A recent email... 

On Sep 11, 2008, at 1:57 PM, Mr Lineberry wrote:

Hi Olivia,
 
I think I got rather carried away the other day and I apologise.
 
When you revealed you did the actual work with National party billboards it gave me quite a 'jolt'...and I accept that a freelance chap does need to go where the work is, and fair enough.
 
I do not consider this a 'personal' conflict...but more..ummmmm...probably more on the level of a 'business dispute' (if that makes sense?)
 
I have never made any secret of my 100% contempt for 'Tories' and their snivelling activites during the last 3 centuries...but yes, perhaps not everyone feels the same way.
 
What did particularly piss me off...(and presumably you can understand this)...is having spent much of the other day knocking on doors, handing out leaflets at a supermarket and getting rained on, I come home to find you personally created billboards which opponents will be putting up all over the electorate! ..and yes...perhaps went a bit over the top (as I have occasionally been known to do)
 
One thing I will say, and I put this on my blog, is that you are Glenn are playing with fire....and I genuinely hope I am wrong...but for a year I have been predicting a last minute 'rabbit out of the hat' which sees Helen Clark re-elected.
I still hold to this view and if the National party lose....crash land on, say, 42% of the votes and Labour gets 40% and Helen can cobble together a coalition with the Greens or whomever....you two will get the blame.
 
You will be blamed for the defeat due to strong criticism of the billboards for not being as 'effective' as "Iwi/Kiwi" from last time...and that may be almost impossible to live down (work-wise)...you simply cannot take over election advertising for a party with a 20% lead...they lose...and expecting a "oh well, these things happen" attitude from potential customers..(who will be disappointed National voters, most probably)
 
That chap Jeff Grant 'blew it' for National in 1996 ....their support dropping from 45% a couple of months out, to 34% on election day....he got the blame..(Jim Bolger being hopeless and unpopular never, apparently crossing anyone's mind as a reason for the drop in support).. and ended up having to leave the Country! ..got a job for some farming organisation in Europe.
 
As I say, I really, really hope I am wrong.
 
Regards
ELIJAH