Monday, August 29, 2005

National Website

I wouldn't usually draw attention to this, but I think that a glance at National's website is actually quite telling.

We are in the middle of an extremely competitive election campaign, with high levels of public interest, but what does National have to offer up in its featured 'National News' section?

Well, firstly and obviously a link to details about the tax announcement - fair enough, that is National's centrepiece (some would argue only) policy. Beyond that though, it's very sparce. There are two stories that are 2 weeks old, one of which is an announcement about National creating a new Ministerial role (I thought they believed in a smaller cabinet), and the second is weirdly, an ad about their TV ad. The other story is the 3 week old launch of National's immigration policy.

In the world of websites, this is all very dated. Labour's website on the other hand has six uptodate stories that are no older than 3 days.

To me this reflects, when you take tax cuts out of the equation, National's absence of anything positive to say about where they would take New Zealand. Labour on the other hand has produced a substantial youth policy, announced an $80 million plan to get new entrant class sizes down to 15, and a plan to give all pre-schoolers extra health checks over the last week, and that's just off the top of my head.

I was also surprised to see the "Helengrad Hall of Infamy" section further down the site. This section seems solely devoted to taking personal pot-shots at the PM, and at this stage contains a silly rip-off song. Is this the website of a serious Party wanting to govern, or a socially inadequate teenage libertarian?

29 comments:

Insolent Prick said...

Who fucking cares? Could your ideas on the world possibly get any more fucking banal than this?

See, Michael, I'm prepared to put my money where my frigging mouth is. If you're so convinced that you'll perform well in Pakuranga, let's have a bet.

I bet you ten grand that Labour's Party Vote in Pakuranga is lower than National's this election.

After all, you're a second-time candidate this time. You should be a veteran at this campaigning thing by now. You'd back yourself to beat National again, wouldn't you?

Go on. Ten Grand, Michael. Tax-Free.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of socially inadequate teenage libertarians, here's insolent prick!

Whaleoil said...

What about you illustrious leaders Weblog....a whole year out of date....I'll add to teh bet and say that labour will struggle to get half of National

Anonymous said...

Michael, there are 3 spelling mistakes on the National website. See if you can find them.

Right, that should take until September 17.

I am pleased you have time to read the National website, you might learn something. And in the meantime you're not out peddling your socialist propaganda. Win-win.

Anonymous said...

What a crock - who gives a toss - the Nats are not filling their website with crap - just hard hitting policies that are winning over the mainstream as opposed to the reds who policy platform essentially consists of trying (very inadequately) to trump the Nats policy (Maori-race relations - student loans - tax - law and order - education - health. One thing you stupid economically illiterate socialists don't realise is that we jsut want to get on with our lives - not have nanny state interferring in it every minute.

The options open to the votiing public appear to be

1. Labour Maori - Greens - Progressive
2 National - NZF - United - no brainer really whoo wants option one - at least such a line up would push you stupid socialists to the rank of oblivion for ever.

Anonymous said...

Fortunately for those of us with souls 'stupid-socialists' make up more that 50% of the population.

Funzo.

Anonymous said...

Peter - your understanding of political theory is not up to standard if you think the Labour Party, Progressives, Maori Party or Green Party are socialist parties.

Go back to politics 101!

In fact, Labour have barely tinkered with the neo-liberalism ushered in throughout the late 1980s and 1990s.

Cheezy said...

My, my... Don't these Nats get touchy when you start to enquire into their credentials for being the next government? They don't wanna talk about their leader - and they don't wanna talk about their website... Is there anything we are allowed to talk about?

How about your Nuclear Policy? (snik, guffaw!)

OK ladies, fire away! In particular, I invite you to swear a lot - to illustrate precisely how ruddy ticked off you all are at having to live under Helen Clark's communist hammer... poo, bum, wee... That will really lend credence to your argument (woteva it is... )

PS: Michael raises a good point. A party's website is important. Dig this: What you're about to hear is hard to believe, but it's true... During the 2002 election campaign, on the National Party's website under the banner 'Policy', there was one menu item. And it said... without a word of a lie... 'Paintergate'.

Phwah!

Too Right and Having A Blast said...

Yep Cheezy and with the passage of time she is still prima facie, a fraudster

Cheezy said...

I guess we can debate the ins and outs of the old painting story until the cows come home (again!~ yawn)...

Less arguable is how lame it was for the Nats to have this issue as the one-and-only item listed under 'Policy' on their website.

So, to re-address the topic of this thread, a Party's website is indeed very important these days..

Anonymous said...

The more important issues in the economy (which includes the wider society) of NZ are HEALTH, EDUCATION, LAW & ORDER, and indigenous people. Tax cuts may be important from individual point of view but not to the society at large! We should be spending more on health and other issues mentioned above than mere tax cuts!! More disposabale income in the hands of an individual lead to greater spending and more often on factors leading to stress, heart diseases, and many other problems!! Someone mentioned in the news this morning that the number of individuals in NZ using heart pills have risen from some 10,000 in 1996 to an astonishing 200,000 today!! This is just one incident that demonstrates something significant should be done to improve nation's health and, I hate to say that mere tax cuts at the hand of an individual is NOT an answer to the wider issues facing the society of NZ. Arrogant styles of some leaders is another matter which I'm forced to note!! I don't see much from Nats and their allies addressing to above!! Over to you voters.

