It’s interesting DPF’s disclosure statement is fairly demure about his company Curia. Curia is a polling company and in the company’s background information it mentions the company employs 38 people. I am not entirely sure whether these are full time employees, but regardless, it shows Curia is a relatively large polling company.
So, why would Kiwiblogblog be interested in Curia? If it transpired Curia’s main contracts were with the National Party, the Opposition research unit and other outfits closely aligned with the National Party it might be construed DPF is still effectively working within the National Party - albeit more lucratively than as a bog-standard party hack.
Don’t get us wrong - if DPF scored a decent contract with his former employers all power to him. But it might strongly reinforce the notion that DPF’s Kiwiblog is effectively a sponsored advertisement for the National Party.
Unfortunately we won’t be able to find out: This kind of expenditure by parliamentary parties is beyond the reach of the OIA.
Tags: curia, DPF, kiwiblog, national party
October 30, 2007 at 11:09 am
The 38 staff would be DPF and 37 women who annoy us by phoning when we are having dinner.
“Curia currently has capacity to undertake over 2,000 call minutes per evening” - that’s less than one hour for each of the 37 women.
Now I’ve been called many times by pollsters, and none of them ever mentioned the name Curia. Do they give some other name perhaps?
October 30, 2007 at 11:22 am
no they’ve called me and identified themselves as Curia when asked. whereupon i declined to be interviewed because i wouldn’t trust DPF with any information about me.
October 30, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Getting 36 students to show up once a week and operate the phones is a very simple process. If Curia is anything like other polling companies they’ll pay a minimum of $5 an hour with perhaps a 50 cent bonus for each completed poll.
If that’s the case (and I honestly have no idea, but there’s a good chance that I’m right) I’d be disgusted but not surprised. The only calling center I’ve ever considered not a dishonest poor-student slave-trade was a rescue helicopter donation calling service. Because then it was at least for a good cause.
Does anyone know anyone who works for Curia? Apart from Shaven Gimli of Kiwiblogonia of course.
October 30, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Paying a minimum of $5 an hour would breach the minimum wage laws… Did you mean $15?
October 30, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Come on Margaret, play the game.
DPF = Bad
D4J = National Party representative member
EB = bogey man/men
JK = Sooo yesterday.
Unsubstantiated rumour and lies are the life blood of this blog.
Nih likes to play.
You’ll notice none of them will identify themselves, and a favourite saying is I heard that.
Good to see the same commentors going round and round in circles though.
By the way, I heard that Nih is right into gay animal porn and has a computer chock full of it. Also apparently he ripped his own Grandmother off for her favourite pieces of fake fruit. Go figure!
(I have no idea if what I heard is right but I think theres a good chance it is.) I’m disgusted but not surprised.
Mind you, you know what they say about people called Nih…… eh…….
[Icky says: DPF is not bad - he's just fronting an atrophying cause. D4J is not representative of National - but he does personally align himself with them. The EBs are a crazed sect. If you don't think that, you're dillusional. And, yes, JK is sooooo yesterday. He's vanilla when the Tories need chilli. He's banal and directionless.]
October 30, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Hmm, perhaps I mean $10. $5 is pretty fixed in my head though.
October 30, 2007 at 5:41 pm
Unlike my comment, you don’t have an industry average to back your libelous statements up.
Anyway, it’s dinnertime. Shouldn’t you be cooking for one? You sad, lonely little man. Come have a hug.
October 30, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Nice response Nih. What ever happened to civilised debate?
October 30, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Sardonik, you think animal porn is civilised? I guess you’re not here to debate after all.
Way to colour all your future posts as being authored by a twelve-year-old.
October 30, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Hmm. In retrospect, I could have phrased that comment better. What I meant to say was that 3bagsfull’s comment was thoroughly grotty and entirely deserving of your nicely-modulated putdown.
October 30, 2007 at 6:13 pm
$10 is still too low for the minimum wage, I think it’s about $11.25 at the moment?
Anyway, you can get around the minimum wage by employing people as independent contractors, as there is no minimum for them. Maybe polling companies do that?
October 30, 2007 at 6:54 pm
Haha! I guess I just pwnt myself then. I apologise, if I wasn’t such a bitter asshole I would have read your post without the token malevolence interpretation. I did think it was odd that you’d done some really good posts then suddenly turned troll. I owe you one. Thank you for your timely support.
I asked someone who has worked a couple of call centers and she said $10 (at the one I was specifically thinking of, so it’s not $5) and $8 plus bonus incentives. None of the bonuses could come close to doubling your pay or anything.
Sounds loophole-ish to me.
Successful business should be a factor of the popularity of your product or service, not your ability to mindfuck your labour into working for nothing.
October 30, 2007 at 9:04 pm
to back your libelous statements up.
Bahahahahahahahahahahaha
As you once said to me on this very blog Nih.
You’re full of shit. Fuck off wanker.
Can you prove you don’t have gay animal porn on your computer?
Can you prove that you don’t sleep every night with your Grandmothers fake fruit?
Can you prove that DPF pays people $5 an hour or that he “mindfucks his labour”? Theres a “good chance you’re right” apparently, so I’m fairly sure you will have more than idle speculation to back you up, right?
Oh, and Nih, Grownups have their dinner a little after 5.40pm, early night for you my boy. Don’t squeeze the fruit too hard.
[Icky says: It's a sad indictment on me that I have nerd porn on my computer - you know bits of code, stories on the latest gadgetry, I even run an Apache server thingy on my PC to play with SQL/PHP play things...I won't even tell you what I've got for my iPod fetish...sigh...]
[Zoster: I know lots of grown ups who eat before 6pm - mainly because that's the time their offspring devour food]
October 30, 2007 at 11:04 pm
Is it possible Davey will tell us what he pays his staff? I’d be interested to know if he’s the kind of employer who treats his staff as entirely replaceable drones or as individuals worthy of respect.
And before anyone reads anything into that (a) I’d not tell you what I earn or pay others and (b) he doesn’t have to disclose this information and (c) I’m not of the view that most or even many employers are exploitive … I’m simply curious.
Oh and by the way 3bags, there was a time where I thought you might turn into a useful contributor who’d challenge us with critical comments (god knows there more than enough holes in our arguments) and good humour but you’ve not bothered so don’t expect any respect.
October 31, 2007 at 9:12 am
Yes the independent contractor stuff is a loophole, and I think Darien Fenton has a Member’s Bill in to close it. There have been several legal cases about whether someone is legitimately a contractor or should in fact be an employee, but it seems there are still some industries where being taken on as a contractor is basically the accepted standard for many, eg film and television. The only way call centres could pay less than the minimum wage would be to do this. Or of course “export” the jobs overseas, where there are no/lower minimum wage laws. Maybe Farrar is doing that and most of his 37 workers are in India or somewhere? I have no idea.
October 31, 2007 at 9:25 am
Zoster - Comprehension mate - Not 6pm - 5.40pm. Get with the program.
Mardy - Well I really don’t think I need any respect from a bunch of Anon posters on an attack blog that closely resembles a Echo Chamber. I only want respect from people I actually respect - and that isn’t you lot.
If Nih wants to make up bullshit and couch it in ‘oh but I don’t really know if its true’ terms, then he can expect the same back. I’m not the greatest fan of DPF but what Nih said was just bullshit - and its not the first time I’ve seen it here and over at your sister blog The Average.
Up your game boys - looking a little sad at the moment.
October 31, 2007 at 9:33 am
Hey bag - why do you hate yourself?
October 31, 2007 at 9:37 am
3bags, fine by me mate, I suggest you play elsewhere as you’re really not making an impression here - you’re neither funny nor challenging.
October 31, 2007 at 10:20 am
does kind of make you wonder why s/he bothers. maybe it helps quieten the angry voices?
October 31, 2007 at 10:21 am
btw, if you’re paying by piece-rate (like 50 cents per call), do you still have to pay minimum hourly?
October 31, 2007 at 10:31 am
I’m no longer up on IR laws but would be a little surprised if call centre staff could be contractors or paid piece rates, I can’t quite work out they’d fail to meet the old control test? Happy to be proved wrong of course.
October 31, 2007 at 1:04 pm
I understand, on very good authoriry, that DPF pays between $14 and $17.50 an hour to his pollsters.
October 31, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Fair wage I’d've thought.
