What about Don Brash's emails then?

[Balding Eagle]

So the National Party were talking to a bunch of right wing people. And Labour doesn't talk to a bunch of left wing people who equally would like to influence their policies? They are not influenced by the Labour/union movement? Yeh Right! It just seems that one side seems to be able to make it sound acceptable but the other lot can't.

Isn't it interesting that we want to have a Prime Minister who is able to debate a subject in public. I would have thought that if we were a thinking nation, we would want someone who could run the country primarily on the financial side. In that respect I would have thought that someone who had a doctorate in economics was somewhat more qualified than someone who has a doctorate in social history and who got his doctorate by producing a thesis on the social conditions in northern England in a period of 15 years or so in the nineteenth century.

Yeh Don made the odd cockup but I know who I would trust. It certainly isn't Niki Hagard. That guy has no credibility after his past attempts at being a conspiracy theorist. The guy sucks and anyone who buys his book is a fool.

[eliot-ness]

You can't stop a leak once it's started.

Maybe a finger in the dyke would have helped

[dawnrazor]

You know, for an educated man, Dr. Brash it one thick c#@t

[Balding Eagle]

Naive he might be; thick he is not.

[Jamezo]

Oh my, I read the front page of the Dom Post, it does not make for nice reading.

The worst feature was the collusion with Mr Bassett of the Post; who helped write the infamous Orewa speech, then talked it up in his own editorials! As well as being a vocal mouthpiece during Brash's initial coup.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,...9a6160,00.html

This is the most insidious kind of political dirty dealing. I think Mr Brash could be endangering our ranking third in the world for the lowest levels of corruption, something I am quite proud of.

[Swoop]

Emails are "apparently" like a postcard... easily read by anyone who cares enough to take the time to do so.
Keep them private.

[Hitcher]

The worst feature was the collusion with Mr Bassett of the Post; who helped write the infamous Orewa speech, then talked it up in his own editorials! As well as being a vocal mouthpiece during Brash's initial coup.

Puhlease. There is a long history of New Zealand newspaper and magazine columnists rooting MPs and not disclosing their "personal interests". Even if they're not enjoying sexual relations, the political bias of many columnists stands out like dogs' balls. Look at the DominionPost's Tracey Watkins. She may as well have "I love Labour" tattooed on her forehead. The only person who thinks she is an unbiased and authoritative political commentator is Tracey.

New Zealand's media, politically the reef-fish who inhabit the Parliamentary Press Gallery, are characterised by two traits: cosiness and laziness. What's printed in the media is not necessarily fact, impartial or unbiased. It is up to you, gentle readers, to form your own opinions.

As for the collected utterances of Nicky Hager -- he's trying to sell a book in the pre-Christmas market.

[Jamezo]

Bias is unavoidable, direct collusion is another animal altogether.

I should hope Michael Bassett was not having sexual relations with Dr Brash, but it would not trouble my hopes for our nation's democratic process nearly as much as the completely unethical 'journalism' he was performing.

If you would pardon the truism, the fact that if this had not been uncovered in this perhaps surreptitious manner, it would have gone completely unnoticed, is the greater crime against my sensibilities.

[Hitcher]

If you would pardon the truism, the fact that if this had not been uncovered in this perhaps surreptitious manner, it would have gone completely unnoticed, is the greater crime against my sensibilities.

And of course your sensibilities have read the emails of the leaders of all of New Zealand's other political parties.

[Jamezo]

....which is the part that irks me, and thought I alluded sufficiently to it.

The fact that it is entirely possible for any leader of a pre-eminent political party to lie to and manipulate the public, and *almost* get away with it, that is my concern. We have no way of knowing the difference between a truth and a sufficiently covered up lie.

This particular instance I think demonstrates a degree of credibility of the National member(s) who leaked the information, but damns those who were complicit in the deciept.

[Lou Girardin]

I can never understand how otherwise intelligent people commit things to email that they would never do in writing. This didn't happen when people used phones.

[Pukuriri]

You really need to run with the idea ... NEVER put in print (or e-mail) what you dont want others to read / use! I would have thought Don and Helen would know this already?