate plan is going and that Paula had been heavily coached to vomit out a set of talking points by saying that she wanted “all of the arguments out on the table” and that people “are looking at the evidence” before uttering the kind of line that no “spokesperson” should ever utter and that spin doctors dread when she almost proudly stated that she “did not have all the answers” but she would like them before she voted.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> After that it was all downhill and I won’t bore the readers with a play by play but it’s worth watching to see Bennett fielding softball style questions from the peroxide talking head and then carefully regurgitating the kind of moralistic platitudes which were just a hare short of simply screeching “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jFqhjaGh30" target="_blank">wont somebody please think of the children!</a>” if only to remember why watching political debate via breakfast television is a bad idea.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> But its there at about the 1.50 mark when Bennet’s yap stopped and Swarbricks attack started.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not rooting for Swarbrick, the Greens or cannabis reform but right from her opening line you could tell something was going to happen when she [Swarbrick] said she wished she was in the studio so she could shake Paula’s hand, which is an incredibly queer thing for a politician to say about or to another politician, let alone a normal human being because you only ever say that you want to shake a person’s hand when you:</div> <ol> <li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Genuinely want to shake their hand (and then immediately proceed to do so), or<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></li> <li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span>Are taking the piss out of them with a backhanded compliment </li> </ol> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> And I don’t think that Swarbrick would ever want to touch Bennett let alone maintain some kind of skin contact for the time needed to shake her hand, but I digress.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> After that the whole interview played itself out like this:  </div> <ul> <li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Bennett mouths some sort of feeble clich茅-ridden platitude, and</li> <li>Swarbrick exposes Bennett as nothing but an empty head dispensing other people’s grotesque thoughts and lies with reason, logic and facts </li> </ul> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> It was like watching <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0THBbpOV7s" target="_blank">Rafael Nadal playing a French open grand slam match against a wheelchair bound, mentally disabled, cripple child</a> as every single stupid statement that Bennett oozed out of her perpetually grinning mouth was blasted back at her with terrible force and just a touch of patronizing voice tone to make clear that Swarbrick knew that Bennett was nothing more than an empty, thoughtless vessel doing evil work.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Bennett going into the debate probably thought she would just repeat what her brain coach had made her say 15 or 20 times while waiting in the Green Room before going on and hey presto her work as drug reform spokesperson would be done for the day.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Well it didn’t play out like that and the contrast between the old, tired and corrupted Bennett and the young, hungry and astute Swarbrick was hideously obvious.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> You would almost think that Swarbrick knew in advance what Bennett was going to say given her responses but what I think is more likely is that Swarbrick has a brain and did her homework while Bennett did not do her homework and was left with nothing to say but more of the same talk about getting a “balanced argument” which in political terms means muddying the water just enough to sow confusion and doubt in the minds of voters so that the old political instincts kick back in and they vote along party lines rather than on their own personal preference.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> And on an issue like drug reform this kind of disingenuous approach is needed because its an issue that is not politically partisan as its not just Green Party members which buy a tinnie, roll a doob, get the munchies and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWB-Neyj-c" target="_blank">macram茅 their ass into the sofa</a> but around half of the country (or more) so trying to enforce the party line would not work.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Not that Paula did not try by cramming in some tough talking, anti-crime comments which would have sounded good coming from the mouth of Judith Collins but from Bennett just sounded like the kind of emergency talking point you pull out of your sweaty ass when the debate has gone south and you know your lost but don’t want to look like you just got kicked around like a pair of cheap women’s shoes.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> And this is where the comparison between Bennett, an aged long-time recipient of state welfare and free education turned political hypocrite and mindless cog in the National Party machine, and Swarbrick, a young, astute businesswoman turned politician showed most clearly.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Nothing Bennett said sound like an original thought while Swarbrick always seemed one (well actually several) steps ahead and the whole agonizing nine-minute segment ended with Swarbricks final coup-de-grace statement that labelled Bennett’s behavior a “cynical political move”, again delivered in that slightly patronizing Epsom Grammar tone of voice, while Paula’s face went from Resting to Seething in under three seconds.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Now we all know that all politics is essentially a “cynical move” but when it comes to two sides intellectually duking it out over an issue such as cannabis people tend to go with the side that makes the most sense and Bennett, with her essentially pointless middle ground mush, did not make sense and this is why Swarbrick <i>labeling</i> her position cynical did make sense and resonated.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> The Green party has kept a low profile after its beating at the last election and James Shaw (now looking more and more like a middle tier Bond villain in both face and dress) has done nothing to show any leadership but if Swarbrick can keep on this path, she could easily out Jacinda Jacinda and be the first ever Green PM; she was that good!