National gag blogger

Blogger denied conference media privileges
Blogger Cameron Slater AKA Whaleoil has been denied media privileges at today's National Party conference in what he believes is a backlash from Prime Minister John Key's office against his attacks on party president Peter Goodfellow. Mr Slater was to have been reporting on the conference for TV3's The Nation but yesterday confirmed his application for media accreditation had been refused. He understood Mr Key's chief press secretary Kevin Taylor was behind the decision and said Mr Taylor had rung the producers of The Nation asking that he be taken off the programme, "which has resulted in me getting an extra slot".

WTF? Look I'm no fan of Whaleoil, but why is he being banned from the National Party conference? He is media, barely, but media none the less. He was accredited via The Nation so it won't be his usual flaming self and let's face it, he has a better handle on the inner workings of the National Party conclave then most, so what's the beef and who cares if Whaleoil is getting ostracized?

It matters because the bloody political party who is the Government of the day shouldn't be allowed the power to deny a media accredited commentator from turning up at their conference, now sure that commentator happens to be Whaleoil, but that's their problem, not his, media accreditation should be granted as widely as possible ESPECIALLY when that media accreditation has been backed and supported by TV3 via The Nation, banning Whaleoil based on critical things he has written is utterly unacceptable, even if I don't like his politics or ANYTRHING he has ever written, Whaleoil has every right to cover the conference!

I don't agree with anything Whaleoil says, ANYTHING! But I will fight for his right to say it at the National Party conference.