Dominion Post – asking the wrong questions?
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Today’s Dominion Post has highlighted Hone Harawira’s travel costs, incurred from 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2011,
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The article state,
“Mana Party leader Hone Harawira topped the list at $54,961, followed by Labour leader Phil Goff with $32,566.” – Ibid
Blah, blah… blah, blah, bah… … … … …blah.
The article then repeats Harawira’s travel expenditure, for good measure – just in case we missed the statement at the beginning, plus the photo with the comment,
“TOP DOLLAR: Mana Party leader Hone Harawira topped the list of MP travel expenses during election time.“
Obviously, this article is a thinly-disguised attack on Hone. It’s called “having a go at someone” since Harawira is an easy target for lazy journos, right wingers, and racists.
Otherwise, Ms Vance has missed the real story relating to the release of MP’s travel costs, to whit,
Hone Harawira’s travel costs,
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John Key’s travel costs,
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Source: Members’ expense disclosure from 1 October 2011 to 31 December 2011
Hang on a mo’…
$1,710 spent by John Key on all domestic and air travel?!?!
How does that work???
Especially when National MP, Nikki Kaye (immediatly above Key) spent $14,569 and National MP, Colin King (immediatly below Key) spent $20,037?!?!
After all, Key was all over the country in the run-up to the election – especially his little “day excursion” to Epsom, to have a cuppa tea,
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Who paid for Key to travel to Epsom?
And shouldn’t that question be a matter of interest to journalists? Or is it much easier to simply pluck the highest figure from the list, and repeat it without any context or analysis at all?
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As an aside, Hone Harawira is MP for the Te Tai Tokerau electorate – one of the biggest electorates in the country.
Also, Te Tai Tokorau takes in the general general electorates of East Coast Bays, Helensville, North Shore, Northcote, Northland, Rodney, Te Atatū, Whangarei, part of Waitakere and some islands located within the Auckland Central electorate.
Harawira is therefore covering an area which, in the General Electorates, is covered by ten MPs.
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It would be remarkable if Harawira didn’t incur a larger-than-normal travel bill. His electorate is larger-than-normal.
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You left a few good posts on that dominion post thread Frank and the righties are spewing! LMAO! You can tell a racist , They don’t ask you why you call them a racist, they try to justify it!
While I agree with many of Hone’s policies, i think he brings a lot of trouble on his own head through some of the stupid things he said in the past. i hope he’s grown out of some of his attitudes Frank, some of which border on racism. Actually at least one thing he said was racist, no doubt.
I’ve seen him speak via podcasts and I think he has a strong future ahead of him as a good leader. He has much growing up to do before that I think.
[Obscene comment deleted
I refer you to Posting Rules.]
Bit of a potty-mouth there Ian? Didn’t your mum teach you proper manners?
Hone is is own worst enemy Frank. Yeah he has the largest electorate and spends more on travel. I get that. But some of the anti-pakeha stuff that comes out of his mouth is just trash-talk.