</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Her performance alone was not enough for me to forgive the Greens and vote for them again but it was enough to make me reconsider the doomed course that Shaw has steered the party with its disastrous decent into social activism and identity politics but only if Swarbrick can get Shaw’s hand off the steering wheel.<br /> <br /> However its painfully clear that Bennett is on the way out politically and Swarbrick is on the way up.<br /> <br /> Bennett, in her "new" role as drug reform "spokesperson", is being put out to pasture, just like Brownlee and Mcully were before while Swarbrick is obviously keen to make some political capital by tearing strips off the back of  an easy target  that the aging political neanderthal Paula Bennett is.<br /> <br /> Also as Bennett is part of the Gang of Five (Brownlee, Smith, Collins, Joyce and Bennett) so her legacy is little more than a walking, talking reminder of why we currently have Jacinda Ardern as PM as Bennett has never been more than a political brown-shirt for National and as such is subject to the same fate as all stooges and lackeys when regime change occurs.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Political antics aside, my own personal thoughts on cannabis reform is that unless the drug is regulated in the same way that gambling is in NZ (ie the money raised from it* only goes back to the community) and that the discussion about alcohol is brought into line with it then I would see it decriminalized but not legalized as if you can have big tobacco and big booze you can have big marijuana (and their attendant health and social problems that these vested interests foster in the name of profits).</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> Final thought is that if Swarbrick can keep this up the debate will be over before its starts and its clear that Bennett has been sent on a suicide mission (by Simon Bridges no less) as the means to justify her sooner or later removal from the National party.</div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> And I am cool with both things. </div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> <br /></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;"> *-excepting casinos of course</div>  <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>E.A.Blair</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/aces-high-chole-swarbrick-shoots-down.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/aces-high-chole-swarbrick-shoots-down.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2019-01-31T22:28:00+14:00'>22:28</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/aces-high-chole-swarbrick-shoots-down.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 13 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-121313707'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=5321120429279582351&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/Green%20Party' rel='tag'>Green Party</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20Party' rel='tag'>National Party</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Media' rel='tag'>The Media</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Sunday, 27 January 2019</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLHa4Yi_MtlFCK_A-Y-oCoOcHf4uJFvWHcATL9dPs-o3Y_2FAUc3qLo8bVeTCp2gLJirSYP2nASYde_2Yi9sJJWQR-gxnCRnP7wH021AFw1Bu43BDrOVxX0RyVYtsrxtRy_Cv0EgTfzM/s320/27-meme-wallpaper.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='2932158055298887404' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='1033488251524607511' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='1033488251524607511'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/jamie-lee-ross-sarah-dowie-tracy.html'>Jamie-Lee Ross, Sarah Dowie, Tracy Watkins and the hypocracy of #MeThree</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-1033488251524607511' itemprop='articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLHa4Yi_MtlFCK_A-Y-oCoOcHf4uJFvWHcATL9dPs-o3Y_2FAUc3qLo8bVeTCp2gLJirSYP2nASYde_2Yi9sJJWQR-gxnCRnP7wH021AFw1Bu43BDrOVxX0RyVYtsrxtRy_Cv0EgTfzM/s1600/27-meme-wallpaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="587" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLHa4Yi_MtlFCK_A-Y-oCoOcHf4uJFvWHcATL9dPs-o3Y_2FAUc3qLo8bVeTCp2gLJirSYP2nASYde_2Yi9sJJWQR-gxnCRnP7wH021AFw1Bu43BDrOVxX0RyVYtsrxtRy_Cv0EgTfzM/s320/27-meme-wallpaper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Well there I was happily beavering away on a blog post about the current crop of democratic hopefuls for the 2020 US election when I was rudely dragged away from my labor by the sound of squabbling from the "children's room".<br /> <br /> So I rose wearily from my desk, padded down the hall and gingerly pushed open the door to the a place I have come to dread: New Zealand politics.<br /> <br /> Immediately the smell of urine and feces assaulted my nostrils while the shrill cacophony of sobbing and snarling dug into my ears. And the sight that sprawled before me was little better; it was clear there had been another incident in the special needs class and its was time for clean up in aisle five.<br /> <br /> And there is a lesson to be learnt for those considering having an extra-marital affair with a co-worker and that lesson is: don't f**king do it!<br /> <br /> Its all right there in the lyrics to Kenny Rogers 1977 hit song <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daytime_Friends_(song)" target="_blank">Daytime Friends</a> (Nighttime Lovers) where he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lz6q1cU3gc" target="_blank">sings</a>:<br /> <br /> <div class="UH8R2"> <i>And when it's over, there's no peace of mind<br />Just a longin' for the way things should have been<br />And she wonders, why some men never find<br />That a woman needs a lover and a friend.</i><br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Call Ross a misogynistic and brutal lover all you want but it takes two to tango, or make the beast with two backs, and both parties to this tsunami of political diarrhea are responsible for what its become. </div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Ross, obviously, brought this into the public space when he strapped on his recordings of him and Simon Bridges talking treason and ran screaming into a press conference like a jihadi suicide bomber to detonate his payload in front of the cameras in spectacular fashion.