A reader writes in
Received this message:
I was sitting behind him in a National Standards meeting and he was using his touch phone to video and record ‘discreetly’ Anne Tolley, Sam Lotu-Iiga and other members of the publics questions and comments. We all realised he was doing it, and at one point Anne said something like “If you want a copy of the slides Trevor i’ll send them to you”.
If I was a parent genuinely concerned about what was going on, someone who cares about my children’s progress who comes along to one of these meetings I don’t think I’d want my voice to be used in the Labour party caucus- he’ll probably bring us segments in the house or try and table his phone.
I have to question whether this is the best use of time for a constituency MP- and the use of tax payers money for him to fly up to Auckland to ‘hold’ Carol Beaumont’s hand. Time that he could be using to solve cases in his community, perhaps teaching children how to read considering he’s so concerned. Concerned about children’s progress enough to spend recess here videoing a public meeting.
Speaks for itself. More strange behaviour.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:13 am
One could only hope that he does try and table his phone, surely that would give access to all the messages and call logs on it?
March 12th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Yes, lukas, that could be problematic.
Unlike DPF I am pretty relaxed about Trevor’s behaviour. Usually it is the grassroots activists that are the ‘plants’ or observers at these sort of public meetings (for any Party; they all do it) – Trevor just makes it a touch more obvious.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Indeed, I questioned earlier whether this was stretching his use of taxpayer funded travel.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:30 am
He meets the bird psychiatrist’s standard for mad duck.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:32 am
At least Mallard didn’t end up hitting anyone this time.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I wonder if Trev uses Tiger Text?
March 12th, 2010 at 11:44 am
Trevor Mallard is one of the best things to ever happen for the National Party.
Intemperate and arrogant, ignorant and condescending, ideological and unpractical. Mallard is the epitome of a Clarkist Labour MP, possessing almost all of the personality traits that so disgust Kiwis and make Labour unelectable.
And he’s their talent.
March 12th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Strange behaviour yes, but where’s this stalking taking you?
March 12th, 2010 at 11:54 am
In Mallard’s blog he boasts about gathering material to use in parliament: http://blog.labour.org.nz/index.php/2010/03/12/tolleys-meetings/ . And then the very first commenter is a guy called James Sleep. Isn’t he the Labour Party minion who snuck around National Party events secretly recording people he talked to?
Part of Labour’s strategy last election was to record so much secret material so that sooner or later you’d be able to edit out a soundbite that, taken out of context, made National look bad. And send their President to Australia to dig up dirt on John Key. They looked creepy, the public were generally disgusted by the Nixonian tactics, and they lost. So what is their strategy for the next election?… More of the same. Some people never learn, so matter how hard you slap them.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
Poor failed socialists, life must be such a drag. It must be their greatest fear, losing their evil grip on our children. How will they ever have that socialist utopia without young minds being filled with their bullshit. National Standards, my God say it isn’t so, why would one promote National standards when standards are to be despised. There is only one standard socialists like Trev would like to see, a utter and blind flowing to the lunatic left.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Mallard and most of the front bench including Goff have one more shot at getting back into Government and that is the 2011 election. If he misses out then then it is over rover for Mallard being a Minister ever again. So he beats up on women in a desperate attempt to win the 2011 election, because he see the National Party women as being the weak link – excluding Judith Collins and increasingly Paul Bennett.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Does it strike anyone else here that all this discrete filming of members of the public by a MP with his cellphone, is a bit, ahem, seedy?
March 12th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
Frankly I find the obsession many posters here have with Mallard equally as odd.
The “filming” cant have been that discreet if Tolley and the “reader” noticed it.
All politicians do this sort of stuff whether directly or indirectly so no one should be surprised at Mallard doing it
March 12th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
If he wants to have an accurate record of what happened at the meeting and the range of views that people were bringing up then recording what was going on seems fair enough.
My impression is that Anne Tolley is a bit of a flip-flopper so if I had any dealing with her I would like things recorded so there can be no debate later.
When Anne Tolly was on Morning Report this week being interviewed by Sean Plunkett, I could almost hear him sighing and thinking “where am I even going to start with this – it’s such a load of illogical tosh”.
