Mallard’s moa idea is not going to fly
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- Date published:
1:38 pm, July 1st, 2014 - 97 comments
Categories: colin craig, david cunliffe, labour -
Tags: moas, trevor mallard
Politics is a funny thing. The most earnest and well constructed of policies by an opposition party are often ignored. Then someone makes a joke or a gaffe or gets caught out in some sort of personal scandal and then main stream and social media goes berserk for all the wrong reasons.
Today has been a bit like this. This morning Trevor Mallard said with his tongue at least partially in his cheek that locals and scientists should work towards the possibility of moa one day striding again through the bush of Rimutaka Forest Park. Scientifically the idea is not one that is utterly impossible. Work on genetics goes on all the time and it is possible that one day reconstituting an extinct creature from recovered DNA may actually bring that creature back to life.
Our politicians should be future thinkers and should be willing to discuss ideas and concepts, no matter how bizarre they currently may be.
Social media has exploded. Trevor Mallard and Moa are trending on local twitter feeds in a way which must make the creators of #TeamKey very jealous.
David Cunliffe has joined in the fun. The Herald quote him as saying:
“I don’t think this one’s going to fly. There’s a lot of scientific work to go under the bridge before moas are going to be flopping around in Wainuiomata.
The moa’s not a goer.”
The quality of Cunliffe’s puns are something that my daughter would approve of.
But some commentators and some media have chosen to complain that Labour is getting sidetracked on irrelevant issues and not concentrating on policy. Firstly can I assure everyone that Labour has been rolling out policy for a while and intends to continue to do so. If you compare Labour’s offerings to what National has proposed so far there is significant more detail already. Apart from more roads and some uncosted and unfunded promises of further tax cuts the lack of detail on the part of National is rather stark.
And oddly enough some in the media have criticised Labour because the media has chosen to report the moa story and not report on the policies which Mallard talked about including housing affordability. But honestly this is weird, the media criticising Labour because the media chooses to talk about something.
Others have taken the comment in the way it was intended. Duncan Garner has tweeted “Colin Craig supports the Moa idea and wants to take one to the moon to be the first thing to ever walk there”. For the record and the avoidance of a defamation suit I should say that I am sure Garner was joking and that Craig does not really want to do this.
And I would not be surprised if some in the National Party automatically thought when Mallard’s comments were broadcast that Labour had nine long years to bring back the Moa and why is it talking about this now?
Politics can be a brutal, overly serious business sometimes. We should tolerate the odd occasion when our elected representatives break out of their shell and make the odd wisecrack.
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The man is only in Parliament now so he can be speaker. If he continues on like this, the job will go to another National backbencher (or god forbid, three more years of the current imbecile), and he will have absolutely no reason to exist.
At least he isn’t running Labour’s campaign this year.
Perhaps it will be nicknamed the neo mallard duck.
The problem is that the media can’t wait to hook into irrelevant crap like this as just another chance to have a go at Labour.
OK I agree re: the media. Next question: why is there “irrelevant crap like this” being put out there in the first place, 80 days before an election.
The moa quip could have worked – if Mallard had followed up with serious points on how Labour was going to support genetic and genomic research (and science in general) in NZ over the long timeframes needed to pull off something like a moa project. Backed up by a real commitment of money. Stuff that a government in waiting might say on the campaign trail in other words.
But no, there was no actual substance or follow up. So it just looks daft.
As for other Labour policy being announced – I see Twyford has just put out a policy making it cheaper for real estate developers to get council services out to new subdevelopments, and making general ratepayers pay more for their property development projects. Fab.
“Labour backs genetically modified organisms”.
The media is not your friend. They are not going to become friendly if you cower in the face of their bullying.
No. The problem is that the media isn’t interested in reporting or analysing Left policy unless it’s to report John Key’s opinion of it. Mallard’s mention of the Moa is the only reason his speech was reported at all.
Perhaps you think humour has no place in public speaking.
aside from being seriously unfunny…no..i don’t think this has any place in labours’ campaign..
..now..or ever..
..and really..?..you are blaming the media for smelling/sniffing at this pile of crap..?
