Goddam money. It always ends up making you blue as hell.

Interlude as I reconsider my silence all these years.....

Isn't it curious that when Helen took over and came out swinging at Winz, it was all about the culture of extravagance with the department's management, and since John picked up the reins it's all about the culture of extravagance by the benes.....

Just sayin'....

PB.

Eureka!

I've finally figured it out!

The link between John Key and Barack Obama that is.

Everyone scoffed when our PM-to-be likened himself to President-elect Obama in an interview with the Financial Times back in September, but with a little bit of help, I've found out what the link actually is.

Mark Leibovich wrote an excellent piece in the New York Times about the Obama campaign's communications strategy and wider team, and, funnily enough, Brand Key followed this to a tee.

Like Obama's campaign, Key's was "was unusually small and close-knit," which enabled it to "maintain tight control of its information."

Both campaigns (tried) to speak "with a single voice and a precise message and only when they wanted to. They did it with a smile, not complaining — at least not publicly — about how the press was the enemy."

And who used this style of campaigning so effectively in the past you may ask?

Well, none other than...

Ain't it grand...

PB.

(Hat tip to PR Watch for helping me put 8 and 39 together...)

Nats likely to be furious over having to pay for Crosby Textor

The boys at The Standard will be well-chuffed with Yoda's column in the Herald on Saturday - after a sharp campaign of explaining away the evils of Crosby/Textor, John Armstrong became the first to indulge them when he wrote:

However, selling "Brand Key" as a breath of fresh air in an otherwise fetid political atmosphere was hardly credible if National was going to team up with Peters once the election was over.

July was definitely the cruellest month to Jonkey, with 15 posts tagged to the brandkey moniker (13 in the first fortnight). A good place to start for research's sake is here.

With a solid strike-rate like that, I'm certain C/T will be keeping an eye our liberal lads, and who knows where that could lead?

Is that DPF I hear, reminiscing over yesteryear?

Democracy encourages the majority to decide things about which the majority is ignorant.

Thank you Colin James - thank you very much.

It seems that unlike the majority of pundits, Mr James picked up on the fact that National's campaign pledge for a referendum on MMP is actually major news.

When the Nats put out their ten election pledges (August 3 - a Sunday), RNZ jumped on to the MMP aspect, as did Stuff and the Herald. Some superficial coverage followed, but no-one actually asked any questions about why they were pursuing the referendum, and why Jonkey was the under the assumption that "the country may well vote MMP out but I think they will vote in another proportional system," (my emphasis). Supplementary Member was later touted as a possible replacement, and while DPF gave us a fairly good comparison with MMP, Idiot/Savant shot it down pretty quickly.

My point is - the only people who seem to be railing against MMP are the same reactionaries who railed against it when it was voted in, and have railed against it ever since. People like Garth George.

Everyone I know (and I am aware I'm a weekend socialist) seems to be rather fond of MMP. In fact, some go as far to say that they actually like the fact that gummints can't ram through legislation willy-nilly as they could in yesteryear.

I'm no constitutional expert, I leave that to Palmer and Son, but there's something inherently wrong with either major party lobbying for a less representational system (and we all know both would love to see a return to the glory days).

Like most of my peers (unfortunately I fall into Gen Y), I can't really remember the glorious years of unbridled power, and that (ironically) makes me slightly more cynical than James, who seems to think the public has been well-served by the Fourth Estate and can make an informed decision on most matters:

So Key's self-serving referendum may actually be superfluous. The electorate is wiser than he credits it. It owns the party system and is working out how many parties it wants in Parliament.

I don't think so.

One of my guilty pleasures is listening to talkback radio, and while I think it has enormous potential in offering the wider populace a platform for their opinions and the ability to debate the issues (much like blogging), it usually falls well short, degenerating into the cynical sensationalist broadcasting that attracts the lowest common denominator, and often becomes a strong indicator of public sentiment - it's why the powers that be keep an eye on the watchmen.

If this is the case and Mr Key's assumption is correct, as George Bernard Shaw wrote, we shall be governed no better than we deserve.

Paranoia's not the problem - it's the reptiles that we should be worried about

I dutifully read Fran O'Sullivan this morning and thought well done. Well done indeed. It's given me the opportunity to fly the latest in my long line of conspiracy theories that I often keep under wraps, and both Bomber and Jafapete have only themselves to blame (points were deducted from Jafapete for hat-tipping to the Standard - loverly guys but this vid was a poor piece of propoganda).