<br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2">  And amid the screams and body parts raining down we find out that whats at the core of this is less one man concerned about his party, or its leader, being so filled with corruption that its leaking out at every orifice but instead its a far older chestnut, that of a being cut out of his own slice of the greasy money pie so in revenge he turns stool-pigeon and starts ratting out the other criminals.<br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Then of course we have <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-is-why-national-cant-have-nice.html" target="_blank">Simon Bridges and his relentless stuff ups over the leaking of his travel records</a>, which is still not actually attributable to Ross (and Nationals own report said so) but what the heck, let just go with it. </div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> But the trigger for all this is his and Sarah Dowie's illicit relationship which, like more than a few work place relationships, could not bear up under the strain or the guilt of cheating and lying (to their partners of course, not the public, as politicians have no qualms about that) and splintered into the inevitable backbiting, name calling and one particular toxic, and illegal text from Dowie to Ross to "kill himself".</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Well she almost got her "wish" but instead Ross decided to go rouge and publicly expose the National party, and Simon Bridges in particular, and in doing so has given the Coalition government a free pass for as long as it takes to clean this mess up.<br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Whats clear of course is that there is still more to this story that what we are seeing but its also clear that its most likely 99% petty personalities and bitchy backstabbing in the wake of a broken love affair and all the garbage has just been funneled through the already toxic sewer that is the National party to produce something akin to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/05/pepsi-kendall-jenner-pepsi-apology-ad-protest" target="_blank">Kedal Jenners politics fail</a> than what this is being presented as (that being news we really need to know about).</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> However, as much as Ross was a deluded idiot who let his own scumbag ambitions override what little political judgement he had and Dowie should have listened to Kenny (or just remembered the old adage of "don't screw the crew") before going over to the bitchy side of the force (because both of these twerps were more than happy to play hide the salami while also playing married with children) the real hypocrite of this story is the media and specifically Tracy Watkins of Stuff who while writing repeated stories decrying the behavior of MPs has then decided to paint Ross as the monster and Dowie as some sort of innocent victim in some sort of vicarious #MeToo moment (making it really #MeThree I suppose) rather than hold to some sort of journalistic integrity in her reporting.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Watkins more than implies that Ross is the political Machiavelli who has maneuvered and manipulated the situation to his own advantage with lines like:</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /> <i>Let’s not pretend this isn’t exactly what Jami-Lee Ross wanted. He’s spent the summer lying low, and his return to Parliament was always on the cards. When he did stage his comeback, he needed to take ownership of his role in destroying a number of innocent parties, and offer a genuine apology. That apology fell far short of acceptable and he’s back up to his old tricks.</i></div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Reading that we can only imagine that Jamie-Lee Ross as some sort of Scooby Doo villain who,when his dastardly deeds are exposed, would saying something like "...and I would have got away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!" when exposed by her obviously brilliant journalistic expos茅.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Bravo Tracy, bravo.<br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Her <a href="http://fairfaxmedia.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx" target="_blank">entire piece in the Sunday Star</a> is well within the realm of the worst of tabloid journalism and not only implies that Ross is playing the mental health card (because its clear to her what a real mental health crisis is and what is fake) but also doing her best to cast doubt on the fact that it was Dowie sending the "killer" text that set this whole avalanche of corruption, ego and avarice in motion (because we always let other people send hate filled (and illegal) texts from our phones) in a some of her worst reporting to date.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> But the articles ultimate in hypocracy lies in this line here which, I hope, can only have been written as some form of semi aware ironic meta to how airing ones dirty laundry in public is never a good thing.</div> <div class="UH8R2">   </div> <div class="UH8R2"> <i>He did it in the full knowledge of the law, and how the media has to work.</i><br /> <i><br /></i></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Tracy: if Ross did what he did in "full knowledge" of how the media works so also did you write your many articles covering this abortive distraction to actual political matters in "full knowledge" of "how the media has to work", as if political reporters have to give legitimacy to these kind of sleazy soap opera antics because what else could they do. </div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Seriously, if you want to take the moral high ground it looks a lot better if you wash the filth off your own hands first; filth you collected by giving this story as much traction as its has gotten by <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/authors/tracy-watkins" target="_blank">relentlessly covering it as you have</a>, not by focusing on the actual mess the National party has gotten into but with your relentless exposure of gossipy aspects of this story, turning it from the grubby, but all too human sideshow it was (because in the end both Ross and Dowie are human too and workplace relationships happen) to your own personal #MeeThree crusade via your depressing slide into tabloid muck-raking.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> You don't get to have the moral high ground when your writing this kind of swill and failing to do your job, if you want to be a gossip columnist thats fine but stop pretending this is politics and not you playing town gossip.