Even the candidates are on the payroll

The Herald reports:

Kim Dotcom is offering to pay the salaries of his Internet Party candidates in the run-up to the election. …

And in some Tweets posted this morning, the Megaupload founder revealed that his candidates will “earn the salary of an MP immediately”.

Every other political party runs on its volunteers. People get involved because they believe in the party. Those who are candidates stand (at considerable expense to them) because they believe in the party.

This will be a first. It seems every single person involved in the Internet Party is being paid to be involved. Candidates will be effectively personally paid by Kim Dotcom. That means they must of course do whatever he says.

This is not a genuine political party. It is a wholly owned company.