Educating Helen
I’ve just listened to a second radio interview where Helen Clark refers to “right wing blogs” incorrectly. She earlier called Fran O’Sullivan’s NZ herald column a blog and in this interview also refers to (presumably) Matthew Hooton’s SST column as a “right wing blog”.
Can someone on her staff please explain to her that she looks foolish everytime she does this. It’s like calling a newspaper a TV broadcast. Here’s the three things you need to make sure she understands:
1) A blog, short for web log, is not a newspaper column (even if there is an online version of it). It is an opinion peice published on the Internet, using blog software.
2) Not all blogs are right wing.
3) Not all publications which criticise her, are blogs.
She seems to have been told these “right wing blogs” are a bad thing, so whenever something criticises her, she is now calling it a “right wing blog” to undermine it.
This is as silly as if Don dismissed a NZ Herald newspaper column attacking him as a “socialist propoganda broadcast”.
UPDATE: Russell Brown has also noticed the PM’s confusions with bloggers. He notes she tends to regard the phrase “right wing blogger” as the worst insult she could reach for.
I have to say that the thought we annoy her so much, so she now uses us an a term of insult gives me a warm happy feeling that could only be exceeded if Scarlett Johansen wanted me as a love slave.
Perhaps a t-shirt is needed – “I am a right wing blogger and proud of it” 
October 18th, 2006 at 2:05 pm
Sign here everyone!
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?nzgg&1
October 18th, 2006 at 2:09 pm
First it was golfers and now it is the evil bloggers.
Watch out she may mention the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
I wonder what Jordan / Tony think of the disparaging comments she makes about blogs (that they’re ‘blogs, not serious journalism’)??
October 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
DPF – you should be careful. Now this nutter has identified blogs as being bad, the next step will be to legislate to make them illegal. That will be retrospective too. Oh, and they’re also seditious. We can also guarantee the chief public servant will have had a wee chickle over the execution ideas in the paper this morning.
Does that about cover it?
We used to pride ourselves on being a western, civilised contry so given the events here, one can easily see how situations like Zimbabwe occur.
However, I just don’t see how some people can lose such a complete and utter grasp of reality. This is up there with the intelligent design nutters in the US for rational behaviour.
Isn’t this supposed to be the governor general’s job to protect against things like this. Can we petition the GG to dissolve parliament? There is certainly just cause for the GG to do so.
Where are McPhail and Gadsby when you need them?
October 18th, 2006 at 2:32 pm
When Clark makes a (mis)statement like this there’s always a sound political reason. I suggest that Labour have decided that calling their political enemies in the media ‘bloggers’ instead of journalists is a good way to dismiss them as irrelevent and beneath contempt instead of having to engage their arguments.
Clarks talking points are often decided upon based on the results of internal Labour party research or polling – I wouldn’t be surprised that their data tells them the general public equates blogs with conspiracy theories, disinformation and propaganda. Certainly, when I tell friends that I read and comment on blog sites they react with dismay and mocking contempt.
So I’m pretty sure that Clarks description of Fran O’Sullivan as ‘a right wing blogger’ is a way to insult Fran not a reflection on you.
October 18th, 2006 at 2:36 pm
you print it I will wear it !!
October 18th, 2006 at 2:37 pm
Maybe they’re mishearing her unique New Zilind accent and she’s saying “right wing buggers” or “right wing fucks” and people are hearing it as “bloggers” or “blogs”
October 18th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Dim – isn’t that a sad reflection of how she operates, if true. A (big) step up from calling your opponents pedophiles – demonise with labels!
October 18th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
“She seems to have been told these “right wing blogs” are a bad thing,”
That’s why I come here, makes me feel edgy.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
Danyl has got a point about blogs. They are full of spit and froth. A great deal of the ‘righties’ on this blog express opinions that are well to the right of most if not all National Party MPs and the adhominem is as abundant as misappropriated funds in a Labour Party election campaign.
DPF, of course always conducts himself with restraint, which is admirable:) however many of his threads quickly turn into slanging matches and put downs.
Clark may think she is correct in labeling Fran’s column a blog, because many columns in other publications (such as Sydney Herald) are blogs as well, something which our major papers should consider.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Clark is allowed to not like right wing bloggers, even if she thinks that’s pretty much the same medium as Fran O’Sullivan uses
. I’m inclined to think it’s her misunderstanding, that she is told about blogs by others rather than reading them herself.
I do like Danyl’s face-saving explanation, it’s creative, but I don’t think it’s true. Misusing a technical term usually backfires as appearing ignorant, so I don’t think it would be conscious choice of some spinmeister, unless they also didn’t know what it meant.
But to equate her not liking them to ’she’s now going to stop them’ is the kind of paranoia I’d only expect from drug users. I’m sure Don Brash doesn’t especially like leftist blogs either.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
could someone put together a compilation clip of all the times helen has ‘darkened the face’..’thinned the lips’…and spat out..”rightwing blogs”..and “rightwing bloggers”..
that’d be funny…!
personally i’ve been cracking up every time she says it..