..i’d look to the crapper..if you feel like apportioning some blame..
No, Phil, it’s you who doesn’t get it – the only way media are going to ignore quips in Labour speeches is if they remove them altogether. Then the media will report on how boring their speeches are.
If they can’t find something substantive to attack they’ll just make something up.
The only way to win is not to play – connect directly with people – good luck doing that if they’re not allowed to make people laugh.
it..wasn’t..funny..!
..and any ‘laughing’ is because people think it is utterly stoopid..
Not to you. Were you at the speech? Neither was I. Humour is about timing, Phil.
humour is also about material..oan..
..good timing won’t save crap material..
..in the past i have ‘heh!’ed to yr quips…
..my confidence is now shaken..
There are people on the left whose views I find difficult to reconcile with my own. Trevor Mallard is one of them. Sometimes.
You are demanding the impossible.
Its a sad state our country has got into under this ghastly government when we are unable to laugh at a great have on.My wife and I really enjoyed the joke we are still laughing.
Poor old Nats cant see the fuuny side of anything .They would have been a pain in the ass in a situation lile the Blitz. When bombed Londoners still managed to see the funny side of life.
Valiant attempt at a defense and a very generous interpretation of Mallard.
However.
Moas, cycling, biathlons, lazy in his portfolios, listless and bad tempered behaviour in the house, a massive generation gap with his own party – Trevor Mallard comes across as the archtypical time-serving office cynic, petrified of reform primarily because someone might discover how lazy he actually is or he’ll be made to do some real work for a change. He is a walking, talking poster boy for term limits – a completely institutionalised lazy bastard, a dinosaur from another political era who is keeping better talent out of the parliament because he thinks the country owes him a living.
Mallard is an utter self-serving has-been.
Haven’t seen him at the Lower Hutt Riverbank Markets yet.
You forgot the punch-up and the endless Twitter idiocy. Tau Henare is his equivalent, but the difference is that Key has had the numbers in his caucus to winnow a large number of the many National Party MPs who are absolutely useless. Cunliffe has no such luxury.
Sanctuary, That is the very best interpretation of the duck, ever.
Sanctuary +1
Mallard’s message to the voters has been the same for years: “I’m here for me, so indulge me”.
He has screwed up under four successive leaders, and will continue to help Labour’s opponents until he gets the boot he deserves.
Frankly, defensive posts like MickeySavage’s don’t help Labour one bit. Tell the old guard like Mallard where to get off, call them out instead of covering for them – or stay in opposition.
GS I think that humour has a very important place to play in politics. The more that it is branded as a “problem” by people across the political spectrum the more it will become one and I do not see why it has to become one.
My post is in part an attempt to point out the fickleness of the media and the general population and what the left is up against.
You’ve got to do the hard yards first before you can get away with being a wise guy.
Otherwise, you are just a jerk trying to be funny.
Mallard’s views don’t align with mine either, but just one minor point: how many times have you won an electorate seat for the left?
Where are your ‘hard yards’?
he lucked into a safe labour seat…
..that didn’t take any particular skill..
..that’s like going..’wow!..what a star!’ about mccully..
..just ‘cos he has/had (heh!) a safe seat in east coast bays..
..(that hotbed of progressive-thought/ideas..)
..and i wonder what the poorest in mallards safe labour seat feel about how labour has treated them since rogernomics..?
..with mallard in all that shit up to his neck..
..a poster-boy for that uncaring/fuck-the-poor!-neo-lib/rand-ite-labour..
..i wonder how many non-voters are in mallards’ seat..
..that could be quite illuminating/a barometer..
Yes, I’d like better MPs too. Read Nandor’s valedictory: they don’t call it the worst possible system apart from all the other ones for nothing.
@One Anonymous Bloke 1 July 2014 at 4:24 pm
Did you see the news? One shot of Mallard hanging himself by repeating his stupid idea,. a vox pop of five government minister getting free shots, Cunliffe saying it wasn’t a goer and Mallard contradicting him. FFS.