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> Also for the love of Kraff save the identity politics for where they are relevant, turning marital infidelity into a cheap morality play for the victim generation is just exposing your own agenda as a far less than objective journalist and more as a partisan agitator playing rumor monger. Surely there were other stories to write about or have you gotten so close to those you cover that your now unable to report just the facts.<br /> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> </div> <div class="UH8R2"> Such behavior makes you look not only as an ultra hypocrite but also like someone who would be better suited as the high school drama queen, the journalistic equivalent of <a href="https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/Helen_Lovejoy" target="_blank">Helen Lovejoy</a>, constantly saying "I'm not one to gossip" before unleashing your own moral take on actions which are not morally defensible, those being Dowie unleashing verbal and emotional violence via text, just as mach as Ross blaming his behavior all on his mental health.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> If Ross gets hung out to dry by this, and he will in time, so should Dowie, she's not a victim here and in a week where the real political stories are Simon Bridges cabinet reshuffle being sideswiped, accidentally or not, by Ross's return or Kiwibuild's obvious failures (because a $650,000 house being considered "affordable" in NZ is screwed up and Labours defense of this shows their willingness to capitulate to unregulated market forces when the whole point of government is to balance such things with regulation for the benefit of the people) then your ongoing reporting and focus on one aspect of this one story is not part of the solution its part of the problem!</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> But this is not the first time Tracy, and her ilk, have gone down this path and its going to be a focus of mine this year to point out how bad the media in NZ has become when covering the beltway in Wellington because if this is what being a political journalist has become then we are better off reading the gossip on the various blogs that covered this in detail and skipping the mainstream media all together.</div> <div class="UH8R2"> <br /></div> <div class="UH8R2"> In the end Watkins has done herself no favors because if this is her best then we could just as well be reading <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hartnell" target="_blank">David Hartnell</a>.</div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>E.A.Blair</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/jamie-lee-ross-sarah-dowie-tracy.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/jamie-lee-ross-sarah-dowie-tracy.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2019-01-27T19:03:00+14:00'>19:03</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/jamie-lee-ross-sarah-dowie-tracy.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 4 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-121313707'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons goog-inline-block'> <a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-email' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&target=email' target='_blank' title='Email This'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Email This</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-blog' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&target=blog' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=270,width=475"); return false;' target='_blank' title='BlogThis!'><span class='share-button-link-text'>BlogThis!</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-twitter' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&target=twitter' target='_blank' title='Share to X'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to X</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-facebook' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&target=facebook' onclick='window.open(this.href, "_blank", "height=430,width=640"); return false;' target='_blank' title='Share to Facebook'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Facebook</span></a><a class='goog-inline-block share-button sb-pinterest' href='https://www.blogger.com/share-post.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=1033488251524607511&target=pinterest' target='_blank' title='Share to Pinterest'><span class='share-button-link-text'>Share to Pinterest</span></a> </div> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-2'> <span class='post-labels'> Labels: <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/National%20Party' rel='tag'>National Party</a>, <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Media' rel='tag'>The Media</a> </span> </div> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-3'> <span class='post-location'> </span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div></div> <div class="date-outer"> <h2 class='date-header'><span>Tuesday, 16 October 2018</span></h2> <div class="date-posts"> <div class='post-outer'> <div class='post hentry uncustomized-post-template' itemprop='blogPost' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/BlogPosting'> <meta content='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyiCyTdks5IgDDaZlALmjjrhu-YcvJwNL7TDmIgLzQjw91RbfPmtqkW07k9LXzQhsxw4UES4KLvbgOIBeC1s9bsvghM8zN2ihTPTvvXu5KhG3AOC0Mwz6rSypWK1m11_z4MPpg1F87WE/s400/Press+conference.jpg' itemprop='image_url'/> <meta content='2932158055298887404' itemprop='blogId'/> <meta content='4871795984782895501' itemprop='postId'/> <a name='4871795984782895501'></a> <h3 class='post-title entry-title' itemprop='name'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-is-why-national-cant-have-nice.html'>This is why National cant have nice things: Simon Bridges, Jamie- Lee Ross and knowing when to keep your mouth closed</a> </h3> <div class='post-header'> <div class='post-header-line-1'></div> </div> <div class='post-body entry-content' id='post-body-4871795984782895501' itemprop='articleBody'> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyiCyTdks5IgDDaZlALmjjrhu-YcvJwNL7TDmIgLzQjw91RbfPmtqkW07k9LXzQhsxw4UES4KLvbgOIBeC1s9bsvghM8zN2ihTPTvvXu5KhG3AOC0Mwz6rSypWK1m11_z4MPpg1F87WE/s1600/Press+conference.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="620" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibyiCyTdks5IgDDaZlALmjjrhu-YcvJwNL7TDmIgLzQjw91RbfPmtqkW07k9LXzQhsxw4UES4KLvbgOIBeC1s9bsvghM8zN2ihTPTvvXu5KhG3AOC0Mwz6rSypWK1m11_z4MPpg1F87WE/s400/Press+conference.