(Another) Tory astroturf fail

Written By: - Date published: 8:48 pm, June 28th, 2011 - 42 comments
Categories: MMP - Tags: ,

Over at Pundit Rob Salmond has taken a look at the rules of the latest anti-MMP outfit, Vote For Change. And it turns out that not only is it “supported” by the usual lineup of weird rightwing oiks but that, as fifty percent of the controlling committee, Peter Shirtcliffe is running the show:

Vote for Change has a Committee that is in charge of absolutely everything between Annual Meetings (more on those shortly). The people on the committee are: (1) Peter Shirtcliffe; (2) Jordan Williams; and (3) nobody else. This committee needs a majority to do anything, which means that Peter Shirtcliffe has personal veto over everything Vote for Change does, including over which electoral system the group will campaign for.

I doubt wee Jordan really has much of a say in things given he’s barely out of shorts.

What amazes me is the fact that the whole thing is so shoddy given the fact David Farrar provided strategic advice on it – I would have thought he’d learned a few lessons about fake grassroots operations after the ramshackle PR fiasco that was the coalition for free speech. It appears not.

42 comments on “(Another) Tory astroturf fail ”

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  1. Oleolebiscuitbarrel 1
    28 June 2011 at 9:24 pm

    “I doubt wee Jordan really has much of a say in things given he’s barely out of shorts.”

    B-but if they’re lefties it’s all about “va yoof”.

    • IrishBill 1.1
      28 June 2011 at 9:43 pm

      What the hell are you talking about?

      • lprent 1.1.1
        28 June 2011 at 9:50 pm

        I think that OOBB has been taking my (and others) observation about him that he is a gormless fool to heart and is trying to live up to expectations. It seems to has some kind of Paul on the road to Damascus moment for him. We should be kind and not observe it too closely while he works through the experience.

        (Of course we hope that it doesn’t have any of the same bad consequences as the original Damascus experience did)

      • Oleolebiscuitbarrel 1.1.2
        28 June 2011 at 10:01 pm

        I am just a bit surprised that the left are ridiculing the young people for being interested in politics. It’s a good thing, no? Or is it not good if the young people don’t agree with the old leftists?

        • Zetetic 1.1.2.1
          28 June 2011 at 10:04 pm

          he’s ridiculing Williams for being Shirtcliffe’s puppet and public face. Not for being active in politics.

        • IrishBill 1.1.2.2
          29 June 2011 at 7:27 am

          I see what you mean now, Ole. I’m not one of those “liberal” lefties.

          • lprent 1.1.2.2.1
            29 June 2011 at 7:39 am

            More like old testament – especially whilst banning 🙂 At least it is always fast.

            But OOBB is starting to learn that lefties come in many flavors, and not just the single wet version that his daddie told him about. He may be a bit paranoid about the gormless fool label I attached to him, but I am sure it will eventually help to teach him to keep his fingers out of the buzz saw – not everything is as he expects.

            • Oleolebiscuitbarrell 1.1.2.2.1.1
              29 June 2011 at 8:38 am

              I well understand that IB is no soft hearted lefty.

              And I am embracing the “gormless fool” tag. Why would I have made up a badge otherwise?

  2. Ianupnorth 2
    28 June 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Farrar has to be one of the most obnoxious pricks ever. Can’t wait to read his bile in the Herald on Friday.

  3. mickysavage 3
    28 June 2011 at 9:27 pm

    The society’s constitution is very amateurish but it has $10,000 to hand out in prizes to anyone who can provide it with advertisements.  It is obviously heavily funded.

    Why the organisation would become an incorporated society and have to register and display its rules is beyond me.  It could have been set up as a trust and nothing would have to be declared.

    I get the feeling that it is a few people gathering around and supporting Peter Shirtcliffe.  But the involvement of Simon Lusk suggests that this should be a slick professional campaign.

    What is happening?

    • Zetetic 3.1
      28 June 2011 at 10:07 pm

      Lusk’s skills are manipulating internal National Party votes and using his brethren contacts to get boots on the ground for campaigning. The second will be what he supplies to VFC. Expect to see lots of women in shawls delivering anti-MMP pamphlets.

    • ianupnorth 3.2
      28 June 2011 at 11:00 pm

      If it has a turnover of over $40K it should be GST registered – any way of checking?

      • Colonial Viper 3.2.1
        28 June 2011 at 11:22 pm

        I think the GST threshold is quite a bit higher these days, no?

        • Lanthanide 3.2.1.1
          28 June 2011 at 11:28 pm

          $60k now. Was $40k until quite recently, probably went through with the GST changes in 2010 budget I guess.

    • djg 3.3
      29 June 2011 at 9:33 am

      Greg, perhaps they do not feel they should have to hide.

    • pollywog 3.4
      29 June 2011 at 11:47 am

      I’d be keen on making some ad’s for them. It’ll involve some guy in a suit and a bucket of bullshit…nuff said.

  4. appleboy 4
    28 June 2011 at 10:10 pm

    Their website says “We are not party political” and this from a lawyer publicly to both NATIONAL and ACT. Hardly something that will endear him to the public….

  5. queenstfarmer 5
    28 June 2011 at 10:16 pm

    What’s the fail?

