Just as the Exclusive Bretheren used their millions in an attempt to win the 2005 election for the political right, it would appear that big money is also at work in the Auckland local body elections.City Vision Talk posted a couple of weeks ago about this billboard that went up on Dominion Rd. The billboard personally attacks City Vision Councillor Glenda Fryer, and says "Don't vote City Vision. They're the fun police".
Since then there have been numerous sightings of these huge billboards being illegally towed around Auckland, with a large number visible in these crucial final days of the election.
It would appear that the vehicles towing around these anonymous billboards are owned by the Giltrap Prestige car dealership, which is in turn owned by Colin Giltrap (pictured), who with around $300 million is one of Auckland's wealthiest residents.
This makes lots of sense because Giltrap is a motorsport enthusiast who blames City Vision for the canning of the V8 motor race in central Auckland (forgetting that it was the voters who resoundingly gave the V8 race the thumbs down in 2004).
The real question here is what links are there between John Banks and C&R and Mr Giltrap's expensive anti City-Vision campaign. If there is any link then the huge expenditure on these fixed and mobile billboards should be declared by C&R and Banks, and the ads themselves should be authorised. Whatsmore, if C&R did have knowledge of this anti-City Vision campaign, they need to explain to the public why it is appropriate for a major political ticket to support anonymous attack advertising of this kind.
City Vision Talk wonders if we may end up hearing a repeat of this kind of interview, with Don Brash substituted for John Banks or David Hay!
15 comments:
Unless they're paying people to vote in a particular fashion, or bribing election officials, they're not buying an election. In fact, if they had the balls, they'd be pressing libel charges against you for making that claim.
In fact, they're simply spending their own money in an attempt to persuade people to vote in a particular way.
Do you have so little respect for the intelligence of the average New Zealander that you don't think we're able to vote for who we support, regardless of advertising to the contrary?
The link is pretty obvious...
C&R = Act + National + Bretheren + Colin Giltrap + Banks + David Hay
Talk about a bunch of white men wanting to run the city their way!
Act and the Brethren? You must be joking!
Since when do religious conservative nutbars support liberals in favour of abortion, civil unions and euthanasia?
giltrap = typical bully boy motor'sport' type , the type who thinks it ok to guzzle up fossil fuels...who thinks its ok that every bugger should be forced to listen to his loud wasteful cars, boss hogg rides again !!
Last I checked anon at 7.36pm not all of Act were onboard with the "liberal" ageda - eg Muriel Newman.
The key thing that bugs me about all of this is the secrecy. I have no problem with political campaigns, conducted by billboard or any other method, where it is clear to the public who is running it. I want to know who is advocating a particular point of view, so that I can make an informed choice about what they are pushing. But with this campaign that isn't the case, it's all a big Secret, just as it was with the Brethren.
How long do you think you can keep fooling the population that the rich are fat bald old white men. The global zillionaires club includes mainy celebrites. In reality our rich list would be full of celebrities and and retired sports stars also. Your stereotype is way out of date. As Duncan said, do you have that little respect for the NZ voter that you still try to perpetuate these myths?
Muriel has gone to national apparently.
The issue here as margaret points out is the secrecy. The only people in this debate who have no respect for the voting public are those who want to influence the outcome of the election, but aren't prepared to be open about who they are, and their motivations.
Kevin - it's good of you to be the only C&R candidate to actually front up in this debate. Can you reveal to everyone how much C&R knew about the Giltrap anti City-Vision campaign?
Nothing, we are too busy campaigning on issues.
Speaking personally I want to see NZ move forward and have no time for that sort of gutter politics except that I did find it mildly amusing in passing.
My opinion is that NZ is at a crossroads - we can either pull together and move to a high tech high pay society based on clean lean green industry, and have the goodies we want like a good health and education system. Or we can continue down the road of a low tch low pay society and see where that leads. Since as voters and citizens it is our choice my ADHB nomination is my small attempt to nudge things in the first direction.
Cheers.
Hicks said: "How long do you think you can keep fooling the population that the rich are fat bald old white men?"
Actually until we see fat bald old white men cleaning the toilets, driving the buses, cleaning offices at night, picking up the rubbish weekly, etc.
When we see this we'll know that the rich aren't all fat bald old white men - there'll be far more PI/Maori men and women in the rich list than the token ones we see now.
Fat old bald rich white men have a vested interested in keeping the old boys clubs going so they can continue to rob everyone else over. Why else do you think Giltrap and Gordon Frykenberg are doing the best they can to create and drive around large anonymous billboards and support Cits'n'Rats?
How do you know he isn't supporting 1Auckland? (led of course, by another rich white man!)
anonymous, My reply to you was not posted.
Thanks Michael, but its pretty difficult to have a constructive conversation with this moderation thing on. We dont worry about it on our blogs.
People like anonymous need to get the chip off their shoulder. I hope s/he is not representative of City Vision. If we could loose the chips and the tall poppy syndromes we could form a broad concensus needed to move this country and our city forward. Cheers.
Every single comment that has been received has been authorised and posted.
Sorry Michael, something must have gone wrong. here is my original reply to anonymous:
Anonymous but yours is the sort of unfounded predjudice and politics of envy that is holding this country back.
Not only is it factually wrong in that wealthy people in NZ come from a broad cross section of ethnicities, ages and genders but it is very patronising both to the hard working people you seem to lump into some sort of lower value job group and to those who have worked hard and made a lot of money. Take for example rubbish and other sanitation workers who do an extremely valuable job and are responsible for much of our standard of health. If suddenly they disappeared tomorrow you would know all about it but if most of their bureaucratic bosses disappeared then the world would go on quite happily.
In addition I see many older white guys serving in shops and cleaning so I don't quite know what society you move in.
As I have outlined the campaign you mention has nothing to do with C&R but is a grassroots campaign born out of anger about how the small businesses in Eden-Albert have been victimised. Citivision needs to give up the politics of greed and the tall poppy cutting, get down dominion road and talk to the workers and work cooperatively and compassionately to help create a better society. Without broad consent and trust you can forget all your ideals about sustainability, but if you meet people half way and use a carrot instead of a stick you might be pleasantly surprised.
Cheers, Kevin Hicks
C&R ADHB Candidate
www.aucklandhealth.org.nz
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