Trevor Mallard

ᔥ The Press

It seems John Key is channeling Trevor Mallard and backing a proposal for  a gold plated covered stadium for Christchurch. At least he is suggesting that they pay for it themselves. I expect Trevor Mallard to issue a press release anytime soon committing labour to spending over a billion dollars of government money for it like he did for Auckland.

Prime Minister John Key has backed the idea of a “world-class” covered stadium in Christchurch.

The size and design of a long-term replacement for the quake-hit AMI Stadium has been the subject of much debate in the city.

The Christchurch City Council’s draft annual plan, which is open for public feedback, has indicated a preference for an uncovered 35,000-seat stadium.

However, the council says the option would not rule out “the later addition of a roof structure to make the ground fully covered”.

Key told The Press yesterday he supported the idea of a covered stadium in the city.

“There’s a long and proud sporting history in Canterbury, and Christchurch needs a stadium that reflects that.

“I really believe that Christchurch can support a world-class covered stadium.”

Key said the insurance payout from AMI Stadium would “help the replacement fund”, but was unlikely to fund the whole project.

There had not been any talk of government funding for the stadium, and Christchurch residents would need to decide whether the cost of a roof was worthwhile.

“In the end, what’s built and how it’s paid for is largely a matter for Cantabrians.”

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said he hoped claims that Liberal operatives had been spreading rumours about Mr Shorten were wrong. ”Quite frankly, it wouldn’t surprise me if some of this stuff comes out of some of the union rivals,” he said, adding that in politics ”there is no place for rumour”.

What a load of bollocks. If rumour had no place in politics how would Trevor Mallard function? He has never come across a rumour he can’t embellish and hide behind parliamentary privilege to promote.

ᔥ The Telegraph

Here is why I tell politicians and public persona to avoid social media like one avoids cancer. I am so glad Trevor Mallard keeps on using it.

In politics, few things are more damaging than ridicule. The real risk to Mr Cameron from his “LOL” texts isn’t that voters will think he’s been venal or corrupt. It’s that they’ll think he’s been a bit silly.

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

When I run training sessions for candidates about social media I tell them to avoid it all. Mainly because your audience is only two types of people. Committed supporters and sycophants or people like me waiting to smash you up for stupidity.

Fortunately for me not many politicians heed my advice and so I get to smash them up endlessly, like Andrew Little or Trevor Mallard.

The second worst thing any politician can do is decid to sue someone for what they said in social media.

A Liberal Party candidate in Tasmania has threatened to contact the employers of Facebook users who “liked” a satirical article posted about him online.

Andrew Nikolic, the Liberal candidate for Bass, has since reneged on the threats after initially denying to Fairfax Media that he had even made them.

The New Examiner is an online satirical blog operating on Facebook and Twitter.

The story, posted by the New Examiner on Thursday afternoon, creates a satirical scenario in which Mr Nikolic is caught out claiming to have been “heroically killed in action during services in Afghanistan”. It then goes on to state that he claims to have suffered “a slow, painful death by torture at the hands of Tamil militants in 2002″.

Mr Nikolic informed the New Examiner last week that if the offending article was not taken down he would write to the employers of all the individuals who had “liked” the story.

“I hope the employers and influencers of your satirical group will be amused by the formal letters of complaint I will now send them on this issue,” wrote Mr Nikolic in a Facebook comment that has since been deleted.

The New Examiner refused to back down and retract the article.

“Threatening to contact employers is simply confirmation that Nikolic’s first response to pressure is to go on the attack, rather than consider the political implications of his actions,” the editor-in-chief, known only under the pseudonym Martin Gaylord, told Fairfax Media.

Mr Nikolic also named and shamed Facebook users who had reposted the article, in a message on his own Facebook page, which was later deleted.

“He doesn’t appear to understand that individuals [who] use social media do so for a variety of reasons, but certainly not to [expose] themselves to vindictive behaviour of this nature,” the editor-in-chief said.

Jami-lee Ross spoke on the third reading of the Employment Relations (Secret Ballot for Strikes) Amendment Bill.

He sledged Winston Peters from the get go, then Andrew Little and Trevor Mallard…he has promise….with all that sledging. Good to see good hard sledging of members opposite.

