Written By: - Date published: 10:48 pm, November 5th, 2007 - 79 comments
Categories: dpf -
Tags: dpf
Regular readers of David Farrar’s National Party blog will be aware that it’s been in a bit of trouble lately. Aside from the setting up of robust left-wing opposition in the form of The Standard, Kiwiblogblog and others, DPF’s had to contend with an increase in left opponents in his comments section who are willing to call him on his National Party spin.
Bill Ralston summed up the situation well in the Herald on Sunday recently:
If the blog authors are tough in their analysis, the hundreds of comments they get can be even more rabid. In the columns, on the blogs, on talkback and in the letters to the editor pages of the major papers, the tide of opinion has turned rabidly against National. Some of this has been helped by Labour activists who always outgun National supporters when rallying for a fight online and in feedback to the traditional media. “They’re much better at this than us,” admits one of John Key’s advisers
This was bad news for a man whose reputation within the party relies on the success of Kiwiblog, so to crack down he introduced a moderation system. This was done supposedly in the name of cleaning up the sewer and providing for more constructive debate, while those of us on the left suspected it it would be abused (or designed) to crush dissenting views. Farrar tried to give it an air of legitimacy by appointing a supposedly independent, non-partisan moderation team.
One of his moderators, “Rakaunui” (DPF’s Maori foil for Tane?), has been more than a little partisan in his moderation, under Farrar’s express orders. Just today I found several of my comments deleted for supposedly being “off topic”, even in cases when I was directly responding to questions or accusations from other commenters.
This evening was a classic example. Here’s right-wing regular Kimble debating with my old mate Robinsod in a thread about the Electoral Finance Bill:
At the risk of sounding paranoid, but is it a coincidence that the Labour Union movement in NZ never donates money to the National Party campaign? Aren’t these groups supposed to be non-biased politically? Mmmmmm, suspiciouser and suspiciouser!
Robinsod replied:
Kimble you moron – the labour party grew from the labour movement. A lot of unions are still affiliated to the labour party (it’s because National wants to fuck their members). Stop trolling.
Whale – hello? Hello Whale? Um, press report of $20K? Bob? McCroskie? Hello?
The language is slightly coloured, but nothing out of the ordinary for Kiwiblog. He’s clearly replied to a direct question from Kimble, on a topic directly related to election finance. His answer was deleted, Kimble’s stayed. The question to Whaleoil was also directly related to election funding and Farrar’s Kill the Bill campaign. That was deleted too.
I posted a comment quoting both parties and pointed out that there appeared to be partisan censorship going on. That comment was also deleted. As I say, this is just one example of what has become quite a trend – indeed a policy – over at Farrar’s house.
Now David Farrar owns his blog and he’s free to do what he likes with it. But if it is just a home for National Party lines where dissent and contradiction aren’t welcome then he needs to make that clear. Swanning around as an independent ‘political analyst‘ while he carries on like this is simply not credible. Nor is purporting to stand for free speech when he can’t even handle mild criticism.
Anyone else had similar experiences?
(UPDATE: Looks like Robinsod has been banned indefinitely, without warning.)
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“Amusing how rOb feigns indignant when he drops the ball and misses an ironic reference to a line from Michael Cullen.”
Yup – larfs all round! If it was an ironic reference that is, and not Burt’s view of the world. Kinda hard to tell.
Here, I’ll let you in to a secret or two IP. I don’t know everything, I’m sometimes wrong, when I’m wrong I admit it, I don’t agree with everything Labour says and does, I don’t attack individuals, and if it’s ever necessary for me to apologise for something then I’ll apologise.
And you, IP, are very predictable. I was expecting you to come after me after I smacked you so hard here:
http://www.thestandard.org.nz/?p=618
And here you are! Out for vengeance! Yee hah.
IP – Damn yeas popular and competent sickens me big time. That’s why I’m gonna vote tory next year…
See – I’m already spelling like one.
Hi Santa here
Does anyone know how long it takes to get cleared for moderation on Kiwiblog
for some reason it taken a while
I can’t possibly think why
I know its pretty instant here, to your credit
# Santa Claws Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:02 am
# Santa Claws Says: Your comment is
awaiting moderation.
November 8th, 2007 at 11:57 am
Maybe they have to check my IP address
Hi Santa, a mate of mine tried the other day and I’m not even sure he’s been approved yet. Seems to take some time.
Tane, I’m not sure this is santa. The tone is way wrong. I know you don’t check IP’s but it might be worth doing so here to make sure DPF Claws isn’t being misrepresented.
Don’t bother I was taking the piss
I reckon if Santa wasn’t dpf he wouldnot be able to log on to KB and if he was he wouldn’t be able too
I will now dissapear
I used to be able to comment about the ridiculous videos posted to YouTube by the National Party’s highly paid online worker. But, due to being one of the people who are eager to point out the flaws in Nationals ideology, speeches, and MP’s I was blocked due to quote, “trolling”.
It seems to me that the National party is more than eager to moderate their sites (johnkey.co.nz; billenglish.co.nz; etc. are all moderated) to filter through only Right-wing dribble. It would be a jaw-dropping day if Labour ever chose to censor their sites.
If the National party is prepared to connect with the constituents via the internet then they must be prepared to put up with some bloody opposition. Nothing annoys me more than MP’s actively IGNORING the public – so a political party that chooses to censor public opinion does not deserve to be a political party. Politics is people, Labour is people, National is censorship!