The Brethren's Push Polling

David Farrar has a post on push polling.  I know everyone is sooo over the Exclusive Brethren, but I can't remember reading about push polling in The Hollow Men (correct me if I'm wrong) so I thought I'd mention the 2005 General Election push polling.  Apparently using their Brethren schools as a base (as part of a school assignment) the Brethren in most of Labour's provincial seats were phoning extensively using a script along these lines.

Are you voting to change the government?

If they said "no" or "unsure" they went on to say

Did you realise that (insert Labour MP name here) voted to legalise gay marriage, and voted to legalise prostitution between adults and 12 year olds?

Neither of which is true, but it was a script that was effective in Labour's provincial seats.

I wonder if anyone will connect the dots between the Exclusive Brethren's push polling and National's hiring of Lynton Crosby who specialises in push polling?

Comments

[Policy Parrot]

Yes Tony, this was in the Hollow Men. I'm pretty sure it was in the chapter on the Exclusive Brethren.

That's what I love about the National Party. It claims people are 'sick' of politics and that politicians are bad/corrupt - or don't listen to the people, and then it makes reference of examples of bad behaviour by its own MPs as justification that all politicians are bad/can't be trusted.

In fact, perhaps it is just National politicians who are "bad?"

[rjs131]

Did you ever think that labour lost the provincial seats because the MPs were useles or National had better candidates? Or may Or are there some redeeming qualities about the likes of jill pettis, rick barker, russell fairbrother that no one knows about

[Craig Ranapia]

Um, Tony, nice pissy little post -- and you can rely on PP to stick to the talking points. But you do realise that DPF was actually defending Labour against allegations of 'push polling'?

But, hey... nice to see you've nothing to say about Helen Clark's flat out lie earlier this week about National's voting record on Treaty settlements.

[ghostwhowalks]

Ranagia you really should do your own reaserch just because he trots something out doesnt mean its true. Anyway Shar-Key has made so many denials of his previous statements and flop flops( every bone in my body!!) that you dont need to worry too much about helens record

[Craig Ranapia]

Ghostie:

You are a crack-up -- the number of times you've been busted baking porkie pies on Kiwiblog, I'd be more worried about your record.

[Graeme]

Did you realise that (insert Labour MP name here) voted to legalise gay marriage, and voted to legalise prostitution for 12 year olds?

Neither is completely fully true, but a case can be made for each.

If someone voted against the Marriage (Gender Clarification) Bill you can argue they're voting to allow the Supreme Court the power to revisit the Quilter decision (which a large number of people consider flawed). Also, on another level, is there really a large difference between voting against a bill that would restrict marriage to between a man and a women, and voting for gay marriage? They're not identical, but if you're trying to understand the views of a politician, is this a material difference?

Under our old prostitution laws, a 12 year-old prostituting themselves committed an offence (the couldn't be charged because they're under 14, but they did commit an offence). Following prostitution reform they will not be committing an offence.

Not the full picture, but I'm pretty sure I heard people saying that National planned to be rid of the anti-nuclear legislation by lunchtime...

[Dan]

Two questions:
In provincial areas where push-polling took place, who asked for the polling? Was it the local candidate or was it head office of the Nats?
Secondly, who were the young folk who asked the questions? Were they young folk from the electorate or were they in one of the main Brethren areas?