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Radio show broke law

by Whaleoil on February 9, 2012

Apparently the Electoral Commission is going find that the Radio Live show with John Key broke the law and refer the issue to the Police:

An Electoral Commission ruling due out today has found the Radio Live show hosted by John Key last September was an election programme and therefore a prohibited broadcast.

Newstalk ZB’s obtained a copy of the commission’s decision over a Labour Party complaint about a show the Prime Minister conducted on Radio Live during last year’s election campaign period.

The commission’s found the broadcast was an election programme and a breach of the Broadcasting Act.

Radio Live will have little to worry about because the Police never do anything with referrals, instead ignoring repeated and continual breaches of the Labour party that are referred by the Electoral Commission.

This case more than any other though will highlight the problems we have with Electoral law and the ability to prosecute people who breach it. If the Police fail to act then we really must push hard for reform around crimes political and follow Australia and have an Independent Commission Against Corruption.

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  • Pete George

    This is farcical, I wonder if the investigation will be completed in time for the next election.

    I thought it was a bit dopy of Key to do the show knowing it would do nothing but stir up controversy over electoral laws, but the painfully slow process makes a mockery of any worth to the laws.

    • JonBSails

      I agree that it is a farcical decision. It almost seems like an overnight decision, like someone woke up after a bad dream of “did it or didn’t it break the law” and finally decided that it did. 

  • Blokeintakapuna

    Farcical alright – a complete joke even!

    Will the Electoral Commission be investigating the Labour Party when in government in 2008 they attempted to rig and skew the election by over-spending and deliberately stealing almost $1 Million dollars of tax payer funds beyond what they were legally entitled to spend. Labour stole this money from out of the government coffers, then pleaded they didn’t fully understand the law – that they created – then they needed to retrospectively change the law so as not to have to prosecute themselves for theft, corruption… and treason as a sitting government.

    Have Labour ever paid back those stolen election funds? 

    • Apolonia

      The theft of $860,000 of tax-payer’s money by Helen Clark and her gang of thieves broke the law in two ways:
      1) It was theft of money to which they were not entitled
      2) The spending of that additional money meant Labour exceeded it’s spending limit in the 2008 election by $400,000 ( a corrupt practice according to the electoral act)  
      Despite the police being informed they decided it wasn’t in the public interest to prosecute.

    • Phar Lap

      Listening to the hypocritical Liebour Party and would you   believe it the wee unwashed Peters screaming their heads off in Parliament over our glorious PM. ,  being on the radio live show .Seems it was ok for Peters to electioneer at the time and of course Goffie.ALL ON THE SAME STATION.The adage” Thieves scream the loudest “certainly rings true here.

      • Phar Lap

        Also forget to say Peters has still got a debit against his name for $158,000 dollars owed to the taxpayer,seems that is ok as Peters is untouchable, just like the Liebour Party were when they stole the pledge card money.

  • http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/ Inventory2

    So; if Key’s radio hour was an “election programme”, what does that make the Bryan Bruce documentary on child poverty, which was broadcast far closer to the election?

    But I agree; our electoral laws are becoming a farce.

  • Agent BallSack

    So when are we going to hear about the Labour STOP signs? Even after being warned they were illegal a bunch of numpties were prancing about Wellington with them.

    • Grandstream

      And the green party stickers on the National Billboards ? Cant believe more hasn’t be made of that.

  • Paulus

    As I just said on Kiwiblog

    “What a load of Bollocks”

  • MrV

    Anyone thought about a OIA request as to documents pertaining to how the electoral commission actually decides to whether to refer matters to the police or not?

    The process might be interesting as the public could then assess the Electoral Commissions credibility.

  • Anonymous

    So, on this radio show did he talk politics and encourage people to vote one way or another
    or just host it and interview guests?
    It might not be a bad thing to ban all politicians from appearing on radio or tv .

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