Author Archive

Part of the news media? or a “PR blog” dedicated to “destroying” reputations?

Apparently attack-blogger Cameron Slater is considering appealing a recent court judgement denying him a journalist’s conditional protection of sources. The ‘whale oil’ blogger, with close links to the National government including his pick for next leader of the Party, Justice Minster Judith Collins, is facing trial next year accused of defaming an Auckland businessman through […]

Still one of my favourite photos of John Banks

So, facing trial for offences against the Electoral Act (no pun intended) John Banks is bowing out. See: Banks shuffles towards retirement stuff.co.nz No retrospective view of his career would be complete without mention of the now infamous ‘cup of tea’ with John Key at Newmarket’s Urban café. I was lucky enough to get a […]

“Only one blogger has the courage to tell the truth…” (Psst: It ain’t @whaleoil)

“Sometimes the blogosphere can become a Terror Dome…” (Man, I can almost hear Juana’s voice.*) DEADLINE: The Nikki Finke Story with Jean Smart and Christina Applegate from Jean Smart Enjoy it! – P * You know, “…the whole internet was ablaze with the news of him becoming the Editor of Truth.”

I’m guessing the Ports of Auckland company PAID to ‘quietly’ settle their privacy breaches

A whimper, a confidentiality agreement and a bank transfer — that seems the likely end to the Ports of Auckland’s dirty tricks PR campaign against its unionised workers [details here: Of bloggers, dogs and fleas. The Ports of Auckland’s ‘ethical and legal breaches’]. I almost (almost) feel sorry for companies who are ‘sold’ on the […]

One day in lobbyist land …

for Matthew Hooton and Carrick Graham. – P You may also be interested in: It’s only ‘propaganda’ if you’re talking about the other side, right, Carrick? and Smoke gets in your eyes, Carrick? Movie credit: My son.

Not just a fake Facebook account, but a demeaning, pornographic one.

Not a new story, but I came across it again … disgusting. As noted here previously, about the time I was tackling some internet marketing ‘gurus’ (and, I guess, hurting their feelings) several fake blogs were set up using my name and linking to derogatory statements about me. That was water off a duck’s back, […]

“You just feel kind of satisfied with your products, and then you die.”

Nice to hear Louis CK saying these things out loud. – P

Piercing the veil. Why I think Martyn is a bully.

A couple of years ago, in a post ‘Bradbury: Martyr or moderated troll?‘, I declared this about Martyn Bradbury: Let me be clear about my own opinion of Martyn: I think he is a sloganeering polemicist. He is also, in my personal opinion, a devious smear artist who hysterically espouses extraordinary anti-democratic ‘positions’, [see On a collision course] […]

Won’t somebody, please … think of the editors?

I’m in the early stages of editing a book. So this made me chuckle … (I’m not saying I’m better than anybody.) – P Via: Jess SilverGreenberg

Apropos the Willie & JT thing, read this excellent* Metro editorial by Simon Wilson

A taste: … That’s what makes the response of Willie Jackson and John Tamihere so appalling. They can reasonably be called role models for those young men, which meant they had a particular responsibility. Every decent-minded person the Roast Busters might have listened to was duty-bound to say, “What you do and think is wrong.” […]

Now, if Cunliffe had joked that Judith Collins was a ‘troll’ …

Actually, I read this introduction to a David Cunliffe blog post (apparently. I haven’t read it) as jovial, a play on words. “The original brief was to respond to a post by Judith Collins. My post was going to be about snapper, not trout. But considering that issue, along with Judith’s leadership aspirations, has floundered, […]

Philosophy and slippery ethics

Reader & commenter here at The Paepae, Ivan the Terrible, asked me last night whether I ‘fancy’ myself as a philosopher. This was in the context of my post Settlement of legal action as a ‘peace premium’ about the wisdom/risk management of settling a dispute, where possible, rather than pursuing it through the courts. I […]

You’re an activist? That shows that you care about something

Returning briefly to the subject of ‘What sort of people are involved in politics?’ (Remember, hate-blogger Cameron Slater thinks they’re dirty, disgusting, despicable people playing a dirty, disgusting, despicable game) I saw this in my Twitter timeline recently: Yeah, I can see where Glenn Greenwald is coming from, if a little defensively. It’s so easy […]

Settlement of legal action as a ‘peace premium’

I was fascinated by the language New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman used yesterday to describe a settlement agreement between multiple US government agencies and JP Morgan Chase bank over its actions in the Global Financial Crisis, reported as: NEW YORK (TheStreet) — New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Tuesday announced a groundbreaking […]

Wonderful

Kinda like: Heads we win, Tails they lose …? – P Via James Clark