Who stacked the poll?
My latest blog poll, which like all of them is fun not a scientific poll, is asking who people would vote for. As one would expect with my political leanings, there was a lot of National and ACT voters – around 75%.
But then as I was out enjoying a night on the town, I got a text mentioning that someone appeared to be stacking the poll and multiple voting for Labour and the Greens. I was not surprised as a near identical thing had happened almost a dozen times previously with other online political polls, as I last blogged about here.
I had set it to stop multiple voting on the basis of cookie, not IP address, so that more than one person in a large workplace (such as Parliament) could vote. But I did have it set to log voting by IP address, in case anyone set up a bot to automatically delete the cookie and multiple vote. Or if someone is a total loser, in case someone sat by a computer for a few hours manually deleting their cookie, and multiple voting.
So what do the logs say. Let us look at votes for Labour:
| 610 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 5:26 pm |
| 612 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 5:26 pm |
| 614 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 5:25 pm |
| 616 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 5:24 pm |
| 618 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 5:21 pm |
Out little poll hacker started work at 5.20 pm and was voting several times per minute. Votes for the Greens were also being cast during that time, so it was maybe six to eight votes per minute – almost certainly automated.
| 7 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 7:19 pm |
| 8 | Guest | 202.20.0.60 / vuwsa-s1.vuwsa.org.nz | 31 March 2008 @ 7:19 pm |
And they look to have stopped around 7.19 p.m.
In total they cast around 600 votes for Labour and 650 votes for the Greens.
Now VUWSA is the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association. They take over one million dollars a year in compulsory fees from Victoria students. Students will be no doubt pleased to hear the sort of activities they are forced to fund now includes stacking and multiple voting in online polls.
I hope Salient will make some inquiries of the Association, specifically which (presumably) executive or staff member was using the computer with that IP address. How many times have they done this before? Do they think it is compatible behaviour with being custodians of compulsory fees?
And their colleagues around the country will no doubt thank the person responsible for adding another example to the armory of those who support voluntary membership of student associations.
UPDATE: The VUWSA IP address seems to include the Salient computers, so maybe Salient should also interview its own staff or volunteers on who was using it.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:14 am
I am very glad to see that our friends on the left wing of NZ politics are still too dumb to understand how the internet works. But good on them for exposing what corrupt, manipulative sacks of shite they are.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:15 am
Has it really come to this? What annoys me about this is the arrogance of ther perpetrators who clearly feel their ‘pranks’ should be seen as just that. Like when the Herald online poll was stacked by a ‘young man’ who got a good talking to. Or when DPF’s wiki bio was smeared by ‘Robert Owen’ as ‘probably a drunken prank’ according to Tane. But oh the moral outrage that is expended against the Opposition to the Labour Government. Regardless of the merits of the argument, mind. Then look at the sheer arrogance of Winston The EGO Peters! http://monkeyswithtypewriter.blogspot.com/
It seems to me that the present lot has simply ceased even to attempt to debate the issues, rather they feel they have a god-given right to drip feed information, spin, stack polls etc. All for the ‘Greater Good’.
I bet that this will be dismissed as a ‘harmless prank’ at breakfast, then the findings of the poll will be trotted out as an historical fact by lunch. What a bunch of dead-beats.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am
It’s almost like you’re surprised that somebody within VUWSA would do this. Obviously it’s somebody so ridiculously stupid that they didn’t think they would be found out.
Unfortunately that doesn’t make it any easier to figure out who that may be.
Is this an early sign that they will use compulsory monies to fight National/ACT in the election as they usually do?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:18 am
Lol, I logged on at home after finishing work early yesterday and thought about voting twice, then decided it wouldn’t be fair, even in an unscientific and purely representative poll. Horses for university courses I guess…
April 1st, 2008 at 9:19 am
“Has it really COME TO THIS”……………Lee C ?
When was the Left ever ANY DIFFERENT to this?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:20 am
And good on ya Farrar. If any organisation DESERVES to have its cover blown and dirty linen hung out for all to see, it is the VUWSA.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:25 am
Damn straight Phil. Let me go out on a limb here… I bet the Standard and Kiwiblogblog are in on it too.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:28 am
If it is all meant to be a bit of ‘fun’ then why get upset when someone hi-jacks the results?
It just goes to prove how ridiculously unreliable online polls are.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:28 am
wow clintheine are you seriously suggesting there is a sneaky, covert coordinated plan to undermine the oppostion to the Labour Government which is in part funded by the Labour Government itself with our own tax-dollars? Wash your mouth out with soap. Yes rocket-boy fair pnts. But the issue is that they are soooooo desperate, that they even feel the need to try and bullshit about their popularity by hi-jacking a ‘bit of fun’. They don’t operate on that level. To them, there is no ‘fun’. Only ‘politics’. And the worrying thing is the ethical compass they are working to. On one level it is juvenile on another it is sneaky. Is this the kind of trustworthy character you want representing your views? Or do you think it is the job of some emotionally under-achieving prankster to to hijack the ‘fun’ like this? I came to the opinion sometime back taht the Labour Party membership has fallen so low, that all they are left with is the dregs.Shame, it used to be quite a noble institution.
