If Denis Shuker believes that what he's described is as nasty as it gets in New Zealand politics, he has not yet read Nicky Hager's Dirty Politics (letters, Northland Age, August 21). I have, and Hager could well have used the adjective 'Filthy' in the title of hisbook. Every voter should read the whole book before September 20, and not rely on media summary of it.
Associate Professor of Law at the University of Otago, Andrew Geddis, has said that he has made his way through Dirty Politics and agreed with the Dom-Post blogger Danyl Mclauchlan's feelings when saying: "Whatever the wider implications, the book has had a profound effect on me, personally. Something that doesn't come across in the news coverage about Dirty Politics, and Cameron Slater, Jason Ede, Jordan Williams, Simon Lusk et al is just how ... awful these people are. They spend their lives trying to poison and contaminate our politics. They enjoy seeing people suffer. They get excited by the idea of breaking up the marriages of their political enemies and ruining their lives."
In his quote Geddis omitted one of the final two sentences of that paragraph: "And John Key stands up and bleats about how everything they do is fine, and the people on the left are the nasty ones."
Professor Geddis goes on to say, "If you haven't read the book that sounds a bit over the top. But it isn't. It really isn't. Because it is hard to identify what is the worst, most awful example of plain despicable conduct in the text."
For your information, the Jason Ede referred to above earlier worked two offices away from the Prime Minister's when on the ministerial services staff. He is now reported to be employed by the National Party at its Wellington head office.
However, apparently he was very recently spotted in the Parliamentary complex with a security access swipe card, and Prime Minister John Key says he can't explain why this "black ops" spin doctor still has staff access to Parliament.
What does our Northland National Member of Parliament, Mike Sabin, have to say on all this?
