Michael Wood

So the unions are flexing their muscle over Labour.

David Farrar publishes their list of preferred candidates:

The full list of rankings is meant to go online, but I don’t think it has, so I got a copy off the reporter. The unions wishlist is:

1. Andrew Little – EPMU
2. Michael Wood – FINSEC
3. Jerome Mika – EPMU
4. Deb Mahuta
5. Brenda Alexander
6. Mea’ole Keil – SWFU
7. Josie Pagani – Rangitikei
8. Jordan Carter
9. Christine Rose – Rodney
10. Kate Sutton
11. Sehai Orgad – Hamilton East
12. Nicola Vallance
13. Peter Foster

Let me get this right…in their top 13 they have Phil Goff’s electorate chair, Michael Wood, fresh from his spanking in Botany. Phil Goff’s press secretary Deb Mahuta and the wife of Phil Goff’s communications manager Josie Pagani.

Does Labour have a recruitment problem?

Jami-Lee Ross has clearly won the Botany By-Election.

To avoid the Left trying to claim the result any other way, I have done a comparison of the candidate vote for the Botany By-Election compared to the candidate vote from the 2008 General election. This way we are comparing apples with apples. The candidates name and percentage of the Candidates vote that they got shown. The previous candidate for their respective parties in brackets next to them with their percentage of the candidate votes shown as well. It only shows the 3 parties that re-stood candidates in this by election.

National Party: Jami-Lee Ross – 54.65% (Pansy Wong – 56.22%)
Labour Party: Michael Wood – 27.85% (Koro Tawa 21.06%)
Act Party: Lyn Murphy – 4.5% (Kenneth Wang 15.26%)

So clearly, on the preliminary results, Jami-Lee has basically held the candidate vote percentage where it was under Pansy Wong. Michael Wood has seen an increase to Labours candidate vote of 6.79%. labour’s increase is to be expected Michael Wood actually campaigned whereas Koro Tawa barely turned up last election. On the other hand ACT has seen their candidate vote drop by almost 11%.

I do wonder how many votes the New Citizen Party candidate (which got 10.5% of the candidate vote) took from each Parties candidate.

All in all, this shows that National has held its vote in the electorate. So a good result for National.

Compare this with the Mana By-Election Ccandidate vote which showed:

Labour Party: Kris Fa’afoi  - 47.2% (Winnie Laban – 53.06%)
National Party: Hekia Parata – 41.1% (Hekia Parata – 34.99%)

In that by-election National increased its candidate vote by 6.1% and Labour Decreased its vote by 6.0%

This must worry Labour, not only is National holding its vote in its safe seats, it is gaining in what were Labour safe seats. Can’t wait to see the spin that they bring out of this latest result. Clearly though, the numbers speak for themselves…Labour is in trouble.

Had the Greens actually got themselves organised in time the results might have been even worse for Labour. The paid lap-bloggers are claiming a pyrrhic victory, yet a basic analysis of the stats shows that they didn’t claim any of National’s vote, that the New Citizens Party claimed a large chunk of the personal vote for Kenneth Wang at the last elections and the Greens rolled up into Labour.

Last week on Thursday Michael Wood stood up at an NZEI organised debate and promised, even signed up to comitting Labour to spend 1% of GDP on Early Childhood Education. Here is the audio of the question and then Michael Wood’s answer.

Michael Wood promising to spend 1% of GDP on ECE

Link to audio file: http://www.whaleoil.co.nz/images/2011/02/michaelwood-gdp[dot]mp3

So Labour’s man in Botany committed to spending 1 per cent of GDP on ECE. It must be Labour policy because on 8 February Trevor Mallard was imploring people to sign a petition, presumably the same one Michael Wood is committing his signature to, to spend 1% of GDP on ECE.

This would equate to an extra half a billion a year!!!

Education Minister Anne Tolley said the Government’s investment in ECE will be $100 million above the original Budget 2010 allocation, bringing the total spend to $1.4 billion.

“We are now at the stage where the taxpayer is subsidising ECE centres at an average of $7600 per child per year,” Mrs Tolley said.

“This compares to an average of $5528 for a primary school student, and $6733 for a student at secondary school.”

Mrs Tolley said the average taxpayer-subsidised payment to ECE centres is almost $270,000 a year, while kindergartens receive $325,000 on top of what independent ECE centres ask parents to pay.

“It makes no sense that ECE funding has trebled over the last five years, while the number of children starting school with some form of ECE has increased by only around 1 per cent.”

