Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
License needed for work use Register

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Labour’s Dirt Campaign Exposed With Media Help

In last night’s leaders debate Labour Leader Chris Hipkins referred to a quote without giving any explanation of its content, which was about the ‘disease of co-governance’ that is perpetuated by the Māori elite, and he said it was racist. Then, without even examining the content, National leader Christopher Luxon agreed with him that it was racist.

That is not showing experience. Any experienced person would demand to know what the context was of the quote being talked about before getting sucked in.

Our Candidate Rob Ballantyne made those comments in a speech at a Rotary candidate meeting three weeks ago in Timaru. The media (Stuff) was there, filmed it, wrote an article about the meeting, but never mentioned that so-called “outrageous, deplorable, and racist” quote in their article.

Three days ago, I warned a senior journalist Jo Moir, Labour would soon begin its dirt campaign. She reported it, and right on target last night, Hipkins began a dirt campaign against Winston Peters and New Zealand First.

These are the facts, Labour has trawled through everything me and my candidates have been saying, in this case from Ballantyne three weeks ago, used the quote in last night's TV3 leaders debate, or circus whichever you prefer, then sent it to Tova O'Brien from Stuff, whose organization originally three weeks ago thought there was nothing in it and never reported on it – but then she wrote about it in an article at 930am this morning.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first set out to deceive” – and politicians and media are clearly involved in this too.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

If the mainstream media had been reporting my speeches that have been packing halls for the last two years, they would know that Mr. Ballantyne’s comments about co-governance and the Māori elite come exactly from my speeches, and the media has been found out now for their concerted attack to shut us out of this campaign, and in an attempt to marginalize a critical party in the 2023 election.

An honest fourth estate is vital to democracy. In the absence of it in New Zealand today, is one further reason, apart from co-governance, why our democracy is hanging by a thread.

The purpose of the 2023 election New Zealand First campaign is to fix this malignant development in our democracy – and our surge in popularity has given hundreds of thousands of voters and our Party the confidence to fix it, and we will.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines

Gordon Campbell: On The New Government’s Policies Of Yesteryear

Winston Peters is routinely described as the kingmaker who decides whether the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded, but equally important role as the scapegoat who can be blamed for killing taxes that his senior partners never much wanted in the first place. Neither Ardern nor Robertson for example, really wanted a capital gains tax, for fear of Labour copping the “tax and spend“ label they ended up being saddled with anyway. Usefully though, they could tell the party faithful it was wicked old Winston who killed the CGT. More


 
 
Public Housing Futures: Christmas Comes Early For Landlords

New CTU analysis of the National & ACT coalition agreement has shown the cost of returning interest deductibility to landlords is an extra $900M on top of National’s original proposal. This is because it is going to be implemented earlier and faster, including retrospective rebates from April 2023. More


Green Party: Petition To Save Oil & Gas Ban

“The new Government’s plan to expand oil and gas exploration is as dangerous as it is unscientific. Whatever you think about the new government, there is simply no mandate to trash the climate. We need to come together to stop them,” says James Shaw. More

PSA: MFAT Must Reverse Decision To Remove Te Reo

MFAT's decision to remove te reo from correspondence before new Ministers are sworn in risks undermining the important progress the public sector has made in honouring te Tiriti. "We are very disappointed in what is a backward decision - it simply seems to be a Ministry bowing to the racist rhetoric we heard on the election campaign trail," says Marcia Puru. More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.