Why won’t Dick front up?

Mayoral hopeful Dick Hubbard is refusing to front up to a much publicised debate tomorrow evening on TVNZ’s Holmes Show – why?

“Dick is desperate to be the Mayor but is much less enthusiastic about debating the key issues with me and his action plans,” Auckland City Mayor Hon John Banks said today.

“Last week Paul Holmes was promoting the Monday night debate and seeking questions from the public for the candidates. Why does Dick not want to answer these important questions on TV?”

“The public won’t accept any excuses about so-called ‘legal reasons’. This is plain and simple humbug.

Mr Banks said the citizens of Auckland know exactly what Mr Hubbard stands against – him. However there remains much confusion about what he stands for on the issues Auckland faces.

“My focus has always been on action based leadership, fronting up, and taking the tough decisions. My opponent has traded in ambiguous generalities and won’t front up to the most important debate in the campaign. It is unprecedented,” concluded Mr Banks.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>