National’s history of rewriting history

Written By: - Date published: 3:29 pm, February 26th, 2008 - 16 comments
Categories: flip-flop, national, same old national - Tags: , ,

peachey_edit_sml.jpg

You think they’d learn.

Wikiscanner reports that someone in Parliament has been busy – busy expunging potentially embarassing facts about a variety of MPs.

This one’s about Allan Peachey. You might remember Allan from such debacles as the Peachey/Rich bulk funding controversy and also the little number above that he’d evidently rather history forgot – his infamous “Knife in the back” email from December 2005.

The Herald reported at the time:

Mr Peachey, a first-term politician, sent an email to Selwyn College’s co-principal, Carol White, declining an invitation to the school’s prizegiving ceremony in his Tamaki electorate.

At the bottom of the email he wrote: “P.S. Yes, I do have a knife in your back, so be careful!”

The historically accurate Wikipedia account of the incident, complete with supporting media references (pictured above), was deleted at 11:16pm on March 7 2007 from an IP address in the parliament.govt.nz range. Amusingly, the original entry was reinstated a moment or two later by a Wikipedia moderator, presumably as no reason for deletion was provided by the late-night parliamentary editor. The entry was re-erased shortly after with the justification: “Deleted untrue comments”.

I can understand Peachey’s desire to distance himself from his past statements – particularly ones that show his true colours. And after all, his party’s tried to do the same thing on the war in Iraq, KiwiSaver, workers rights’, climate change, Working for Families, paid parental leave, interest free student loans, minimum wage, air force combat wing, four weeks’ leave, cheaper docors visits, nuclear free policy, income related rents for state house tenants, the “Cullen” superannuation fund, Kyoto… the list goes on. I guess it shows he’s in good company.

Perhaps there’s a more charitable interpretation of the Peachey edits though…

Perhaps it’s not so much about protecting his back as making others feel better about theirs.

(Hat-tip: original sauce)

16 comments on “National’s history of rewriting history ”

  • Comments are now closed

  1. Billy 1
    26 February 2008 at 4:08 pm

    Maybe ‘sod deleted the alterations for the appalling spelling and grammar.

  2. Ari 2
    26 February 2008 at 4:11 pm

    Oh look, someone has conveniently restored the entry without the NPOV problems… I wonder who did that? 😛

  3. Robinsod 3
    26 February 2008 at 4:16 pm

    Billy – I’m not even allowed on parliament grounds anymore let alone near an internet connection there.

  4. Tane 4
    26 February 2008 at 4:16 pm

    Sod… are you Stephen Franks?

  5. Billy 5
    26 February 2008 at 4:53 pm

    We’ve covered this before. ‘sod is DPF. He is also my father. I am TDS.

  6. MikeE 6
    26 February 2008 at 5:00 pm

    Jacqui Dean’s page had a similar result when the DHMO story broke. All references to it were deleted twice on the day it hit the news, before being left alone.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacqui_Dean#Water

  7. The Double Standard 7
    26 February 2008 at 5:08 pm

    If I’m reading the wiki history correctly, it seems that the same IP range made positive changes to Nandor Tanczos, Chris Carter, John Tamihere, Darien Fenton, Anita McNaught, Darren Hughes, Tim Selwyn, Charles Chauvel, and Keith Locke

    Somehow that doesn’t fit your rather pathetic attempt to link Peachey with an edit on his page now does it?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Contributions&limit=500&target=202.22.18.241

  8. Robinsod 8
    26 February 2008 at 5:09 pm

    And I am Bill English pretending to be John Key in disguise as Mike Williams. Oh, no hold on that last one is IrishBill.

  9. the sprout 9
    26 February 2008 at 5:53 pm

    the real story is what Peachy did to Rangitoto’s finances in his last 3 years as a by then very disinterested principal, after his failed attempt to enter parliament in 2005.

    i’m sure he was legally entitled to spend all that money on his overseas “research” trips, but it didn’t leave a lot money left over in the school coffers to get on with the job of educating students.

  11. ghostwhowalks 11
    26 February 2008 at 8:54 pm

    Keys entry has been ‘sexed down’ in the last few weeks.
    Apparently instead of being an overnight currency trader he started his work life as a suburban accountants auditor.
    No mention of those who lost their jobs at Bankers Trust, when Key as manager sacked the lot , but got promoted to a new job in Sydney.

    Maybe hes has mellowed, wage cuts only instead of losing your job completely

  12. Phil 12
    26 February 2008 at 10:50 pm

    I don’t know any of the details about the email he sent, but the second and third portions of the deleted entry fall well and truly outside of Wikipedia’s content policy. They shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

    Just out of interest, does Trevor Mallard’s entry make reference to his (alleged?) infidelity or assault?

  13. george 13
    27 February 2008 at 12:03 am

    Im just sitting here and trying to figure out why we are limited to the rules of engagement that says we have to be truthful.
    National seems to able to work around the truth with ease.
    We seem to be trying to “Get the truth out there”But no one seems to be able to see it.What are we doing wrong.The MSM does not want to hear that Key wants wages to drop or the 5/6 different reasons that he has thrown in the arena seem to have been accepted by them.Don’t you find this bit strange?We seem to be bound to some sort of moral code that leaves us short of the mark when it comes to deceit.
    I am not suggesting that we abandon our honor but that there must be some other way to get the truth out there.The silly tick and tat doesn’t reach the right people.We are a talented bunch so surely there is a better way.

  14. Dean 14
    27 February 2008 at 12:04 am

    What a nice own goal this topic is. Really, if you’re going to post stuff like this then it might just pay to read the whole thing before your foot ends up uncerimoniously in your mouth.

  15. the sprout 15
    27 February 2008 at 1:16 pm

    well said george, often thought the same.

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