Written By:
mickysavage - Date published:
11:07 am, August 1st, 2019 - 66 comments
Categories: Media, the praiseworthy and the pitiful, you couldn't make this shit up -
Tags:
The Whaleoil site will blog no more.
David Fisher at the Herald has this background:
The Whaleoil blog began in 2005, with Slater saying it was an outlet through which he was able to manage depression.
In the years that followed, it became increasingly politicised until 2014, when the book Dirty Politics revealed it was running political “hit jobs”, targeting opponents of the National Party-led government.
The book, and a court case, also exposed Slater as accepting money for writing stories targeting individuals.
A second book published this year, called Whale Oil, described a campaign of harassment against businessman Matt Blomfield, who had successfully sued Slater for defamation over a series of articles published on the blog.
Slater is also currently party to another defamation case taken by health academics and researchers also targeted through the Whaleoil blog.
And it went out as it started.
The final post on the Whaleoil site today floated a discredited conspiracy theory that “shadowy forces conspired” to destroy the blog by hiring the hacker who supplied Dirty Politics author Nicky Hager with digital content taken from Slater’s computer.
The final post pointed visitors to a new site set up by those who provided content to Whaleoil. The contributors did not include Slater, who has told the High Court he is too unwell following his stroke to participate in the ongoing defamation case.
I wonder if this is strategic? And I wonder how creditors feel about this announcement? I am sure they will be interested that there is a proper amount paid for any IP the Whaleoil site may have.
The favourite attack line of guilty nut-bars is to project their own despicable conduct onto the shoulders of their victim/victims or those who seek to rectify the damage they have wreaked. Example – Nicky Hager.
Oops, on re-reading my post, I didn't mean to infer Hager is a nut-bar… rather the ne'er do wells from the former blog-site called Whale Oil. 😯
It has always been a bit of joke to me that Cameron Slater and co seem to think that there is a shadowy conspiracy targeting them. There isn’t. At least not a conspiracy.
There are quite lot of people who despise them for being complete arseholes and who are willing to put the boot in if given an opportunity. I’m one of them, but I’ll only do things if they are fully legal.
It doesn’t surprise me that someone with actual skills eventually got pissed off enough to have a go at the site. It crossed my mind a few times. But I haven’t hacked into a system unlawfully since university the first time in about 1980 (and those were different days – it was actually encouraged then). I just stop people doing it to systems I’m in control of.
However it was pretty obvious from just looking Whaleoil remotely and everything to do with Cameron was that it was swiss cheese and completely incompetent. Even after he dropped the drupal, he never seemed to have secured his wordpress either – and that was well before the hack. After the hack it got a lot better when I scanned it. But I put most of that down to cloudfront.
But the damage that the Cameron Slater, the idiot fuckwit, managed to do to others was significiant. It was only a matter of time before someone tore his system and world apart.
I did my bit in making sure that, when inevitable eventually happened, that those doing doing their journalism and cases received as much help as possible from me. But it wasn’t a ‘conspiracy’. It was almost entirely citizens doing their civic duty and putting a mad dog down that brought him down. If the hack hadn’t happened then the same thing would have occurred anyway – for instance the Blomfield case was underway well before the hack.
More than the police managed to do.
More than the police managed to do.
The police response to the whole Dirty Politics saga was diabolical!
It still gobsmacks me to think they set upon the whistle blower with all guns blazing while leaving alone the characters – of which Slater was the principle – who were responsible for the sometimes violent and unlawful harassment of individuals and the slanderous claims against people who had done nothing to deserve it. And they were getting paid to do it by scumbags out for some perceived revenge.
It confirmed for me that when it comes to politically motivated crimes the police show a bias towards the right-wing status quo and will turn a blind eye to their criminal behaviour, while at the same time squashing attempts by the victims who try to seek justice. The hoops they put Blomfield through during his fight for justice is a case in point and he wasn't even a political person.
There seemed to be something more direct than political bias driving the police's relationship with Slatter. Something we may never find out about.
Political interference? That was my suspicion at the time. Slater is the son of John Slater who was the Auckland regional National Party chairman during the Muldoon years and who later became the Party president. He had lots of contacts in high places. Add to that John Key found Slater and his blogsite a useful tool for stories that the MSM woudn't touch – at least until the publication of DP at which point he dropped Slater like a hot cake.
Bear in mind a former SIS director was duped into providing Slater with top secret material about Phil Goff which put him in a bad light. It turned out to be a load of hogwash and a few years later the current director issued an apology to him.
Nationals police force. 81 bok tour showed their true colours.
