Open mike 05/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
On converting .pst, government style
Were David Henry and his staff the right people to pursue an inquiry? They were incapable of opening a Outlook .pst file. And this appears to have held them up for days. They had the files before they even requested permission from Peter Dunne and (apparently) only their incompetence prevented them from their intent of reading the emails. If they’d been capable of using google, then our political landscape might look quite different..
Spying scandal forensics
National’s Friday afternoon document dump of emails between the Henry enquiry and Parliamentary Services is a trove of information. John Armstrong describes the whole mess as “Govt betrayal on a monumental scale”. For an initial forensic analysis of the evidence trail, check out Pete George.
The teapot tapes and Andrea Vance’s emails
The Herald reported this morning that the police had previously obtained a warrant to seize Bradley Ambrose text messages. It seems that in New Zealand a journalist’s rights of privacy do not count for much. And John Key’s actions to protect his privacy using extreme measures but more recently in trashing Andrea Vance’s privacy again with extreme measures are jarring.
Sunday Reading
My semi-regular Sunday piece of interesting, longer, deeper stories I found during the week. It’s also a chance for you to share what you found this week too. Those stimulating links you wanted to share, but just didn’t fit in anywhere. This week: Climate change, the TTP, inequality, the NSA, unions and feminism.
1938 12
A Sunday feature – each week a random section scanned from a copy of The Standard, September 15th, 1938. Find out more here.
Open mike 04/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Hand of control?
John Key’s artwork is labeled, “Hand of government”. Does John Key think he is the sole element of government? What delusion is this? I look at some definitions of “government”. What title would you give this (alleged) work of art?
Andrea Vance’s privacy breach is going to the Privacy Commissioner
In the latest episode of Kim Dotcom inspired craziness it appears that Parliamentary Services collated and sent Peter Dunne’s emails to David Henry clearly without Dunne’s permission. Dunne and Andrea Vance are understandably apopletic about this. Because this sort of stuff only happens in banana republics …
Poverty Watch 42
Welcome to Poverty Watch, a weekly update on National’s lack of response to the urgent and growing issue of poverty in NZ. This week, the CPAG report on the links between poverty and child abuse, and why it shows that government policy is misguided. Green MP Holly Walker tries to get a straight answer out of Paula Bennett.
Guardian at the gate
There is a fascinating article in today’s Guardian re links between Britain’s GCHQ (equivalent of our GCSB) and the US’s NSA. All three are linked in the UKUSA network. It puts a whole new light on why Key wants to loosen our laws.
Open mike 03/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Media attention
The spy scandal affects the press gallery personally, so has the potential to run and run. Here’s a wee cartoon of how media attention normally works…
Friday document dump
The government has tried a good old fashioned Friday Document Dump, releasing the email correspondence relating to Henry Inquiry. More incompetence and or lies are revealed, and Peter Dunne is pissed. No doubt we can expect the same levels of honesty and competence when the Key-Dunne spying bill extends the potential for spying to us all.
NRT: Look! More terrorists!
I/S at No Right Turn questions the legal status of Key’s “warrants”.
Caption contest
Weekend social 02/08/2013
Weekend social is for non political chat. What’s on for the weekend, gigs, film or book reviews, sports, or whatever. No politics, no […]
John Key’s big movie love
A recent report claims there is little economic benefit from tax payer funding for big overseas movies. Key’s damaging love of big Hollywood corporates is seen in the complex of Hobbit laws, intellectual copyright, secret TPP negotiations, & the Kim Dotcom-GCSB-Vance saga.
Key shows how much he really cares about security
John Key claims there are Al Qaeda-linked Kiwis in the country and in Yemen. That raises several questions: 1) why haven’t they been arrested? 2) why do you need additional spy powers, if you already have these people 3) why is the PM breaching security and jeopardising the spying on these people? 4) isn’t that an extraordinary thing to do for the sake of political point scoring?
Fool’s gold
In its submission on the Pike River bill, New Zealand’s second largest mining company has told Select Committee that workers can’t be trusted to look after their own health and safety, and everything’s just fine the way it is.
But at the same time one of their mines has been partially closed due to a safety hazard.
John Key trashes the Constitution
John Key is getting into the habit of trashing important constitutional principles. The freedom of the press, the independence of Parliamentary Services and the principle that even the Prime Minister is subject to Parliament and the Privileges Committee have all been attacked recently. What next?
88 flavours of bullshit
Presumably there is some tiny but “real” risk of terrorist action in NZ. But it doesn’t justify the broad powers of the Key-Dunne spying Bill. Recent experience and the government’s own protocols show that these spying powers will be used on activists and journalists that the government of the day doesn’t like. The 88 who have been illegally spied on already call bullshit.
Open mike 02/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Key throws Thorn to the wolves
In a desperate move to stop the spygate political scandal from reaching into National’s machine, Key has thrown Parliamentary Services head, Geoff Thorn, to the wolves (if you think he jumped I’ve got a bridge you may be interested in buying).
ImperatorFish: A letter from a Kiwi terrorist
Scott has a letter from one of them thar Nu Zild terrists.
Congestion Free Network
A message from Generation Zero about their campaign for the Congestion Free Network – much cheaper than motorways…
How did Peters know that Dunne was gone?
Winston Peters knew before the Vance telephone use report was prepared that Peter Dunne was the leaker of the Kitteridge report. Either John Key has not disclosed all the information about the collection of Ministerial telephone records or Peters has a source within Parliamentary Services.
Spy scandals – today’s required reading
Here’s today’s required reading (so far) in the ongoing spy scandals that are swirling around John Key and his fiasco of a government. Hey Peter Dunne, are you really going to vote for more GCSB spying? Really?
The web of deceit
Waking up the fourth estate
Is this what it takes to wake up the fourth estate so they truly fulfill their role to speak truth to power? Andrea Vance is mad as hell about the “hacking” of her phone records. Press freedom and all our democratic rights are in danger. Stop the GCSB Bill!
The magical world of New Zealand’s, Neo-Liberal right wing.
It has been obvious that some people live in a different world than the rest of us. One where Chicago school economics, work! […]
Open mike 01/08/2013
Open mike is your post. For announcements, general discussion, whatever you choose. The usual rules of good behaviour apply (see the link to […]
Roy Morgan shocker
Latest Roy Morgan is out and it’s a shocker.
Labour has dropped below 30% and the Nats are now over 50%.
Diss Loyalty
So, what’s with all the negativity toward the Labour Party? Why so many comments on the Standard rubbishing the leadership, running down the party’s prospects at the next election, putting the boot in to the only party with enough mass support to bring an end to the dismal Key Government? They must really love Labour?
It Wasn’t the Workers or Unions Misusing their Power that Killed the Pike River Miners – CTU Submission
Tomorrow we will deliver our Submission on the Legislation implementing the recommendations of the Pike River Inquiry. Despite the PM saying all the […]
This is Key’s scandal
Key’s loyal retainers are trying to keep him out of the Vance spying scandal. Major players are straight-out lying. Sadly for Key, the evidence of the timeline is clear. This is his scandal, start to finish.