Theory number one comes from people (like myself) who like the long game. I've had theories about how the Hon Bill English is one of these people - I won't bore you with the details, but the general gist is this. If you go back to the end of last year, Fran's wish-list for the top stories of 2008 holds this wee gem:

4. John Key and Bill English cut succession deal Key offers English a secret deal that he will step down as Prime Minister after two terms in favour of his Treasurer (English). The former currency trader recognises that English - who virtually single-handed ran the Electoral Finance Bill story that catapulted National back up the polls - deserves to succeed him. This assumes Key has read the lessons from the reigns of Tony Blair and John Howard about what happens to unity when talented finance supremos are left to fester for too long.

Lew will pooh-pooh me as he thinks Key is "It's a dog eat dog world and I've got bigger teeth than you," but I like to think of Fran in her Winebox days - if something smells fishy, that's probably because there's a snapper lying around.

Tenuous correlation number two came from reading the Armstrong-O'Sullivan combo, and isn't linked to the above at all. Yoda wrote:

National will know soon enough from its own private polling just how big a hit it has taken. Many people will wonder what all the fuss is about. Others will simply blame Labour for the dirty tricks. As a minimum, however, National can probably wave goodbye to securing a majority in its own right. (My emphasis)

Obviously, it was the last line that caught my attention.

I've got a bet with a few friends that ACT's going to ring in 6% of the vote. Seems obvious to me - you've got 5% of the population who are libertarian, neo-lib, and neo-con nutters, just like you've got 5% of the population who not only like Winston, but actually believe him too.

The issue is that 45% is not too much of a stretch for the Nats, and if you tack on ACT in a formal coalition you've got a prime opportunity to go back on any promises you made on the campaign trail ("we don't want to, it's Rodney's and Roger's fault"). Expediency is a wonderful thing.

This is only wild speculation on my part - I'm sure there are many minds that can rip this flight of fancy to pieces - but if our next Government (and even this pinko commie's coming around to a centre-right coalition) is blue and yellow, I'm looking forward to front row seats. I was too young for Lockwood's about-face last time and I wouldn't mind witnessing a repeat.

The Day in Review Nov 1

- Not much difference tonight. Leading all bulletins was the cancer research linking obesity to cancer. The best battle came between One News Health Correspondent Lorelei Mason and 3News Health Correspondent Dr. Lilian Ng. Well-respected journo versus the doctor. The content was much the same really.
- Backing this up was the reward put out by police for a cold case from '88.
- National's law and order policy advocating compulsory DNA testing and tasers as standard issue got some decent traction. Unsurprisingly, Greg O'Connor was all for it - the Minister Annette King was not.
- The ongoing saga of the terror raids was continued, with the fact that three Baileys were arrested being the big topic of conversation.
- Didymo was the big loser on the telly, with One News the only one following it. (They lost points for more on Mallard, although so did Checkpoint.)
- While Campbell was interviewing one of the bailed many from the terror raids, Sainsbury was trying to grill John Key over his law and order policy. There's a big difference between being a journo and being an interviewer.
- The Wireless had a little beaut on a legal precedent being set in the Coromandel that gives local bodies greater power of veto over major projects.
Good night.

The Day in Review Oct 11

- Rugby and energy were today's hot topics on the telly. 3 led with the obvious one - the Government's energy policy, with Sia Aston giving us a blow-by-blow account of what's good for us. They backed it up with a nice piece on Genesis Energy's ongoing battle with Greenpeace in the Court of Appeal over its Rodney plant that was to use fossil fuels (a no-no under the new strategy). When One got around to talking about it, Guyon Espiner gave us his third rendition of the strategy, letting Kris Faafoi run through how it was going to miprove the quality of NZ's substandard housing (something every student post-2030 will appreciate).
- One gave us Dougie first. His web-address (it didn't have much on Narm Hewitt); the $30k bar tab (explained away by numerous All Blacks); management's knowledge of the incident prior to landing and their umming and ahhing over what to do. 3 did the same really. You can't go wrong when an All Black does.
- The crackdown on motorists in South Auckland got a nice piece of coverage on both channels, with One asking the pointed question "is this a revenue gathering exercise?"
- 3 had a nice little piece on the Yellow Pages Group blocking internet access to the White Pages for some groups for fear they are using it for direct marketing. The AA was one of these groups, and our man Doug Wilson was none too pleased.
- 3 also had a good piece on a new study that found people will be willing to pay higher prices for their BZP when it's made illegal, forgoing the BZP-free party pills that will be readily available to the public... oh, they didn't take that into account. Hmmm. Well, there's going to be a black market for BZP, and these pills will probably be laced with things harder than sheep drench. So parents beware.
- One had a brief run on research finding that while police recruits did require some babysitting before graduation, once they were on the beat, they performed their jobs adequately. Maybe they had been listening to Mary Wilson grill the Minister, Annette King earlier in the day.
- The rest of our news was mainly international. Absolutely bizarre.
- The Wireless continued to go with the real estate agent furore, the police graduate research, and a little on A1 milk. Nandor had a good spot on Larry Williams branding John Howard as a racist over his stance against the Bali Bombers' pending execution. I'm sure he could have found a better example than that.
- Close Up went with a woman who was still waiting for breast reconstruction surgery after being bumped off the list three times; Campbell had a wonderful piece on budgeting that I caught the first 20 seconds of before flipping back.
- Insipid brilliance of the evening goes to Barry Soper, Political Editor Extraordinaire, who on Prime News interviewed (separately) the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition on their understanding of what the game of rugby means to New Zealanders. Inspired.
Good night.