Yes incompetent
In the "Gotcha" days – pre the Cactus split, all images had numerically incremental filenames.
wget n+1
Have archived all.
Includes Helen photo-shopped as a "Target"
Does Cameron still have a firearms license ?
thewild
Like – mental health / depression, issues – revealed upon renewals ?
A transparent attempt to save something from the impending court orders. Slater must think judges are stupid, or perhaps his delusions against the day of his Götterdämmerung need to be nursed for a few more months.
He really does seem to think like that. I've been around him a few times in court (and more with his dimwitted legal adviser Dermot Nottingham). It was pretty clear that both of them were completely unaware that it simply didn't matter how much they tried to obscure, conceal, lie and obstruct that the legal system just keeps rolling on and exposes everything.
That their actions just made things worse because it mounts up legal bills that eventually they’re responsible for.
All their dimwitted tactics and conspiring does is to make people willing to make damn sure that they don’t get an opportunity to do that kind of crap to someone else.
I hope someone is keeping pressure on the official assignee et al to do the whole job.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dimwit
"dimwit"
A noun attributed so frequently by "lprent"
Any easy disaffection – callous in most applications.
Rendered impotent by repetition.
If claimed without assertable evidence – is potentially slanderous
CIV-2016-404-1312 [2019] NZHC 1666
Slater was compelled to appear at the Auckland High Court, 26 July 2018.
Did he ?
How much is a digital begging bowl worth these days?
I notice its the same old 'authors' including one called WH. Chris Trotter is still 'trotting on' there
In reality its just a rebranding as they are saying existing subscribers can continue.
To be fair the new site has a much better look and feel than the old one.
Is Chris Trotter actually contributing, or are his blogs at Bowalley Road just being 're-posted' by WO?
the new site will nor get anywhere near the traffic of whaleoil. its snazzy design is slow to load and confusing- not chronological. (same template as the Daily Blog) and most of the content is paywalled. echo chamber for delusional Act voters
I've just had a good run through the site and I'm not seeing any speed issues (I'm using Edge as my browser on a fibre Broadband connection). Also there are very few posts that are paywalled. The design/layout is very subjective, but I will say that what they have chosen is quite contemporary – as you say it is similar to TDB.
But it's the same sycophantic idiots, including Slater's wife, trying to peddle the same trash as their idiot boss. Whaleoil lasted as long as it did because it was run by a psychopath. The psychopath's gone and there's little left. They're no doubt excited right now about their attempt at a new beginning but it's only a matter of time for them to realise the emptiness of their pursuit and that they're on a hiding to nowhere. I give 'em less than six months.
Much of what you say is true, but I give them more 'legs' than that. They still appear to have a solid support base. They also seem to have found the money from somewhere to build the new site?
Whaleoil lasted as long as it did because it was run by a psychopath.
Anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of a psychopath will know how amazing it is they are able to dispense their particular form of chaos and criminal behaviour without intervention from the 'powers that be' including the police.
I've not yet figured out why. Maybe someone can enlighten me. 🙂
Freed from Antonio – Juana (SB) – ambitions diminished ?
Beside the seaside – beside the sea – Großvater
Chris Trotter was born in 1956 so will have to go a few more years till retirement. I understand that he earns his own living, therefore he may have to lie down with dogs like Whaleoil or its successor at times. He would lift their IQ and EQ by some deciles. Also if he is involved with a wide group of people he gets to know what is going on, and a feel for the zeitgeist. It isn't enough for a commenter at his level to spout out opinions like the right wingers, Mike Hosking, whatsisname Hooten etc. We get more thought from Chris Trotter than they have in their big toes which they use to kick ideas off-side with.
Whaleoil and now this latest outfit has Trotter write for them for the credibility that gives them, including the times when they can say “there, even the left thinks it’s a stupid idea.”
CT gets paid to write.
I understand that he earns his own living, therefore he may have to lie down with dogs like Whaleoil or its successor at times.
??? He's superior to Whaleoil and his cronies, is he? So who's this laughing his head off at the suffering of a journalist in political asylum in 2013?
Also if he is involved with a wide group of people he gets to know what is going on, and a feel for the zeitgeist. It isn't enough for a commenter at his level to spout out opinions like the right wingers, Mike Hosking, whatsisname Hooten [sic] etc.
Ignorant and nasty as they obviously are, have Hosking or Hooton expressed anything in a windier or more disgusting fashion than Trotter did when he bloviated a defence of the Deep South jury that had exonerated the killer of Trayvon Martin?
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/chris-trotter-reckons-zimmerman-jury.html
We get more thought from Chris Trotter than they have in their big toes which they use to kick ideas off-side with.