I obtained the following figures for ECE participation over the past 10 years that shows the minuscule growth in ECE participation. The total rise in participation is just 0.9%

Source: Ministry of Education data

Then when you look at the graph for spending in ECE over that time you can see where the problem lies.

Source: Ministry of Education data

Spending on ECE has more than tripled over 10 years and yet child participation has only increased a minuscule 0.9% across the sector. The NZEI and pinkos are screaming for even more money to be tipped into the sector, but there appears to be little to gain from doing so. When Labour and the NZEI say there are cuts to the sector, point at these graphs and ask where?

Funding to the sector has increased and for no demonstrable gain in participation.

In fact in order to achieve that which they profess to seek, 100% participation in ECE, based on the figures above and more than 10 years of history to prove it, we would need to commit an additional $7 billion year on year. That is if you believe the socialist fantasy that more money equals more participation.

Labour, the NZEI and Michael Wood need to be held account for their rash promises. Promises that would have to be met from an empty public purse. Their fantasies must be called out. Just to meet their demands of 1% of GDP will cost an additional half a billion dollars we don’t have.

Labour is fond of making rash promises, but they can do that because they are secure in the knowledge that they will never have to deliver them.

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

Is that Daljit Singh, the man charged and before the courts on elecotral fraud and corruption charges standing there beside Phil Goff and Michael Wood at the Labour campaign launch?

Certainly looks like it to me. And why was Kris McFaafoi flown up to be there too? Did the taxpayers cough for that?

So many questions, very few answers.

Daljit Singh with Michael Wood?

I attended the Botany candidates debate last night. Funny how Michael Wood keeps on insisting that Jami-lee Ross won’t debate with him yet there are debates scheduled. Anyway it was a fun night, for me. Not so sure about others.

For a very fair and accurate assessment of the night check Belinda McCammon’s article on Stuff.

Jami-Lee Ross proved to be a safe-pair of hands for National, sticking to message and sounding knowledgeable and confident well beyond his years.

Labour’s Michael Wood, Ross’ main challenger, did his best to target Ross but at times came unstuck.

Wood drew a shout of “hypocrite Labour” from the floor when he said he did not support privatisation with Ross wasting no time capitalising on it, saying the National Government had learnt from the mistakes of ministers like Phil Goff.
Wood said he would champion more community services and especially targeted the need for parents to have their early childcare funding restored.

Michael Wood banged on endlessly about ECE, which is actually quite funny in Botany because it simply isn’t an issue, in fact one ECE centre on Te Irirangi Road, the busiest road in the electorate, has a great big Jami-lee Ross sign in its front yard. Michael is of course simply running the lines of his union boss missus. Labour keep repeating the lie that National has cut ECE funding when the facts demonstrably show otherwise. Under Labour funding for ECE was $900M, under National it has risen to $1.4B. I can’t see how that can be called a cut, but Labour does have a propensity to lie.

There was one union trollop there dressed in her ECE cuts lie t-shirt. One wag remarked that only stupid union fools would have shirts emblazoned with the word “STOP” on a green coloured shirt. Surely the shirts should have been red? Green signaling go like at traffic lights.

One observation from the meeting I have is that the time honoured art of political heckling seems to have been lost. Labour bussed in about 20 lickspittles, including tired old 80s hack Richard Northey. Their heckling skills are sadly woeful. Their single tactic is to shout, boo or hiss in an attempt to drown out speakers. There are no witty one-liners, no quick facts and in reality no ability to stop other hecklers like me.

Need proof, look at what Belinda McCammon tweeted during the meeting.

Given her fair assessment of the evening that is pretty high praise. The only other heckler of note was actually one of mad Penny Brights band of two supporters, both resplendent in their tin-foil hats, ok so they weren’t wearing tin-foil hats but Penny Bright did have her dead cat balanced on her hat.

It does seem that the skills of good heckling are sadly in decline. I’m of a mind to conduct training sessions for all comers. Still it was a fun night, even if there were precious few locals in attendance. I did however manage to find one, yes just one, local Labour supporter. He was quite proud of the fact that he was the only one and upon chatting with him I found out he is an avid reader of the blog.

Phil Goff’s dad was there too. I quipped that he lived closer to Mt Roskill than his son did.

The next debate, yes there is another one this week, least Michael Wood scream that there isn’t, is one organised by the NZEI. Yep Jami-lee Ross is going to front a debate organised by a union. It is ECE focused and of course has been organised by Wood’s union boss missus who is the NZEI ECE coordinator. I expect it will be a see of green t-shirts and more loud booing, and hissing as that is all Labour flunkies seem capable of. I might video their tantrums and put them on Youtube so you can all enjoy the spectacle.