Last point, I recall a time when it was considered ok to make racist jokes. Those who made the jokes used to say ‘Oh you just need to get a sense of humour.’ This is precisely the same arguments tht the pranksters would use. Oh it’s ok to commit a harmful act, and if you take offence, it just proves you need to ‘lighten up’. Then the perpetrator walks away, the harmful act unpunished or unchallenged. It’s really juvenile shit.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:31 am
PhilBest: If any organisation DESERVES to have its cover blown and dirty linen hung out for all to see, it is the VUWSA.
I had a quick browse of their website with the mind to contact their president regarding this. But then I read this:
“is a dedicated socialist and member of the Workers Party, something that influences his outlook on most things”
So this brings a curious question to mind. How can an organization that is patently socialist demand fees from all students when the students can come from any manner of political persuasions? Do students have any way to opt out of joining such an organization and thus giving their financial support to the Labour / Green parties? Especially when it becomes known that Vuwsa hosts these types of activities with those fees?
Rocket Boy: If it is all meant to be a bit of ‘fun’ then why get upset when someone hi-jacks the results?
Dishonesty, maybe?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am
How very Mugabe.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:33 am
Lee, Yep.
Hardly covert though, these kids are mere amateurs and beyond stupid. Rocketboy, you in on it too?
Heh.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
A future Labour MP no doubt – corrupt and incomptent.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
And no one is going to be suspicious of the Greens being on 40% – that’s really going to sway the punters…
So did you run that poll deliberately to see if this would happen?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:36 am
Pascal… we have been asking that very question for years. However VUWSA will scream you down at the mere suggestion that they are not acting for all students best interests….whether you like it or not. You can’t opt out as you still lose your money and I am willing to wager this years exec will go all out to keep the Nats out at election time.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:37 am
So how long until they try to do this on election day?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
I thought it had been rigged when the Kiwi Party got some votes
April 1st, 2008 at 9:44 am
Has anybody seen the poll results on the NZ Politics application on facebook?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:45 am
The psychic hotline must have been out of order that night.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
How about a poll on compulsory membership, in which VUWSA IP adresses are disqualified.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:50 am
The socialist lefty suckhole nitwits think everything can be fixed by deception and fraudulent activities. Do these wasters not understand that they can’t hide their dirt or are they that used to living in the utopian dream where everything is manipulated by the propaganda spin doctors. Whatever reason this country is a lost cause and I expect over a 100,000 to leave this clueless nation this year. The joke is on you foolish kiwi, a sick joke at that !!
April 1st, 2008 at 9:51 am
Do you people know for a fact that they are dumb. Do you have the evidence.
Or could it be that there were a couple of hundred folk at Vic last night and thought they’d all have a go at voting, and of course being bright cookies, they knew the only way to achieve it was to delete cookies, thus casting their democratic vote.
But as I guess you only have the hersay of cookie ‘cooking’ then we’ll have to convict them on that and call it natural justice.
“mind to contact their president regarding” HALL MONITOR!!!
What would you say exactly, someone went online last night and cast votes on a blog – holly crap I can see the headlines now, TV1 TV3, Herald, Stuff – VUSA is Voting Scandal
You people are the funniest around, funny peculiar, not funny ha ha.
As for compulsory student fees, get the f*** over yourselves- what the hell is compulsion if it isn’t called TAX.
[DPF: Paul no doubt knows this but those votes were not cast from anywhere in the university, but from the student's association office which only a dozen people would have computer access to.]
April 1st, 2008 at 9:51 am
I am with GPT1 here. How very dare you DPF. It’s all your fault. You knew that the lefties would cheat and you just set up the poll to catch them at it. You despicable and unprincipled man. It’s not their fault that they are corrupt. It is yours for tempting them.
(I cannot get my head around the NZ mentality of not taking personal responsibility.)
April 1st, 2008 at 9:53 am
Didn’t take potty mouth D4Insantiy to pipe up with his informed and distinclty “Cuckoo’s Nest” view of the world.
Nice informed comment, do they bring the pills around later in the morning dad. Who do I contact to have the round stepped up earlier in the day.
Try adding to the debate weirdo.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:56 am
Bok what’s corrupt.
Does it say anywhere that only one vote can be cast per person, I didn’t see the small print. So then without such rules, if one feels strongly enough about this, then it’s their right to vote as fervently as they like.
It’s an online poll on a right wing blog in NZ, it’s funny. You people have NO perspective on reality.
[DPF: Thank you for making your ethical standards so clear to everyone. It explains so much now]
April 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Meds Paul, remember the meds. The doctor said you could function semi normally if you took them, although the diminished mental capabilities would make you prone to leftist thoughts he said. remember? But that is just one of the side effects, the benefits of staying on them might outweigh the lefty side effect.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:58 am
Paul at the risk of demerits I would shut your nutbar mouth you creep !
Edit : call me mental again and I will gladly do two month ban after I unleash !!!!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Paul – you really are a prize prick aren’t you? Your mother must be so proud. I hope you are no longer teaching our young ones.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:12 am
Back to the issue at hand, dad is insane, how else does one account for the outbursts above and throughout this blog.