The Day in Review Oct 1

- There wasn't much consensus on tonight's broadcasters, with Prime kicking us off with the latest crime stats, One starting the night with the mystery of the missing Hastings man and the burnt out car, and 3 opening with a preview of of the ongoing Pumpkin saga.
- One kept the mystery going with a report on a $75k reward for an old murder of a Japanese murder. 3 picked it upafter it's piece on Myanmar.
- Pumpkin's return (and the meeting to determine the wee girl's custody) got a fair hearing on the big two.
- One went on with the Government's condemnation of the National Party's proposal to allow public-private partnerships to build and maintain schools. The indignance of Steve Maharey was well-contrasted by John Key's simple assumption that New Zealand parents just want good facilities and don't care where they come from. Guyon Espiner pointed out that the Nats were picking the wrong battles to fight.
- Myanmar continues to unfold.
- While One wrapped up its opening with the Rugby World Cup (fitting, since Bernie was on board for Wendy Petrie), 3 went with a volcanic eruption off Yemen, and the climate scientists' research into the the shrinking Southern Alps.
- One had a Hannah Hodson special on the half-hour, breaking the story that there is opposition to the Government's Electoral Funding Bill from groups like Greenpeace. 3's hidden gem was a study into the needs and wants of dairy cows being conducted by AgResearch.
- Close Up had Louise Nicholas, Campbell had John Hart and Laurie Mains (not in the same room obviously).
- I'm guessing the news was, like me, struggling to come to grips with Daylight Saving. Thank you Mr. Dunne.
- The Wireless did more of the same, although it gave some credence to the failed negotiations between dock workers at the Port of Auckland and their employer which will see a waterfront strike. Where will the industrial anarchy end?
- While 3 could have claimed tonight's award for its moment of insipid brilliance with the cow study, opening (in essence) with the fact that Alinghi sailor Simon Daubney tested positive for cocaine, not cannabis, at the America's Cup has a strong claim on the supreme annual award for non-event of the decade.
Good night.

The Day in Review Sept 19

- Pumpkin and her mum led the way, with the discovery of the body of an Asian woman taking hold of every anchors' lips. So much so, that TV3 devoted its entire opening segment to Pumpkin, her family, the investigation, and how Chinese New Zealanders like to use Skykiwi to talk to the authorities as it's less daunting than anything else. 'Nuff said I say.
- John Key's call to give Clint Rickards a nice Golden Handshake got considerable coverage, with 3 focusing on Key wanting the matter dealt with (and Peter Dunne sidling up to John Boy), while One took the Prime Minister's dismissal of Mr. Key's political naiveity and complete disregard for legal process. Odd seeing the State broadcaster backing the State on this one.
- One also had the only coverage previewing tomorrow's big climate change/carbon trading announcement, with Guyon Espiner waxing lyrically about how the agricultural sector was going to be given (another) break. They followed that up with a piece on Qantas accepting that NZers liked the idea of carbon neutrality.
- 3 jumped on the opportunity to stick it to Sky following its victory in the High Court, banning Sky from using RWC coverage on its lifestyle programmes. There's nothing like a good winner I say.
- The Fed Reserve's decisison to lower interest rates in the States saw some traction, as did the fall-out from the new Christian party. But all-in-all, it was a fairly quiet night (again).
- Campbell gushed over a poor woman who had to stay indoors because she developed an intolerance to sunlight, poor old gal. While Sainsbury had us feel sorry for the family of a special needs kid who drowned on a school outing.
- Not much else to say, other than Go OJ Go.
Good night.