A fuss about fund-raising, refunds and face-slapping – oh, and John Key come into the frame, too

Alf was drawn to a Sunday newspaper beatup today about a National MP receiving $25,000 from a controversial businessman after The Boss had a private dinner with him at the man’s home.

The donation will be be confirmed – readers are told – when electoral returns are published next week.

Before going beyond the first paragraph the long-serving Member for Eketahuna North was braced for phone calls from constituents demanding to know if he was the MP in question, and who in the neighbourhood was dishing out $25,000 donations.

But it quickly became clear no such calls were likely.

The donation in question harks back to the fuss about a Chinese gentleman by name of Donghua Liu.

Wow – Jami-Lee’s Ngati Porou links call for a fresh academic study into the implications for capitalism

If you go back far enough, you can find your passport into the Maori All Blacks.

If you’ve got a drop of Maori blood somewhere in your veins, you can count on someone in the Maori media finding out about it and tracking down its source.

The consequence in the case of Jami-Lee Ross is a Waatea News report that that yes, he has a Maori side.

This is not obvious from his name, it might be observed, but nor is it obvious in the case of blokes with names like Shane Jones.

Unlike Jones, Botany’s new National Party MP says he doesn’t know his Maori side, Waatea News reports.

But it seems he is keen to find out.

The Botany by-election breeds bullshit and bollocks as the press breaks down the numbers

Is this the smile of a loser?

Check out the headline below, if you want to find a splendid example of the Dom-Post’s prowesss at spreading bullshit.

It brays –

Low voter turnout keeps Botany blue

The clear implication is that a high voter turnout would have given Botany to Labour.

So what load of bollocks did political scribbler Vernon Wright write in his report to put that idea in the headline writer’s head?

Bollocks of a different sort.

Jami-Lee wins Botany (as expected) but it’s a pity he isn’t called Keith, John or Bill

Alf looks forward to Jami-Lee Ross joining him on the back benches in the House after he won the Botany byelection for National (an outcome never in doubt) yesterday.

The Herald on Sunday tells us Ross polled 8150 votes or 56.7 per cent of the turnout.

But the turnout was a disappointingly low 36.5 per cent. Alf imagines that’s a consequence of Botany being an Auckland seat, because Aucklanders are apt to be somewhat wanting when it comes to things like civic duty and getting off their arses to uphold a strong democracy.

Have the buggers marched in the streets to protest against the outrage of Maori being given special constitutional treatment in their city? Nah, they have not.