Too easy to hide behind ‘dirty politics’

In asking ourselves what constitutes dirty politics, no need for hypotheticals. Real-world case studies abound. In the United States, Republican efforts, underway right now, to stop votes being counted in undecided Senate and Governor elections by spreading conspiracy theories alleging fraud where none exists? Dirty. Donald Trump spreading a video in the last weeks of the midterms campaign deemed so racist and factually inaccurate even Fox News wouldn’t run it? Yep. Secret Russian money funnelled illegally to fund the UK Brexit campaign? For sure.

Back at home, the leaking of private text messages between a scandal-plagued MP and his jilted paramour? Definitely. Me defacing National Party signs all over Auckland Central in 1993? Absolutely. And sorry about that.

Illicit leaks, lies, graft or plain old vandalism. These gutter tactics are outside the bounds of what any democratic society should tolerate.

But I’m noticing the phrase ‘‘dirty politics’’ is bandied about in New Zealand in troubling ways.

Last week, it was revealed that Porirua Mayor Mike Tana has yet to move his family home from Rotorua despite promising to do so before his election. The report also mentioned a poll conducted in the city which raised the mayor’s residency as an issue.

Within 24 hours, Tana played the dirty politics card, casting himself as a victim of a smear campaign. Among his Twitter fans, there was, predictably enough, much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Councillors quoted in the story faced a barrage of abuse on social media platforms – one even had private and highly personal chat room conversations leaked by a Tana ally. Wellington political commentator Morgan Godfrey called the criticisms of Tana ‘‘a disgrace’’.

Colour me baffled. What exactly is disgraceful, or even a little bit murky, about any of this?

A mayoral candidate who promises to move his family home into the city he seeks to lead, and then doesn’t, should expect to be called on it.

Tana cited family reasons to explain why he hasn’t moved – and the media gave ample space to his rebuttal, as it should.

If there’s something illicit about pointing out that Tana continues to move between the city and his family home in Rotorua – or a potential challenger poll-testing voter sentiment on the issue – then we’ve really allowed the definition of ‘‘dirty politics’ to stretch into absurdity.

Shouldn’t Porirua voters at least know the facts so they can reach their own conclusions? Isn’t this especially true given Tana’s election commitment?

Like Tana, I promised to move addresses if elected in 1989 to the Porirua City Council. I moved from Camborne to Ascot Park within weeks of winning on the assumption that failure to do so would carry a heavy price. And that was four, not 400, kilometres up the road.

The wet at Twickers was set up for box kicks on Sunday and England halfback Ben Youngs showed Aaron Smith how to get them pinpoint with his white tubbies chasing . . .

We must not allow ‘‘dirty politics’’ to become a shield against democratic accountability. In a country largely free of the kind of dastardly tactics that infect politics elsewhere, it doesn’t serve us well if we allow an excess of gentility, or an undue fear of the ensuing backlash, to shut down debate.

Politics is, and should be, a contact sport. We ought to be able to robustly question the actions of elected politicians, and we do democracy a disservice by deeming every tackle too high.

Before setting off the dirty politics hair-trigger, let’s first ask: is the tactic or criticism illegal (Kremlin funds Brexit), false or misleading (the Trump ad), and does it fall outside the public interest (like the Jami-lee Ross text)? In the Tana case, it goes nowhere near ticking any such box.

Causing embarrassment to politicians by holding them to election promises isn’t dirty politics. It’s our civic duty.

The All Blacks are not getting many kicks out of their kicks. When the imperial torrents fell at Twickenham against England on Sunday, it should have been tailor-made for a kicking game. But New Zealand players are not really grubs – as in exponents of kicking grubbers.

All of Beauden Barrett’s attempts to throw in worm-burners ended up going dead, when the conditions were ideal for them.

Manawatu¯ ’s own O¯ tere Black knows how. He has set up many a try for the Hurricanes and the Turbos with deftly weighted grubber kicks.

It is a prime weapon for the leaguies in the NRL into their narrow in-goals, and with rogue spins as Shaun Johnson employed against Wayne Bennett’s England at Leeds on Monday.

The All Blacks’ kicks either went too far, out on the full or safely to hand.

The wet at Twickers was set up for box kicks on Sunday and England halfback Ben Youngs showed Aaron Smith how to get them pinpoint with his white tubbies chasing, even when they bombed little Damian Mckenzie, who bravely went up for them only to be swamped by all whites.

Not so the All Blacks, who by my count hoisted 11 such box-type kicks and regained only two of them. Left-footed first five-eighths and halfbacks being back to front seem prone to having their kicks charged down. Just don’t ask me for scientific evidence.

One such is All Blacks leftie TJ Perenara, whose sloppy box gave England a chance to steal the test match. Fortunately, England’s Courtney Lawes was inside the box and while the 76th-minute try was ruled out, it left the door ajar for the dreadful British media to press the burglary button.

Perenara had no need to take a wide step infield when the interloper Lawes must have been clearly on his radar. Lawes of course would not have charged down the ball off the end of Perenara’s boot had he at any time retreated behind the hindmost bulldog.

Sky TV’S post-match former All Blacks agreed it was ‘‘technically offside, but . . .’’ Well, Christian and co, it’s either offside or blimming not.

Gallic referees are prepared to change their minds and say ‘‘non’’. Don’t forget though that Jerome Garces was the touchie at Eden Park last year who allegedly talked his compatriot Romain Poite into erroneously changing his last-minute offside decision against the British Lions.

Garces was also le garcon who redded Sonny Bill against the Lions last year.

It gets better. Our old mate Wayne Barnes will be blowing when the moustachioed All Blacks play Ireland on Sunday.

To give Garces credit, he did not springfinger players trapped in the back of rucks whereas most Kiwi refs ping them because they fail to tunnel under the sub-soil and get out. On Sunday, English lumps continually held down All Blacks in rucks. It had to be a plan from fast Eddie.

Hansen keeps claiming Beauden is still learning after having played 71 tests. He also sticks with Sonny Bill, whose body is stuffed, while Rieko Ioane must stay out on his wing. Every second wing jams in these days.

The All Blacks are still learning from the Boks’ kicking in Wellington.

Will any of the British teams have a home coach again? England have two mercenaries as coaches and, unlike Brad Shields, most Kiwis would play for any foreign team but England. Their masses enrage us every time by snidely drowning out the haka with their horrible hymn, as opposed to the usual respectful silence in Dublin.

The Twickers hordes greeted the fulltime whistle with 80,000 boos, their 34th loss in 42 tests against the good guys. Last world war we fight for that lot.

Online sport – no thanks

Some bright spark at Spark is intent on spoiling our sports viewing from next year.

Spark, which not so long ago was Telecom, has nicked the rights from Sky Television to next year’s Rugby World Cup, English Premier League Football, almost all hockey and Formula 1 racing.

If Brendon Hartley isn’t with Toro Rosso next year, the interest in Formula 1 might drop anyway, hockey has a core audience and English football incurs an extra cost now with Sky.

Sky has its faults, but at least it has one package for those of us who aren’t interested in sports streaming nor in watching sport on cellulars, tablets or computers, or steering it to smart tellies.

Even as a Spark customer, I hope this sports hijack goes bung. Stick to your knitting; we don’t need more bills.

Many sports subscribers will just stop watching, as happened when the soccer in 2013 and golf in 2014 went to Coliseum Sports Media. The quality of the connections was poor and too few bothered taking it up. It all ended up back at Sky.