October 31, 2007 at 6:17 pm
There he is! I was starting to think Robinsod had left us. I spy Robinsod hanging out over at Saint Lucyna’s, playing all nice and stuff, and I thought there had been some sort of miraculous conversion. But back pops Robinsod. We missed you, Dude.
October 31, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Oh, the other way to get an exemption on the minimum wage is to operate a sheltered workshop for disabled people…look I am going to be all mature and stuff and leave that one alone.
October 31, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Hey Icky, I just thought I’d try on the NZ conservative carpet slippers for a night to see how it felt. Guess what. I’m not a conservative. Who’d've thunk it?
October 31, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Sod - I don’t hate myself. I love myself. Why should I hate myself?
What type of deluded arsehole are you?
Definitely not conservative material.
Stick with your knitting son.
Mardy - Thanks but no thanks, I think I’ll stick around and watch the meltdown.
Leftist Group Blog lifespan is (on past experience) about 4 months.
Leftist Group Attack Blog - gotta be a bit less I reckon.
October 31, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Bags - you clearly hate yourself but don’t worry - I love you bro (in a platonic way though - don’t go getting too excited my dear…)
October 31, 2007 at 9:41 pm
I’m genuinely surprised, that’s not bad. Perhaps he’s not National to the core after all.
This doesn’t change the reality of how most call centers pay their staff. That’s pretty worthless in the face of 3bag’s preference to argue the person rather than the point. His twisted, sexually-charged view of the person, that is.
October 31, 2007 at 9:42 pm
Bag - I’m not a member of this blog, or anything even close. I just read it, like I read a bunch of other things, both in line with and widely askew of my personal beliefs. But, as a RELATIVELY impartial observer, I have to say that however much attack kiwiblogblog may have in it, what it mostly is is a text reader. How is it an attack to say that DPF’s blogging is influenced by his beliefs, whether directly, by national, or simply by his own view? I would say that this is undeniable. These guys disagree with national’s policies (so do I - but I don’t like Labour much either,) and so their reading of DPF’s ideologies tends to be negative, but so what? Again, it’s not an attack.
Unless you seriously wish to claim DPF is objective? If so, I will break out the Meleau-Ponty on your ass. I have phenomenology. And I’m not afraid to use it.
October 31, 2007 at 9:44 pm
The low pay average point of discussion is worthless due to its visiting company, that is. Not your informed gem there Theodore.
October 31, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Since we’re on big p-words, I doubt we need mechanical science to determine 3bags has a walnut sized brain. Still, I love me some phrenology. Strap that fucker down and get in line.
October 31, 2007 at 9:50 pm
But that’s just it, isn’t it - he doesn’t have a walnut sized brain, he’s just defensive, because he thinks we’re attacking something he believes in. This is stink, because we’re always going to have lefties and we’re always going to have righties so what we need is not a left government instead of a right one, or viseversa, we just need a government that is not based on a majority.
And everyone needs more education.
October 31, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Ah yes phenomenology and that’s why Heidegger is so cool (if I can thread-jump that conversation) his notion of being in the world and the clearing is so nice in a bodystone kind of a way. Unfortunately the old degger is not so useful in the current set up but Baudrillard is (I don’t buy him as a serious intellectual of Heidegger weight by the way and I’m not sure he did consider himself above the fray but he offers a very good manual for negotiating the fiasco that is the current media environment).
I’m not so sure about your Foucault thing either Robin but all I’ve read of his in the last ten years was his panopticon essay and I have to admit it was a cracker. Where to you stand on Fredric Jameson?
October 31, 2007 at 10:00 pm
And Robyn - I am attacking something Bags believes in because I believe in something different. The truth is that the reification of the right’s ideology is suffering. You may be too young to remember the 1990’s but it was not a pleasant time for a lot of people. I refuse to go back there without a fight.
October 31, 2007 at 10:04 pm
Hey, stop being fair!
October 31, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Robinsod: hey, I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T attack what he’s saying! Attack away! Just, I’m all about the being concious of the fact that solutions seldome come from fighting. (However, they almost always come AFTER fighting - if Stonewall or the Sufferagettes are anything to go by.)
I don’t know anything about Fredric Jameson - I’m going to go look him up on wikipedia and get back to you. Yay! I’m learning! blogblog is so much better than blog!