After failing to connect with the Botany electorate with his one man crusade to ban penis lollies Michael Wood is back to his old tricks spreading lies and misinformation.

Tonight he broadcast via Twitter:

January 1, 1970 12:00 pm viaReplyRetweetFavorite

@

What he didn’t tell people following his increasingly desperate campaign, was that from what I’m told, Jami-Lee Ross was actually trying to rearrange the timing of the debate so he can make it!

Given Mr Wood’s ongoing petulance I wouldn’t blame Jami-Lee Ross for pulling the plug on him completely.

After all, he is showing himself to be an opponent whose single aim appears to be to complain and moan about the fact no one takes him seriously even though he threw in the towel and the Labour leadership abandoned him.

After the penis lolly fiasco and the botched Raymond Huo attack on Jami-Lee Ross, Michael Wood needs to take a serious look at whether he wants to retain any dignity at the end of this campaign or not.

One thing is for certain, like all failed Labour candidates, Michael Wood won’t even have the decency to concede in person. He never did in the two times he was spanked in Pakuranga and he won’t when Jami-lee Ross spanks him in Botany. All he knows is how to cry wolf and lie.

Michael Wood, the Labour candiate in the Botany by-election, shortly after he threw the towel in, said that:

“No-one should think we’ve thrown in the towel, we’re working very hard on this campaign and we’re going to hold the Government to account.”

And so today we find one of things he is going to hold the government to account over. It must be important because he Tweeted it.

January 1, 1970 12:00 pm viaReplyRetweetFavorite

@

So…he wants to get in to Parliament as the anti-penis lolly crusader… sure the lollies are distasteful but seriously, campaigning in a by-election on it?

Of course it escaped the carpet-bagger from Mt Roskill completely that the story he linked to is about a shop in Christchurch, about as far from Botany as humanly possible to get. I guess when you need to consult a map book everyday to get to Botany you could easily mistake Christchurch as being part of the electorate.

Michael Wood was still bleating about debates to reporters, when he was busily promoting a Botany debate on Facebook. Remember Michael has been telling anyone who would listen that Jami-lee Ross won’t front him in a debate, and yet, as he has known all along debates have been scheduled.

The reason Michael Wood is doing this, and been so defensive on this blog, is because it is now his election strategy.  I actually think I might owe Jami-Lee an apology for giving his opponent what he was so desperately after – any coverage whatsoever.

You see it’s now pretty obvious that Mike’s plan is to run a campaign of distractions, disruptions, and worst of all - lies.
Let’s recap:

1. First stunt was to follow John Key to a Greypower visit (outside of the electorate) then complain to the world that he didn’t talk about unemployment figures (which weren’t released until after the visit started).
2. Because no-one noticed that - the second tactic was to promote stories about no one wanting to debate him – despite knowing they’re scheduled (see above).
3. Third tactic was to employ an Asian MP, Raymond Huo, to make shit up.

So, why is this happening?

Because Mike’s been left to his own devices.

Andrew Little pulled the plug weeks ago, and then, astonishingly – Trevor Mallard revealed what the caring left really thinks about the people of Botany:

“I wouldn’t spend much…my gut reac­tion would be to treat it like Tau­ranga and for­get it.”

Worse still, that gets confirmed by the Greens who can’t even be organised enough to turn up.

But surely – the grand-daddy of them all has to be the “I can’t win”, so don’t worry Mt Roskill, you’re the place I call home - gaffe. When Melissa Lee capitulated like that the paid lap-bloggers at The Standard labelled the silly statement a major gaffe and played it up for weeks on end. Strangely they are silent of Michael Wood throwing in the towel so early in Botany. Instead they join in the “make shit up” tactics and repeat Michael Wood’s lies about debates.

Michael, it’s good to see that after all the elections you’ve lost as a professional Labour candidate and the years you’ve spent as a union lackey - you HAVE learned a few tricks.

One trick you haven’t learned Michael, is that when I call someone a liar I am on very firm ground. I was told by Clare Curran to put up, I was asked by you to prove my assertions that both you and Raymond Huo were liars and I have done that, with photos, and with screenshots from Facebook. The funny thing about all of this is that I got banned from Red Alert for telling the truth. The simple plain truth is that Labour’s candidate is all alone, no support, no strategy and has to resort to making shit up, flinging shit or just being annoying. One thing for certain is he isn’t serious about even trying because “Mt Roskill, you’re the he calls home”.

