Media Release

28 April 2004

Taxpayers To Finance Act Primaries

New Zealand First has asked the ACT party to explain how much taxpayers will fork out for ACT’s absurd primary election system to select a new leader.

Justice and electoral spokesperson Dail Jones said four ACT MPs were seeking the leadership left vacant by Richard Prebble and would no doubt be travelling around New Zealand trying to find ACT supporters to vote for them.

“This will not be easy because ACT supporters are now on the list of endangered species and the New Zealand taxpayers will be paying for this publicity stunt.

“We challenge ACT to reveal the true costs of this exercise and to publicly explain why it should be funded from the public purse.

“After all, this is a party that stands for perk busting and opposes the misuse of public funds.”

However, Mr Jones paid tribute to departing leader Richard Prebble.

“Mr Prebble had wide experience in both Labour and ACT and it is hard to see ACT surviving without him.”

ENDS

© 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>>