Read a good book lately?

W

ATERGATE II, or just a smear campaign? Nicky Hager’s latest book, certainly has tongues wagging. Fingers have been pointed, hacked emails reproduced.

And while accusations have been made, if people in other countries read them they would likely say, ‘‘is that all?’’.

But this isn’t another country, this is supposed to be one of the least corrupt countries in the world, so this stuff does matter.

And what’s being alleged doesn’t even have to be illegal to make a difference.

If enough voters are convinced National and John Key are involved in gutter politics, it could change an election outcome. An election outcome in just five weeks.

Perceptions and personalities matter more than policies to many people.

The saving grace here for National though may be a public apathy for what Hager is alleging. Certainly, few people will actually read the book. Ironically, they will be influenced by the media coverage of it.

And even then they may wonder what the big deal is. So what if the Government was feeding selected internet bloggers specific information, or giving them a heads up on what questions to ask and when. That’s the way the media works in general, isn’t it?

And the answer to that is yes, but perhaps not in the way Hager says.

Sources tip journalists off all the time. What’s not common is also feeding them the actual questions to ask, and telling them to use the Official Information Act at a specific time to get the answers.

If what Hager alleges is true, Cameron Slater’s Whale Oil blog has effectively been used as part of the National Party message machine, and in a way at times to spread mud without it sticking anywhere.

But again, is that such a big deal? Readers of the blog surely knows its political bent, and can assess it accordingly.

Thinking people will wonder at Hager’s hypocrisy in being critical of Slater using hacked emails when his own book is based on them, and his defence of public interest just may not wash.

Whether this is Watergate II will depend on what unfolds in the next few days, from the Government limiting the damage to the opposition parties looking to make the most of it.

And some of that will depend on how they use their sources in the media.

Now, what are the parties’ policies on health and crime again? Or don’t we care?

education,