How not to leak a policy idea

Whoever rode shotgun on Labour's leaking of its state-funding proposals should be, to use a Michael Cullen quote, "Taken out and quietly drowned".

The concept of leaking policy in this manner is that you're supposed to release a controversial element via an identifiable (and expendable) lackey. That way, if public reception is nasty, you let the lackey take the flack and disavow the proposal.

Labour chose to perform off-the-record briefings instead, leaving the government as a whole as the inevitable "author", in the public's mind, and will now reap the consequences.

What they ought to have done is use a think-tank, Labour Youth or suchlike, as the troops to go over-the-top and face the barrage.

Time for a cleanout of Labour's backroom boys.

Lazy Sub-Editors

The heading of this story on "Stuff" is "Dame Te Ata busy to the End". However the very first line of the underlying story contradicts this, saying it wasn't Dame Te Ata who was busy until her death, it was her husband; she was just handing-out orders.

So really it should "Dame Te Ata's husband busy to the end". Doesn't sound as heroic though.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3766694a10,00.html

Rising conservatism in NZ?

Interesting story on Stuff reports that NZ may be becoming more conservative. Similar studies in the US and Australia suggest the current generation of university students are also more conservative than their recent predecessors.

The political implications of this will be interesting. Will it boost R-O-C parties, or will it push L-O-C rightwards in their policies, effectively moving the political centre?

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3759480a10,00.html

The case of the Auditor-General that barked

I thought we'd neutered the A-G? Will this act of assertion require a "redefining" of his powers [Ed: redefined down, of course] , or were the election-campaign rorts just too blatant for the guy to swallow? Can't even offer to buy him off with a knighthood anymore, worse luck. The new, titleless-honours just don't impress anyone.

At least all the parties are hit, this will make it easier to organize a shabby back-room deal. A quick conference, a hurried, midnight voice-vote, and voila, retrospective authorization. There will of course have be some public promises of "fresh, tough new standards of accountability", to try and blunt the anger of the voters, but those standards won't actually have to eventuate.

The REAL question is how to get away with over-spending next time, now that everyone's on alert. Suggestions are welcome, add in comments.