NZ Labour supporters site launched

32 comments on “NZ Labour supporters site launched ”

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1. Peter Johns - bigoted troll in jerkoff mode 1

   20 November 2008 at 10:20 am

   Is it a crime to change your views?

   A real positive start to a website, slag off the opposition. This did not work in the last election did it?
2. randal 2

   20 November 2008 at 10:24 am

   please explain
   what does that mean?
3. gingercrush 3

   20 November 2008 at 10:24 am

   Interesting idea and any presence online surely is a good thing even if it is from the left. But why does one have to be a member to even read the blog posts? Blogs surely are meant to read. And while signs up is a good idea for their other elements and makes sense its a social hub for Labour supporters. Surely blog posts should be able to read by any member of the public. Many people do not wish to be signed up to something, many just want to read blog posts. In making it compulsory to sign up to read blog posts I think defeats its usefulness.
4. illuminatedtiger 4

   20 November 2008 at 10:25 am

   Peter Johns:

   So Labour supporters aren’t allowed to organize? Just remember how many shit stirrers you’ve got in the ‘sphere.
5. Steve Pierson 5

   20 November 2008 at 10:38 am

   I agree gingercrush.
6. Peter Johns - bigoted troll in jerkoff mode 6

   20 November 2008 at 10:39 am

   IT, Randal – I was referring to Paula Bennett re changing her views. Obviously she has grown up in the past 12 years:).

   I never said Lab. voters could not organise at all, it is your right that you can do this sort of thing. I respect your right to have your say & opinion even though I do not agree with it most of the time.
7. Ianmac 7

   20 November 2008 at 10:42 am

   Welcome to the new Labour site but I hope that STANDARD is still viable.
   Peter Johns: Do you think that a Labour site should praise the opposition. “Congratulations Paula. Welcome and praise for being such a fine example of woman-hood and I hope everything that you hope to achieve will happen!”
   Yeah right!

   [lprent: Yes]
8. QoT 8

   20 November 2008 at 10:54 am

   I’m certain the Standard’s writers will be the first to praise the new Government as soon as they do anything that’s actually praise-worthy.

   Unfortunately for Ms Bennett, any kudos she might attract to her party for being a female Minister of Social Development with actual past experience of receiving the DPB gets just slightly overshadowed by the fact that, coming from National, it’s just a blatantly shallow PR move.
9. travellerev 9

   20 November 2008 at 10:55 am

   Hi people,

   (A last thread jack. I hope you will let this go through because made some virtual acquaintances here whom I would like to thank for their company)

   I want to say goodbye to Redlogic, Randal, the sprout, Carol, Janet, Rave,T-rex, , Robinsod, zANavAShi, hell even HS and all the others with whom I shared this blog for a bit.

   I have decided to ban myself in light of what happened on Tuesday.

   I had a great time and hope that some of you will continue to read my blog. I’ve tried to be honest and informative and supported my assertions with facts and links and as such I hope that this has given some people some insight into John Key’s career and I hope that I have added intelligently to some of the debates here.

   While I understand that Iprent, Tane, Steve and the other posters here can run their blog as they see fit, I think Tane calling me an obsessive thereby stigmatising me on this blog while allowing Tim Ellis to continue to vilify me me was unfair and hurtful and it’s time to move on.

   So goodbye and Godspeed and many thanks for your virtual company.

   Trav

   [Tane: Trav, I deleted Tim Ellis’ off-topic comments on that thread too. My objection was to your constant off-topic threadjacking, it was never anything personal. Feel free to come back any time you like if you change your mind.]
10. Felix 10

    20 November 2008 at 11:07 am

    Ev,

    HS banned himself (last week?) and came back within days. Lee C has done it about a dozen times. I hope you do the same.

    Oh and back on topic:
    I gotta agree with ginger about having to register to read, that’s crazy. Do they want people to read it or not?
11. Tane 11

    20 November 2008 at 11:11 am

    Yeah, the sign-in thing is annoying.
12. Carol 12

    20 November 2008 at 11:16 am

    Usually on forums, people only have to sign in to post, but not to read. But I also think that, while there are public leftie forums like the Standard, there is also a place for a less public space for Labour supporters to talk amongst themselves – away from all the right wing diversions and misinformation that can descend in bulk on a public left-wing forum.
13. lprent 13

    20 November 2008 at 11:30 am

    Carol: I’ve got one that I’ll put the finishing touches on this weekend. It will be for campaign organisers winding up for the 2011 election. That will be login required to read. It will probably also be reference required to get a login in the first place.