Aside from that the very real and seemingly devastating news that the polls are rigged. Bok, your thoughts would have sufficed, but I’ll remember the meds. How does it go Party Pill from ACT check! Can I join more than once and get more than one pill, or can I now go on the black market and buy up all those party pills that are in circulation. But thanks for that, I nearly forgot the right’s pill of choice.
Double Standard, name calling how very becoming. What about the polls those all important polls, your thoughts would suffice.
It’s a fucking online poll of a right wing blog infested with religious righties and you are surprised that someone thought it was funny to have a go at the poll. Come on.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
oh god, is Paul a T-Col grad?
April 1st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Taking out the automated votes by Labour and the Greens we get the following result.
National 33% 140
Kiwi Party 20% 82
ACT 18% 74
Labour 10% 41
Green 8% 32
United 5% 22
Maori Party 4% 17
Libertarianz 1% 4
Other 1% 3
NZ First 0% 2
Progressive 0% 2
Total Voters: 419
It is worth noting there is only one party which put respecting the view of the majority on moral issues as a top priority.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:15 am
As the risk of sounding facetious Dad, what exactly are;
“nutbar mouth” – is that the end of a MARS bar?
“suckhole nitwits” – do we need a special shampoo for this condition is it like nits?
April 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
Get a life you creep Paul. What a disgrace to New Zealand you are.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
So Thank God Chuck has bought some normality to the debate.
I mean this blog must have all 82 friends of the Kiwi Party here, that is the whole 82 people in the country that knows this group exist and think their bizarre policies are worth wasting a vote on. Very scientific and very thorough.
All back to ‘normal’ in the world of right wing blogging – phew thank god for that.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am
So rocket boy this rigging polls is just a little bit of fun Learning from you best mate Robert Mugabe are you rocket boy Gonna steal 08 like your lot stole 06 are you arsehole.
You and your Soicalist swine herd dont deserve the oxygen you breath.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Presumably you’ve checked to see if 202.20.0.60 has ever commented here?
April 1st, 2008 at 10:20 am
Expat. well done go to the top of the class. You see here in NZ it is still compulsory to get a qualification before one can teach.
Or are you trying to be funny? Last time I looked the country needed more teachers and somehow this is now a bad thing? Not sure where you are going with this one expat.
Shit I’ve just got it, it’s a disease -it’s infectious – it’s life threatening – it’s called education, opening up of one’s mind to the possibilities that there is more to life than the dogma taught at sunday school.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:23 am
Someone rigged an online poll on a weblog?? Oh no, someone call the cops. The most absurd thing about this is linking this rather silly behaviour to the issue of compulsory student union membership. Clearly the people who abused the poll are muppets but I thought DPF had more sense than to reach (or at least suggest) a conclusion on the basis of such silliness that there is some sort of impropriety taking place with student union funds.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:23 am
The evolution of sp!n:
Breakfast Blogger:’It was just a harmless prank. God you people really need to lighten up!’
Lunchtime Blogger: ‘Even DPF’s own poll showed a majority vote for Labour’
Teatime Blog: ‘Labour landslide in kiwiblog poll! – kiwiblogblog
Evening Blogger: ‘DPF desperate to score political points against ‘the people’ – The Standard’
April 1st, 2008 at 10:26 am
DavidP, someone in Milton Queensland?
gd, very big man hides behind anonymity while shouting abuse – not.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:30 am
LEe it isn’t even that sneaky. We all have txt messages and we are told when and where to vote. We are organised in sub committees with cells planted around the country. When Mr Pink txts us, we pass it on and before you know it there is mass action on the left. I’ve heard there’s even a splinter cell in Epsom and they are trying to distribute party pills.
Damm our cover has been blown, better get back to the drawing board, the only problem is that our overlord Mr Pink can’t be contacted, we just believe that he exists. Apparently he talks to one of us who passes on 10 rules every now and then.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:33 am
They were only trying to help people
April 1st, 2008 at 10:34 am
So Expat made a comment that I was a T-Col grad and that really merited a tick from someone – is that really what gets your rocks off. Wow is perspective and reality something that has ever paid a visit to some of you people.
Jesus, I hear there’s a fitter and welder in here somewhere, and a librarian, an accountant, and oh yes one of the bloody evil university types.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
I give up as this Paul should be in a straight jacket and his mouth and fingers bound with duct tape.
What a head case,a creepy ruin of a man. The jokes on you foolish Paul. What a disgraceful person you are.
Do have a good day everybody else.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:35 am
Fascinating. First DPF writes about conduct which is clearly in his view immoral (possibly worthy of moral opprobium), then he identifies a small group / class of people who could have been responsible.
There is no way that DPF has defamed anyone here but it is instructive to see how defamation could happen by accident.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:37 am
lol
April 1st, 2008 at 10:38 am
Shock! Horror! someone voted more than once in an unofficial, unscientific online poll. Quick, email your MP so they can ask what the government is going to do about this important issue. Forget Mugabe, I’m phoning John Campbell with the expose!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:49 am
just a harmless prank, then, wellybelly?
April 1st, 2008 at 10:57 am
“straight jacket and his mouth and fingers bound with duct tape” Is this how the right silences it’s critics – cool is there a whip and some leather involved. Can I also bring a large vibrating toy for you Dad?