(i’m sure she dosn’t realise how funny she looks/sounds..)
the expression on her face is as if a large pineapple is being removed (wrong-way-round)from somewhere intimate..
(and she is sucking in everywhere else..to compensate..)
tee-hee..!
‘right wing bloggers’ are the new favourite curse/expletive…replacing (the now over-used)’exclusive brethren’..
(aah..!..you bloody deserve it..!..you rightwing bloggers..you..)
and how about old benson-pope threatening to stuff a tennis ball down the collective mouth of the nation..if they ‘misbehave’ with fireworks this guy fawkes..
trotting out that tired old canard of “one bad apple etc etc “…
(dosen’t that take you back..eh..?..)
hey..!..piss-off benson-pope..with your threats of fireworks bans..!
why don’t you get off your arse and do some of the work that really needs doing…?.
instead of flying this annual ‘kite’..
and you are doing yourself/labour no favours..either..
you are just looking lame-arse..
benson-pope was on bfm this morning…havoc asked him where his support for any ban is coming from..
benson-pope..”i’ve had lots of letters..!..”
havoc..”how many..?..”
(too long a silence)..
benson-pope..”oh..!..scores..!.”
(and you just knew he was bullshitting..eh..?..)
i tell you what benson-pope/labour…people may not now give a rats arse about this corruption brouhaha…
but if you feck with their fireworks..
it’ll come back to ‘bite you’..
and how about this pile of rubbish being nothing more than confirmation of the accusations of controlling miserablists often levied at the left/labour..?
bah..!
and hey..!..benson-pope and labour…you say any ban will be ‘for the children’..
how about doing something about the filthy air we/our children are forced to breath..?
‘cos you have done s.f.a…now in your third term..to face up to any of the environmental issues we face..eh..?
but you can come out and sling this bullshit about fireworks..)’cos it’s easy eh..?..just push a few ‘talkback buttons’..and off you go..eh..?
you..benson-pope..are my nominee for ‘miserablist of the month’..maybe the year..!
phil(whoar.co.nz)
October 18th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
With regards to the Peter rumours she accussed Rotarians golfers accountants and right wing bloggers.She got me on 3 out of the 4.What a nasty little lot we are.No doubt we are on the LIST and will recieve our due deserts when the time is right.I can just picture Mallard Cullen Smarmy and Hodgson in a Beehive basement room pouring over lists of the above and carefully cross checking references and listing the punishments that will come to us when the glorious day arrives and the DIVINE HEAVENLY BELOVED LEADER is crowned PRESIDENT FOR LIFE OF THE REPUBLIC OF AOTEOROA
October 18th, 2006 at 3:44 pm
Phil,
you obviously haven’t found a job yet, writing mammoth spiels like that.
I will pay you twenty dollars to mow my lawns. You can have the clippings for your compost.
Woooooahhhh!
October 18th, 2006 at 3:49 pm
I am unaware that Fran has a blog but it would be a good idea if Fran had one. It would be a damn good read. This right wing blog theme is something she has picked up from the US. Of course she reminds me of the wicked witch in snow white. As she asks the newspapers mirrir mrrir on the wall who is the fairest one of all. Clearly she thinks “right wing blogs” will not give her the answer she wants. Gawd she must be awful to be around. I pity her staff.
October 18th, 2006 at 4:23 pm
So llew it’s like a cafine jag without the side effects.
Like staying awake at work.
phil special message for you in phoolspek;
life…a….get
October 18th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
I would so buy that t-shirt if it was around. All my Labour-loving friends at uni will be most delighted.
October 18th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
Phil are you not well, fancy calling the nice Mr Benson Pope “miserablist of the month” you really are to kind. I think the man is that low he could crawl up a snake’s arse. What an arsehole, trying to ban fireworks. What will be next, free speech?.
Has the realisation just set in that these people would much rather tell others what they can and cannot do then actually do anything productive, welcome to the world of the socialist.
October 18th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Well look those wacky kids at the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy (which does NOT exist) have t-shirts and mugs. http://www.cafepress.com/therightplace
October 18th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
no bob..i tend to leave the anal/faecal references to you lot..
(there isn’t enough to go around..eh..?..)
phil(whoar.co.nz)
October 18th, 2006 at 8:41 pm
phil – I’m sure that David Benson-Pope thinks about children a lot.
Especially teenage girls, in the showers…….So I’m sure that he’d want them to keep their little fingers all intact.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:33 pm
COTH – please keep it clean.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:52 pm
That was quite bloody funny! Has anyone seen the Anchor ad where the dad says to the kid “You’ll have to be really smart” (if you want to be Prime Minister. Wrong drink, should be a Tui ad.
October 18th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Yeah settle down COTH.
What you think you are, a bloody MP or something?