LAKELAND

Trevor Mallard is a bully-boy and Labour’s hitman. His target right now is Melissa Lee and that is because she is a whisker away from the soldier of fortune David Shearer.

Yesterday on Red Alert, Labour’s new MP blog, he claimed that he had nothing to do with Jesse Guruanathan’s story getting to the media. That is a strange thing to claim because my highly placed Labour sources tell me that;

• Labour paid for Ms Guruanathan to fly to Wellington
• Ms Guruanathan met with Trevor Mallard in his office at Parliament before she gave her interviews

So I ask again of Trevor Mallard;

• Did he or the Labour party facilitate in the flying of Ms Guruanathan to Wellington?
• Did he or any of his Labour colleagues meet Ms Guruanathan BEFORE she spoke to media?

Mallard is also making several unproven claims in his smear attack;

Her company got a $1.2million NZ on Air grant which was used, inter alia, for an election special. The decision to grant was made after she became a National Party list candidate. She made a video using the company resources to appeal to Asian voters. It was not declared either as a donation to the National Party or one of their expenses.

• So her company got a grant and they made the programmes for which the grant given, no problem here I can see.
• Trevor keeps on mentioning the grant was made after she was announced as a Natioanl candidate, is he suggestiong that if they knew that the grant wouldn’t have been made?
• She made “a video using the company resources”. So what, copanies can use their resources for whatever they want. Just the EPMU Uses its trucks and cars and people to campaign for Labour. I didn’t see the fuel and cars of the EPMU declared on Labour’s donations.
• Of course it wsn’t declared on National’s donations or expenses return. The cost of the production o a Youtube clip would have been far under the $10,000 limit for donations, I should know I have made hundres of clips. National would have no reason to inlcude it as an expense if they didn’t pay for it.

This is simply a smear attack against a woman of colour because Labour’s gray candidate Davod “Blackwater” Shearer is failing to make an impact. The irony is that Labour by making this attack has ensured that Melissa Lee’s name recognition will go sky high.

Labour accuses Lee of conflict of interest – Melissa Lee is under fire from Labour, being accused of a pre-election conflict of interest [TVNZ News Politics]

Labour’s internal voter id and UMR polling are hurting. We know this from the leaks and from the goofs by the lackeys.Contrary toLabour’s belief Waterview just isn’t an issue, nor is the Super-City.

How much hurt?

Well a lot. We also know this because Labour has rolled out the dirty tricks brigade through Trevor Mallard who is slinging dirt everywhere against Melissa Lee. Trevor Mallard as usual is crapping on successful women.

A telling comment from Trevor Mallard is this one;

“My understanding was that she didn’t declare the fact that she was a National Party candidate when that decision was made,”

Telling, because it shows exactly how Labour would have refused any funds going to a private company run by someone standing for election for a party other than Labour. Is Trevor Mallard actually saying they would have stopped the funding of Asia Down Under through NZ on Air to a private company because the major shareholder was standing for National.

That folks is far worse of a story than the non-story about a supposed conflict of interest for a non-MP private shareholder of a private company making television programmes for 13 years, funded for 9 of those years under a Labour Governement.

I can’t believe Trvor Mallard has admitted in his statement that the funding decisoin may have been hampered by her being a candidate.

Apart from that the only charge Labour have leveled against melissa Lee is that she stood in a room and said nothing.

Labour must come clean about its campaign against National party shareholders in any funding issues in its nine years in power.

For those of you who don’t know, Labour’s grassroots website is used to motivate activists to keep active.  One of its groups, “Letter Writers for Labour“, is administered by Jenny Michie, Labour’s communications manager and former press secretary to Michael Cullen and also “Eddie” at The Standard.  Michie has been busy over the last few weeks running the Mount Albert by-election campaign for Labour.

Here at Whaleoil we’ll have more in the next few weeks about Labour’s parachuted soldier of fortune candidate, and its parachuted campaign organisation of union mercenaries.  Such was the local disgust at the way Labour’s floor vote for Meg Shearer was vetoed by Phil Goff’s crowd in favour of David Shearer, Labour have struggled to get local activists together to help out the Mount Albert cause.  Instead Labour has been heavily relying on the resources of the EPMU and the service and food workers’ union to get things done.  Not to mention the campaign management, which has all been flown up from Wellington.

But more on that later.

Labour are getting very nervous about losing Mount Albert.  Their first round of internal polling by UMR as I reported on the weekend was dismissed by the campaign manager as a “rogue poll”.  That poll showed Lee and Shearer neck and neck, with Russel “Stormin’” Norman eating a big slice out of Labour’s vote, and rising.  Labour’s latest polling efforts have shown Lee and Shearer to be neck and neck again, as revealed to the Mayor of Newmarket by a Labour Party pollster on Monday night.

Last week Whaleoil heard from parliamentary spies that Trevor Mallard has been trying to drop its equivalent of the nuclear bomb on the press gallery.  The story is that Melissa Lee made a youtube clip for the National Party.  Very shocking, Trevor.

