16 Comments

I am heartened that David and Byron are exposing this very tiny and extreme group with rather different views, and am more than a little shocked at their 'different' interpretation of reality. Seems like it's a common fault of all of these people to also misunderstand the meaning of many of the words they use such as Communism and Socialism. I think what they mean is totalitarianism or dictatorship - the funny thing is, they don't seem to recognise that these political situations are most often promulgated by conservative governments and groups like themselves! To give them some credit though, they have worked out the ways to use the internet to make them look much bigger than they really are.

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You're right Mark, they were are good at making themselves appear bigger. There is a danger that in writing this, it also makes them look "bigger" - but I also think this stuff can't be ignored. Long after their network falters, I think it's important to have it documented - in ways like this.

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Ugh, I feel like I need a shower...

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It's the correct feeling.

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Elliot Ikilei used to plonk anti-abortion placards around my old suburb, and last year he creeped me out by regularly parking a van with his face on it near my local dairy - presumably as he was campaigning for New Cons. Between that and sharing an ante-natal group with Dieuwe De Boer, I've had my fill of NZs gross gaslighting racist men. Bravo Byron for investigating this clan without losing your mind (or your lunch!).

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That sounds about right, RE: the placards. Deeply religious, deeply problematic.

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"This is just wrong, regardless of whatever science Ms Pennycook is putting up on her website." Yup, the nutters and con theorists outing themselves in one sentence. Talk about a convincing argument, NOT! Even dressed up in flash and pretty production, this is nothing more than an attempt to gain followers by 'sounding' smart, when all they are doing is touting an agenda that supports their own unfettered access to power and the right to discriminate against anyone they want to. It upsets and saddens me that so many people who are at risk from this BS are actually supporting this BS. Thank you David, and Byron, for this incredibly comprehensively researched article. Reading this semblance of sanity helps with my own (sanity).

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Yeah, for all their talk of agendas, I feel like their agenda is not as hidden as they think it is :P

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Interesting story. It's good to see all the connections laid out. No surprise to see it all connecting back to Bannon. He gives me the heebies big time. Nothing knew in their choice of bogeymen, (communism welfare etc) to instill the fear though, just new platforms to spread it from. Got to give them credit for being well ahead of the game on that. The misinformation networks and means are bloody complicated and scarily clever. Shiver.

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Yeah, always goes back to the bogeyman of communism, eh. It's farcical!

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All those flags make me think the set is designed by Albert Speer

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Oh yay, you and Tig together sort of at last!

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The show on virtue signalling wasn't scheduled for ANZAC day.

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Jun 4, 2021
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"maybe could make the NZ misinformation series into an easy-to-digest podcast too?"

I'm planning to do some videos on fake news in New Zealand on my YouTube channel that will draw on the research I did for this series, will be sporadic but that may be something you want to check out

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I am here for that, Byron!

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I look forward to that!

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