April 1st, 2008 at 10:59 am
Lee it was possibly the most victimless crime ever committed in the history of humanity? I know of no crime or event less important in the entire world, well not unless you count the fact that someone offered me an Auckland beer the other day – bastards.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:03 am
I dunno, I was curious and looked at Paul’s blog as a result of all this. Have a look. It’s pretty funny. “infested with religious righties” is the line that finally hooked me. Wow.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:04 am
I don’t think most people took the poll as seriously as some are claiming. If it had remained unrigged it would have been an interesting snapshot of DPF’s readership, but nobody was attaching any great weight to it. It seems to be the rabid lefties who a) had nothing better to do with their time than rig an online poll, b) thought this was actually a worthwhile use of their precious energy or would achieve some great socialist victory, and c) are now hypocritically laughing that it’s “only an online poll”! Well if it’s “only an online poll” why be so fucking retarded as to go rigging it in the first place?!
[DPF: Exactly. It was fun and not serious, and would have been interesting profile of readers who vote in online polls. But God forbid that even a fun online poll shows National doing well - like the last ten or so online polls (including media hosted ones) people had to try and rig it. It isn't that this is a one off, but that it happens almost *every* time.]
April 1st, 2008 at 11:07 am
http://aucklanderatlarge.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html
April 1st, 2008 at 11:07 am
Looks like the VUWSA are more advanced than we thought. Not only have they automated a poll voting script, they’ve also developed a chatterbot and called it Paul. He’s a Wordsmith of Mass Distraction. Is he programmed to shut off at 11:59am April the 1st? Now that would be funny.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:09 am
Oh Paul, lighten up it was just a comment with no political connotations. I just remember my forays to T-Col while at university, lucky I wasn’t there for rational debate.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:12 am
It was a nothing poll until someone decided to rig it. But apparently that is expected and normal behaviour, no excitement about it at all. And questioning why someone used resources provided for by compulsory student unions, well, that is just beyond the pale.
D4J – I think you should face facts. You actually are a nutbar. You should wear that badge with pride, rather than getting upset when someone points it out. If you don’t like people calling you a nutbar then you probably shouldn’t act like one.
Paul – if this blog is “a right wing blog infested with religious righties” then why do you come visiting and trolling? Not much to do with your time? You could perhaps get yourself a hobby instead of disrupting everyone else. Or is being disruptive actually your hobby?
April 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am
gd -’You and your Soicalist swine herd dont deserve the oxygen you breath.’
That’s ‘your S-O-C-I-A-L-I-S-T swine herd’ and I breath a mixture of oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide commonly called air – I’m not sure what you are breathing.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:21 am
Paul has confirmed he is like the rest of the Socialists students of Robert Mugabe. Paul I prefer to not reveal myself as I dont trust Socialists and their supporters to not act in the same manner as Robert Mugabe and his Zanu Party.
As the Socialists have fallen in the polls their behaviour has grown closer to their Zimbabwe mates.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am
Shit who cares!!!
We all know that Kiwiblog is mostly right-wing.
We dont really need a poll to prove it.
So someone at VUWSA is an idiot….is that really news
April 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
Ohhhhh rocket boy All getting a bit much is it Lighten up
April 1st, 2008 at 11:24 am
gd,
Or like Hitler!
April 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am
Ok ok the hacker was me. Again. Just can’t help myself I guess!
April 1st, 2008 at 11:28 am
You could try ringing VUWSA to ask who did it – their details are here:
Joel Cosgrove
VUWSA President 2008
Job Description:
As President Joel is employed fulltime i.e. 60-80 hours a week and sits on the University Council as well as many other committees, works with SJS, Studylink, NZUSA, and University Sport NZ. Joel sits on the VUWSA Trust and the Publications Committee with the Admin Vice-President, as well as being the default Chairperson of the VUWSA General and Executive Meetings. He signs off most contracts and agreements that are approved by the Exec or students at General meetings. You’ll see him at protests, general meetings, lectures, Orientation gigs or just walking about the campuses.
Joel’s history goes back to reading Salient’s in 2003 at secondary school, moving on to help organise the big 2005 student fees protest (the one that people still talk about) as well as crewing at The Shins and Interpol gigs around the same time. He’s taken on most elected roles at some point in his time on the Exec, with Activities holding a soft spot in his heart. Joel is a dedicated socialist and member of the Workers Party, something that influences his outlook on most things. Something that Joel has tried to push in his time at VUWSA is mass involvement and direction of the Students Association by students themselves, which is very much an ongoing project. 2008 looks to be a big year and there are a number of things Joel’s working on, a big one being the (date to be confirmed) September Protest Tour of New Zealand. Joel campaigned and won the 2007 election on an anti user-pays a mandate of free internet and printing and is working to bring that about.
Phone: (04) 463 6986
Rachael Wright
Queer Officer
Job Description:
Rachael works in improving access and equity for queer students on campus. She works with groups on campus and around Wellington, enhancing support and representation of GLBT students at a local and National level. She also helps organise a number of events and workshops on campus to educate, build awareness and have fun!
Phone: (04) 463 6980
Carey Clements
Office Assistant
Kia ora all, my name is Carey and after being a diligent Otago University student, I am now the Kelburn-based Office Assistant here in the big smoke between 9am and 5pm.