But the real story is just why Trevor Mallard would bother at all.  Labour are promising more smear to come and have the big guns doing it.

Yesterday, on the “Letter writers for Labour” grassroots Labour website, one of the activists began a meme, which should soon appear in a newspaper near you.  It goes like this:

comment by Mary-Ann de Kort 16 hours ago

Hi all

This video clip must be worth some letters about Melissa Lee’s corrupt practices in using government funding to fund National party ads and promotions.
http://www.3news.co.nz/TVShows/CampbellLive/National-MP-and-candidate-Melissa-Lees-ethics-called-into-question/tabid/817/articleID/103840/cat/861/Default.aspx

So if you happen to see any comments online or in your newspaper from:

Jenny Michie, Martin Power, Jordan Carter, Patrick Leyland, Conor Roberts, Chris Hipkins, Shane Field, Hamish McCracken, Tamar Murachver, Kate Sutton, Samantha Taylor, Andreas Triandafelidis, Kyle Whitfield, Graham Stanley, David Talbot, Andre Jeffery, Greg Presland, Michael Couch, Angus Hodgson, Dianna Snaddon, Jenny Kirk, Jeremy Greenbrook, Meg Bates, Tracey Dorreen, Mel Barker, Renee Van Der Weert, Mary-Ann de Kort, Christopher Downs, Tui Head, Geoff Hayward, James Sleep, Jacob Diggle, Heather Grimwood, Chris Carter, George Laird, Elizabeth Rigby, Cheryl Jackson, Demelza George-Franzmayr , John Marshall, Tim Watson, Angus Galloway, Tim Miller, Bevan Chuang, Steve Farrow

Then you will know they’re not writing their original ideas. They’re just spreading Labour Party sleaze as per usual.

Here’s a morale booster for anyone who thought after today it might be a hard hill for Melissa Lee to climb in the Mt Albert by-election.

I just heard from the Mayor of Newmarket Cameron Brewer. His Worship is famously Tory having worked in the National Party Research Unit, in Shipley’s office, in fellow mayor John Banks’ office, then Rodney Hide, before retiring to his little principality of Newmarket where he spends most of his day googling himself.

When not googling “brewer” + “fashion capital” ( I just want to make sure this entry makes it to his Chong clippings so have to put in some key words) or wandering around Newmarket having boozy lunches and flirting with the shop girls, Brewer lives in Point Chevalier, the newest part of the Mt Albert electorate.

Anyway Brewer tells me that at about 7.30 tonight the Labour Party rang him. They told him up front who they were then asked him who he was voting for.

Brewer said “Melissa Lee” and then quickly but casually asked the caller how the poll was going. Amazingly the young guy told him it was “really close, about 50/50″ (staggering when you consider Brewer had just told him he was voting for the National candidate).

Then Brewer asked if the close result was just from tonight, but the pollster said no they’d been polling for several days. Trying to supress his delight, Brewer asked what else was the poll showing? To which the Labour hack said “there are heaps of undecided voters.” Brewer, a former journalist and press secretary, says he wrote down those direct quotes from the Labour pollster word for word.

Rest assured, Labour are pulling out all the tricks, because they know this is a very close race!

Chemist sorry for jibe about Asians – A pharmacist who told National’s Korean-born Mt Albert candidate Melissa Lee he wouldn’t vote for her because he “didn’t think we need Asians in Parliament” has apologised. “I wish to apologise for the comments I made,” David Baird… [NZ Herald Politics]

Oh just bet the racist chemist David Baird is sorry. he is sorry because the actual owners of the chemist shop are mortified that their trade has all but disappeared because of a bigoted locum.

You see David Baird was the locum chemist and now he has rooted up the business of the real owners of the chemist shop in question.

When i was down there the other day filming for another Charles Ashe episode there were no customers in sight. The whole shopping area was staffed by asian shopkeepers and asian shoppers but no-one was going into the chemist shop.

David Baird, the man with the flip top hair cut and the bigoted views has singlehandedly ruined the business of the real owners. Well done fool.

Mt Albert voters run up their colours – White-haired Mt Albert pharmacist David Baird met his first living, breathing politician yesterday – and gave her an earful. “Hi, I’m Melissa Lee, National candidate for Mt Albert,” said the politician. “Well you won’t be getting… [NZ Herald Politics]

Melissa Lee won’t be getting the vote of a local pharmicist, David Baird, because he is a wig-wearing racist fool.

“Well you won’t be getting my vote because I don’t think we need any Asians in Parliament,” the pharmacist shot back tartly.

Korean-born Ms Lee, a former journalist who has been in New Zealand for 21 years, asked brightly, “Why not?”

Mr Baird said he had his reasons. “They are very difficult people to deal with. They don’t spend any money. I don’t see that they bring any money into the country. Another problem is their English is very bad.

“You’re all right,” he told the candidate later. “You are almost 100 per cent. But, seriously, we find it difficult, particularly old people. We have Titus here to talk to them.”