    • McFlock 5.1
      28 June 2011 at 10:30 pm

      Well, if you think it’s a genuine “grassroots” campaign along the lines of “Dear Presshouse, I’m not normally interested in politics but…”, then it’s had one success.
      But really, most people see it for what it is – a tory chequebook masquerading as a popular movement. Fail.

  6. Bored 6
    29 June 2011 at 8:35 am

    There is always some malign idiot who wants to disassemble democracy to make it friendly to whatever interest group he represents….Shirtcliffe is absolutley no different. This octagenarian who has lived long enough to know better still wants to change the world in favour of the corporate interests he served and ran. From a communal and human viewpoint it is tragic comedy…his life works represent a giant waste, he has had all and has nothing. Poor pathetic bastard.

    • Colonial Viper 6.1
      29 June 2011 at 12:11 pm

      There are a few in that right wing camp like that. They look at the NZ they created and wonder where all their grandchildren and great grandchildren are.

  7. S. Nore 7
    29 June 2011 at 10:52 am

    Which is worse:

    a political party deciding what the public wants and “educating” them to comply.

    or two guys doing the same.

    maybe there is no difference. Yes I’m certain of it now. There is no difference. Both are artificailly induced grassroots movements for personal political gain. How handy that the video spelled that out.

    *cue outrage and personal insults.*

    • McFlock 7.1
      29 June 2011 at 12:02 pm

      Except a political party requires at least 500 members. Additionally, politicians can be accountable in the house and through votes (e.g. all that “they can take our incandescent bulkbs from my cold, dead hands” crap in 2008).

      So one rich prick Emperor and a gimp Mannakin as his apprentice both using “the force” (peter’s chequebook) to try to shift the vote is definitely worse than a legitimate political party doing likewise.

      • S. Nore 7.1.1
        29 June 2011 at 7:00 pm

        Your political naivety is astounding. Every initiative and decision run past at least 500 people? Strategy posted out by NZ post to 500 homes?

        god this place bores the fuck out of me.

    • Colonial Viper 7.2
      29 June 2011 at 12:08 pm

      Well seems like you already know what your comment is worth 🙂

  8. randal 8
    29 June 2011 at 12:09 pm

    weird right wing oiks. cool language dude. haven’t heard that one for a long time but is apt for the te flabbo and the rest of the rubber chicken sausage roll stuffers.
    keep up the good work. as don corleone said in the godfather, ‘its all personal’ and personally \I like seeing right wing oiks getting it.

  9. Pascal's bookie 9
    29 June 2011 at 12:32 pm

    Getcher leaked minutes. Leaked minutes; over here…

    http://www.thenewtasman.com/2011/06/behind-the-scenes-at-vote-for-change/

  10. Gosman 10
    29 June 2011 at 12:55 pm

    “…given the fact David Farrar provided strategic advice”

    Ummmmmm….. where is the evidence that David Farrar gave anything more than his passing opinion on this subject?

    Certainly he has denied being involved in this campaign in any formal way as you seem to imply here.

    You spin more than Fox news.

    • lprent 10.1
      29 June 2011 at 1:07 pm

      As you point out – there was no statement that it was a formal arrangement in anything including Irish’s post. It said that DPF was providing strategic advice to the campaign – exactly as previously reported.

      Irish merely wrote a post based on a post at pundit and a previously published article in the SST/Stuff. There was a link under those very words to the article. You’re not suggesting that Stuff or the Sunday Star Times lied and used that picture of the beaming DPF in appropriately are you? I’d anticipate that if the paper misrepresented what DPF said, then DPF will have put a complaint sometime in the last month. Of course it is pretty routine for journo’s to record conversations so the truth will be easy enough to verify.

      Ummm he hasn’t laid a complaint? I guess that it has just gotten to be too embarrassing to be associated with this campaign recently…

      • Gosman 10.1.1
        30 June 2011 at 8:38 am

        No I’m claiming that the SST engaged in shoddy journalistic practices. I’m sure you agree that it happens.

        I see you are again guilty of something you call other people up on all the time. Just because David Farrar didn’t make a formal complaint doesn’t mean that the story is factually accurate. You should be well aware of this.

        The real problem here is Irishbill is relying on said shoddy journalism to try and make a political point. That to me is the worse crime.

    • Colonial Viper 10.2
      29 June 2011 at 2:06 pm

      the Righties always say “where is your evidence that…”

      Breaking news Righties: we need evidence as much as you do.

    • Bored 10.3
      29 June 2011 at 3:40 pm

      You are right Gos, the words “Farrar” and “strategic advice” are oxymoronic.

  11. randal 11
    29 June 2011 at 1:32 pm

    gosman; nobody spins more than fox news but the national party and its klingons have just as many loonies.
    and in my opinion shirtcliffe would be better of doing something decent with his money instead of trying to make the world conform to his wishes. the big book of AA calls this self will run riot!

  12. the sprout 12
    29 June 2011 at 8:16 pm

    brilliant pic of the Little Austrian Farrar, it really reveals him as the creep he is

  13. monty 13
    29 June 2011 at 8:30 pm

    Most of you ardent leftie guys on this site don’t how yucky you are – particularly IPrent. Luckily the rest of the great unwashed voters out there can intuitively smell it. Thank god.

    [lprent: Interesting. FYI: This is not the usual Monty. This is a real idiot. ]