My role is to issue bus tickets, car park permits, fax off documents, sell lockers along with tickets to various university functions, book in the BBQ and a number of other things, least of which is to also point people in the right directions of where to go or who to speak to. I’ll be your first point of contact when you come to the Students Association office both in Kelburn and occasionally at Pipitea, so to paraphrase Mae West, come down and see me sometime.
Phone: (04) 463 6716
April 1st, 2008 at 11:30 am
Ok sorry expat, very hard to pick one’s tongue in the cheek on the keyboard. You didn’t take the Moral Development papers, Kholberg Piaget etc? Rational debate was the whole point.
But then T-Col isn’t about rational debate, its about training teachers to handle class room situations. I’ve never been of the mind you go to t-col to learn your topic as some do – you should already know your topic.
Francis, the religious right are in full flight within the “A good BSA decision” thread. “The Christian God is a good God who loves us and because he loves us gives us rules for living” Come on what is that if it isn’t religious speak?
April 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am
battler – HALL MONITOR
April 1st, 2008 at 11:35 am
It is clear Paul is not big on the honesty stakes here. [shrugs]
April 1st, 2008 at 11:37 am
Ok ok, I admit it, I’m the hacker. Just can’t help myself.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm
battler hats off to you mate, I tip my hat to the sheer comedic brilliance of your post – that was a superb wind-up! I mean ‘Queer Officer’ – sheer brilliance, shit I was almost taken in! But come on everyone, it’s gone 12.00 and we really need to start talking about some proper issues!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Well, which party do you expect the students to support? The one that got rid of interest on student loans, or the one that lately and (only very reluctantly) announced it would not reinstate the said interest?
Students have a lot of spare time – especially the computer-boffin types. This *travesty* may well not have cost even one brass rupee out of those evil compulsory student union fees. And if, as you say, your poll is a bit of a joke, how serious an investigation do you expect VUWSA to mount into this?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:28 pm
Ryan Dont mention the Hilter word It will only get them all frothing Goodwin law Their usual defence for the indefencible
April 1st, 2008 at 12:32 pm
You knew this would happen and indeed I suspect you deliberately set this up to see how this sort of polling abuse occurs and who is doing it. Fair enough. I deplore the Mugabeisation of politics in NZ.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
PS: Lee C – You’ll find most student unions have a “Queer Officer” or similar.
Attitudes like yours above (“Gay folk are a joke”???) are the reason why they do.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:37 pm
There’s a familiar name working for VUWSA.
Sonny Thomas.
IIRC he brought his megaphone to EFB protests in Wellington last year and nearly deafened protesters with it. He’s in Young Labour.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Lee, it would be funny if I had made this stuff up and our subsidized Universities were actually carrying on some serious business in the area of education, but these are the official descriptions from VUWSA.
Here’s another one:
Georgina Dickson
Women’s Rights Officer
Job Description
Georgina Dickson is this year’s Women’s Rights Officer on VUWSA. The role of the Women’s Rights Officer more generally is to work on women-focussed campaigns and provide services relevant to women’s welfare on campus. Some of the specific initiatives she is responsible for include the Thursdays in Black campaign, Women’s Fest and No Diet Day. She also co-ordinates the Women’s Group, which is open to join for all women on campus and provides support to the Women’s Rights Officer in her role.
Phone: (04) 463 6980
Isn’t it great to know these people are the future “leaders” of NZ- these are the one’s who will in a few years be the “educated ones” of society, telling us what’s best for us.
Isn’t it a great feeling to know that our taxes subsidise the course fees of these people, interest free loans, student allowance, accomodation supplements etc etc etc. You can sleep well at night now, knowing your taxes are helping the more “vulnerable” sectors of society.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Whoops – duplicate!
April 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
battler – one of Inventory Jnr’s friends was the Women’s Rep at Massey in Wellington last year. Strangley enough, they couldn’t get a woman to stand for the role of representing women, so Phil stepped up and took it on!
April 1st, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Ben, Sonny is indeed a busy boy-
Sonny Thomas
Campaigns Officer
Job Description:
The Campaigns Officer’s role is to promote activism amongst students at Victoria University. As Campaigns Officer I am dedicated to work with students and organizations to advocate the interests, needs and convictions of students. Fee setting, student allowances, and loans will remain central to the role of Campaigns Officer and the Education Action Group. I also aim to address other concerns and unite the student body around prominent issues this election year.
Phone: (04) 463 6980
April 1st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
RRM, you’re inventing straw men and then arguing with them.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Paul
I note your exposition of the left’s primary modus operendi – that of realpolitik or ‘the ends always justifies the means’. What’s a little prankish poll rigging between friends if we’re able to somehow score a brief moment of pro-Labour/Green spin that shows that the centre-left aren’t polling as bad as people think – keep hope alive stuff. Those who indulge in such childish interferences come across as dishonest and desperate all at the same time.
I note the other great tactic of the left was invoked – that of name calling and pidgeonholing. In this case, people should ignore kiwiblog pointing out the sneaky tactics of someone at the VUWSA because well they’re all right wing religious crazies – evidence for which you cite some posters on the BSA Findings thread. Listen to yourself why don’t you. Just debate the issue at hand and if your side’s case has no merit, have the decency to shut up and honour the first rule of holes and not try the usual ideological smear as diversion tactic.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:15 pm
DPF, it’s nowhere near as difficult as deleting cookies.