Look, Mallard was once a fine MP. The operative word there are “was once”. He was clearly burnt out by the time Labour lost in 2008. Generationally and ideologically he belongs in a museum. He has been completely ineffective in opposition, he hasn’t fired a shot. He has not had a fresh policy idea or shown any enthusiasm for his job for six long, useless years. Worse, his weird demeanor, speech and general attitude indicates he now inhabits a surreal reality of his own making. Classic symptoms of an institutionalised inmate.
What is really telling about this Moa episode isn’t that he came up with the idea – it is that he somehow thought it would be taken seriously by the public or the media.
Finally, where the fuck is his discipline? He is like some strange guy rambling off message about fuck knows what. And you and me and everyone reading this is paying that clown to sit there and take the piss out of his employers – us.
Yes, let’s accept right now that the election is all about Trevor. With associates like you, who needs friends?
Good to see Labour concentrating on the important stuff.
Cunners was not happy with another distraction from Mallard and Mickey makes a feeble attempt to try and spin this as some sort of joke and blame the media.
Labour are the joke.
Nakiman provides yet more evidence that authoritarian followers cannot cope with anything other than Stalinism.
Read all about it.
Don’t know for sure what was going on in his active brain. Mallard is a very clever man. May be he wants to keep his Wainuimata residents eager, proud and happy so that they may continue to vote for him for another 50 to 100 years, or may be he is a little bit pregnant longing for a very large hot cup of small moa soup some day. Who knows! In Trevor’s case, ANY publicity IS good publicity!
And that is the good things about Trevor from Sanctuary.
Now, how about telling us about his negative qualities?
Free ammunition: even Alwyn can spot it.
+1 Sanctuary
Mallard is part of the ABC faction. Do not think for a moment that this was not a deliberate ploy. For the first time he has a candidate who will thrash him in the meet the candidates meetings. You do not appear on Seven Sharp with a loony idea unless you want to take the focus off your leader. The Cunliffe was blindsided by this. He is a saboteur.
thanks for your concern
🙄
The Moa was always going to make an appearance in the house today.
But who would have thought it would expose the heart of the National Party so vividly.
The PM’s very first mention of the Moa, was for it to be consumed.
“the special will be a Moa Burger”
I think it’s rather charitable of Mallard to give Key a new subject to bang away on in his attempt to get laughs during his question time stand-up routine.
really..?..really..?
..not a brain-fart..but just some jolly-hijinks..?
..you put this clown-routine next to his immigration policy release on sun..
..where nobody told the media it was happening…(!)
..and that’s a good-look..?
..you reckon..?
..a good look for labour..?
..at this particular point in time..?
..when you hardly have gravitas to burn..?
..send mallard on a cycle-tour until the election is over..
..and take his mobile phone off him..
..and there he sits in parliament..reveling in being the butt of nationals’ serial-one-liners..the centre of attention..
..he’s been there for so long his past-use-by date sticker has yellowed..and peeled away…and fallen off..
Look at the photo in this link:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/10219380/Top-five-reader-comments-moa-edition
It wasn’t an off-the-cuff remark, a “wisecrack”. It was in his speech, prepared, planned, deliberate.
So, a senior Labour strategist and spokesman sat down and thought: “This will be good. This will get publicity. This is what my party needs.” And then he acted on that thought. Yes, really.
I can’t be bothered to explain yet again how stupid this is, since so many of us said it all in 2011. Nothing has changed. He must go.
Well. That’s one way to spin it.
Lighten up , everybody. Remember, we are fighting against the Blue team. FFS we don’t need to waste our energy scrapping with each other. Eyes on the ball will help. The referee (media) is blind. Just keep playing until the whistle blows.
But Trevor’s not fighting for the team. That’s the whole bloody point.
Please don’t tell us to do unpaid what MPs won’t do for us.
Bollocks – media driven bollocks to boot.
Are all Labour’s public speakers to dull their speeches down to “media-acceptable” levels then?
No, just to campaign-acceptable levels.
Fill in the blanks: “To all Labour MPs: from the leadership team
Today the campaign will focus on …… , we will be talking to the media about …… , and the leader would like all MPs to support this by focusing on …..”.