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></i></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a></span><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Y</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">ou had just one job Simon! One job!</span></i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It’s clear from recent media panic (see <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107848792/national-party-leader-simon-bridges-set-to-announce-outcome-into-expenses-leak-inquiry" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107857267/simon-bridges-says-24k-donations-wrongly-filed-to-him-not-the-party-by-mistake" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12143041" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12142736" target="_blank">here</a>) that there are a lot of questions are still to be answered in the strange and twisted saga that I am dubbing <b><i>the Simon Bridges travel expenses leaker scandal investigation</i></b> <b><i>dumpster fire train wreck thingy</i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Some of these important questions include asking if Jamie-Lee Ross really is the leaker (because the report, written by Bridges legal counsel, is far from conclusive and takes great pains to say so), if he did leak why did he do it, also does he really have a secret recording of Simon Bridges talking about fiddling the books on donations to National, but if it was not Lee-Ross then who, and just how far will this thing actually go?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But the first question of questions that really needs to be asked at this point is: <b>holly f**k what the hell is that thing standing next to Simon Bridges, and where's Paula Bennett?</b><o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What in Kraffs divine name is that heavily spray tanned creature, with the super-gelled hair, glowering beside Simon as if trying to kill the assembled media with its withering death stare?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Is a it a web toed priestess of Dagon the fish god or has Simon gotten some sort of hyper intense Jersey Shore type body guard? I mean the way whatever it is is dressed it’s clear that inside that tightly controlled hair, ear ring and tasteless patterned shirt combination is something, seething in rage juices, trying to get out and run amok in the room, tearing out reporters throats, knocking over microphones and bathe in the blood of its hated enemies.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However the reality at this point is that it wont matter one bit who, or what, is escorting Simon to his press conferences these days because I think such a dangerously unscripted occasion like a press conference is not the place for Bridges to opening his mouth or exercising his thought glands in any way shape or form.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Lets take it from the top. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">First there is the minor matter of Bridges travel expenses being leaked to the media. Not the worst thing to happen and less the occasion to say anything in particular than just trying to spin it up as Bridges doing his job by getting out among the people. Sure it cost $81,000 but thats what ministerial limos are for and had Bridges said he would hire a mini-van for him and his team next time no one would have said anything further and that would have been that.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But noooo; Simon has to call a press conference then go in and shoot his mouth off, demand an investigation, drag the speaker in and set in motion this whole sad carnival of mayhem and mishaps.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then when someone (possibly the actual leaker) texts the Police and pleads temporary insanity or being off their meds, the speaker backs away, calls off the parliamentary hounds and gives Bridges the perfect opportunity to deal with this quietly in house, away from scrutiny and with no further fuss or mess.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But noooooooooo; Bridges has to call another press conference and unbelievably double down on the need to find the leaker and commissions a private investigation into the matter, using <b><u>his</u></b> lawyer of all people, to dig deeper into the woodpile and see what they would uncover.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And at this point any sane person in the leaders seat would start to realize how close to the edge this is getting, there were warning signs in the media and elsewhere that texts to the Police citing mental health concerns from the so called leaker is a perfect time to just dial it down a bit and get the focus back on the coalition government, things like rising gas prices or whats happening on the Batchelor.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But nooooooooooooooooooooo; Simon then calls another press conference to announce that Jamie-Lee Ross is going on medical leave and instead of stopping at about the 15 second mark when he has said what was needed to be said he inexplicably and unbelievably lurched onwards by saying that this had nothing to do with the search for the leaker and this whole things was just a coincidence.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I watched the video of that press conference and I had my head in my hands by the end of it because Bridges first statement need not have been followed by the second and the moment he said it I knew this was not going to end well. Why would you tag on that supposedly unrelated second comment in a press conference discussing the first? I mean what was Simon thinking?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Yet even at this point there was still time to pull back, to steer the whole flaming fandango away from the abyss and did Simon Bridges, leader of the National party, do such a thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Pause for a moment, take a nice deep breath and say it with me now people. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And let’s be crystal clear about things here. It’s not about Jamie-Lee Ross being the leaker, or not (because the evidence remains inconclusive); it’s not about National getting to the bottom of this or even Bridges being seen to do the right thing as leader. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This whole mess, which has now exploded into the public in a torrent of political diarrhea, came about from forcing Ross into a corner by publicly announcing the results of the leaker inquiry, thus bringing the hammer down in the most painful of ways and leaving him with no option to do what he did and air even more of the party's dirty laundry in public.