March 12th, 2010 at 1:52 pm
It just goes to show how fall you fall from Government. In Government you are the Minister of Education. You control a budget of billions. You set education policy for the nation. You have thousands of staff, and a private office that does your every bidding.
In Opposition you are reduced to trying to covertly film public meetings.
And in response to Megan, I have never ever heard of an MP, let alone a former Minister, filming a meeting on their cell phone.
March 12th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
So DPF, you’re saying that Trevor Mallard is at the leading edge of the technology curve?
March 12th, 2010 at 1:55 pm
No.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
No, sleep was the guy who got banned from here for a variety of sins that basically boiled down to being an idiot.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:11 pm
There are millions of people who record meetings, presentations etc. Especially when getting the detail right is important e.g. lawyers. If you are going to argue with someone then you have to a pretty clear picture about what their position is.
Or perhaps he thought she was going to read them all a story book again and he wanted to get it for posterity? ;->
March 12th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
“There are millions of people who record meetings, presentations etc. Especially when getting the detail right is important e.g. lawyers.”
I’ve never knowingly been in one. Never ever been in a legal meeting (and I have spent hundreds of man days in such things) which was recorded.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
How can it be secret material if it’s a public meeting?
March 12th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
One woman I know went along to hear the minister explain national standard, and was quite unnerved to have Mr Mallard staring at her constantly during the meeting. What creepy behaviour from Mr Mallard.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Staring at her or at Tolley?
I thought he was recording Tolley.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Ahem, I could make a comment about bike stands and bikes but that would be purile and some could construe that as being a big meanie to Trev.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Photographs he said, grin grin, wink wink, snap snap.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
A nods as good as a wink to a blind bat
March 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
I know Trevor is no brain surgeon or scientist but he’s surly Mad.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Surely he’s surly. And sometimes gets mad. Is that surly mad?
March 12th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
I George im Irish.. its surly mad.
March 12th, 2010 at 10:11 pm
I’ve suddenly realised that Trevor is probably against Natinal standards because it has the word national in it….
Maybe if Tolley renamed it ‘Labour Force standards’ they’d get right behind the initiative…
March 13th, 2010 at 11:38 am
What a sillyl post. Mallard is his party’s Education spokesman, so it’s hardly unusual that he would attend public meetings on controversial education policy.
And, to be perfectly frank, Tolley doesn’t think well on her feet, and has struggled to be coherent when challenged in some of these meetings. It seems perfectly rational for the Opposition spokesman to get a record of what’s said by the minister at a public meeting.
I put it to you David that you’d be less affronted if you were less concerned about Tolley’s performance
[DPF: Actually I can't recall any MP acting in this way before. I've known local MPs to attend such meetings, but to have the Opposition Spokesperson fly to Auckland and attend not one (which might be to hear what is said, but multiple meetings is not something I can recall.
Also unusual is that at a meeting for local parents, Mallard actually interrupts to ask questions. He had unprecedented opportunities to ask questions of the Minister at Prlt, but instead he hijacks a parents meeting. Incidentally I understand many parents there were upset with his actions.
And then on top of that, he tries to covertly film it on his cellphone.
Good God, if you want video of Anne at the meetings, just ask local Labour Party members to attend and film. Having Mallard flying around the country following Tolley around, is seriously a bad look]
March 13th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
“I’ve suddenly realised that Trevor is probably against Natinal standards because it has the word national in it”….
Your right there should be a NATIONAL UNION.
Russell.. To be perfectly frank..I would be more concerned with your own performance.. That is if your the media 7 Russell Brown.
If not I apologise.. and agree on your observations that Tolley is coherently challenged.. but she is the education Minister after all.. representing our kids today.
To say that TrevorDuck that it’s hardly unusual that he would attend public meetings on controversial education policy.
No Russell… for him to discreetly video record them on his phone is..
March 13th, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Russell .. I’m sure that Tolley will have many public meetings so according to your logic, daffy will be attending them all??
The wanker said before hand he was going to waste taxpayers money by attending the meeting as he is a publicity seeker .. I assume you know that.