You just go into your browser settings and turn cookies off and then go to town.
With cookies turned off you can vote as quick as you can reload the page.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I, as a paid up member of VUWSA, and a writer for Salient, think this is a fantastic ploy.
It is not a matter of VSM, it’s not even matter of messing up some lame poll on what is blatantly a right winger wank fest of a blog site. I hardly think comparissons to Rob Mugabee are fitting to student politicians commenting on what is an internet based poll. Heck the Salient website has a poll function on that, but up in the office don’t get up in arms when some people shanghai the results.
What is new about students doing something to freak out you moral conservatives? The people who work for VUWSA, although misguided sometimes, weird at other times and down right crazy, do put in a massive amount of work some of them working 30 plus hours a week (while only getting paid for 10), while studying, drinking and doing stuff to benefit all students, even the ones who beleive in VSM.
It was not anyone in the Salient office, that is for sure. The only thing I can see that the people from VUWSA did wrong, was keep using the internet when we have all ready exceeded our bandwidth for the month. Because VUWSA is “business” and the communist internet companies hate us, we pay through the nose for interweb. That is the only thing that they should be held accountable for, and in the next issue of Salient there will be an article about this storm in a tea cup.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Jackson,
If Victoria had VSM, the Student Union wouldn’t even be able to afford an office computer because they wouldn’t have enough members to fund it.
Waikato went voluntary in 1996, and by 1999 they were down to only 124 members.
They organised a “petition” to hold a “referendum” in which only 1003 students out of over 10,000 on campus voted in favour of Compulsary membership and on this basis the University re-instated it.
When VSM finally does come back and go nationwide, VUWSA will be lucky if they have enough money to go down to a cyber-cafe to do their poll bombing.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Nice Jackson. You’ve validated all my views about student politicians.
This blog site is blatantly the opinions of a card carrying National party member. That is true. As to whether it is a wank fest is pure opinion. The comparisons to Mugabe are made by some of the commenters here, but in the same way we don’t really take responsibility for what D4J or Tane write, it is unreasonable to label everyone here based on those particular comments.
There is nothing new with students doing things to annoy people. It is childish and immature, but that is what students do. It doesn’t make it OK, it just makes it business as usual. In a similar way, we don’t accept that as reasonable behaviour, so we point out that spamming internet polls is not exactly helpful to the cause of those on the left – many people would see that as being unethical. You are free to argue that students and/or those on the left have no need for ethics if you so wish.
The thing that someone did wrong was to spam a poll. I don’t really give a rats whether you exceeded your quota, your fee paying members may. I’m not actually surprised that you can’t see that.
Should I imagine that this article in Salient will quote all the most extreme comments, label the blog as being extremely right wing and somehow attempting to suppress the rights of poor downtrodden students, and further will link this all to the evil National party?
The tone that you have taken I am interpreting to mean that you don’t have right wing or conservative views. Does that mean that none of the students who fund the VUWSA have those views? Is it appropriate to use compulsory funding from those students to basically promote views that at least some of those students wouldn’t agree with? My view is that student unions should stay well out of politics whilst on time or using resources funded by the compulsory levy. If there is a desire for student politicing, then you should join young labour, young national, or any of the many political groups on campus. If you want to spend money on it, then raise that money the same way everyone else has to. I can almost see an argument for services that genuinely work for the good of all students to be funded through a compulsory levy. Advocating for left wing policies does not meet that standard.
April 1st, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Jackson said “The only thing I can see that the people from VUWSA did wrong, was keep using the internet when we have all ready exceeded our bandwidth for the month. Because VUWSA is “business” and the communist internet companies hate us, we pay through the nose for interweb. ”
Four words for you Jackson – tell someone who cares!
April 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Early in the comments, Pascal asks: “How can an organization that is patently socialist demand fees from all students when the students can come from any manner of political persuasions?”
The question contains the answer: “An organization that is patently socialist will demand fees from all students when the students come from any manner of political persuasions.”
April 1st, 2008 at 2:10 pm
What is wrong with NZ universities that the student associations need womens rights officers and “queer officers”? The business and government worlds have recognised equality for a generation or more. Why are academics so far behind the rest of the country?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Additionally: “Because VUWSA is “business” and the communist internet companies hate us, we pay through the nose for interweb.”
Surely if the internet companies were communist, you would receive free internet, though I guess with a Great Firewall blocking access to anything really interesting.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pm
So let me get this straight, Jackson. VUWSA is already over its internet bandwidth allowance, and one of its staff sees fit to rig a poll on the students’ dime? And you’re defending this?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:20 pm
RRM
‘PS: Lee C – You’ll find most student unions have a “Queer Officer” or similar.
Attitudes like yours above (”Gay folk are a joke”???) are the reason why they do.”
Jeez mate is it so difficult to breathe at the moral altitude you inhabit that it has f**d up your brain?
April 1st, 2008 at 2:42 pm
So Jackson – are you happy for VUWSA to be branded as vandals and liars? Yes, they might have come to a right-wing “wankfest” of a blog and defaced a perfectly innocent little poll that has preciously little meaning in the greater scheme of things. It sounds harmless enough, doesn’t it?