If the missing word is “Moa”, then Trevor was working for the Labour election campaign. Maybe there was a memo, who knows?
But I’m guessing there wasn’t, otherwise Cunliffe would be backing his man. Sadly, Trevor doesn’t care about the team, and it shows.
The media reported Mallard’s comments because he wanted them to. Labour don’t. National do. That’s the problem, right there.
Yes, because that would totes work, because the media is so impartial the way to win elections is to bypass them completely.
Clearly, Jonolism is Trevor Mallard’s fault.
headdesk
Where did the story come from? Who provided it? A journalist’s imagination?
See link at #8.
You think it was a good idea. I think it was a bad one. You think the media are to blame. I think the guy who gave it to the media is to blame. I think election campaigns should be disciplined and smart. You think “Whatever”. I think 2011 was a self-inflicted disaster, Mallard was in charge, and now he should STFU.
Fine, we disagree.
Yes, and let’s be clear about what we disagree on: I don’t think the left has the motivation, the philosophy, let alone the resources (for fuck’s sake) to employ sycophants who toe the party line, and therefore partisan media will be able to lampoon our MPs for independent thought in much the same way as they report on the behaviour of David Garrett and Graham Capill and Judith Collins and Maurice Williamson and John Banks and the stupidity of Simon Bridges and the mendacity of John Key and the incompetence of Hekia Parata and Gerry Brownlee and Bill ‘Double Dipton’ English (who gets a special mention for incompetence and corruption).
Take a deep breath and remember that Trevor will be Trevor, and Jonolists will strive to rise to Paddy depths.
“…Take a deep breath and remember that Trevor will be Trevor, and Jonolists will strive to rise to Paddy depths…”
Dude, WTF?? What do you think parliament is, Hogwarts? I haven’t got time for “Trevor to be Trevor”. Taxpayers working bloody hard don’t fork out the thick end of 200K PA so Trevor can swan around being Trevor. He is there to do his fucking job, for Christ’s sake. Talk about a sense of entitlement. Do you really believe the taxpayer owes “Trevor will be Trevor” Mallard a fucking living?
Labour MPs are not put there to be indulged like brats at a posh boarding school. They are put there to do a job for the poor, the marginalised, the sick, the battlers, the low paid working three jobs. Those people – does Trevor even remember them? Or is he to busy picking a new $5,000 bike to help with his new personal best time?
Get outta there Mallard, and let someone else who appreciates the privilege of serving the people and will take the job seriously have a go.
Trevor Mallard is a relic from the 1980s, a waste of space that is blocking better talent and new ideas.
Nah, I’m more concerned about John and Bill and Hekia and Judith and Paula and Simon just at the moment. You want to make the election all about Trevor? Way to go.
I actually think that was a set-up by Labour – not just Mallard. Injecting some light-hearted distraction – as in distracting the media from attacking Labour. It worked too. Keeping their faces on the news, yet in for a light-hearted reason is all good. Nothing like coverage that is a bit out of the ordinary to get people noticing you.
I agree BL! And it’s worked! No one’s talking about Mr Liu now are they?
@ Hami Shearlie
True! …. er Mr Who?….. 😀
Bring back Haasts Eagle, I reckon. Just imagine, very obedient kids ( something really scary to frighten the little buggers with ) great for the tourist industry, not so good for the trampers though and would completely fuck sheep farming but that’s rooted anyway.
But boy, what a sight!!.
+1 Adrian.
The we could have a Four Eagle Day and watch HE at play. I’m on the border of Wales, about to visit Dylan Thomas’s haunts and perhaps see a ‘hawk on fire’ above Sir John’s just hill.
Anniversary of the Somme today, on a more serious note. Warfare- that’s something I wish we could lose the DNA for.
And you they’d love to hunt in spaces like golf courses …
Think outside the square. It sounded silly and time-wasting to me first, and then I thought what a game-changer. And it is not about money spent or sleeping partners. Mind you a little bit of moa goes a long way. But keep it going a while Mallard, you’ve hit a six there.
