If National wins ...

[elZorro]

So I see Andrew Little will probably steal Cunliffes union support. The caucus don't support cunliffe and the public obviously don't so that's him toast. So now it looks like runoff between the gay man and the union boss. Interestingly Little wants to scrap CGT and the raising of the retirement age. I suspect that might swing a few lefter leaning centrists back to Labour.

Which only tells me that Andrew Little thinks getting back in, is more important than well thought-out policy that the country needs to move forward. I guess the policy changes could be made after getting back in power. Another way is to spend the next three years explaining the policy in detail, so it's seen as a smart direction. With QE coming off, we could all be basket cases by 2017. In which case, we'll be able to see first-hand how good National's policies (or lack of) have been.

[nextbigthing]

I guess the policy changes could be made after getting back in power.

Ot oh, the lefties are catching on!

I guess it's like chess el Z. Sacrifice a few things now for the greater good later.

The man ban would be a good place to start.....

[westerly]

It is a criminal act to steal other peoples property. It is a criminal act to receive, use or gain benefit from stolen property. The fact that the stolen property was used against the National Party does not make it legal. Being an "investigative journalist" a self-applied title does not reduce his liability. It is law that the privacy regulations do not exist in criminal investigations - a fact that is regularly repeated in courts when lawyers whine about police breaching their clients right to privacy. If you want excuses for Labours failure to impress the public, then you are on barren ground in this area, elZorro

After a complaint made by an Auckland business man in May 2012 regarding the publication of his emails on Cam Slater's blog, emails alleged to have been stolen, police are conducting a review.
Over 2 years have elapsed from the original complaint, which seems at odds with the effort going into the Dirty Politics complaint by the same blogger who evidently can now be called a journalist!
Hager is recognized internationally as an investigative journalist – Slater would not rate a mention outside of NZ
I wonder if the same effort to find the hacker of Slaters website will go into the hacking of the Labour database. Incidentally according to a correspondent in the Press a recent decision by the Court of Appeal was that under the Crimes Act data is not property. Therefore Hager cannot be charged with receiving.

westerly

[slimwin]

What makes you think Hager has an international reputation?
And he tried to skew an election when he received the stolen property.

[Vaygor1]

Craic
You seem rather selective in your outrage. I note a rather deafening silence with respect of the National Party hacking into the Labour Party system 3 years ago, ....

I wonder if the same effort to find the hacker of Slaters website will go into the hacking of the Labour database.

More untruths stated as fact.

No one but no one hacked into the Labour party system. It didn't need hacking as Labour ineptly left it open for all and sundry to access.
This fact was pointed out to Labour by Slater as a heads-up that they should do something about it.

And like their election campaign, Labour put their heads in the sand and pretended there wasn't a problem until it was too late.

Hager is recognized internationally as an investigative journalist….

Investigative journalist? How precious for Hager himself to fall back on that one. For Dirty Politics, Hager acted in the capacity of an author, not a journalist. He was aware the information was illegally obtained at the time it was handed to him on a plate. Even knowing this, he did nothing to verify one ounce of its authenticity nor did he give anyone he wrote about a chance to tell their side of the story. How 'investigative' is that? What he did do though, was to sift what he wanted out of it and place it out-of-context into a book, adding conjecture about what it all might mean.

Hager appears to have been relatively polite with the data, leaving out unimportant names that cropped up.

Hager must be a saint. The reality is that if it wasn't going to increase book sales or damage National in any way then it was conveniently ignored. Call that polite?

One thing is for sure. If there was anything dirtier in what he received than that which was actually published, it would have either been in the book or released by RawShark on Whaledump.

Labour say they want a full investigation into it, but do they really? Way too much truth will come out of it for Labour's liking if that occurs.

[Vaygor1]

… Incidentally according to a correspondent in the Press a recent decision by the Court of Appeal was that under the Crimes Act data is not property. Therefore Hager cannot be charged with receiving.

westerly

I don't think you will find Hager (or Rawshark for that matter) will even be charged for theft nor straight receiving. What I think you will find though is that they, or at least Hager, will be charged in relation to criminal acts related to illegally obtaining a benefit.

