Clare Curran
Clare Curran is a PR hack. She is a Member of Labour. Not any ordinary menber- she is the Otago-Southland representative on Labour's ruling body. She is also contesting David Benson Pope's seat at the next election.
She also replaced Madeleine Setchell after she was fired from the Ministry for the Environment because she is the partner of John Key's press secretary.
In 2006 Curran wrote this paper entitled "language matters" on framing the discussion to generat support for Labour. It states:
How National set the agenda in 2005, not Labour
* The media don’t create the message, they run with it
* The need to come up with a new set of phrases such as “We’ve made mistakes” (would pay to see Helen say that one)
* How to position National as the “enemies of the people”
Curran works for Inzight Coummunications and has claimed to have:
* Shifted public opinion
* Changed behaviour
* Set public agendas
Here's her interview on BFM. She didn't want to talk much about the paper as it was an "internal document".
Just the person the minister wants in the Environment Ministry. Apparently she was headhunted to replace Setchell uncontested- by a minister. Ministers are not allowed to get involved in employment matters - all of which are to be neutral. But this was not a neutral employment matter. So it is quite clear that Labour has no problems with politicising the Public Service, because there are no consequences for doing so. That is the real disgrace.
Martin Kay from the Dominon Post blogs on this politicisation of the public service here