Duncan Garner

Phil Goff still can’t show us the money.

After more than two weeks to get his numbers right, this gaffe from Goff is inexcusable.

He clearly doesn’t have a head for numbers, which is a total disaster for someone vying to become the PM at a time of global economic uncertainty.

We’ll see the full interview on the Nation later this morning. But this is remarkable. Duncan Garner had to give him the figures!

It’s astounding….even when he looks them up he gets the numbers wrong. The man is tits.

via the tipline:

Despite all their efforts to help Winston Peters and promote themselves, Duncan Garner and Patrick Gower must be a bit disappointed with their efforts.

This is the second poll today that also shows Labour still slipping and the Greens hoovering up their support.

Labour must be despondent, there isn’t a single thing they can do to lift their ratings despite the best efforts of the media to assist them this week.

A Guest Post from a lawyer, via the tipline:

I was just reading another article where Duncan Garner again offered to show a transcript of the illegally obtained recording – this time to Don Brash.  I thought to myself surely if it is an illegal recording then it must also be illegal to publish it.

Sure enough:

216C Prohibition on disclosure of private communications unlawfully intercepted

So it is fairly clear that s216B of the Crimes Act has been infringed yet all week the media, and TV3 in particular, have been asking leading questions on what has been said – basically disclosing the contents of the private communication. Note that the definition is wide it includes “the substance” - and that’s before we even get to disclosing the existence of the illegal recording.

Now I guess, in relation to the latter, the various media can argue they did not know it was illegally obtained – the HOS was all very innocent about it so it was ok to publish.  That is a defence if it is believed.

But given the matter is now in front of the police a lack of knowledge can not be argued.  Of course it may still be argued that s216B was not infringed (good luck but the standard is a high one of beyond reasonable doubt and stranger things have happened).  If that occurs then there is a complete defence.

However if reality and the law collide and the recording is illegal then Duncan Garner has probably already fallen afoul of the s216C as the disclosure was made intentionally and in the knowledge that it was in breach of s216B.  There is not a lot of law on this section but I would expect knowledge to be knowledge of the circumstances it was obtained, even reckless as to whether or not illegally obtained – otherwise the law would be meaningless.

Secondly he appears to be blatantly attempting to break the law by handing out transcripts.  I can see no defence under the section for handing out transcripts.

Obviously this opinion is on an all care no responsibility basis as I can only spend so much of work time researching media malfeasance – and given it is off the cuff I would prefer not to be named if you want to push this angle.

In 2008 there was a secret tape scandal, again it was Duncan Garner who led the charge on that as well.

His words in 2008 are interesting given the parallels of 2008 campaign with this campaign, including the personal smears on John Key by Labour. I blogged his words back then:

Duncan Garner who was complicit in those attacks knows this to be true because he finished up his latest post with a sneak preview of the latest TV3 poll that will show Labour not gaining a thing from all of a beat up and subtlely hinting that it was Labour’s plan all along.

So National has been on the front foot this week and that may just help them in the polls. The secret tapes played out badly for National and especially for Bill English. They may take a small hit – but I wouldn’t bet on it. Many voters don’t like how the information was gathered.

So Labour might not do as well out of this as it had hoped. Helen Clark was hoping the ‘secret tapes’ would be a turning point in Labour’s fortunes. If it’s not, what’s her plan now? Does she have one? Labour’s told people how dangerous the Nats are. But perhaps no one’s been listening.

I would bet that Labour’s focus groups are saying teh same thing they have said all year. Stop the nasty, stop the personal attacks, it doesn;t work. I’ll bet that both Labour and National have polled the tea-tapes issue in the last few days and I will bet that they say the same thing. People aren;t interested in it.

Labour again have banked it all on a secret tape scandal, aided and abetted by a nihilist media. Labour have gambled all their remaining cash on a last ditch personal attacks series featuring John Key. Labour will rue these decisions in 9 days time.

Every day that passes now with the media focussing on 8 minutes of boring tapes also is a day not focussing on issues Labour desperately needs focus on. Every day sees John Key using Phil Goff’ lines about focussing on the things that matter to Kiwi voters against him as Phil Goff continues to slander and smear.

Tracy Watkins seems to have her head screwed on right, rather than sensationalising a silly 8 minute chat that was illegally recorded she questions those who are ramping up the issue:

It is time for Key to seek the release of the tape, or a transcript, and, if the conversation was as bland as he says, the public will form their own views about the motivation of those who hyped it up.

From what we know so far the conversation was titillating, rather than scandalous.

Key appears to have made a comment about NZ First having no future because its supporters were slowly dying off.

It’s the sort of comment a political commentator might make without raising an eyebrow – though injudicious coming from a prime minister.

There also appears to have been discussion about the future of Don Brash.

The two men probably went over the same ground that has been widely canvassed in the media in the last few months: the ACT party is in disarray, Brash barely has the confidence of the party any more, that if there could have been a move against Brash before the election there would have been, and that the party is pinning its hopes on the likes of star candidate Catherine Isaacs to carry the torch in the future.

She is dead right about Don Brash, he promised so much and had he continued with the fight and vigour that he had when he rolled Rodney Hide then he wouldn;t be int he position of being talked about like a silly old grand-dad who has lost his marbles. The simple fact is that John Key doesn’t particularly like Don Brash, he knifed him for the leadership after all and John BAnks is such a natural politician who still has energy and fight that discussing a doddery old tool who can’t stay on message is hardly a “game-changer”.