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So where to now?<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Well depending on the various takes in the media we can expect Simon Bridges to be rolled this week, except we can’t because some people are clearly out of their minds if they think that this will precipitate a leadership coup that fast. <o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As of yesterday Judith Collins had already swung in behind Bridges, even if only to distance herself from the fall out of her previous supporter, Lee-Ross, melting down in public, and done so in the most passive aggressive fashion by stating that she supports Simon but had Lee-Ross been under <b><u>her </u></b>control she would have reigned him in long ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Slightly more saner minds have realised that if National tries to roll Bridges it will open itself up to all of the same drama and chaos that Labour had for its nine miserable years in opposition, as it chopped and changed leaders to suit the dynamics of its own internal rivalries rather than its own unity as a party, and that’s a path I think even National is not willing to tread, yet.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What is clear is that Ross has gone all in on this but even then it might not be enough to make the nut as you can bet your bottom dollar that the National leadership will have assembled a political hit team as of last night to neutralize Jamie-Lee by bringing as much pressure to bear on him as possible so he will just shut up and take what’s coming, secret recording or otherwise, rather than run about in public like a chicken with its head cut off and further damaging the one thing that National has going for it at this time: its rock solid party polling.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Fact is that while Bridges has now crippled his chances to lead National into the next election the Party will not be willing to take action in the short term because it would do far more damage than good for National Inc. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">National usually deals with its messes in-house rather than in public so I think we can kiss goodbye to the rather brief period of political glasnost that National had been going through and expect that door to start closing, as those old hair trigger reflexes, from when National was a scandal plagued government, kick back in and mouths start shutting like open minds at an Exclusive Brethren Sunday school class.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What is guaranteed is that Bridges will have to act and, somewhat ironically, do so publicly. Ross has drawn a line in the school yard sand, and before all the students dared Bridges to cross it. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And Bridges will have to cross that Rubicon or face both public and internal flack as National is exposed as a house divided (again) if he does not deal with it which, interestingly, <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107383365/national-would-repeal-waka-jumping-law-but-wont-commit-to-not-using-it" target="_blank">explains his comments a few weeks back about National repealing the Waka jumping bill </a>but not ruling out using it because this is just such a situation where it could be used to shut Jamie-Lee Ross down as quickly as possible without having to wait two years until the next election.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Still that’s cold comfort for Bridges and National in general as this now gives the Coalition government a free pass for however many months it takes to fix this mess and puts all the pressure on Simon Bridges as he must now be starting to feel like Bill English once did as sharks like Judith Collins circle ominously while more silent predators, like Amy Adams, lurk in the shadows and the whole debate about “<a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/02/national-party-leadership-rumble-we.html" target="_blank">who will rule National</a>” starts again in earnest.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-pagination: widow-orphan;"> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However one thing is for certain and that’s Simon Bridges needs to stop holding press conferences to speak whatever is on his mind and then inadvertently air Nationals dirty laundry in public because this is the very dynamic which gave John Key such an easy ride in his time as PM as then it was Labour, Andrew Little and all the others, too busy bickering among themselves, to spend much time holding Key’s government to account, while now Jacinda & Co can sail through their own troubles knowing that National is too disorganized to be an effective opposition.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So in summation Bridges could not keep his mouth closed, now Jamie Ross can not keep his mouth closed and so National gets all the negative publicity it can handle while Winston and Jacinda watch and laugh. </span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This is why National cant have nice things.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Update - <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/107867835/live-nationals-leak-crisis" target="_blank">Ross has quit</a> and left a trail of destruction and various accusations (see link) in his wake and with such a fast moving story its better to wait a day or so before seeing what comes out in the wash before reporting further but suffice it to say this is not over yet.</span><br /> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">NOTE - long term readers with good memories may remember that I wrote a post with a similar title in 2017 about <a href="https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/02/this-is-why-labour-cant-have-nice.html" target="_blank">a similar situation in Labour with Andrew Little, Willie Jackson and Poto Williams</a>.