Clare's Monday SMOG replayed

We blogged last night about Clare Curran's SMOG (Social Media Own Goal) on Red Alert yesterday. Since we're moving into Rugby World Cup mode, we need to use a sporting analogy, and the spectacular SMOG is now being replayed over and over again.

At to Clare Curran's undoubted dismay, the MSM has picked up on her gaffe; Andrea Vance from the Dom-Post writes:

Labour MP Clare Curran has let rip with a bizarre online rant railing against the Green Party, National - and her own supporters.

Curran, MP for Dunedin North and the party's communications and IT spokeswoman, wrote three posts on the Red Alert blog site.

In three dispatches she complained about the Green Party's attempts ''to encroach on Labour territory''. She said she had had a ''gutsful of the white-anting [undermining] of Labour from both the right and the left of politics''.

When she drew heavy criticism - mostly from left-wing supporters - she blasted back:

''Listen to you all. Go and knock on some bloody doors will you and stop pontificating. Get down to South Dunedin and see what it’s really like. Foodbanks are empty. People are desperate. Yes I am angry and it shows.''

Vance then cleverly points to an obvious point of difference between Ms Curran and her leader; read on:

In her first post yesterday, she blamed China for the loss of 1000 jobs at a blast furnace in Australia. ''Strong Labour policies focussing on our economic sovereignty; owning our own future are what this country needs.''

Labour leader Phil Goff signed a free trade deal with China in 2008.

Ouch; that's a SMOG in itself! Andrea Vance then replays a selection of the adverse comments left on Red Alert last night and this morning, and then twists thew knife a little bit more, reflecting on Curran's attempt to dig herself out of the hole that she had created for herself:

Later she posted another blog, this time telling the story of a constituent made redundant, whose wife was suffering from inoperable cancer. Curran alleged he had lost his job ''as a direct result of this government’s policies.''

However, this post drew more abuse - with one commenter accusing her of ''using a tragic situation involving terminal cancer to score a political point'', and a few asking her to spell out what policies she was referring to.

One said: ''At least this post makes more sense than your two previous, Clare; and less likely to alienate all those people you dealt with so spectacularly yesterday.

Though may I join the chorus and ask which policies have caused this man such distress? It appears it isn't evident to us how this is all evil national's fault.''

Another said: ''I'm angry too Clare! I’m angry that your party is doing so badly that you start blaming voters and the Greens when they should be your friends. I’m angry that when the foodbanks are empty, your solution is to get people to knock on doors for you. If the foodbanks are empty I would much rather spend my time and energy helping out the foodbanks, not helping you out, your party hasn’t done anything to deserve my vote so I’m voting Green.''

Now if Clare had only read Keeping Stock and taken note of our helpfulness, she'd know that we have often trotted out an old phrase; when you're in a hole, stop digging. She must have paused for reflection this morning (or been on the receiving end of an irate phone call), as Andrea Vance closes thus:

Curran today said she didn't want to comment. ''I'm not taking it any further. I think there has been enough in the blog-osphere about it, with people going feral, so I'm not going to fuel that further.''

And that Dear Readers is probably Clare Curran's smartest decision of the last 24 hours. In the meantime, I'm sure that Robert Guyton will be sending her a basket of his finest fruit to thank her for all the votes that she sent the way of the Green Party last night!