Archive
Weekend Revelations #2 – Michelle Boag has a whinge
.
.
From TVNZ’s Q+A, on 25 October 2015,
.
.
The Q+A panel were ostensibly discussing out-going Police Association President, Greg O’Connor’s persistent calls to arm the New Zealand police. At one point, former National Party president, Michelle Boag offered her views on policing-techniques in this country;
@5.10:
Michelle Boag: “…But, it’s, it’s a bit of a shame, that for most of us, certainly for me personally, the, the only direct engagement I end up with Police is when they stop me as they did yesterday morning when I was driving to golf at seven o’clock in the morning for a random breath test. Right, so that’s an instant confrontational thing. And, er, it just makes you think, ‘oh god, here they are, enforcing’ all the time-”
Simon Dallow: “So were you more annoyed or were you more pleased that society is being protected here?”
Boag: “Er, well, I was annoyed because I haven’t had a drink for twenty years. And every time I get stopped on the way to golf early on a Saturday morning, I think, it’s a complete waste of your time. However, I know, if rather than saying my name and address, I say, ‘Listen, I don’t drink, you’re never going to catch me’, that I’ll probably get hauled up for, y’know, talking back to a policeman.“
It should not be lost on most politically conscious folk that one of National’s strongest, most agressively promoted tenet is that of “Law and Order”. One of it’s seven main election billboards, for the 2011 election, was the image at the top of the page.
National’s political history is replete with passing laws empowering the police and spy organisations SIS and GCSB. (The GCSB was set up under National, under then-Prime Minister Robert Muldoon’s leadership.)
Since 2008, National has passed the following laws;
Search and Surveillance Act 2012
Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill
The GCSB’s mandate was changed two years ago to permit it to spy on New Zealanders.
This, despite protests from New Zealanders up and down the country, opposed to extending the powers of the State into our lives. One wonders if Michelle Boag attended any of the anti-GCSB protests that’s been held around the country?
This is not the first time that a National Party apparatchik has been caught up in the new, murky atmosphere of surveillance, that is now part of our lives. In 2013, then-National Party president Peter Goodfellow, complained of being under covert surveillance by a private investigator;
.
.
I blogged on the issue here: National Party president complains of covert filming.
And who can forget the outrageously delicious irony of National’s coalition partner, Peter Dunne, having his emails pinched by Parliamentary Services and passed on to the Prime Minister’s Department.;
.
.
Then-Fairfax journalist, Andrea Vance, also had her Parliamentary phone and swipe-card records passed on to the PM’s Department (which was “assisting” the Thorn Inquiry), as an investigation was held into the identity of the secret source who leaked Vance a confidential report into the GCSB.
The irony is that even as Peter Dunne was rearing up and braying in self-righteous indignation at the invasion of his privacy, two and a half weeks later, he voted with National in the Third and final reading of the Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill (now an Act) which passed it into law.
Now everyone in New Zealand could have their privacy invaded.
I blogged on the issue here: Parliamentary spies and games – some bad numbers
When governments pass laws extending the powers of the State’s security organisations, and increase surveillance capabilities of spy agencies, then it has created a fertile environment where privacy is no longer as sacrosanct as it once was. Whether it be police stopping motorists at random to detect potential drunk drivers*; a private investigator recording a conversation; or one government agency passing private emails on to another; or covert surveillance on potentially all New Zealanders, a new norm has been created.
Michelle Boag may be indignant at being stopped on her way to her golf on a Saturday morning – but her right to unimpeded travel on our roads was extinguished a long time ago. The State now has the right to stop her as, when, and however, it’s security agencies ‘deem necessary’.
She may even have her phone and internet tapped, should she ever run foul of a future government.
All perfectly legal.
I love it when National’s quasi-fascistic law and order policies eventually catch up with it’s own supporters.
Thank you, Lady Karma.
.
“We are from the government, we are here to help.” – Ruatoki, 15 October 2007
.
* Footnote:
It should be noted that this blogger has no problem with random breath-testing conducted by Police. Whilst this country is awash with cheap, easily-available booze; and whilst New Zealanders refuse to address our penchant for binge-drinking, random breath testing is one of the few means we have to protect ourselves and our families from liquored-up drivers. Michelle Boag needs to get over her preciousness and sense of entitlement in this regard. The next drink driver the police catch could be one on her road, as she drives to her golfing rendezvous.
.
.
.