</span></div> <b> </b><br /> <b> </b> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </div> <div class='post-footer'> <div class='post-footer-line post-footer-line-1'> <span class='post-author vcard'> Posted by <span class='fn' itemprop='author' itemscope='itemscope' itemtype='http://schema.org/Person'> <meta content='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' itemprop='url'/> <a class='g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' rel='author' title='author profile'> <span itemprop='name'>E.A.Blair</span> </a> </span> </span> <span class='post-timestamp'> at <meta content='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-is-why-national-cant-have-nice.html' itemprop='url'/> <a class='timestamp-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-is-why-national-cant-have-nice.html' rel='bookmark' title='permanent link'><abbr class='published' itemprop='datePublished' title='2018-10-16T10:17:00+14:00'>10:17</abbr></a> </span> <span class='post-comment-link'> <a class='comment-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/this-is-why-national-cant-have-nice.html#comment-form' onclick=''> 19 comments: </a> </span> <span class='post-icons'> <span class='item-control blog-admin pid-121313707'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=2932158055298887404&postID=4871795984782895501&from=pencil' title='Edit Post'> <img alt='' class='icon-action' height='18' src='https://resources.blogblog.com/img/icon18_edit_allbkg.gif' width='18'/> </a> </span> </span> <div class='post-share-buttons 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class='sidebar section' id='sidebar-right-1'><div class='widget Profile' data-version='1' id='Profile1'> <h2>Itsa me!</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <a href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443'><img alt='My photo' class='profile-img' height='80' src='//blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwywnxbkeO3_r601evBzozvOPWXqxZfxSEwFJCeWMlTlXS_iRl3ApY-1oJU05YSuYFiRlsQ9xIeYpme2-9C5vJhZYGsosfYMWOQfIfV4o5z0sseAImcvaJpsniNMfpqIs/s113/56e.png.jpg' width='61'/></a> <dl class='profile-datablock'> <dt class='profile-data'> <a class='profile-name-link g-profile' href='https://www.blogger.com/profile/11041002150165406443' rel='author' style='background-image: url(//www.blogger.com/img/logo-16.png);'> E.A.Blair </a> </dt> <dd class='profile-textblock'>Political pyromaniac; born again democrat; satirical connotator; fascist anarchist; relaxed conservative; focused liberal; consumer of truth, witch-hunter general of lies and putter of the praxis into perfect!</dd> </dl> <a 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src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfKhTLUouuQW1haLFK8rST87F0Coc650b4WTTJs8Df3ULsG-GuPWoWNNETxQUPX78-gpeEs5KamOtO3Gu8HiroHO_L0jPSO2EZXhjkfKbKDV_h8nEEfAVLU3kY5xZKFSBRDUHFth3n_4/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/proxy.duckduckgo.com.png'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/05/why-i-am-retiring-from-political.html'>Why I am retiring from political blogging</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/09/elections-2017-daffodils-of-change.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eLxkXVgqVdUzAV6S1mvF8JXRzXHRBSFNLiwx8sL9G1ArKxIErjb1kj0PwrKE9qrBBMMY4dtoanlyL2OfZbFzT5ru03UX1G3G-HYA62-1JKt4Ges_hjKw-Ge-PKtfMR5FCA2Q7NoHHW8/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/daf.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/09/elections-2017-daffodils-of-change.html'>Elections 2017: The daffodils of change</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/01/new-zealand-politics-2017-change-is-as.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2lIEiMMSfBls2N1s29yQxCbpGhTNq_dHHnkS70irmAdOytK6mx-qMhrm8IbMkhr27KnOpZtv_erSQrfET9OA1U1M-72CwsaEM8QlBRSUjSkkJlZTqUes24CLwHlV1RdGf5-dOUs67CmY/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/202853-677x450-whitelaundry.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/01/new-zealand-politics-2017-change-is-as.html'>New Zealand Politics 2017: A change is as good as a revolution</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/04/dont-kid-yourself-jerry-its-demotion.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NfoIGbD934TLoesiWLgOHB6o7YBAxDdMNUey0dt19uJfeUUNsPK0Flltgj44b3x_axyFHYAQ8s935cU4nxr9ih7-HdJSV2MAktQaGu61dBmteE4QsqorUju6eIJvkif5O6zm16jQ6YM/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/blimp.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/04/dont-kid-yourself-jerry-its-demotion.html'>Don't kid yourself Gerry, its a demotion not a promotion!</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/08/elections-2017-how-to-avoid-post.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXwX3CSUeGHLPoBLQyl2Dgb_VH_Ire0GkIlcKjuSxv2K82Y9m0hv_NEVjmpS06nOg6TuolG4dltv8dw5waTGlpA4JoPel0VMvfsu13E9fqzDZZse2JhLBGt5bai5_ce1kryr2N3MFZr4/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/slump.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/08/elections-2017-how-to-avoid-post.html'>Elections 2017: How to avoid the post-election slump</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/08/elections-2017-political-billboards.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitIplfNjCLkP7zcOa1ZvD6BAJlFTU2VAVYIpZFgOBVv7mv7WV63QFccf1_IpOjBTh-e2Wj3UYm6IgeYLsmND19jv43LtqbF9wNca2D4XKYpweiKAsciY4brpL4Uum5drUgrxgIm5kq-A/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/billboards.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/08/elections-2017-political-billboards.html'>Elections 2017: Political Billboards - The good, the bad BUT mostly the fugly!</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/dead-party-walking.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsgMo4oQblH1IM4WYGH876Y9p5ibzw9V8C5OJ9kbt_UER3VfFgnnwDgYTH6eRB5PqRHr480MHU5k6kqnGcLwhhw6Hm2HS6RhZIghd5XsQOvbaePFqKv537G5vUWA7ZKirCp6uyMCNKKos/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Don-t-Open-the-walking-dead-30308284-500-280.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/10/dead-party-walking.html'>Dead Party Walking</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/09/elections-2017-see-you-on-other-side.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmp0qJPl_dsK6EhnjpgTVps7aUKFu6JvXO0Llo7ZoyUnAC-b1msPS55iMq9Zuy-kxZDI3qWnT7QNnQXxfnkGW9KRfwkEB51BOTrzbTavvE-DWm1uV2uPo4ExVvjr3Ba1LL5xLEh-alJEk/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/Other+side.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/09/elections-2017-see-you-on-other-side.html'>Elections 2017: See you on the other side</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-partys-over-greens-vs-winston.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDSeeGm5A_JMkmB5cvGalrldn8kHJ2Z0jxcJgFneKlIt-H6dqRwLbeolyMl9AzLINLikPPuh5AN3aeoZIPgfDzGiHdZV3-Op_6fQhJhrUZe_-s4v20_xn5yHo3_TcPlkpHuyNv1C1PtLY/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/party.