Chinese-born Titus Jiang, fresh out of the Otago pharmacy school and preparing to cast his first vote in Mt Albert, smiled when his name was mentioned. He said later he did not know much about politics but “at the moment National seems all right”.

Mr Baird voted NZ First last year and has not decided whom to support in the June 13 byelection, caused by Helen Clark’s departure to the United Nations.

This racist fool not only has a really bad wig perched on top of his bigoted head but is condescending as well. He employs what he clearly thinks is a tame monkey to deal with people who he doesn’t believe should be here.

If I lived in Mt Albert I would boycott his pharmacy. I don’t. I live in Howick with a large Asian community where tolerance is enjoyed. My Doctor is Chinese from Singapore, my Pharmacist is Chinese from Malaysia, the local sushi bar is owned by Koreans, my favourite restaurant is KenYakitori owned by Japanese. None of these people are difficult to deal with and language is not a barrier.

If anyone should leave NZ it should be wig-wearing bigots.

UPDATE: With attitudes like that is it any wonder that Asians don’t pend money in his store.

Just heard from my spies in the room that Melissa Lee has been selected to stand for National in the Mt Albert by-election.

No numbers, the National Party doesn’t give out numbers and the ballot papers will have been destroyed.

Well done Melissa, now take the fight to the streets and show the pinkos who is boss.

Little ginger twat Darren Hughes and the hirsute but dim Fran Mold have collaborated in a beatup about a non story.

They both claim that National’s selection is a jackup….except that belies the reason why 60 people are out there now voting.

It also shows as just how inept and ill-informed about party selection processes the MSM is. Ele at Homepaddpock tells a different story to the one Little Ginga Dazza and One News are trying to beat up.

But it’s the paper that’s got it wrong. I’ve got a copy of the official programme and it says:

Address by Mt Albert’s List MP Melissa Lee.

Note the difference between Mount Albert candidate which she may or may not be after tonight’s selection, and Mount Albert’s list MP which she is.

The programme notes her position as buddy MP for the electorate which isn’t represented by National, it’s not second guessing the selection process.

And as she breathlessly through her moustache told the nation about the jack-up that isn’t, Fran Mold actually read out the words “Mt Albert List MP” from the National Party papers she had “obtained”, shooting off her foot in the process!

That’s Fran Mold and anyone from NZPA on the cheap drinks in the BlogMobile.

National torn over Mt Albert candidacy – The National Party is embroiled in a backroom power struggle over its Mt Albert candidate, with the hierarchy’s favourite, Melissa Lee, trying to tip out grassroots toiler Ravi Musuku. Ms Lee is a list MP and one of National’s… [NZ Herald Politics]

Spam journalism this morning from Patrick Gower. The National Party isn’t torn at all over Mt Albert. Only Ravi Mususku is. He just hasn’t got it yet that this by-election is important. So important that National doesn’t want cannon-fodder fed into the attack.

What Ravi fails to understand is that he was cannon-fodder. party folk won’t tell him that but I am far too honest. When standing in a safe seat against the then incumbent Prime Minister you are only going to to get mowed down.

When a by-election comes along after the former Prime Minister resigns there is a whole new set of dynamics. The personality that held the electorate together behind Helen Clark has gone, in a flash it turns out and hasn’t even bothered with any speechs or otherwise to mark the occaison. She could bolt fast enough….making a mockery of putting Mt Albert first…..more like putting herself first.

Ravi needs to get with the programme and fall in behind like the loyal soldier he is. If he plays nice the party will play nice. If he plays dumb he will get mowed down. Simple really.

Listen to Phil Goff goof Russel Norman’s name. He completely forgets his name. What a complete fool. And it isn’t like he just spelled it wrong either he completely forgets who Russel Norman actually is.

GOFF: Well what, what will happen is all of, all of Labour’s candidates are non-Parliamentarians so whoever, ah, is selected it’s the candidate, ah, if they go through to win in the by-election then they simply, ah, are additional an electoral MP for, ah, the Labour Party replacing Helen Clark. So the numbers stay the same. Now what, what will make, ah, the Labour candidate, I think unique amongst the major contenders is that the other two contenders are both sitting MPs, ah, Melissa, well they think they will be. Melissa Lee is the hot on favourite for, for the National Party. She’s already a Member of Parliament of course, a list member of Parliament, ah, as is, um, Russel, um, oh God, forgot his surname, ah, Russel, help me out [laughs], the co-leader of the Greens.

PRESENTER: Russel Norman.

GOFF: Norman, yeah that’s the one, ah, so, ah, Russel and Melissa are already Members of Parliament and I guess that might, ah, cause some electors to reflect. Well, why would we vote for an existing Member of Parliament because they’re already there? But, but if either of them were to win then, ah, of course somebody else would come off the list in their party.

Oh dear, no wonder the Greens aren’t interested in listening to Labour. Phil Goff can’t even beat Helen Clark in the preferred Prime Minister stakes and now can’t remember Russel Norman’s name. If Russel puts in a good campaign he may well supplant Phil goff in the preferred Prime Minister’s stakes.