Peter Williams: My “Dirty Work” Mention

Hager’s book has it all wrong

Although it’s been the most talked about book of the year, in some circles anyway, finding a copy of Dirty Work by Nicky Hager has proved to be a difficult assignment in my neighbourhood.

In the last week I’ve tried Paper Plus in Cromwell, Wanaka and Queenstown Airport and drawn a blank. There was no copy at the Auckland Domestic terminal’s so called bookshop either, nor at an independent bookseller in Wanaka.

David Farrar: The Hager story implodes even more

I wasn’t going to blog again on the Hager book as it was already clear he had so many things absolutely wrong. But three more things today are too noteworthy to pass by.

Richard Prebble: Nicky Hager’s new book reminds me of my shameful mistake

Whenever Hager publishes one of his hit jobs it reminds me that I once was a target. The memory makes me burn with shame.

Hager wrote that Roger Douglas and I were part of conspiracy to appoint Don Brash, Governor of the Reserve Bank.

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: You can't read Nicky Hager's new book without being struck by bias

I can't decide whether Nicky Hager is naïve or sheltered. Surely it must have been obvious to him while writing this book that the very thing he's accusing Jordan Williams and the Taxpayers' Union of doing is exactly what he is doing himself: acting as a proxy to help political parties.

Peter Williams: What’s so wrong with Taxpayers Union?

The Taxpayers Union (TPU) always struck me as very good idea. After all, what’s not to like about a lobby group that calls out wasteful government spending and develops policy ideas about how to more efficiently allocate the money a government receives from taxpayers.

Calling itself a “union” was deliberately provocative, a piss-take if you like of the political left’s love affairs with trade unions. To this day there still some disaffected types who say that the TPU is not a real union because it’s not a trade union - as if trade unions were only types of unions.

As any half literate person will understand, a union is merely a grouping of two or more individuals for a common purpose. The etymology says it all. Many into one. A marriage is a union. Sports clubs are sometimes called unions. The lefty argument can easily be debunked.

Bryce Edwards: Nicky Hager strikes a win for media freedom and democracy

Do New Zealand state spies unlawfully surveil the government’s political critics? Do they spy on critical journalists? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. And yesterday the government domestic security agency was forced to apologise for one instance when they were caught spying on investigative journalist Nicky Hager.

The New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (SIS) has paid Hager $66,400 in compensation and legal fees for breaching his privacy, and made an extraordinary apology to him. In return, Hager has agreed not to take the Government to court.

Mike Butler: Poverty, wealth, and the election

Dirty politics from the Left during the current New Zealand general election campaign obscures policy at a time when the issue of wealth or poverty and how to get there should be critical. Party policy can give a picture of the sort of country that the various politicians imagine. A wealthy country is good for everyone. A poor country is not. I looked for what the parties said about wealth and poverty and this is what they posted.

Wealth and poverty don’t just occur without a reason. Both are outcomes of human activity. Diligent activity towards a specific goal can result in wealth. Sitting around doing nothing will get you nothing.