Brian Rogers Rogers Rabbits www.sunlive.co.nz

The big news this week turned out to be, well, not big news.

I'm still angry. We've been robbed of the chance to sensibly digest the real issues before we vote tomorrow. Need to get it off your chest? Allow me to vent on your behalf.

Sideshow Kim and his foreign friends' supposed bombshell turned out to be complete fizzer. More fabrication, dodgy faked evidence. Thoroughly discredited and a huge waste of space and time when the country should be focussed on real issues. A morbidly obese ego trip by foreigners, all on the run from the law, coming here and patronising us with their codswallop.

I predicted a couple of years ago that Dotcom was a train wreck waiting to happen. This week it smashed through its last set of warning signals with still no sign of braking.

After all the hyped up nonsense from the out of control politico journalists around the country, promises every day that Slim Kim's amazing revelations from his ranting wingmen, were going to bring down the government in spectacular fashion and change the course of history – turned out, as most of you suspected – to be bilious amounts of hot air.

A desperate fugitive trying to buy his way out of reality.

Now the really serious questions need to be asked about the conduct of our major political reporters. The Danns and Campbells of the nation went beyond dutiful reporting of the Dotcom circus. They actively, nearly every day, promoted this fiasco, despite any evidence that there would be, well, evidence. It was a beat-up of MegaFatload proportions, eclipsing the real issues that should have been discussed and debated ahead of an election. It was also the nastiest, low level gutter-sniping election I can remember.

Every night Mr Dann and his ilk front the news to tell us how to think, such as: 'This is another bombshell for John Key”.

Opinions masqueraded as fact. Yet Key clearly was not shell-shocked. He was calm and mildly amused. So was Steven Joyce. Most political reporters have been beating up the severity of this issue for months. Perhaps Corin should go work directly for the Labour party campaign for cousin James McBeth Dann, candidate for Ilam.

Process a sham
The problem now for democracy in New Zealand is that voters, especially undecided ones, are thoroughly put off the whole process.

The shame is that some NZers have very little idea of why and how to vote, it's been clouded by this large black smudge across the media for two years in the lead-up.

Heads should roll in the media business for the fanatical promotion of this saga, way over and above its natural level of interest among Kiwi audience. The average NZer is thoroughly sick of it and serious questions need to be asked about why it was rammed down our throats so vigorously for so long.

If anything surprised us from the Internet-Mana pantomime, it was that we only have a couple of US spy facilities in NZ. Well according to Snowden, but how dependable is anyone who 'appears” in support of MegaFatload? Such a reliable source – an American traitor, living in Russia?

Equally un-credible is Mr Assange, who ironically enough, is also being pursued for his moral and upstanding feats, currently enjoys the unique benefits of being holed up in the embassy of some banana republic in London.

Two reliable mates, eh, both living in exile. It's an odd twist, that they are supporting an alleged internet pirate, cowering in NZ from extradition.

So we have these three characters, skipping around the sandpit in a big world game of hide and seek for their dodgy dealings, having played fast and loose with other people's information. While trying to tell us how to think.

If Dotcom had one shred of decency or pride or moral fibre, he'd be voluntarily jumping on a plane (better book two seats) and boldly face up in the USA to defend himself from the charges. Not weaselling away in the most far-flung corner of the South Pacific, playing a game of junior Get Smart and failing dismally at that.

Memo to Messrs Assange, Greenwald, Snowden: Bugger off. And take lardy pants with you.

Whichever way you vote tomorrow, people, please make sure this fat farce is sent packing.

Election results for our region, check sunlive.co.nz