Email extracts: Sinclair to Brash

Fuller extracts of the email sent by special adviser Bryan Sinclair to National leader Don Brash last year:

On winning elections

"You need to be sloppy, soft and wet - i.e. open up the cheque book, as excruciating as this will feel.

There is a large Government surplus and the real result will be determined by who the public thinks is best to spend it.

Soft centre voters are inherently self-interested and will vote according to what they can get out of you.

Election winning behaviour requires you to slosh those funds around and buy your way to the Treasury benches."

On staffing:

"Setting the very best strategy means getting the right mix of people around you now.

I think you have limped along this year due to a chronic shortage of equipped, competent, super efficient and campaign-experienced people around you.

At a quick glance everything is much like it was when Bill was Leader. As nice as we all might be the team that sits around the table on Tuesday afternoons will not deliver you across to the Beehive next year I am absolutely convinced of this.

We have to accept what we've got and find ways to work right around it.

Paying existing people to sit around and do next to nothing for the next 6-9 months while you supplant the right people into key positions of influence is a real option ..."

On fund-raising

"You need to collect the booty now and you cannot rely on Steven or Judy or anyone else to achieve this (they don't live in the same room as the donors, they represent the National Party of which the donors are sceptical - particularly when they see who you have close to you e.g. Murray, Gerry etc ...Your ability to 'collect' is being eroded every day that goes by."