References
TVNZ Q+A: Panel on arming the Police
Wikipedia: Government Communications Security Bureau
Fairfax media: National Party boss alleges covert filming
Fairfax Media: Emails given to inquiry
Parliament: Government Communications Security Bureau Amendment Bill
Previous related blogposts
Parliamentary spies and games – some bad numbers
National Party president complains of covert filming – oh the rich irony!
National’s disdain for democracy and dissent
Welcome to new glorious People’s Republic of New Zealand
Today’s irony was brought to you courtesy of former ACT MP and Govt Minister, Rodney Hide
.
.
.
.
This blogpost was first published on The Daily Blog on 28 Octobr 2015.
.
.
= fs =
Key’s ducking for cover – utterly unbelievable!!!
.
.
I don’t often re-print media stories verbatim – but this piece by Andrea Vance, for Fairfax Media, deserves wider circulation. Please note the highlighted statements by Dear Leader as he ducks, weaves, obfuscates, and deflects any and all responsibility for the situation;
.
Jason Ede still has Beehive access
.
ANDREA VANCE – Last updated 16:39 17/08/2014
.
Prime Minister John Key says he can’t explain why “black ops” spin doctor Jason Ede still has a staff access card to Parliament.
Ede is at the centre of claims in Nicky Hager’s Dirty Politics book, in which it is alleged he fed gossip, research and tips to Whaleoil blogger Cameron Slater.
Paid by the taxpayer as a ministerial services staff, Ede is also accused of infiltrating a Labour party database, which contained sensitive personal information. Slater said the website was insecure.
Ede was spotted in the Parliamentary complex last week – with a security access swipe card – despite National saying he is employed by them at the party’s Wellington head office.
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask whoever is responsible for that. But it’s not me,” Key said.
“He works for the National party now, that’s all I know.”
Key didn’t know why Ede was at Parliament and he wasn’t visiting his office.
“You’d have to ask him. He hasn’t been in my [physical] office for years… He was originally a press secretary years and years ago. Again Hager’s got it wrong, he’s not two doors down from me. I hardly ever talk to him. Most of the work he did in research and communications was either with backbenchers or other people.”
Key said he doesn’t know what Ede’s role with National was now.
He also reiterated there would be no action after Justice Minister Judith Collins admitted passing the name of a public servant to Slater, resulting in a vicious online attack.
“At the end of the day, should people pass names, I don’t know… Labour does that too,” Key said.
Collins was “welcome” to talk to Slater.
“If I have a particular reason to call him, I will. It’s three or four times a year. I might call the mainstream media three or four times a day.”
Key insists Slater was a “force of nature into himself” with “sources all over the show.”
He also defended a text message to Slater, following public outcry at offensive remarks the blogger made about the mother of a Pike River victim. He also called the blogger on the phone.
“I didn’t text him about that woman. It was something completely different.
“I said absolutely, and I stand by it, that I recognised her. Those are the only words I’ve said… I said I knew the woman in the picture, that’s all I said. I didn’t ring him about that issue, I was ringing him about something completely different.”
Labour has called on National to release the name of a staff member who accessed its database.
“I don’t have that information,” Key said.
.
Key’s inability to take responsibility for his party’s actions remind me of similar blogposts I have written in the past;
.
It appears that the “plausible deniability” strategy is starting to wear thin. (Or did Key’s media spin team take the day off, leaving him to his own devices?!)
How much longer can key keep saying,
“I don’t have that information.”
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask whoever is responsible for that. But it’s not me.”
“I don’t know.”
“It was something completely different.
“That’s all I know.”
“You’d have to ask him. “
Because very soon now, people are going to be scratching their heads and wondering – “What the f**k are we paying $428,500-plus-perks per year for this guy?!”
.
References
Fairfax media: Jason Ede still has Beehive access
TV3 News: MPs receive 2pct pay rise
Previous related blogposts (1)
Dear Leader Key blames everyone else for Solid Energy’s financial crisis (Part Rua)
Dear Leader Key blames everyone else for Solid Energy’s financial crisis
Taking responsibility, National-style
Previous related blogposts (2)
When Karma caught up with Cameron Slater
When Stupid meets Hypocrisy, the result is David Farrar
When Stupid meets Hypocrisy, the result is David Farrar – *Update*
David Farrar – A Question for you please?
Dear John – Time to answer a few questions! – Hone Harawira
“Dirty Politics” and The Teflon Man
Death threats made to rightwing blogger?
Recommended Reading
The Jackal: The real nasty bloggers
.
.
.