If/when found guilty at some point, I trust that Hager's book sales would then be deemed proceeds of crime, with the proceeds to be duly recovered.

[elZorro]

I don't think you will find Hager (or Rawshark for that matter) will even be charged for theft nor straight receiving. What I think you will find though is that they, or at least Hager, will be charged in relation to criminal acts related to illegally obtaining a benefit.

If/when found guilty at some point, I trust that Hager's book sales would then be deemed proceeds of crime, with the proceeds to be duly recovered.

Proceeds? I doubt that Nicky Hager will have made much from a few thousand books sold. But he is a world-renowned investigative journalist, no doubt about that. There are still people reading "Dirty Politics", and forming opinions.

If the tenets in the book (carefully worded to avoid prosecutions that he cannot afford) are correct, then we can expect the next term of a National govt to be one where hidden policies start moving through. National had no new policies at all during the run-up to the election. This was a warning shot that was not heeded.

Now we have Bill English saying that up to $5billion of state houses could be sold. That's another state asset sale, when instead jobs could be created in bringing most of the state houses up to scratch, empowering those who live in them. I know that's not as clear-cut a decision as it might be, but National refuses to acknowledge that over the years, the state has learnt a lot about managing lower cost housing, and they have a low borrowing cost. Will the Salvation Army and others be able to step up to plate, on the scale that would be required? (Rod Oram's article in SST).

You can't argue with their timing, NZ's housing stock is at an all-time high, by all measures we should be in a housing bubble.

http://www.interest.co.nz/property/6...10-annual-rise

[Major von Tempsky]

Lots of disingenuous information and propaganda EZ. As has already been pointed several times Nicky Hager is not an "investigative journalist". He's personally quite wealthy from inherited assets and doesn't need to work, which is why he doesn't. Secondly, investigative? My foot! (or something stronger).
He's a stooge for rather larger fish who tip stolen material such as hacked emails into his lap and push his Go button and out comes a lot of tripe.

Journalist? Rosemary McLeod spent most of one of her columns pointing out why he is not a journalist and is not regarded as such by other working journalists.

I was at an election meeting where Gerry Brownlee was speaking and afterwards there questions. The only question relating to Hagar the Horrible was - Does the next government intend to amend the legislation to make it explicit that not only hacking emails is illegal and punishable but also receiving stolen emails and suchlike material is illegal and punishable? Yes, said Gerry Brownlee.

I think it was a mistake to raid Hagar before such legislation, best let him lie, fester and decay secure in the knowledge that the media and others now recognize that he was counterproductive and had a big part in National winning the election.
So, next time he comes out with one of his scurrilous works the Police no longer need to identify his source all they need to do is to show he has published or otherwise circulated stolen personal emails. It would be nice seeing him languish in gaol for a few years :-)

[fungus pudding]

Proceeds? I doubt that Nicky Hager will have made much from a few thousand books sold. But he is a world-renowned investigative journalist, no doubt about that. There are still people reading "Dirty Politics", and forming opinions.

If the tenets in the book (carefully worded to avoid prosecutions that he cannot afford) are correct, then we can expect the next term of a National govt to be one where hidden policies start moving through. National had no new policies at all during the run-up to the election. This was a warning shot that was not heeded.

Now we have Bill English saying that up to $5billion of state houses could be sold. That's another state asset sale, when instead jobs could be created in bringing most of the state houses up to scratch, empowering those who live in them.

Are you seriously suggesting that no-one will live in them? Nobody will repair or improve them? Redevelop the land? All this because of an ownership change! Certainly seems a waste alright.

[elZorro]

Are you seriously suggesting that no-one will live in them? Nobody will repair or improve them? Redevelop the land? All this because of an ownership change! Certainly seems a waste alright.

The Sallies do seem to have a big property base already. They have paid staff, it's a business. They don't pay income tax, they are a charity. But do they have systems in place to handle thousands more properties, and the upkeep needed? What would these properties look like in a few years?

MVT: What is your proof that Nicky Hager is well off? He built his own house, isn't that a giant clue? I think you're making stuff up.