Comments on: 25 years on – career mid-point?

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:05:32 +0000

The Standard has never been Labour’s to ditch. I’m not sure if any MPs posted there but I certainly didn’t. My decision to always blog and comment over my own name comes from a mixture of wanting transparency and knowledge that technical people would catch me if I did otherwise. I think it has been a real strength of Red Alert. The fact that it is only MPs has made it easier to moderate as well. We trust each other to delete or edit comments from each others posts, and you might also have noticed that a couple of times i have ended up with format problems that others who are tidier and more technically savvy have sorted for me.

By: Elvis Christ

Elvis Christ — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:47:43 +0000

Good point Trevor – it’s all about context. I make comments at Whaleoil & Cactus Kate that I would never tolerate at interest.co.nz in my role as Web Community Manager.

David has made a mistake by letting a troll culture develop at “Kiwiblog”; oddly I can’t see Cameron tolerating the same thing at “Whaleoil”.

It’s good that Labour has decided to ditch “The Standard” and learn from “Frog Blog” by having it’s MP’s post under their real names here. It has much more credibility than when Mike Williams was posting as “Batman” at “The Standard” last year. I don’t think it did your party credibility do much good.

Bryan Spondre

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 22:20:29 +0000

Yep and thats not Red Alert.

By: Elvis Christ

Elvis Christ — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 21:06:24 +0000

Fair enough Trevor – though perhaps your previous post where you implied David Farrar looks like Danny DeVito playing “the Penguin” sunk to the level of “the blogs I am associated with”.

I am reasonably sure that I could track down footage of you making similar jokes (to those made above by the divine Miss Kate) about Gerry Brownlee during question time.

Bryan Spondre

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:45:44 +0000

Bryan we have decided to try and keep comments at a reasonable level rather than join the sewer with the blogs you are associated with. As you know this involves judgement.

By: Elvis Christ

Elvis Christ — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:36:48 +0000

“Shh Trevor, don’t tell name deleted Trevor or there will be taxi chits to Naenae on a daily basis.”

Rather disappointing to see you edited Cactus’s comment above Trevor. Surely you should be not be enabling Mr X in his addiction ?

Bryan Spondre

By: Tanya

Tanya — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:06:18 +0000

Miss the days of Lange and Muldoon, how honest they were, the best of times, Lange made me switch my vote…

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:49:08 +0000

You could dictate your memoirs into a recording device while cycling.

By: Trevor Mallard

Trevor Mallard — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:14:27 +0000

I think it is Michael Cullen’s job – even though he says he doesn’t want to. He was in the Cabinet 1987-90 and Senior Whip 1984-87.

By: Hilary

Hilary — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:32:12 +0000

Trevor, re this post. I really hope you are writing your memoirs as this was an extraordinary era of NZ politics with so many contradictory things happening, such as the Royal Commission on Social Policy, the anti-nuclear and other environmental battles, the foreign policy initiatives, and lots of equity stuff going on, above the rust-never-sleeps Rogernomics agenda. If you, and/or some others of the left, don’t write it up, Michael Bassett’s version will become to be seen as definitive, over time.