Written By:
IrishBill - Date published:
9:40 pm, May 26th, 2008 - 40 comments
Categories: dpf, scoundrels -
Tags: dogwhistling, kiwiblog, misogyny
National party activist and spokesperson David Farrar has surpassed himself this time with a post attacking Helen Clark for not having children that features youtube work from his friend and fellow activist Cameron Slater.
Now I expect this kind of thing from Slater who is well known for such tasteful moves as photoshopping the face of a teenage blogger onto gay porn and stalking John Minto but I thought given David’s role as a prominent National activist he would have more sense than to get involved in this kind of overt misogyny. After all it’s pretty much mantra that the Nats need to win the female vote to win and that means this sort of thing needs to be kept down the club and out of the public eye.
Apparently David is not on message.
We’ve criticised him for cultivating a culture of filth and hate against women before but this is a new low that he knew would encourage comments like this:
Hey I actually quite glad that Helen hasn’t bred. One of the few favours she’s done us. And I quote her ‘Thank God’
I expect he’ll probably try to wash his hands of this vile dog-whistling just as his mate Brash tried to claim his Orewa speech wasn’t really racist. Well here’s a tip for you David, everyone sees what you are doing and none of us adults are impressed. You need to grow the fuck up and realise that yes the Prime Minster is a woman and the only people that seems to bother are you and your toryboy mates.
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What a jerk. As usual Farrar will claim he’s *really* talking about means-testing superannuation and it has nothing to do with Clark being a woman, and a childless one at that.
Of course David’s readership knows exactly what he’s saying. They make that abundandtly clear in the sexist comments that follow.
He’s hat-tipped Whaleoil. I think that says it all.
I don’t think David Farrar cares about whether Helen Clark is a woman but his rabid readers do and he knows it. It’s a bit of raw meat for the activists, a chance whip up the base. Pretty standard stuff for an operator like DPF.
The sad thing is deep down I think he’s actually a really nice guy. It’s the fact he knows better that bothers me the most.
“Down the club”? You’ve never actually met real a right winger, have you IB?
It’s a metaphor, Billy. Any thoughts on the actual topic of the post?
I find it interesting that video was part of the “Don’t Vote Labour” series. Remember National’s entire hope for getting elected relies not on their own merits but on making people dislike Labour.
There’s no vision of their own, no policy to back it up, just constant running down of New Zealand and pathetic Tory jokes about Helen being childless.
Billy takes a puff on his cigar, adjusts his top hat and his monocle and then says: “No. This post seems a bit pointless to me.”
Catchpa: rampant community.
God, first the infamous “Danish boobs” post, and now this? Poor David. He really doesn’t have a clue does he? And he says that most of his close friends are women. With this kind of stunt you’ve got to wonder.
Billy, using humour to deflect real comment only works if you are funny. Luckily for you you are. Bill doffs cloth cap, draws on pipe and prepares to go to bed to read Marx’s collected journalism and dream of socialist utopia. G’night.
Bill, that Marx’s collected journalism any good? I heard the interview on Doug Henwood’s show and it sounded interesting, but it sounds like the sort of thing you probably have to import. They didn’t have a copy down at Johnsonville PaperPlus.
Lots of families all having lots of families all paying no tax, hows that going to work?
captcha: Lebanon noted
burt: And what on earth does that have to do with the post?
Diversion perhaps? So tell me, what do you think of DPF’s & Whales’s post? Good, bad or ugly?
[Tane: Dad, too far. Take a week off.]
I’ve never commented before. But after that, I have to!
Dad – As a proud West Coaster, i just want to say – Get Over It! ‘Distraught Children’? Yeah, rite!
It was, like a hundred years ago and, if the only Coasters that Helen Clark has met are like you, then it’s no wonder that she thought we were all ‘feral inbreds’.
Hey Coaster do you want the various affidavits from school teachers from Buller that I have collected? Thought not and I do savour the day she is in the dock.
IB
Don’t know why you’re so sensitive about this the Prime Minister quite obviously meant that eventually the baby boomer generation is going to need someone to keep NZ society going once they are past the point of working. I don’t think she’d give a damn that someone’s made a video of her.
The way she put it however did leave her open to ridicule as the thought of others children paying for her pension which she is most unlikely to require after so many years in parliament along with its overly generous super plan.
PS Marx’s collected journalism are you still hoping for the dawn of the communist state in New Zealand ?
HS, I’m sure Helen can cope with a Slater video but I’m sick of the misogyny of the right as it signals to women in general that they are not welcome in politics.
Marx’s collected journalism was a joke. You may be surprised to know I don’t wear a cloth cap and smoke a pipe either.
But I had such a clear picture of you in my head with a thick Irish brogue, a pipe and cloth cap frothing invective at management… you’ve ruined it all for me.
Re misogyny of the right I think it’s unfair to tar everyone who votes towards National and Act as a misogynist there’s just as many who vote for the left.
OK, that’s well over the line. I nominate d4j for some time out.
[Tane: Fair point r0b, I usually just scan over D4J’s comments without reading them, bit this has crossed the line. Dad, have a week off.]
I am talking about debating skills r0b, why try and twist things? Why does the left always silence critics by dishonest tactics for effect.
“Debating skills” is “sort the bitch in 2 seconds flat” is it D4. Yeah right.
I am not one of those who attack you as a person, and I think the editors are right to let you continue to post here (on probation). But you should stay well clear of posting anything that looks like filth or threats of violence.