Well its Mallard so its not like anyone takes him seriously anyway
I think some of you here and in the media are missing the most subtle point here:
The media has hardly given any publicity to so many of the important policies announced by Labour so far, whereas Key and National get enormous publicity to their few unremarkable announcements.
However, a statement by Mallard (not the Labour party) gets huge publicity, the media and the posters going crazy! This moa has taken a big flight here! That is the point. A dig and a wake up call to the media and the public to pay more attention to the REAL serious policies of Labour which have either been ignored by the media or have received scant exposure, unlike those of National. Isn’t the media irresponsible, biased and unfair to the country, its people and democracy? Take a look at the Labour party website to see the number of policies already released so far and compare them to the scant exposure they were given by our wonderful print and TV media to see the point I am making.
Perhaps this flying moa will help cause some much needed better take off for Labour now. Here is hoping!
+1
Me too.
Me too. Who needs curmudgeons?
+1
the poor wd like a ‘curmudgeon’…
..one especially grumpy about poverty..
..they..least of all..
..need moa-jokes..
pretty much.If you can’t get the point across because they won’t give you serious exposure, you might want to make a point any way you can.
Mallard suggests that sometime in the future we might be able to bring the Moa back from extinction. While the nats are willing to make Maui’s dolphins extinct for a quick buck. Illustrates the left/right divide, in my opinion.
+1000 McFlock
Interestingly there are other countries that do take this seriously, Australia want to bring back the Tasmanian tiger and Russia have already brought back an extinct flower.
+1000 Clemgeopin and there some on here that need to lighten up !!
+1
It kept the airheads in the media happy. It was good natured and I don’t think it was solely conducted by Mallard as others appear to have assumed – I really think we need moa of this type of stuff 😉
[yeah, o.k sorry, I just couldn’t resist; corny as it was….]
Yes, and I agree with you Blue Leopard, Mallard most definitely didn’t do this on his own, he would have the support of Cunliffe and team.
I loved it when Mallard said he only wanted small ones, so he could pat them on the head !! Lol Warm fuzzy !!
+1 quite subtle
It’s a bit of a reminder that Labour hasn’t forgotten the local issue that Hutt is a science base through the endangered CRIs, which increasingly have a commercial function. The rest of the speech got sod-all coverage and probably wouldn’t have got any at all without musing about moas.
SEE YA SAMOA!
If Mallard’s joke one day comes to fruition, think what that would mean. Would the neo-Moa be a genetically modified organism? Would it make sense to bring back Haast’s Eagle to prey on them (why not?), and more importantly, would this lead to parents being able to increase the IQ of their offspring despite the fact this would be bad news for the National Party?
ha ha what a jolly jape.
Right on, Clemgeo. and Mickey for highlighting this. Maybe some posters need to go looking for their sense of humour !
What is Trevor Mallard trying to achieve? Heard him on the radio saying he is serious about the moa.
His undermining of the party continues. he needs to be think again or be kicked out.
Your concern has been noted and is now being used as toilet paper.
clean power sounds like he uses tooooo much soap.
never mind he will never in a million years be able to wipe away the stench of corruption and evil that hangs around the national party.
“His undermining of the party continues. he needs to think again or be kicked out.”
Clean_power you cant tell the truth like that you will upset the deluded left who want to blame others for Labours clusterfuck.
that sounds great coming from someone that was hatched on a piece of corrugated iron in the son.
David Cunliffe resurrected the Mallard so anything is possible. Hopefully cloning is out of the question.
he who laughs last laughs best…
so the saying goes..
Awesome. Labour waste precious airtime with waffle about extinct indigenous fowl.
Carry on setting the agenda, you colossal hopeless cuticles. You’re doing the workers and poverty stricken children proud with you moa-mooning moronical musings.
I think Mallard was really suggesting not that the Moa should rejoin the modern world but that Labour should join the ranks of extinct species.
The Moa became extinct 600 years ago. Mallard becomes extinct on September 20th.
Apparently Key wanted to bring back a dinosaur, until it was pointed out that he already had one as Finance Minister. So he set his sights on bringing back feudalism instead..
