INFLUENCE, it’s a problem. At least that’s what we are constantly being told. The past week has been dominated by the claims of political writer Nicky Hager that the influence New Zealanders have most reason to fear is the influence of the “Far Right”, whose avatar Hager’s book “Dirty Work” identifies as the Taxpayers’ Union.
From an historical perspective Hager’s argument is unusual. For most of the eight decades since the Second World War, the movement generally identified as the prime generator of unwanted political influence has been the “Far Left”.