The Mussolini story
October 24th, 2009 at 2:00 pm by David FarrarWell since I blogged on Chris Carter’s deleted Mussolini blog post on Thursday night, the story got legs with it making One News last night, and the newspapers this morning. It even got Chris a bollocking from The Standard.
I don’t think there was anything wrong with Chris yelling out at John Key doing a photo op on a balcony, and joking that he looks like Mussolini at the Piazzo Navona. The problem is that Chris blogged it, or more to the point he blogged it in a way which didn’t convey much humour to it. Let’s start with the title:
Delusions of grandeur
That isn’t a very funny title. That looks like a snarky attack. Then we have his first line
Just saw the most awful sight.
Now again, that conveys that in fact Carter didn’t see it as much of a joke, but something awful. He then blogged the exchange, and Key’s response of “It worked”, and comments:
Says it all, really.
So Carter might have been able to pass it off as a funny exchange, except he didn’t. He turned it into a snide attack on Key. And even worse he took the time to upload an actual picture of Mussolini.
I have some experience of using humour and dictators, such as the wonderful anti-EFA billboards. What is the difference between those and what Carter did? Well firstly the number one difference is I’m an effing blogger, not the Shadow Foreign Minister. Seriously.
The second is we made the humour clear. We had the Commodore congratulating Helen on her “coup” with the EFA. We had Kim Il Sung congratulating Winston on being a great leader. We even had one (originally) with Mao praising Peter Dunne (originally an EFA supporter). We were not doing literal comparisons, but using humour and the dictators to make the case the the EFA was something you expect from an authoritarian Government. And you know the fact the Electoral Commission concluded it did have a chilling effect on political participation, and that Labour’s first post-election move was to apologise for it, and vote for its repeal, leaves me 100% comfortable with the campaign. Others may disagree, but I remind them the original EFB would have made it illegal for them to state their view in public on a policy issue, without signing multiple statutory declarations etc.
Anyway back to Mussolini. Here’s how I would have done it.
“Just saw John Key being forced onto his balcony to do a photo op. The things us politicans must endure. I joked to John that I thought the photo looked like Mussolini at the Piazzo Navona, and John joked back that at least it worked for Mussolini. Heh. Nice that he can take a joke and a hassle.”
I doubt that would have got much attention (sure still a bit bad taste). But the original post wasn’t funny – it was snarky.
Personally I would have grabbed a photo myself and done a caption contest 
October 24th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
That isn’t a very funny title. That looks like a snarky attack. Then we have his first line
“Just saw the most awful sight.”
Yeah he should have said——- “Just saw the most awful sight darlings.”
Much more in keeping with his style.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Pots. Kettles. Black.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
The power of the interweb, isnt’it. One hopes this will be the final undoing of Chris Carter who is a worthless trough snuffler by all accounts.
Vote:Little wonder nannyist and totalitarian governments the world over are seeking ways to restrict/control the internet. One must remain vigilant to expose what utter wankers can use the democratic process to gain access to the wells of money and power and thoroughly corrupt the positions of responsibility they are assigned to.
October 24th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Shorter DPF:
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Shorter Pete:
And I am much smarter and principled than both.
Why is it that these leftists have this incredible idea of being the absolute fount of wisdom and knowledge? Never seizes to amaze me.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
You are quite right of course. And Carter tries to rewrite the script saying it was funny. Not much humour in his post. However John Key got the last laugh. Mores the pity that Carter is such a small and getting smaller target.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I wonder if Carters mouth feels like the inside of a bird cage. Afterall its had a cockatoo in it.
[DPF: 20 demerits]
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
oooh Murray M, that comment is so gay. You’ll get naughty points for it.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
If I wrote what I wanted to I’d get banned.
Vote:He needs to go, he does us all a disservice as an MP.
October 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Carter’s reaction is just another symptom of the lefty disease. For these people everything, but everything, is political, they just can’t help themselves.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Thanks Dave
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Good thing I didn’t make that joke about a Nucifraga columbiana.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
Interesting to see the only-too-common left wing excuse “I was only joking” making an appearance here.
Vote:October 24th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
Sorry, that wasn’t clear. I refer to the politicians in the US who make earnest sounding speeches that go down well with their supporters only to state later they were “joking” when their words are revealed to the general public.
Vote:October 25th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
David:
If you were a pretty senior National frontbencher posting this kind of drool on a caucus group blog (which apparently is supposed to be a forum for serious and civil policy discussion), I’d tell you to pull your head in too.
As I said else where, ever wonder why politicians can barely outrank whores and used car salesmen in polls of respected occupational groups? This might have been mildly amusing in a student rag on a slow news week, or from some lefty columnist short of inspiration; from someone who (I assume) would like to be back in Government with a ministerial warrant one day? Dumb as a sack of hammers.
Vote: