OK thanks fellas, I now use
function JidanniLessRedNavigation($sktemplate,$links){
foreach($links['namespaces'] as $ns=>&$value){
if($value['context']=='talk' &&
$value['class']=='new' &&
!$sktemplate->mTitle->quickUserCan('createtalk')){
unset($links['namespaces'][$ns]);}
if($ns=='category' && $value['class']=='selected
new'){
$value['class']='selected';
if(isset($links['actions']['watch'])){unset($links['actions']['watch']);}}}
return true;}
$wgHooks['SkinTemplateNavigation'][]='JidanniLessRedNavigation';
My specially clamped down radio scanning wiki was a 2007 WikiMania
poster child
http://jidanni.org/comp/wiki/article-category.html
You can give it a whirl.
I could use in_array, explode, etc. but well, what I would be
looking for is something nobody knows about yet, including me.
Maybe I should use isset()s every step of the way, lest users see
embarrassing warnings one day when you fellows change something. Or
perhaps no isset()s, that way users will notify me that something has
changed in your structure, and I can adapt to get my function back
working again.