National Thus Far

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Someone leaked that in 3 months he had spent over $100,000 on limos & hotels. He blames Labour for the leek then it's revealed that only National Mps were emailed the data. Media going hard that he's using hard working kiwis money to live it up.

I'll wait till I see everyone's spending before I speculate on who or why that data was leaked.

[Ab]

I have no idea whether that’s excessive or not, so care=0 atm.

As for the reasons for that info reaching the media, never attribute to malice that which etc etc. betcha some nat muppet just fucked up.

[Deadmeat]

^ Pretty much. I mean I assume from the noise it's a little above the ordinary but what's he supposed to do, jump on grabaseat?

$5 on email forwarding autocompfail

[StN]

Originally Posted by Ab

out of the loop on this one, what's happened?

While the Nats are standing fast, they seem to be pointing the finger at the Office of Parliamentary Services and the Speaker. Who else would have the data?

[Juju]

Slightly annoying that the media keep referring to the Crown Car BMW's as Limo's.... yea..nah.

[fixed_truth]

Politicans don't seem to learn. Your spending/perks/accommodation loopholes etc etc are perfectly legal but you need to take into consideration how the public will view it. Especially on a dry news spell where it's gonna be dramatised to whip up page views.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by StN

While the Nats are standing fast, they seem to be pointing the finger at the Office of Parliamentary Services and the Speaker. Who else would have the data?

Um, the whole National caucus? You know they ain't all the sharpest tools.

Farrar posted this over at Kiwiblog:

I can recall at least two “leaks” which occurred when someone left a folder by accident in the parliamentary cafe. Someone from the other party finds them, and gives to the media.

Or human error. An e-mail sent by accident to the wrong person. The fact the outcomes from the Knowledge Wave summit were pre-ordained was revealed because an e-mail from a Labour Minister was sent to my then boss by mistake.

Going further back, there was a glorious few months in the 1990s when Labour strategy documents were being regularly e-mailed to Mike Moore, the former opposition leader. Up until the meeting when he mentioned he wasn’t on e-mail and they realised they had been e-mailing them for months to a National Party staffer of the same name.

The best one though was when Parliamentary Service set up the printer options wrong for the Labour Whips Office. One of their printer options was for a printer that was actually in the National Whips Office. For many months the Labour Whips would print out documents and have them appear on the National Whips’ printer. Would have loved to have seen their faces when they realised it.

[pxpx]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

Politicans don't seem to learn. Your spending/perks/accommodation loopholes etc etc are perfectly legal but you need to take into consideration how the public will view it. Especially on a dry news spell where it's gonna be dramatised to whip up page views.

Spending/Accomodation/Travel is but a drop in the ocean compared to the ongoing burden they become once they leave office and no longer serve the country.

[Ab]

But my wife NEEDS to accompany me on that overseas trip!

[StN]

Originally Posted by Ab

Um, the whole National caucus? You know they ain't all the sharpest tools.

Yeah - Ok, but I wonder if Winnie had a parting shot...

One article I saw last night indicated that the file format had been changed from the one issued to the Nats. Winston has already shown himself to be resourceful when he was questioned about the changing number of pages in the coalition document - someone worked out how to change the font...

[pxpx]

I reckon Bridges leaked it himself, ahead of the wider public release of spending, for some reason that has yet to reveal itself.

[Lightspeed]

Yeah, I was thinking something along those lines.

[fixed_truth]

^here's hoping 😉

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/polit...idges-expenses

[BoyWonder]

Are you sure this shouldn't be in the Parliamentary Services Thus Far thread? J/K

I'm sure it will take long enough to get through the investigation that any relevant devices will be stolen or lost or taken on a fishing trip.

[blynk]

Probrably some pleb (either National or PS) who went to send it to someone and chose the wrong email address.

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

I reckon Bridges leaked it himself, ahead of the wider public release of spending, for some reason that has yet to reveal itself.

To create a media storm about leaks, to deflect from the fact it appears National is spending around twice as much as the entire coalition government?

Spending for all parties is up, National MPs spent $1,400,000, compared with just more than $900,000 the quarter before.