During the Mana campaign Kris McFaafoi and Labour had an interesting strategy, they would make shit up about where there candidate had been during his formative years. The most obvious lie, which Kris McFaafoi never corrected was the Porirua McDonalds opening which he allegedly attended. He used that lie no less than 5 times during the campaign. Thus it was clear that Labour’s strategy was to lie endlessly about where their candidate had been.

In Botany, after the abject lessons handed out in Mana, labour are trying a twist on the strategy. They are now lying about where their opponent wasn’t. I know it is bizarre but lying about things they are. Michael Wood started the lies by suggesting that Jami-lee Ross had refused to debate him on Triangle TV. This is an outright lie.  Michael Wood knows it is a lie and yet he is desperately trying to appear relevant by continuing the lie.

The offer for Triangle TV appearances with David Beatson offered either a head to head engagement or a one on one interview. Given that you get a full hour with the interviewer only a inept tosser would agree to split your time when you can have the whole hour to yourself. Citizen A was liekwise trying to organise a debate, but for reasons unknown Triangle and Stratos pulled the planned debate at the last minute, though I now understand a new debate has been scheduled for the last week of the campaign. This hasn’t stopped Michael Wood and his campaign team enlisting the aid of anonymous lap-bloggers at the Standard to continue to push the lie.

Worse a scum List MP, Raymond Huo, also has joined in the spreading of lies by saying that Jami-lee Ross wasn’t at a function but the Labour candidate was. If Raymond had even bothered to speak to his candidate then he would know that he is lying because at the same function sitting next to Michael Wood was National MP Cam Calder, then Jami-lee Ross, then his wife, then a DPS member, all sitting in the row immediately behind the Prime Minister. Michael Wood knows this, he was sitting right there, further more he even spoke to the media about Jami-lee Ross being there, yet he has allowed Raymond Huo to lie about Jami-lee Ross being missing in action.

There is a slight problem for Raymond Huo though. These photos of Jami-lee Ross and wife Lucy, Cam Calder and Jackie Blue at LunarFest, the same festival that Raymond Huo has lied about.

Given that we now know that Labour’s strategy is to lie, just like it was in Mana. Essentially the same strategy with a twist it was with some bemusement that today at the campaign launch at Pakuranage Country Club I took this photo of John Key, some unknown guy and Kris McFaafoi!

Kris McFaafoi at Botany campaign launch

You have to ask why Labour would lie when the facts can so easily be established. Michael Wood should reflect on whether or not he would engage with anyone who willingly, knowingly tells lies. For someone who wants to be an MP starting your career campaigning based upon lies isn’t going to be that helpful. For a scum List MP telling lies is a whole lot worse.

Labour’s candidate and Phil Goff’s handpicked candidate in Botany, Mt Roskill LEC chair, Michael Wood says he can’t win. He’s given up before he has even started.

Puketapapa Local Board member Michael Wood is assuring constituents he’s still committed to the Mt Roskill area despite being selected as Labour’s candidate for the Botany byelection.

Mr Wood says the Botany campaign will only affect his role as a local board member for five weeks because he’s got no chance of winning.

“Botany is a strong National seat that I’m not going to be able to win as a Labour candidate. It’s not going to be something that pulls me away from Mt Roskill.”

Not committed, given up and a loser before the campaign has even begun, no wonder they aren’t putting signs up in Botany.

Joining the list of the bewildered is ACT’s chosen candidate, Lyn Murphy, after their selection committee met in a phone booth.

Politically, she puts herself to the left of Mr Ross and to the right of Labour’s Michael Wood.

Riiiight, and that makes you attractive to the voters of Botany how? But for truly bewildered check out is stupid statement:

We’re going to have every Act MP come down from parliament to spend time visiting the people of Botany. We believe we can win. This is the turning point for Act.

So here she is, imploring ACT MPs to spend taxpayer money campaigning in Botany, and not only that they have to be geographically challenged as well by travelling “down” from Wellington. If she thinks this is a turning point then I hate to think what sort of political GPS she is using.

Not only is her political GPS dodgy so are her political map reading skills:

Mrs Murphy says the fact she’s a local with “broad knowledge and experience” will appeal to voters.

According to the electoral roll she won’t actually be able to vote for herself as she is living in Mellons Bay in Pakuranga electorate and so she starts off her career in politics with a lie. Perhaps she should avail herself of an electorate map Botany.