As for suggesting Winstn’s bewildered and deluded fan base are dying off,  well that’s true.

The funny thing with this whole attack that Winston and Phil goff have joined in on is that they are vilifying John Key for telling the truth when they have based their campaign around John Key telling lies.

I predict that within 24 hours Duncan Garner, Patrick Gower, and Bryce johns along with Phil Goff, Trevor Mallard and Winston peters are all going to look like tools, and will stand accused of aiding and abeting illegal behaviour and sensationalising the banal.

Of course while they have been sensationalising the banal they have let the Greens get away with their illegal campaign activity and blindly accepted the Sgt. Shultz excuses of Russel Norman. Contrast the light touch the media have handed out to the Greens with the vilification of the Exclusive Brethren in 2005. The Greens have demonstrably broken the law the Exclusive Brethren broke no laws.

This storm in a teapot story is making me angry.

TV3 is milking it for all its worth, and the tipline is telling me that Bryce Johns  from the Herald On Sunday has been bragging about the illegal taping. Perhaps while he is bragging about that he might enlighten the media to the complaints he has had to deal with regarding the Prego incident and Bradley Ambrose/White.

It’s beginning to look like a personal crusade from some in the media who clearly want to spice up the election campaign, boost their personal profile, and sell a few newspapers or advertising minutes.

Thanks to the illegal behaviour of those with the tapes, we now all know that John Key appears to have said Winston’s support base is dying off. Um, hello – this is not news.

As for the media behaviour, I guess this is what we should come to expect.  TV3 and Campbell Live are big fans of the secret recording – Garner played it for all it was worth at the last election and took tapes from a Green activist who he refused to name.

Why did Garner refuse to name Kees Keiser?  Because Garner loved the attention and didn’t want to have his source challenged before he’d created as much mess as he possibly could.

Garner and his mate Gower are off down the same path this election. Forget the European crisis, let’s make the election all about us. Forget the Greens illegal promotor statements, this is all about us.

As self-appointed TV personalities, Garner and Gower could themselves become targets for people with secret recordings in the future – and they’d only have themselves to blame.  Someone with Garners predilection for the ladies could well be caught in a secret recroding stings pants down.

Public interest?  Give me a break.

Well I certainly hope for their sake that they remember the way they’re behaving if they ever go to a bar or restaurant or some chicks hotel room and have a private conversation or worse that gets taped.

On a day when Cunliffe should have be focussing on justifying his dodgy finance figures he is instead apologising for his misogyny.

On TV3’s The Nation this morning, Mr Cunliffe revealed he had apologised to Ms Collins when questioned by political editor Duncan Garner.

“Yes, an unfortunate comment, and I sincerely regret it and I have rung her to apologise. I shouldn’t have been in that conversation and it was the wrong thing to say.”

“What made you say it,” asked Garner.

“I honestly don’t know, it was a regretful comment and I’ve apologised to her.”

Go watch the video of his apology at TV3. It isn’t often you get to see a Labour politician apologise.

Perhaps David Cunliffe might like to explain how it works to Trevor Mallard.

This shows that once again, though, Labour has been easily distracted by the politics of personality and personal smears rather than policy. Since they promised to debate on policy and not personality they have done nothing of the sort instead proving to everyone that Labour is the nasty party.

Having fired all their big shots this is all they are left with, expect to see more of the nasty.

The 3News Reid Research poll and Duncan says that even the Greens hate Labour now:

We asked voters that if John Key opened the door to a formal coalition deal with the Greens – should the Greens say yes.

• 55 percent said yes
• 30 percent said no

But a breakdown of the votes into a party-by-party basis tells a different story.

Amongst Green voters:

• 60 percent said yes
• 27 percent no

Amongst National voters:

• 63 percent said yes
• 25 percent said no

This shows remarkable support for a formal deal – from both National and Green voters.

Is Russel Norman really saying that if the phone rang he wouldn’t pick up?

Have the Labour Party given up completely? Are they really behind their leader or are they just pretending they are until the election is over? It would appear so.

On First Line (TV3’s breakfast news show) Duncan Garner said that he spoke to a senior MP about the Goff/Hughes debacle and whether or not there would be a leadership coup.

What was the senior Labour MP’s response? “Phil can take the bullet for this in the 2011 election.” (So much for everyone being behind him)

Wow! What a bunch of gutless wonders.

They are completely failing at their job as an opposition and are not even trying anymore.

What kind of defeatist attitude is this? Why would anyone want to vote for a party that has given up, let alone with such a crap leader.

The whole caucus are a bunch of wimps. They have a chance to roll Goff and try and claw back some credibility and yet they are too gutless to do so. It is time that they grew some balls and did what was necessary to show they can one day govern again. If the last two weeks are anything to go by, we will have a National-led government (no matter how incompetent it may become) for a long time. Phil needs to quit, or the gutless wonders of the Labour caucus need to push him now.

To just sit back and lose the election, saying “Phil can take the bullet for this in the 2011 election” is a cop-out of the biggest kind.

It would appear that despite trying to say they are all united behind Phil Goff they aren’t. What they are really united about is losing the election and letting Phil take the fall for it. In a way this is more ruthless than a coup because Phil will forever be remembered as the Labour leader that lead Labour to an embarrassing defeat rather than a Labour Minister who served the Labour party for over 30 years. His legacy will be to be known as Phil “the fill-in” Goff who was destined to lose from the beginning.