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-partys-over-greens-vs-winston.html'>The Party’s over: Greens vs Winston</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li> <div class='item-thumbnail-only'> <div class='item-thumbnail'> <a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/01/and-now-few-words-from-new-spokesperson.html' target='_blank'> <img alt='' border='0' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkvqxRBSncL4oFiekv_zFGTxxaLqvxFeJPzDVEi0SH9DQIV4lp3k-txg7AUipYVq_Jb6EuEEBXc-PTsR82wgv1kh-OC49quftMUkcTDFEY-LjUHM7YKKLIPGRXsNnlMUUGQh2vIIpWCIM/w72-h72-p-k-no-nu/stephen-king-it_pennywise_5_tim-curry_clown.jpg'/> </a> </div> <div class='item-title'><a href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2018/01/and-now-few-words-from-new-spokesperson.html'>And now, a few words from the new spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy and McDonalds: Bill English</a></div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> </ul> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div><div class='widget BlogList' data-version='1' id='BlogList2'> <h2 class='title'>Blogs List</h2> <div class='widget-content'> <div class='blog-list-container' id='BlogList2_container'> <ul id='BlogList2_blogs'> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vV89bZB26PizbD1Ywfl7yQ5qknLyt3cgylKAVyfi8vsCHGVdgB2iOMFVO0MN_6hV7XS1nn0wXWDXBvXnhYHvP2hF4TnXWg8eKOWAhCU38=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://bowalleyroad.blogspot.com/' target='_blank'> Bowalley Road</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> *Record Numbers: The H墨koi m艒 te Tiriti, which began at the tip of the North, and the tail of the South, on 11 November, culminated outside Parliament on ... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_t4aE-Eek_6nN6TpfRDXvHl3f0KW-pENxBsD3HfOmFb3u7s_yHdqzQypFIz6xQJF6Q3AbyDehkEqYgeKYrlOR3PMdEe8F8vT-MsGSTg1NQ=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://brianedwardsmedia.co.nz' target='_blank'> Brian Edwards Media</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> The web design aspect of an online business is crucial. A website must be user-friendly, attractive […] </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tDBdeZo6nn67ah0AkpZztNnsMWNNADx4NiOZ-mMSFKwgVBaXPZMneRohg2GfNOgEOfaJvlGpbcweVy1ON0a2Sn_Mz_9jg4AnV-pjTX=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://croakingcassandra.com' target='_blank'> croaking cassandra</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> Apologies for nothing much recently on New Zealand macroeconomics and related topics. My spare time is pretty much consumed at present with my Bank of Papu... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tl6khdAfSAphT1Jk-bVtL2Y7Hn8X16KemBuDrbIEpU-VyWilKauzoC8Kqa6hIpx1HvkkVnypFwucAQzw8FdBMFNkF-97D-iZEk=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz' target='_blank'> Kiwiblog</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> The NY Post reports: The police chief in Germany’s capital is urging Jews and gay people to “be vigilant” while traversing certain Arab-majority neighbor... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_uhrtpiH8mbT53kXOhPNF6aU4aWwg8aJRw547aPvxeeZmYOgLCymIBYhw3a11VXbr3r1Z2PdukNQbirnkTOpTOD8hNbhLGIKdP6BA=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://www.kiwipolitico.com' target='_blank'> Kiwipolitico</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> The latest “A View from Afar” with Selwyn Manning and I follows the lines drawn in my most recent post here at KP. Because the podcast is basically a dialo... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vtjBcTT1HeLIZrbKVDkT_xiPX28Ix9N8b2-sktYdIXmXcD6-psG5GYE46ZW0C1XQJSUbQyU8UIRnVxOW6UCjdK8ogDBxCX-P4jRO7Frbg=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://norightturn.blogspot.com/' target='_blank'> No Right Turn</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> In this year's Budget, cancer Minister Casey Costello gave Philip Morris a $216 million tax cut for their heated tobacco products, on the basis of "indepen... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vakZXBDB5jPX4lDGF2KbIBTJs5ZWha4ABWZyUBQL8R-sSRcE2GNuYKhcQQC_fhk1yLEkEI49boQ4MzQY37FPud4zc=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://pundit.co.nz' target='_blank'> Pundit</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> My idealistic position on the role of MPs was articulated by Edmund Burke: ‘Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; a... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v6mEgefQUoyvpe2tPKGk4_5zWOMQS1vTlUzrGsWQL6TPU9ynS21D3lEIyHt_Dd3oBrGSC2AUSt3xs0bHXsGWcXnTIYwq1HD1qr=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://thedailyblog.co.nz' target='_blank'> The Daily Blog</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> TEXT: Working to 3598 for all updates Streaming from the palatial new ROVA podcast studios at Mediaworks, we are live on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v0VXdwy-8yakMWgl-NPwxNa3BT6rgqLgGz9TVhA_1fm600DGRQ186gTlBFaaje-8aiYNRTBv94llk_L1bkPio26yDUDw=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='http://werewolf.co.nz' target='_blank'> werewolf</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> Israel seems on the brink of achieving the war with Iran that Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying all year to provoke. Until now, Iran had [...] </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> <li style='display: block;'> <div class='blog-icon'> <img data-lateloadsrc='https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tpx1xFOcBxn2PwK-Y6muNzV2Pj8VCFdi9zNV3Hjn9xCbhJ5wwpGpqubC4cBYjDmd3tR9TcLj69WHG1Ee_eOXKf7J4I=s16-w16-h16' height='16' width='16'/> </div> <div class='blog-content'> <div class='blog-title'> <a href='https://51.79.246.82/' target='_blank'> Your NZ</a> </div> <div class='item-content'> <span class='item-snippet'> Syair HK, Kode Syair HK 30 Januari 2024, Forum Syair HK 30 Januari 2024, tempatnya sumber informasi mengenai kumpulan Syair HK 30 Januari 2024 dari waktu... </span> </div> </div> <div style='clear: both;'></div> </li> </ul> <div class='clear'></div> </div> </div> </div><div class='widget Label' data-version='1' id='Label1'> <h2>Labels</h2> <div class='widget-content list-label-widget-content'> <ul> <li> <a dir='ltr' 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<ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/03/'> March </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(2)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/02/'> February </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> <span class='zippy'> ►  </span> </a> <a class='post-count-link' href='https://thekiwifirewalker.blogspot.com/2019/01/'> January </a> <span class='post-count' dir='ltr'>(3)</span> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> <ul class='hierarchy'> <li class='archivedate collapsed'> <a class='toggle' href='javascript:void(0)'> 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