Who are the people behind the taxpayer funded Labour Party Blog, The Standard who were behind the bugging of the National Party Conference in Christchurch over the weekend?
Do a whois and you find:
www.thestandard.org.nz is hosted on a server at 202.74.226.119
A WHOIS on that IP address gives us:
inetnum: 202.74.226.112 - 202.74.226.127netname:
LABOURPARTY1-2DAY-NZdescr:
New Zealand Labour Partycountry: NZ
From Kiwi Blog an incriminating email:
From: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxDate: 11 June 2008 12:24:42 PMTo: labourmembersofparliament@parliament.govt.nzCc: pm@ministers.govt.nz, mike.williams@labour.org.nz Subject: The Standard Blog
Dear all
I have a serious issue to raise with you all. It has come to my attention that two Ministerial staffers - Chris Elder and Andrew Kirton, both political employees - are blogging anonymously at the Labour-hosted, anti-John Key blog the Standard, www.thestandard.org.nz.
Given that a large number of these posts (most notably those by Chris Elder or all_your_base, a communications staffer on the ninth floor) occur during office hours, do you all believe it is appropriate that political employees are spending their time blogging anonymously? Is this approved behaviour?
Kind regards
xxxxxxx xxxxxx
This email is from a parliamentary staffer, reports KiwiBlog and also goes on to say that other posters and managers of thestandard.org.nz are either Labour party insiders, employees or union members.
The Standard claims:
We’re The Standard - a collective who saw a gap in the New Zealand political blogosphere and decided that we should have a go at filling it. We write here in our personal capacities and the opinions that are expressed on the blog are individual.
We come from a variety of backgrounds and our political views don’t always match up but it’d be fair to say that all of us share a commitment to the values and principles that underpin the broad labour movement and we hope that perspective will come through strongly as you read the blog.
They also claim that the "Labour Movement" funds them.
All bizarre claims when one considers their involvement over the bugging of the National Party conference, their connections to the Labour Party and the funding of the blog from the taxpayer.
I loath everything Labour stand for but don't support National.
My blog is free to host, I am an individual, I am funded by nobody, am a member of no political party and never have been, and unlike those at The Standard can speak freely.
They wouldn't post this blog of mine on their comments section because they don't like dissenting opinion from another point of view, unlike this site which clearly trumpets free speech.
Those connected with the bugging of the National party conference are being sneaky, slippery and don't have the balls to stand up and say who they are.
I can, they are those connected with The Standard and are knee deep in this Labourgate scandal.
You are free to comment Steve Pierson from The Standard. Be a man and admit your organistion's involvement.
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c Political Animal 2008
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