Awesome. 🙂
In the end – the first country to breed an extinct animal will have the lead in an incredibly valuable industry as well as getting a massive tourism boost.
If you laugh at it as being impossible you are clearly just wrong. If you laugh at it as being something that one cannot support (maybe with some tax breaks or supporting policy) again you are clearly just wrong. And if you find it immoral then you are a dinosaur and are in need of a bit of reincarnation..
As a political move I think it is OK, it is a bit of a distraction and, those that are idiots or Luddites get a chance to stamp idiot or Luddite on their heads, good for them.
so..anyone who don’t support mallards ‘i had a dream..about 50 yrs into the future’..
..is a ‘luddite/idiot’..?
..and we should hurriedly allocate funds/tax-breaks/policy to make mallards dream come true..eh..?
..right ho..!
.you’re onto it there..scott..!
..heh..!
..(you’re funny scott..!..you can keep on hanging around..
..just keep those laffs coming..eh..?..)
Trevor isn’t proposing tax breaks.
Can you try to engage with the argument as opposed to just being a laughing fool?
well..y’see scott..to ‘engage’ with any degree of seriousness..with this particular brain-fart..
..would indeed label me as a ‘fool’..
..so i’ll just keep on ‘laughing’ at those who do..eh.?
..and i believe you piled on even more idiocy..with the tax-breaks call..
It isn’t a call for tax breaks – my point was that there are things one could do to assist in planning for the future. A tax break is an option but to decide to do that one would need to look at the facts of the matter.
If you are saying you would oppose a the government having policy (or even stating an opinion) even if the facts of the matter proved it was highly beneficial – then I don’t know what to say… You should join the libertarianz party I suppose because only they would be that stupid.
As far as I can tell that is what you are saying…
“.. one would need to look at the facts of the matter…”
well..there’s yr problem in one there..scott..
..’cos it being just a mallard brain-fart..
..means there are really no ‘facts of the matter.’..eh..?
..aside from that brain-fart-stain on on the inside of his cycling-cap..eh..?
As to what I can make out of your argument I’ll just say – I think it would be nice if we did have some consideration for the long term (and were willing to at least debate it seriously) – but apparently you don’t seem to believe in that.
do i ‘believe in’ mallard..?
..no scott..no i don’t…
(see comment number four..for why..eh..?)
Even from a straight pragmatic perspective – labour can deal with this all by themself with a quiet little “yeah it was interesting but we won’t be doing anything” if that is the thing they think will work politically.
I find it hard to imagine they will get seriously hurt by it UNLESS phillip ure unleashes his scathing attacks and tears the heart out of the party.
In the end the problem as per OAB is when media are going through your speeches with a fine tooth comb for stuff to laugh at you don’t want to play the game at all. Anyway, better to be mentioned and laughed at than never mentioned at all.
I suspect that people would have made similar points/objections as yours when scientists and visionaries first proposed ideas years and years ago for space exploration, moon and mars landing etc.
May be for computers, telephone, radio, live pictures picture images on TV, automobiles, printing, driverless cars, human organ transplants, sheep cloning, round Earth etc too?
May be in 50 to 100 years. along with the cryogenically still preserved Walt Disney Trev Mallard may himself, be brought back to life laughing all the way to Bee Hive once again as the new young Trev the moa man. Who knows!
“Politics can be a brutal, overly serious business sometimes. We should tolerate the odd occasion when our elected representatives break out of their shell and make the odd wisecrack”, an interesting point you make Mickeysavage, yet you don’t seem to take the same stance when it comes to our Prime Minister….
Trevor did not come up with the idea. That also explains why he had no idea how to present it and no idea as to the context in which it should have been used. The heat it generated is indicative of just how useful it could have been if done right. The next time someone catches a whiff of one of my ideas I suggest they talk to me before shooting their mouths off. Incidentally, I would NEVER have run that up the (public) flag pole without making sure that my colleagues knew enough to help make it fly. Ambushing your own is not a smart move…
Yep, a missed opportunity and an own goal all in one