Refusing to financially support Hager I haven't purchased and read his book but have a couple of responses to this.
First, it further serves to highlight the urgent need to find out exactly how Hager got the information on which his book is based. His story continues to strongly contradict National's.
Second, the people who write best about any subject are those passionate about it. I can only think of one writer I can't place politically, whose work I read with interest, Colin James. And even he is now under attack from the left.
'Independence' is actually a construct of Hager's as I pointed out in this letter published earlier in the DomPost ;
That Michael Bassett is such a frank, no-holds-barred writer means we know exactly what he thinks and where he stands. He has long championed the same causes as Don Brash; welfare reform, one law for all, a resolution to the treaty settlement process and free market economics. The man can hardly, then, be accused of some sort of deception because, as Nicky Hager puts it, he presents himself as "an independent writer and commentator". That is a construct of Mr Hager's invented to suit his purposes.
Finally, if Hager's claims about the source of his material are true, and if securing democracy is a goal worthy of theft and deceit, having achieved the end by now justifiable means, why don't those "decent" and "concerned" people reveal themselves?
6 comments:
I actually wonder about the track the Dominion is going down with its Editorial/Feature writers. Dumping Bassett is deplorable and if Hagar is to be his replacement then they are on a slippery slope.
At the moment I am seriously considering if my 20 year (approx) subscription and over 45 year redership is worth continuing. I will probably give them a few weeks to get past `the silly season' and then review it.
But Pankhurst will need to get his act together and show some independence otherwise I might as well get The Listener.
Oops missed my pseudonym.
You hadn't noticed Colin James long-time fawning over Bill English?
What people like Hager mean by independent is that the commentator agrees with them.
`you hadn't noticed Colin James long-time fawning over Bill English'
I am not sure if this is aimed at Lindsay or my comments but I can say that I haven't noticed. However Colin James is not a regular contributor to the Dominion Post.
Anon, I hadn't. No more than anyone else's.
And I don't begrudge English. Whatever can be said about his politics he isn't short on character or tenacity.
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