Meanwhile the bill has passed 61-60, and New Zealand workers now have a little bit more freedom and democracy with the forcing of unions to now hold secret ballots for strike action.

The next time the Maritime Union calls for strike action they will now have to have a secret ballot. No longer will the bruthas be able stand over the members.

Well done Tau Henare for ensuring a good start is made on reforming our industrial relations landscape for the better.

ᔥ NZ Herald

David Fisher thinks he has a story about how John Banks got a cheap deal on the sly from Kim Dotcom at the Hyatt in Hong Kong. Trevor Mallard predictably thinks there is something wrong with this and ignores his own leader’s problems with the pecuniary interests register and continues to smear and chuck mud.

But if either David Fisher or Trevor Mallard had bothered to look up Wotif they would find that John banks in fact got ripped off.

Even the shameless shill Matthew Hooton says you can get good deals at the Hyatt.

Only chumps, gullible repeaters…or someone having the taxpayer foot the bill pays rack rate in Hotels these days.

Anyway Banksie, I’m sure my brother could have got you a better deal than the portly, avuncular German fellow…you should have called him.

ᔥ Radio NZ

It must be coming up to the start of Duck Shooting season, Now John Banks is having a crack at the serial defamer:

ACT leader John Banks has challenged a Labour MP to repeat outside Parliament his claims about Kim Dotcom and an accommodation deal in Hong Kong.

In Parliament on Wednesday, Labour MP Trevor Mallard asked whether Mr Banks had raised with the Prime Minister’s office that the internet millionaire had got the minister a discount at the Hyatt Hotel.

Mr Banks says he has provided a copy of his wife’s credit card statement showing he paid for last year’s trip to Hong Kong in full.

He says Mr Mallard’s comments are outrageous and defamatory and challenges him to repeat them without the protection of Parliamentary privilege.

I think I will write a letter to The Speaker about the inconsistencies with David Shearer’s declarations in the Pecuniary Interests Register.

ᔥ Sydney Morning Herald

Looks like this is what afflicts Winston and Trevor.

In the words of one senior Labor figure, it is an occurrence so regular “you can almost set your calendar for it”.

He is talking about the latest public comments from the former NSW Premier, now Labor backbencher, Kristina Keneally, who this morning is making news – and trouble – by suggesting the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, needs to either wind back or scrap the carbon tax.

The advice, given during her appearance on television last night, has been quickly dismissed by members of the federal government.

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But it has reignited “seething anger” against the former premier over what is commonly termed her “insatiable need for publicity”, according to a senior Labor figure, that is damaging the leadership of the NSW opposition leader, John Robertson.

“You can almost set your calendar for it. It’s every third week or so. It is the dictionary definition of relevance deprivation syndrome,” the Labor figure said.

Trevor Mallard raised the spectre of the Pecuniary Interest Register in Parliament as part of his latest bid to smear John Banks and resurrect the Underpants strategy.

But it reminded me, about the inconsistencies in David Shearer’s own Pecuniary Interests register.

Bear with me.

Shearer made the following comments to the Northern Advocate:

For years, he and wife Anuschka have owned a bolt-hole on the coast north of Whangarei. They looked forward to their family’s summer holiday there, he said.

Quite rightly, in 2011 David Shearer, listed a jointly-owned section in Whananaki on his pecuniary interest register.

But that property wasn’t listed in either 2010 or in 2009.

So has he owned it for years, or is his Pecuniary Interest Register for 2009 and 2010 false?

ᔥ 3News

Such are the perils of gotcha politics. David Shearer had to make an embarrassing apology to the house after misleading parliament with a quote from David Farrar that he blamed on John Key.

Trevor Mallard has accepted responsibility for the embarrassment

Mr Mallard this morning told RadioLIVE he was to blame.

“It’s a terrible mistake and I take responsibility for that,” says Mr Mallard, who still managed to get in a dig at the Prime Minister.

“We confused David Farrar with the Prime Minister – they both say the same things all the time, and the quotes got shuffled.

“I looked at the questions beforehand, I should have seen the difference.”

The question is though that really needs answering is…Did Trevor do it deliberately, causing an embarrassment and knowing he won’t ever have to suffer a sanction for such a massive cock-up?

Perhaps the person most offended will be John Key after being confused for a short, round blogger with a skinny wallet.