    Targeted specifically for electorate level campaigns, and to pass experience and ideas on. One of the problems I see in the electorate campaigns is that they are too damn isolated and start too late usually except in a few electorates. I want something that is less politics orientated and more organisational. So I’ll also look at keeping it completely outside the party.
14. Chris G 14

    20 November 2008 at 11:31 am

    Id suggest the purpose of the sign on is to protect from trolls
15. Janet 15

    20 November 2008 at 11:40 am

    Travellerev
    Good to hear from you. Some of my comments supporting you also got deleted. Don’t take it personally, the blogosphere is very vicious and prejudice displayed reflects the worst of the -isms. All those nasty sounding people might be very polite in person, but you wouldn’t want to waste your time with them.

    So I think the Labour supporters site is very sensible to stay sign in only to keep it culturally safe and friendly.
16. Tim Ellis 16

    20 November 2008 at 11:43 am

    There does seem to be a lot of vitriol and venom towards National in the comments on that site. I know there was real disappointment from Labour supporters about losing the election, but really some of the stuff there is just pure hatred–wishing New Zealand is driven to the brink of ruin under National, etc. That sort of stuff is regrettable, and living in denial and abusing people who voted National isn’t the most constructive way to rebuild and win over their support.

    If they can start accepting the election for what it was–a defeat for Labour, as happens in a democracy from time to time (your side doesn’t always win!), then no doubt the site will be a really positive step in building the support base. As it stands at the moment though, there seems to be a few people over there who need to grow up.
17. gingercrush 17

    20 November 2008 at 11:47 am

    I agree in keeping it to Labour supporters only. The platform necessitates that. The forum etc should be kept private and require a log-in. Likewise comments, groups etc should all be kept private. I don’t however agree that people should be blocked from reading the blog posts. I am a national supporter I read a variety of left and right wing blogs. I tend not to comment on blogs except for this site and Kiwiblog. The Standard and Kiwiblog while both having left/right viewpoints are able to warrant discussions from all sides. I would not feel compelled to sign up to this NZ Labour supporters site. 1. Its for Labour supporters. 2. It can not and should not facilitate right wing views. 3. Is set up as a social hub for Labour supporters and left views and therefore cannot nor should it accomodate my views and interests.

    That much I agree with but I feel blogs should at the least be readable. Or perhaps have a facility where certain blogs are made public. The way its set up I think is a disservice. And a sign-up will still see trolls use it. And I hope they reconsider.
18. Daveski 18

    20 November 2008 at 11:50 am

    Agreed re the logon – I checked the link and then closed the tab as soon as it required a sign on. Mind you, I suppose I’m exactly the type of person they are trying to keep out 🙂

    Political flip flops for me are a grey area at best. As Michael Basset noted, teflon Helen has avoided in flak for the following:

    In the meantime, she signed up to the privatization of Postbank, Air New Zealand, State Insurance and Telecom, things she later hoped voters would forget.

    I think it is better to judge on results and current positions rather than what someone said or did 10-15 years ago (as Labour supporters have done with HC).

    On a separate note, the mods have gone up even further in my estimation with their handling on the difficult situation with Ev. I think they give the righties here a pretty decent run, even allowing for the acknowledged partisan nature of this site.

    I realise Tane etc had no issues with the politics as such but blogs need to be managed according to some rules of engagement. Without us plebs adhering to those implicit rules, it potentially undermines the site’s viability. The whole thing has been handled with the utmost professionalism without personalising it.
19. Pablo 19

    20 November 2008 at 12:34 pm

    Daveski, what Bassett fails to note is that Clark was a member of Cabinet & bound by collective cabinet responsibility, we don’t know her personal view on those matters except from the likes of Lange’s autobiography, which details Cullen’s opposition to the flat tax – a policy he was bound to support once adopted by cabinet
20. insider 20

    20 November 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Pablo

    Hint ‘responsibility’ means taking responsibility for things not pretending you had nothing to do with them.
21. Janet 21

    20 November 2008 at 2:25 pm

    We do know her personal views on being part of that cabinet, as she has given the occasional interview on it. She was very junior and in a left minority. She kept her head down and concentrated on doing her best in her portfolios, for the sake of her portfolios eg was the first minister of Conservation. She was one of the first to note that Roger, like rust, never slept.

