Hager, Crosby Textor and TV ONE News

Predictably the Hager árticle’ in the SST had all the usual left voices acting as if John Key had been found indulging in an act of bestiality, rather than doing what politicians do, that is acting rationally and legally in taking advice from a variety of sources on how to win.

That is what party leaders are supposed to do – win elections.

Oh, and by the way it is not mandatory to tell your opponents what you are doing, there is no duty of disclosure on these matters. Indeed, discretion and secrecy are often advantageous when battling to win an election.

Now The Hive yesterday carried an item on how the SST might regret having published all that they did, see this Hollow Man II – You Should Read This if You Do the Legal Work for the Sunday Star Times, in which they point out that a number of the allegations made on various blogs, have been refuted and that one Australian ‘left’web site has had to apologise and pay compensation.

Adam suspects what has the left frothing with paranoia is that Crosby Textor are successful.

Back to Hager, TV One News had an item this evening from Guyon Espiner where he specifically referred to Crosby Textor, as a firm of dubious advisors, then he said Bill English had obviously learned his lines in reference to English refusing to confirm or deny. Simon Dallow introduced the item by referring to secret advisors.

To Adam’s mind the TV ONE item came across as a smear by innuendo, clearly they used a wording that implied something nefarious was afoot, though Espiner made a reference to it all being a trivial matter so why were National sensitive. No doubt so that if queried later a claim of balance and/or inconsequential could be made.

National have a perfect right to be sensitive about who gives them advice, when and of what nature. Crosby Textor if they are working for National have entered into a private, contractual relationship. For National, this is especially so given the campaign of innuendo and smear run against them repeatedly by Labour.

What makes this all so much worse is that the media, especially the SST and the government owned broadcast media in particular, have given oxygen to a story the bare bones of which is that National, perfectly legally, has hired a successful firm of political consultants who advise right of centre parties on running winning political campaigns. So what!