Labour was also up from $441,000 in the January quarter, to $495,000.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern insisted her MPs have been making a genuine attempt to try to keep their expenses down.

Ms Ardern said efforts were made, for example, when there were several MPs travelling to the same place - to hire a van.

New Zealand First had a significant increase, going from about $64,000 to $103,000.

The Greens and Act also spent more, with the Greens racking up an extra $22,000.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

To create a media storm about leaks, to deflect from the fact it appears National is spending around twice as much as the entire coalition government?

Now look at the numbers more closely

[Lightspeed]

Oh, right. Around three times as much.

[[LvN]N3misiS]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

Oh, right. Around three times as much.

The list doesn't include spending by ministers...

[Lightspeed]

It also confirmed National Party leader Simon Bridges' nearly $114,000 bill

I guess I just assumed that's what they were talking about... Are you sure?

[Lightspeed]

Ah, I getcha. With the spending for some but not the others or some business.

[Ab]

newsflash: the blue party has travel and accommodation expenses

(map: tvnz, posted at thespinoff)

[StN]

Good to see them spending dosh in the heartland!

[fixed_truth]

Bridges NZ tour was just away to raise his profile without having to spend campaign funds. Which didn't work.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Originally Posted by StN

Good to see them spending dosh in the heartland!

This is something I've actually heard from folks older than me, people saying that at least he made the effort to get out into the regions and actually talk to people. Even if most of the media attention of the tour has come from his spending it has highlighted to a lot of people that he was actually making an effort. Obviously all anecdotal but people haven't missed the fact that made an effort to get out and about.

From an agenda setting / news-worthiness perspective the leak is certainly one way to bring his tour into the national media. It would certainly be a gamble in terms of framing but the potential benefits could outweigh the negatives. Probably hard to measure (if not impossible), but it may provide a good foundation for reestablishing Nationals presence in the regions.

[The Edge]

I guess we'll see what happens at the next opinion polls if his tour actually made a difference or not.

[[Malks] Pixie]

Originally Posted by The Edge

I guess we'll see what happens at the next opinion polls if his tour actually made a difference or not.

Nah I reckon this is more of a foundational effect than something which would make a noticeable impact in an early poll. Will be interesting to see if they try and build off it over the next year though.

[fixed_truth]

The shit show continues

National Party member claims they leaked Simon Bridges' expenses: report

[blynk]

And how quickly the narrative changes.

Getting my tinfoil hat out
National found out that it was from within their own party and knew how that was going to look, so they managed to get them to use the mental illness line (which could still be true in that person's life) to take some of the heat off.

Tinfoil hat2
I can only imagine if the person was on the left, they would have been lunatic lefty.

[blynk]

But the next thing is how up the rank was the person.
Which member were they working for (if it wasn't a member that leaked it).

[Lightspeed]

Judith Collins is toxic.

For one, National's tough on crime approach still requires this person be victimised so that the abuser can be convicted and punished.

And it's National's dismantling of NZ's community health services that perpetuate this kind of disturbed behaviour.

[Ab]

Nah pretty sure it's the Mongrel Mob

[Lightspeed]

It is, and it's a great time to be running a gang or cult. Lots of desperate people looking for a place to belong and few decent places looking to take those people in. The message is clear: you get what you want by being powerful.

[pxpx]

How long till Bridges is gone? Most of Labours recent leadership changes have been in the last 4 months of the year, so will he last until Christmas?

[fixed_truth]

At this stage I think starting fresh with someone with some media skills would be a good move. I still think Collins would scare away the middle ground.

[Ab]

Wtf is this jami-Lee Ross thing? Is he the expenses leak?

[Lightspeed]

It's something "embarrassing". Oops, maybe that's not the right word.

https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/polit...health-reasons

[Ab]

Jesus, that’s a hell of an “under the bus” statement by bridges.

[BoyWonder]

Yeah as my wife eloquently put it last night "so it's either his dick or his arse then".

[Ab]

"It's for health reasons. Did I say health reasons? I meant, he wants to spend time with his family. And by that, I mean personal reasons. Hell, you think you know somebody, and then, well, let's just say some shit is embarrassing."

GEE THANKS BOSS