The simple fact of the matter is they chose to artificially, using a technique that the Labour Party’s supporters frequently use for polls on the NZ Herald, skew a result.
And whilst there is a certain amount of principle in this (Think Diebold) I don’t think you will see that. However, the pressing question for me now becomes – “Why?”
Is the VUWSA and other Labour Party supporters so concerned about little online polls on a right-wing “wankfest” of a blog that they feel the need to deface it? It says a lot about your ilk that you feel proud and supportive of such actions.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:52 pm
“Sonny Thomas
Campaigns Officer
The Campaigns Officer’s role is to promote activism amongst students at Victoria University.”
Presumably that is the same Sonny Thomas who was elected Vice-President of the Young Labour national executive in 2007.
Those at the anti-Electoral Funding Bill demo will remember Sonny, he was the thuggish one one with the mask and loudhailer trying to disrupt a lawful and peaceful protest. (And yes, he has a right to do this. That doesn’t do anything to diminish my contempt for him.)
Fancy that, a Labour loyalist in charge of official student activism at Victoria during election year. Talk about coincidence. Conflict of interest – good heavens no.
So Sonny, done anything in support of the oppressed Tibetans yet?
How about this free trade agreement with China that the government is signing up to without the public being consulted? Or even getting much of a look at the details. Surely our caring students must want to have a say about this? Or do you think they only care about policies that parties other than Labour put forward.
April 1st, 2008 at 2:55 pm
This is the best thread ever. ROTFLMAO.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:23 pm
Dont worry the children at the Uni will grow up one day and get over their belief that they are the original ones and no one before them ever did the same things.
happens every generation
April 1st, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Oh no – Paul again……
……..Damm our cover has been blown, better get back to the drawing board, the only problem is that our overlord Mr Pink can’t be contacted, we just believe that he exists. Apparently he talks to one of us who passes on 10 rules every now and then.
But that is just one of the many jokes that we righties see in the actions of this left-winger – and you’re simply reinforcing that joke but without the awareness – the ultimate straight man. Any decently organised left-wing group with substantial support from the Toiling Masses, should have been able to stir it’s collective arse to flood the poll with votes for Labour, or the Greens, or Bring Back Liala.
Instead, all that could be managed was one poor little soul hammering the keyboard for a couple of hours as some sort of Keep Hope Alive therapy. Wankfest indeed!
Rather appropriate really. Oh – and it looks like Jackson is channeling you as well…
What is new about students doing something to freak out you moral conservatives?
April 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I stacked the poll.
While i was doing it i also sped up global warming by leaving my car on, lights shining into the offices (ala Watergate) so i could see all the cookie time cookies that needed to be eaten and the right circle to click.
Indecently i only meant to up the Labour votes but by virtue of my crappy car lights dipping out, i accidentally hit the greens button instead. I apologise for any misrepresentation i may have caused. The greens no doubt don’t care about silly online polls.
My charity – w.a.n.k.e.r.s, ‘What About Naive Kids Eating Rare Snails’ – was donated to by NZ First last week (there you go, not so secret now). In turn we will now donate the money to VUSWA as repayment for abusing students trust.
Kind regards,
The guy laughing at your ridiculous comments.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Whew. So let me see if I’ve got this straight…
Students think they can save the world (and score sexual realtions with one another) by being all socialist and radical and Che-t-shirt wearing and stuff. Nothing new there.
Students act like idiots in an ultimately futile action, while believing they’re in fact some sort of socialist revolutionary. Or at least that’s the way they’ll portray it at the tav when trying to score (see above). Nothing new there either.
Students are incapable of parsing even slightly complex information and instead resort to undergraduate generalisations like “right wing moralists” (when even a casual glance at the “Californication” thread would reveal opinions ranging from anything-goes liberal to Christian consrvative). Sadly, this is also not unusual, though not too many years ago trotting out simplistic nonsense would have resulted in a fail mark, even if it was left wing simplistic nonsense. Alas the people who once submitted essays with the intellectual depth of a Noddy story are now the lecturers, breeding a new generation of people lacking intellectual rigour.
But rather than try and do the job the universities fail to do and educate them, let us see if we can adapt this reasoning to our purposes. Because an online poll is easily rigged, this line of thought goes, then going ahead and rigging it is in no way an immoral act. So presumably because a smelly drunken hippy weaving his or her way home from said tav down Salamanca Road is easily knocked off their bike, there’ll be nothing morally wrong in so doing. Thanks for clearing that up
April 1st, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Is it true that 4 people voted for the Libertarianz? Wouldn’t that mean the entire party reads this site?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:33 pm
They’d love to able to stack the election as well but happlily they can only get their wet dream of total domination in fantasy land.
Fucking losers.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Gees your a dick Rex.
You talk of intellectual depth in your comment and yet the comment itself is so full of gross generalisations and hyperbole that it is you that seems to be the idiot.
