The cost of a bowl of Weet-Bix
One of the most dishonest arguments the right ever put forward on the subject of poverty is around one of the simplest things in life: a bowl of Weet-Bix.
Media roundup
NZ Media has got the message, leading with coverage of the Greenwald / Snowden evidence of mass surveillance of New Zealanders, and the surprise revelation of two US “spy bases” in NZ. Best coverage by Andrea Vance. Updated with a link to video of last night’s event.
A brilliant (if flawed) event – Key must resign
From Key we have changing stories, irrelevant distractions and refusal to comment. From Snowden we have compelling first person testimony and supporting documents (uncontested by any other Five Eyes leader). New Zealand is under mass surveillance.
Right Back At You John.
I need to say this – for those academics who will slice and dice a subject to slithers so small that all that […]
Open mike 16/09/2014
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
The blowoff stream
The queue is enormous. But here is the feed. Thanks Selwyn for the link….. 19:05: Liala Harre has been improving her speaking since […]
John Key On Trial
The latest instalment in the saga of John Key’s struggle to maintain his image as someone above suspicion has produced the amazing spectacle […]
The email
The email that alleges to show John key was in on a conspiracy, with Hollywood execs, to entrap Dotcom in NZ so they could extradite him to the US. Updated. Warners say the email is fake. But who was applying the “political pressure”? Updated: Cameron Slater is a techno idiot.
Key changing his story (again)…
Well well – Mr “No middle ground. I’m right. He’s wrong” is changing his story. He now admits that surveillance did go ahead…
The enablers
Under pressure from Glenn Greenwald’s revelations, John Key, using various smoke screens, is starting to reveal his complicity in working with the GCSB & its 5 Eyes partners, to extend the scope of their spying. Could the Southern Cross Cable Network not have known their systems had been tapped? Update: Statement by Southern Cross Cables
Key’s reputation and the law
An interesting article by lawyer Steven Price at Media Law Journal. Some extracts quoted, but well worth going and reading the full article.
John Key planned our mass surveillance
John Key and National let the GCSB spend 12 months on plans to conduct our mass surveillance. Without telling us. And he intends to release the details now only for political considerations. Without Glenn Greenwald’s presence we probably would never have learned about this.
“Moment of Truth” – a key claim
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Glenn Greenwald is standing firm in the face of Key’s attacks and denials. A fascinating interview with Steve Braunias yesterday contains a key claim.
Open mike 15/09/2014
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
VRWC rises from the grave
They’re at it again. David Farrar has a guest post from fellow VRWC member Charles Finny about FiveEyes, arguing that it’s kept us safe in foreign wars and Labour did it too. Which of course is not the point of the current debate about massive government surveillance of innocent citizens. Farrar then gets himself tangled in knots – if Dotcom is right Labour did it too – but he’s not of course says Farrar.
Jackal: A coalition with Winston Peters
Jackal has compiled a number of the reasons why NZ First and particularly Winston Peters are unlikely to form a coalition or even to support National and John Key. Probably the way that National through their sockpuppets Act, David Farrar, and Whaleoil attacked with spurious charges in 2008. That he came back must have been a shock…
NRT: “National security” or “National’s security”?
information is supposed to be classified only for valid reasons of national security. The information Key wants to release is likely classified SECRET or TOP SECRET. Its worth remembering that Key and his office are already under investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security for politically-motivated declassification decisions.
Blue on the polls
Landline polls are a traditional gripe for lefties. But this election polls look seriously out of whack with reality. Is National at 55%, 50%, 48% or 46%? But it’s always far too large for a party at National’s current stage in the political cycle. Just unbelievable and highly unlikely.
NZ Inc
David Cunliffe has announced his final big policy. It’s called NZ Inc and it’s a bloody smart move.
“Moment of Truth” – Preview
The positioning re Kim Dotcom’s “Moment of Truth” has started this morning.
Open mike 14/09/2014
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Jackal: Spin Hooton spin
The Jackal cleared up some more strange tweeting behaviour from Matthew Hooton. It appears that he has been tweeting that he has heard from a “left source” that The Standard have the last whaledumps. Yeah right…. Perhaps he should ask before making a fool of himself.
Get clean politics into the Herald
Action Station want to run a full-page ad in the Herald calling on politicians to clean up NZ politics. (Update: only $580 needed! Let’s do it!)
My Thinks: A manufactured consent
Here we sit just a week out from an election. It’s a week in which you face a stark choice. Three more years of smile and wave dirty politics or a new direction.
Greenwald on the GCSB
Glenn Greenwald has arrived in New Zealand and has been interviewed on the Nation. He has alleged that the GCSB is a fully fledged member of the 5 eyes network and has been engaged in mass surveillance of New Zealanders, contrary to assurances previously given by John Key.
The hairdressers of Levin and Foxton
John Key reckons increasing the minimum wage would hurt “the hairdressers in Levin or Foxton”. So Rob McCann, Labour’s candidate for Ōtaki, asked one how she felt about that.
Nat two track strategy – March to Sept
Nicky Hager has exposed the two track strategy of the Whale Oil, Kiwiblog, Nat smear machine. Why is it allowed to continue?
The working poor
National is not interested in doing anything about poverty in NZ. They won’t even officially measure poverty, because they don’t want to know.
Authenticity
Is Cunliffe inauthentic? Does Key get to have his own facts? And when will we get proper (ie not game) analysis from our pundits? (spoiler warning: praise for Josie Pagani)
Open mike 13/09/2014
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the Policy). Step up to the mike …
Popcorn time: how craven is Slater?
A nice decision by Justice Asher. We are now sort of journalists. But it left Cameron Slater naked in front of the clipping shears of Matthew Blomfield’s defamation case.
Bombs Away?
So much for any abatement of dirty politics…
Key running scared of debate?
Panic in the ranks
No its not our politicians, media or PR and pundits trying to make sense of what is happening here but according to the Tatler the Scottish aristocracy is nervous. Change is afoot.
One chance to clean up politics
If we, the electorate, reward dirty politics by re-electing a National government, we will be validating the most vile tactics this country has seen since Muldoon.
Donghua Liu Letter: More Dirty Politics
Frank Macskasy at the Daily Blog has produced a timeline on the 11 year old David Cunliffe – Donghua Liu letter that shows some more seriously dodgy Dirty Politics