Span said...

so spooks what you are saying is that Labour increased health spending whilst National doesn't even have a health policy, less than three weeks out from a general election in which they seriously want voters to consider them leaders of the next Govt?

also isn't it interesting that National's leader reckons he went easy on Clark in the debate(s) because he's a gentleman, whereas he is quite happy for his party's website to include infantile attacks on the same woman? so he expects us to believe he's a gentleman to opponents on tv when the nation is watching but endorses juvenile attacks on the internet where he hopes (or perhaps knows, given the neglect of the rest of the National site)no one will look?

Span said...

actually i was referring to the comment above that which stated:

"Labour increased health spending from 6 billion to over 9 billion in five years."

the rest of that sentence was my own point.

in terms of the second paragraph, written in haste, yes i could have been clearer, but i'm sure someone of your obvious intelligence can get what i am talking about. but then again maybe you're not as smart as i'd thought. that really would be the most rational answer.

Cheezy said...

Spooksy's doing it again!

A while back he put quotation marks around a piece of text that he'd written himself... and then attributed the words to the host of this blog... and now he's doing the same to poor old Radio NZ!! Superb stuff. 'Quote-gate'!

It's not hard to spot the bloke with no letters after his name, is it?...

Matt said...

Michael, you must be on the right track. It appears you have become just as much (if not more) of a threat than Jordan Carter - everyone is swearing on your comments, you have right-wingers visiting your site and making ludicrous bets, and not to mention the glorious, all-defeating and sweeping generalisations about socialists.

Keep at it. Maurice might even pay your site a visit.

What a hoot.

Whaleoil said...

hey Cheezy typical intellctual snobbery from the left banging on about letters after one names.

All I have found is that I 9the one without letters after my name) hire and fire people with plenty of letters after theirs. I have even hired some people i went to school with who were in the classes above me i.e. smarter and then got masters etc.

Generally the more letters, the more tits you are at life in general, consequently dooming yourself to a life of employment making people like me much better off.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to se today that the Health Banshee has found some money for dental care for children. This is good – but for six years this has been a neglected area – Banshee Annette was a dental nurse (I use the word loosely) before she went to parliament. Her electorate (Wellington South) and the neighbouring electorate has been without a dental therapist for the past 19 months. I advised Annette King 9 months ago. The backlog is so bad that although the mobile unit is now at schools we cannot get a guarantee that all children will be seen.

Annette tried to blame the previous administration even although she has been minister of health for 5 years. The word for that is gutless.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to se today that the Health Banshee has found some money for dental care for children. This is good – but for six years this has been a neglected area – Banshee Annette was a dental nurse (I use the word loosely) before she went to parliament. Her electorate (Wellington South) and the neighbouring electorate has been without a dental therapist for the past 19 months. I advised Annette King 9 months ago. The backlog is so bad that although the mobile unit is now at schools we cannot get a guarantee that all children will be seen.

Annette tried to blame the previous administration even although she has been minister of health for 5 years. The word for that is gutless.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to se today that the Health Banshee has found some money for dental care for children. This is good – but for six years this has been a neglected area – Banshee Annette was a dental nurse (I use the word loosely) before she went to parliament. Her electorate (Wellington South) and the neighbouring electorate has been without a dental therapist for the past 19 months. I advised Annette King 9 months ago. The backlog is so bad that although the mobile unit is now at schools we cannot get a guarantee that all children will be seen.

Annette tried to blame the previous administration even although she has been minister of health for 5 years. The word for that is gutless.

Anonymous said...

Spooks: thanks for more willful ignorance. While it does let you avoid the issue it doesn't make for good reading.

Whaleoil: And?

Peter: trouble with your trigger finger? :D Actually, you do have a point there though I can't see any improvements under National. Not that we can even argue you it in the absence of a complete policy.

Anyway, back to the point. National's lack of a half decent website is just another example of the teams lack of PR skills. I know it should come down to the policies, but a lot of us (particularly here) look to the internet for our information. The national website would be an obvious first stop if I was interested in their policies. Which I'm not :P

Cheezy said...

Whaleoil: re - "Hiring and firing" people with letters after their name... Yes old fulla, mate, but my dad's bigger than your dad... So there... :-p ...I know you are but what am I?

Spooks: I understood CutFoldGlue's post perfectly. Did anyone else fail to understand it?

Didn't think so.

Duh.

Anonymous said...

Never mind, you're proving my point.

Whaleoil said...

Cheezy said " but my dad's bigger than your dad" I really don't get it...I know my Dad is short but how could you possibly know how tall he is and whether your dad id bigger than mine.

Whaleoil said...

Cheezy, to answer your question "I know you are but what am I? "

I think, umm, no wait, umm, oh i know you're a dick. Am I right, am I, am I. Oh please tell me I'm right

Whaleoil said...

Nazis, are there Nazis in the Labour party....is that their secret agenda? and here I was fight pinko leftists.

Cheezy said...

Get well soon, Whaleoil...

Whaleoil said...

I'm not sick. what do you mean?

Cheezy said...

Well done, Spooksy. There's hope for you yet.

Michael Wood said...

I think, as Spooks suggests, now is the time to let this thread quietly drift away...