    Hopefully, she will now write it up so we can finally learn the full truth.

    I wouldn’t give much credibility to Bassett who is one of the most biased commentators.
22. randal 22

    20 November 2008 at 2:43 pm

    basset is an educated fool
23. Peter Johns - bigoted troll in jerkoff mode 23

    20 November 2008 at 2:53 pm

    ianmac – how about praising Labour firstly. Venomous attacks on National is boring now. The adds on TV were all about John Key, what were Labour’s policies? None what so ever. Even got a childless actor to do the mother add, it was all about trust alright.

    Labour left NZ in the shit and all they did during the election was attack National as they had no money for policies as they spunked it up the wall on a train set etc.
24. insider 24

    20 November 2008 at 3:08 pm

    Janet

    She was deputy Prime Minister, she was health minister, Minister of Labour amongst others. She was not a junior member of that Govt.
25. Tane 25

    20 November 2008 at 3:12 pm

    insider, I don’t know what you’re trying to prove here. Everyone knows (or at least I would have thought a self-proclaimed insider would know) that Clark fought hard for the left inside cabinet and worked to undermine Douglas wherever possible.

    But then, if you take Michael Bassett’s work at face value there’s no helping you. He’s a very bitter man with an extreme right-wing agenda.
26. Observer 26

    20 November 2008 at 3:26 pm

    Does anyone here know the people who have set up that nzlabour site and can confirm they really are lefties? Some of the views expressed by the main people on that site just don’t ring true to me.I know a lot of labour supporters and I haven’t heard anyone wish bad things for the country. My nasty suspicious mind is working overtime here..
27. Rex Widerstrom 27

    20 November 2008 at 4:01 pm

    A site on which a party’s supporters can debate issues and policy is an excellent idea, but I wonder why it’s not a function of the party’s official site? And insert whatever name you like before “party” in that sentence – I’m not having a go just at Labour here by any means.

    It’s a reflection of the top-down approach to politics taken by the elites that the function of official sites seems to be solely to boast to the unconverted and perhaps advertise a few events. Become one of the converted and thank you, you can now sod off to some place else to do your thinking and debating.

    Of course the nature of the internet means this doesn’t matter from a practical sense, but I think it does from a… for want of a better word… psychological perspective.

    For one thing, no one in any position of influence in the party is obliged to engage with members of an independent site. Of course some may choose to join, but again the psychology is different – they’re doing so as individuals.

    That may seem rather churlish a point to make, and I wish this site luck. But the net provides parties with the opportunity to widely engage on a level hithertofore impractical, yet none are really taking it up.
28. Brett Dale 28

    20 November 2008 at 4:15 pm

    I dont think trolls will go to that site? Not enough people to harrass or whatever it is trolls do.
29. Pundit X 29

    20 November 2008 at 7:46 pm

    Yes members of the New Lynn LEC.
30. Madeleine 30

    20 November 2008 at 10:37 pm

    Paula was a radical lefty president when I was on the Waikato Students Union, she called our President and Vice-President Mickey and Minnie Mouse at an NZUSA conference if I recall rightly. Hadn’t made the connection til now.

    Funny.

    I grew up in a Social Credit family, Uncle Gary beating Don Brash was awesome. At family dinners my aunt would do Jenny Shipley and Ruth Richardson impersonations. I voted Alliance the first time I voted.

    Like Paula, though, a few years on the DPB did it for me to, I developed some maturity and voted right and then righter.
31. r0b 31

    21 November 2008 at 2:41 am

    Tim Ellis: There does seem to be a lot of vitriol and venom towards National in the comments on that site.

    How does it compare with the vitriol and venom that you have directed at Labour Tim?

    Tim Ellis: there seems to be a few people over there who need to grow up.

    How you can say such things after the way you have treated Trav is beyond me — shame on you.

    As to the new supporters site, I wish it well. It will be interesting to watch more and more of the political process slowly move into the online word. Some geeky discussion of some aspects of this topic over on slashdot.
32. Tigger 32

    21 November 2008 at 2:14 pm

    Thanks for the heads up about this site!

    Why are people surprised about people bashing National? My god people, it’s politics!

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