I know that there is absolutely no need to be objective when posting a comment, nor overly creative in your summation of student beliefs (as if we are all socialist swine, get a grip mate), but maybe, just maybe, if you didn’t react so damn foolishly then you wouldn’t get people taking the mickey out of you so often. (i of course refer to all people who comment when i write ‘you’, not just poor old Rex)
Of course abusing the poll is stupid and foolhardy but the reaction it has garnished makes it all the more worthwhile, if only to see you writhe round in an idiotic stupor.
April 1st, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Jeff -You’re dribbling on your shoes again.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Jeff
When trying to write comments that demonstrate intellectual superiority, you could try an opening line other than “Gees your a dick ..” Just a thought.
The conventional definition of ‘garnish’ is “to add decorative or savory touches to food or drink”. Is there another meaning, or did you mean ‘garner’ (more-or-less synonymous with gather)?
And it is hard to see the resemblence between a series of indignant, if often incoherent, blog comments, and a drunken stupor. Bad choice of simile.
Good luck with exams – you appear to need it.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:02 pm
This is almost as bad as the time george bush stole the election…
April 1st, 2008 at 7:05 pm
This is almost as bad as the time helen clark stole the election with all that taxpayers money….
April 1st, 2008 at 7:16 pm
This is almost as bad as… the last time a student pranked somebody?
April 1st, 2008 at 7:22 pm
Don’t you mean as bad as the last cranky student idiot computer nerd. I remember the days of student protest before this trickery and skulduggery on the internet. What do they teach those socialist morons in Universities these days? Don’t tell me as I don’t want to know. Dropkick tuggers.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Gee thanks Jeff. Without your searing insight I wouldn’t even have realised I was generalising. Here was I, who’s been paid to write stuff for probably longer than you’ve drawn breath, thinking that I was responding with satire to nonsensical generalisations like “a right wing blog infested with religious righties”.
But you’ve reminded me that I overlooked a cardinal rule of writing – pitch your piece at someone with a reading age of 11. So my apologies for assuming a comprehension level somewhat above that might apply at tertiary institutions in NZ. Clearly I erred.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Ha ha..Game, set and match to Mr Widerstom.
April 1st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
it’s called education, opening up of one’s mind to the possibilities that there is more to life than the dogma taught at sunday school.
Paul, is deliberately skewing the apparent public opinion (in this case DPF’s readership) a good way of opening up the minds of young students? Is that superior to Sunday School dogma?
April 1st, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Dad Helen stole the election when?
Why weren’t we told about this, where were the legal challenges?
He he keep taking the blue pill sunshine and the matrix will continue to feed your wildest fantasies.
Rex “pitch your piece at someone with a reading age of 11″ so nice of you to include Dad4 in this thread.
Brian (with the scary pseudonym), well one would hope that the moral and intellectual development of students, bugger that all people included, could grow past the religious dogma which they are programmed at a young age.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
simo +1 Says:
March 31st, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Off the topic David, Labour/Green party supporters have hjacked your poll ” Who would you vote for………
T’was easy, these polls bring out the trolls from the VUWSA, don’t need cheese on the rat trap at VUWSA they are that dumb!
April 1st, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Scary pseudonym?
Sorry, can you rewrite that? I don’t follow what you’re trying to say.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Maybe these dumbo student wackos can be caught on fishing line without hooks or just maybe they have the IQ of a lead sinker? Whatever, smelly cheese and rats belong in the offal pit.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
100+ comments on this? All because some lamer hacked a lame, meaningless online poll? Sad.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
roger nome +0 Says:
April 1st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
100+ comments on this? All because some lamer hacked a lame, meaningless online poll? Sad.
Bit tough to ignore the low IQ at VUWSA, eh Roger
April 1st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
gnomer you are a “sad” unit – got that pitiful person.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Yeah, but Nome, you read to the end then commented yourself.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:13 am
I thought you couldn’t post here as Roger any more PJ.
In one of your sycophantic little arse lickings over at VDS or KBB you were rabbiting on about how DPF had blocked you (cry,cry)from commenting on Kiwiblog, to show the losers over there that you are one of the boys (so to speak).
Now its seems you can post as RN.
Have you apologised to DPF yet for maligning him?
Na didn’t think so.
April 2nd, 2008 at 7:24 am
Chicken, Roger’s suspension was lifted on 14/03/2008.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:08 am
Yeah I know Pascal – He was over on the VDS(I think) moaning that DPF had blocked him from commenting here AFTER his suspension was over.
I think it was a lame attempt to snuggle further into the flea infested, ripped army blanket bed that the people over there lie down on.
Unfortunately for Roger (and I get the idea that this may be the story of his life), DPF happened to read that thread and gave him a good bollocking about what he’d said as it was not true.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 am
Thanks for clearing that up Chicken. I don’t make a habit of visiting the Standard – It’s too filled with idiots slapping each other on the back for being retarded.
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Chicken, I thought we were here to debate the polls not some sort of attack at Nome.
Pascall ” It’s too filled with idiots slapping each other on the back for being retarded.” Pot in a kitchen calling a certain kettle black?
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
No, not really Paulll. But now that you and Cruella are here I’m sure you’ll lower the tone here.
April 2nd, 2008 at 2:07 pm
You’re welcome to think what you like Paul.
You may not know that it takes many parts to make up a whole.
Pascal – When I need a good laugh at the complete idiocy of life I visit The Standard.
Light relief only