Really?
How come you do not just login under the one username?
You recognized the music?
With frequent extra whoopie cushion.
Astounds me too, there are few better ways to destroy credibility than pretend to be someone else. Closely followed by attempting to deny a person their opinion with nothing more than your own opinion.
I generally don't regret starting a Trotter piece. I enjoy the political writers that prompt me to question where I stand.
there are few better ways to destroy credibility than pretend to be someone else.
How about if you join in with a mob laughing at the suffering of a political prisoner? Or how about if, following an outrageous decision by a Deep South jury after the murder of another African-American youth, you pompously admonish weak and namby-pamby human rights obsessives that they "have, even in this case I think, to trust the jury"?
https://morrisseybreen.blogspot.com/2018/01/chris-trotter-reckons-zimmerman-jury.html
Surely that kind of thing is more destructive of one's credibility than wearing a mask occasionally.
I tend to wonder what bunch of shmucks he's trying to prod into risky action while cheering safely from the sidelines. Like he'd risk his precious toe kicking anything.
Fidelity Life Assurance (messrs Whale, et-al)
Assured Slater's income during – "depression"
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2998740/Blogger-takes-on-insurance-firm
Will Cameron and Juana ever achieve an insurable status ?
Will Cameron ever be able to tick the " No criminal conviction" box on the AU arrival form when he visits his brother ?
The long queue for you !
Cut your hair you're not Einstein. 2013 and you heard something that was satirical, and you being so pure that you are almost a saint wouldn't have a clue as to the ways of the world and took offence. I hope you are getting looked after well as most people have to harden up a little and learn to keep schtum sometimes. But not you St Prof. and with your little bag of faux pas trotting around to leave deposits on everybody's doorsteps till the year dot. You would make me sick but I can't be bothered.
2013 and you heard something that was satirical,
Trotter laughing at the suffering of Julian Assange was satirical, was it? And his endorsement of that Deep South "jury" that acquitted George Zimmerman: that was satire as well? And the windy admonition of anyone foolish enough to speak out against it: that was also Trotterian satire? Thanks for that.
and you being so pure that you are almost a saint wouldn't have a clue as to the ways of the world and took offence.
I don't think the Professor is a saint, Mr. Shark—hell, if he was, he wouldn't have lost the job of a lifetime tutoring at that exclusive girls' school in Switzerland and be forced to work as a stand-up comic on Turkish cruise ships.
But not you St Prof. and with your little bag of faux pas trotting around to leave deposits on everybody's doorsteps till the year dot.
Oh, so it was a faux pas when Trotter roared with laughter, then hilariously yelled "Get him a sun lamp!" and then capped it off by brilliantly imitating Speedy Gonzales with the following rib-tickling classic: “Are you ever going to LEEEEAAAVE?” It was all…. satire. Just like his advice to wet liberals in 2013: "I think all this talk about the jury is most unfortunate. You have, even in this case I think, to trust the jury." Satire. He's a regular Mort Sahl, all right.
You would make me sick but I can't be bothered.
I can give you what you want, Shark—but you gotta come back for more.
Trotter is the tame lefty for 'balance' and is establishment through and through IMO.
Likes the sound of his own voice lecturing folk to sleep.
good point about creditors to whaleoil. always interests and amuses ,when those who spout about personal responsibility, cut and run, any leave others holding useless markers.
On twitter, there are several abused people celebrating the demise of WOil, however limited. One in particular hoped the defamatory material was going to disappear from Google searches, but I don't know…
A suitably blunt wrap-up of the blubberpit: https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/01-08-2019/rip-whaleoil-net-nz-2005-2019/
Bye.
Whaleoil began as an outlet through which Slater could manage depression. Well, it seems depression became Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
That's the claim now, sure. Wonder if MSD ever investigated his income while on the sickness benefit?
I remember that there were calls for that, but as far as I am aware, no, msd didnt.
His many victims, including the Hall family of Greymouth, will be feeling slightly vindicated. It was no ornament to NZ, and no use except to unusually seedy politicians who used it to extend their term beyond their popular mandate.
This organisation had friends in high places and i don’t think we will ever know the full extent of what else was done and contemplated to attack their enemies had the last gang of crooks carried on for three more years.
Judith Collins it must be remembered was an active participant in what whaleoil was doing here and used these dirty tricks to maximum advantage as did Key-Eade and others.
Not since Muldoon have we seen this level of manipulation and character assassination in our politics ( Douglas destroying Lange aside )
The most disturbing is the MSM and the infiltration of this poison in our fourth estate and that they allowed themselves to be used as Key and others attack squad in our countries media.