(And yes, I do remember the 90’s. I’m a “mature student.”)
October 31, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Yups, sounds likeJameson’s going to be my homie fo’ sho’
October 31, 2007 at 10:25 pm
I recommend “the cultural logic of late capitalism” as a key Jamison text - it’s a little dated but good. I’m not looking for a compromise solution - I’d like to see the end of the discourse of Bags et al. It’s that simple.
October 31, 2007 at 10:27 pm
What about the Body with Organs??
October 31, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Sorry, I mean WITHOUT organs
October 31, 2007 at 10:31 pm
As a Jameson fan, you might quite like that. It’s about destabilising the ‘one point and one point only’ way of thought - it’s a challenge to capitalism and western academia
October 31, 2007 at 10:38 pm
I’ve not read it but I did read Rhizome some years ago. Maybe I’ll dig it up and have a read. Does it come in a readers digest condensed version?
October 31, 2007 at 10:40 pm
Sorry that was factitious - I guess I find theory a little tired (and tiring!) nowadays. I must be getting old…
October 31, 2007 at 10:43 pm
If you find theory tiring, why are still interested in politics? ButI get the joke - it’s funny when people are interested in philosophy, because they clearly have too much time on their hands, right? It’s a good joke and everybody likes it.
But what I’m driving at it: There is an unfixable divide between a leftie and a righty, in that faith in a right wing capitalist system automatically assume that everyone, in capitalism, has the same oppourtunities to be wealthy, therefore there is no need for state redress. The opposite is assuming that oppourtunities are unequal and the state must participate (plus spectrum in between.) We disagree. We remain in binaries, power relationships, et al.
Basically, we’re so busy disagreeing about all that that we miss out on the fact that something is hinky about western thought. Half the problem is capitalism itself (to which communism is merely an antithesis, NOT a solution.) I believe the BwO can address this, but not by destroying it entirely- simply by making it possible to live with. The other half is the fact that we still presume that all knowledge must drive towards the truth of being - we all try to prove our own right answers. The hopi indians, for example, have no differentiation between objectivity and subjectivity.
And on that bombshell, as Alan Partridge would say, I must away and go to bed. But it were fun.
October 31, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Ps: You are all cool and I love you heaps. Kiwiblogblog rocks my party.
October 31, 2007 at 11:27 pm
God forbid! Mardy, Splodge and Zos are definitely not the types to rock anyone’s party. Mardy just gets drunk and grumpy. Splodge eats all the cakes…and crackers…and BBQ…and… and Zos just bores the bejaysus out of anyone within a sixteen foot radius. Wat, he’s too new - but I reckon he’d be up for a bit of sexy time. Time will tell. But let’s be honest, it’s me who would be The Dude.
October 31, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Oh shit, one more thing (I couldn’t go to sleep with this on my mind! I had to get up!)
Robinsod: I should say, also, that the truth of it is, even though I come off all “let’s be happy and equal.” I can only be “fair” when typing. bascially agree with you. I am a COMPLETE pinko. If we’d met in real life I would be buying you drinks just to listen to you tell me why guys like bags and DPF suck. I would even spring for cocktails.
The philosophy comes after I’ve cooled down from having a complete spaz attack about how much I hate right wing politics. Seriously. Ask my husband. Once I got so angry about national that I cried. Sad but true.
And now I really have to go. I have work tomorrow.
October 31, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Cocktails for you too then, inky. (wink wink)
November 1, 2007 at 1:17 am
Ahh, poor Robinsod. They’re either soulless shills for national or they’re married.
Robyn sounds hands-down hotter than LeeC though.
November 1, 2007 at 7:59 am
arr, tis a cruel world
November 1, 2007 at 8:53 am
Robinsod has no time for love (well that’s his story and he’s sticking to it). But yes a cruel world indeed - just ask Schopenhauer.
November 1, 2007 at 12:15 pm
What the hey? “Zos just bores the bejaysus out of anyone within a sixteen foot radius”!
You’re projecting Icky. And it’s more like ten feet…
November 8, 2007 at 1:46 am
Fuck off, I don’t get grumpy… clingy, a little tactile maybe but not grumpy… what do you know anyway, you’ve gone home by the time I’m into the Gimlet!