Sometimes the mask slips from David Farrar carefully cultivated self image of an avuncular fellow who just happens to have some unfortunate commentators in his comments section and the reality – that he fancies himself as the National parties answer to Karl Rove – appears. And he can’t have it both ways. Having dismissed people who qualify for WFF as “breeders” – http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2008/05/calculating_tax_cuts.html – he then sets his online Brown Shirts (yes, thats exactly what they are) out onto the virtual streets to beat up on Helen Clark for being childless.
I make no apologies for anything I’ve said about these scummy people and their scummy behaviour. This kind of crap is not on and credit goes to you guys for laying the boot into them!
Also a message for dad4justice: Enjoy your one week holiday! 😉
I think you guys missed the boat. There is no mention of HC’s gender or whether she has children or not.
The issue is that HC (as one the most highly paid people in NZ) wants to spend her final years on welfare.
You guys seem to want to avoid this point?
djp: Farrar makes it quite clear that “she will be relying on… your children” in direct reference to the fact that she doesn’t have any children herself to pay tax while she’s retired.
Tell me how you missed this?
I figured the fact that the video was cut to repeat the phrase “I don’t have children” twice might have been a giveaway.
heh heh, thanks TomS – so parents are “breeders” eh?
Fascinating insight into the Nat/Act psyche. I wonder if they make the logical progression and subconsciously recognise themselves as ageing steers and wethers – too old to be “eaters” and thus doomed as “culls”. Would explain the metaphorical roaring, charging about and indiscriminate spraying of urine over in Farrar’s rough block (and dad’s feral inbreeding!)
Good point IB: I never actually looked at the video. Clicking onto KB was enough to make me want a shower.
vanilla: HC was the one who specifically mentioned that she has no children. She was the one who said she will be relying on “your” children.
But I dont really care who said she is childless or whatever (it seems to be a smokescreen on your part).
The point is:
She is one of the most highly paid people in NZ and she wants welfare
Once again, it seems this is the point that people want to ignore on this blog.
djp: Indeed. Note that she has also paid tax on her considerable income. Would you deny Theresa Gattung welfare if she applied? I mean, she has probably paid more income tax than most people would earn in a lifetime. Or would you prefer that the money go solely to those that need it?
*gasp*
But that’s income redistribution!
vanilla: yes I would rather it go solely to those that need it.
I would rather a limited “safety net” welfare state then a total “lifetime” welfare state.
How many children does Mr Farrar have?
“How many children does Mr Farrar have?”
Slightly less than you do
If you can’t bag ’em on policy, bag ’em on something else. Just stay on-message and regular.
Delma/Benodic: I think you’ve nailed it here. Farrar, to an extent, relies on his commenters to make him look moderate and reasonable, and generally I get the impression he is. But I can’t hold too much respect for anyone who tolerates or promotes this sort of stuff with such glee.
L
Phil – fewer… Slightly fewer children.
DJP – what happened to paying taxes all your life (supporting the state) and retiring and being supported by the state. I guess that’s some filthy Red notion that should be abolished along with Eating Babies and Inheritance Tax.
I gotta say, guys, it warms my heart after a hard day’s being accused of Stupid Feminist Hysteria (TM) to see the classic, “IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HER BEING A WOMAN, THAT’S WHY SO MUCH ANTI-HC HUMOUR REVOLVES AROUND HER LOOKS AND FAMILY STATUS, HONEST!” defence being used in full seriousness. It’s even a bit funny, really, realising that some people actually BELIEVE that!
Helen has a rather large cohort of nieces and nephews, cousins, and sisters. So for that matter does Peter. It is a fairly close set of families, just like mine.
Now I don’t have kids myself either. But that has never seemed to stop me getting involved in family life. I always have people crashing on my couch, being called help deal with obnoxious teenagers, babysitting (including the disgusting nappies), bailing kids out of jail after being caught driving without documentation, getting hauled in to watch the little horrors at sport, etc etc. In short spending a lot of time helping raise other peoples kids.
Clearly some of the dick heads on here have no close family or they’d know these things. I wonder why their brothers, sisters and cousin’s don’t want to use them?
And by the way, I’ve seen Helen with the families kids. It isn’t that much different, she just has less time than Peter does (or I do for that matter).
I’m a bit late catching up with this one gents, but WhaleOil put together the video on the basis of an e-mail I sent to him on Friday morning.
I posted about it then, here:
http://keepingstock.blogspot.com/2008/05/helen-clarks-new-low.html
Read my post carefully. It is NOT an attack on Helen Clark’s childless state – I don’t, and won’t, go there. However it IS a criticism of Helen Clark’s attitude to everyday New Zealanders.
Make no mistake. Helen Clark is a very affluent woman, who will retire from Parliament with the type of superannuation package that most of us could only dream of. And so she should. I would not have her, or any other politician’s job for quids. However, at a time when New Zealanders are hurting financially, it was a crass comment for her to make, and IMHO, she deserved to be called on it. And I reiterate – it was NOT an attack on her as a childless woman.
For what it’s worth, here’s what she said again – judge for yourself:
“I don’t have children, but thank God most people do , and they’re going to be looking after me in my old age.”
Yeah, that’s right bro – it’s about super. That’s why the video loops her saying she has no children twice and only runs the cut of her talking about retirement once. IV2 – you’re a smart man and a moral one. Don’t degrade yourself defending this shit. It’s embarrassing.
In case any of Farrar’s apologists didn’t get the message, it looks like his wingnut mates sure did:
http://nzdebate.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-dont-have-children_26.html