Of course it suited these media organisations perfectly well as a mouth piece for National and its friends.
It is utterly reprehensible and yet the main protagonists are still in positions of authority and want to be PM !!!
Slater may have been consumed by the fire he started but there is still more left too burn and Judith has the petrol and matches.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2019/08/01/the-whaleoil-blog-is-finally-dead-reflecting-on-its-impact-over-nz-politics
byebye
I hope the creditors realise that the oily email archives (of which rawshark only showed us a small part) have some value, not only to the general public but also to those still involved in court cases with Slater (and other defendants who still have the resources to continue the defamation cases).
And TheBFD – Big Fucking Deal (rolls eyes)
Some might even pay good money to disappear the archives from public view ..
More likely the shredders (physical and virtual) have already been deployed …. and any competent forensic IT professional could retrieve most of it from the appropriate laptop ….
Total capture – walkman
https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=REFhfjOcuxUC&pg=PA226&lpg=PA226&dq=THE+air+inside+the+tunnel+smells+like+%22steven+hall%22&source=bl&ots=KrgoM2oNB6&sig=ACfU3U2965PCZM0VDrHuoR_MVm4uMkAr8Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjBpI-u_OPjAhVWcCsKHZeRCPIQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=THE%20air%20inside%20the%20tunnel%20smells%20like%20%22steven%20hall%22&f=false
Posted on the Whale Oil website tonight:
Yes just noticed that too. Note the final paragraph of what MS wrote in the post.
The plot thickens!
That is outstanding. They couldn't even migrate their users without breaking the law.
I had a pretty good day – that has made it better.
Thank you.
Strangely that's what's on https://www.whaleoil.co.nz/, the old site is still on https://www.whaleoil.org.nz/.
whaleoil.co.nz is sitting on freeparking.co.nz
whaleoil.org.nz is sitting on an Aussie registrar http://www.instra.com
As much as I'd like this to be real I suspect hijinks
whaleoil.co.nz seems to be under the control of the liquidator Corporate Restructuring Limited, who are domain registrant. That will be why the message is there. They are also registrant of whaleoil.nz
Those involved with WO transferred everything to whaleoil.net.nz (whaleoil.co.nz was redirecting there until this message appeared from the liquidator). Regan Cunliffe, a long time associate of Slater, is registrant. Same for whaleoil.org.nz. Technical contact is Andrea Parkes. She is also the registrant of thebfd.co.nz which they have now transfered everything to.
Just looked at it this morning.
I have no idea why they think that moving to a new site isn't just going to annoy the courts, creditors, and the OA.
I'm off work for a week as an R&R. If the OA is having problems, I'd be happy to help secure the whaleoil site and the domains associated with it. I'd happily donate my time to lock out miscreants.
"Couldn't see the OA message you described."
That's odd. It still comes up for me, but someone else says they can't see it either.
Maybe try a Shift + F5 to force a reload of cached items?
There this morning. Probably cloudfront caching?
Looks like someone's slowly taking whaleoils down, .co.nz has the warning on it, .org.nz is now down (well the server is there but it's timing out), .net.nz still has the original content on it
Hosting payments ceasing, one by one..
thebfd.com belongs to "American LowLife" – at least they admit to who they are
BTW there's a strange conflict of interest(s) here – the Receiver is duty bound to discover all the creditors (and treat them equally) and the paid members are in fact (very minor) creditors – they're due refunds (or fractions there of, depending on the actual assets of the wound up corporation which are likely tiny).
So the whaleoil memberships are strangely both liabilities and assets – assets because they are essentially 'good will' (which amounts to what the oily site really took) and business knowledge that could be sold – say to another right wing web site, political consultants (of any stripe), to advertisers looking for the right wing conspiracy demographic (qanon for example might want them, or a maga hat company).
On the other hand the paid up members however probably identify themselves as members of the community that's moved over to the new oily place and are glad their memberships have been moved over there, and probably have it in for the Receiver (who's really only doing their, politically neutral, legally defined job) and maybe would like to stick it to them by claiming their membership dues back.
Interestingly the new oily web site seems to contain whaleoil content (back to Aprilish), I wonder how much of this really belongs to the Receiver
Especially since the OA is in fact working on the behalf of the creditors owed (at present) $660k.
https://www.insolvency.govt.nz/support/about/news-and-other-notices/auckland-accountant-sentenced-to-three-years-imprisonment-for-bankruptcy-offences/
Doesn’t that sound just like a Cameron Slater line..
Perhaps someone should go and inform the Spanish Bride of her obligations as (for a time) the final former sole director of the holding company for the whaleoil site.