= fs =
Radio NZ: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams
.
– Politics on Nine To Noon –
.
– Monday 5 August 2013 –
.
– Kathryn Ryan, with Matthew Hooton & Mike Williams –
.
Today on Politics on Nine To Noon,
.
.
Click to Listen: Politics with Matthew Hooton and Mike Williams (27′ 40″ )
- Discuss the current Fonterra food safety scare;
- the continuing scandal surrounding the GCSB emails;
- Labour’s affordable housing policy,
- and recent positive poll results.
Acknowledgement: Radio NZ
.
.
= fs =
Parliamentary spies and games – some bad numbers
.
The latest revelations add more murkiness to this scandal. It seems that my question here – How deep is Key in this mess? – is slowly being answered. (Expect a snap election when the full extent of Key’s involvement is finally revealed.)
The revelations of shady dealings and privacy violations just keep getting worse;
.
Source: Fairfax Media – Emails given to inquiry
.
Interestingly, a Fairfax poll associated with the above story (note: not scientific) contradicts a recent Roy Morgan poll, showing Dear Leader in a somewhat bad light,
.
Source: IBID
.
But what really boggles the mind and makes you want to scream to the heavens is that Peter Dunne – whose email and telephone records were illegally passed on to the Henry Inquiry, by Parliamentary Services, and has had his privacy violated – is still intending to vote for the Government Communications Security Bureau and Related Legislation Amendment Bill and Telecommunications (Interception Capability and Security) Amendment Bill – which will allow the GCSB, SIS, et al to spy on all New Zealanders.
Peter Dunne is not learning a single damn thing from his current situation.
Which makes Dunne’s outrage on this derisable,
“While I understand this was an inadvertent action, and that the file was returned within a very short period of time to Parliamentary Services, this is a serious breach of privacy.
No approval had been given or even sought for access to this material .
The material was released to the inquiry on 21 May – the day before Mr Henry asked for access to my emails, which I refused.
While I am further given to understand that the file was unable to be opened by the inquiry and have been assured therefore that none of the emails were actually read by the inquiry, I am nonetheless extremely concerned and angry about this gross, unauthorised breach of personal privacy, especially since it was my refusal to authorise access to the content of those emails that brought about my resignation as a minister,”
Source: IBID
Cry to someone who cares, Mr Dunne.
To be blunt; why the hell should I be concerned about the invasion of Peter Dunne’s privacy, when he is obviously not in the least concerned about ours?!
As far as I’m concerned, Karma has visited upon Peter Dunne’s head.
The sooner Ohariu voters throw this clown out of Parliament, the better for the whole country.
.
.
= fs =
Radio NZ: Focus on Politics for 2 August 2013
.
– Focus on Politics –
.
– Friday 2 August 2013 –
.
– Brent Edwards –
.
A weekly analysis of significant political issues.
Friday after 6:30pm and Saturday at 5:10pm
The Prime Minister remained defiant this week despite evidence emerging his office had pressured the Parliamentary Service to release phone records to the inquiry into the leak of the Kitteridge report on the GCSB.
.
.
Click to listen: Focus on Politics for 2 August 2013 ( 17′ 38″ )
.
.
.
= fs =
How deep is Key in this mess?
.
Source: Fairfax Media – Key’s office ordered records released
.
It now appears that the Prime Minister’s office was involved in obtaining Andrea Vance’s phone records.
If it can be shown that Key was directly involved – this government will fall.
.
.
= fs =
Just say “NO!” to political prostitutionism
.
From the Sunday Star Times (scanned hard-copy – on-line version locked behind a Fairfax paywall) on 14 October,
.
.
Andrea Vance is correct; most polls have shown a steady decline for National (with the exception of those at specific moments when issues surrounding Maori claims over water rights are in the headlines) since the general election last year.
John Key’s teflon coating is patchy at best, as scandals; incompetance; and a stagnating economy is showing up National as singularly inept at any measure of governance.
A TV3 poll tonight (24 Oct) was even more bad news for these ministerial muppets,
.
.
The four relevant questions asked of respondents were,
1. Do you agree National has done a good job in terms of building a brighter future?
- 49% said no;
- 46% said yes;
- 5% did not know.
- 57% said no;
- 36% said yes;
- 7% did not know.
- 58% said no;
- 32% said yes;
- 9% did not know.
- 49 percent said yes;
- 42 percent said no.
Key’s responses to each of these four questions is reported here: National’s bright future not here yet – poll
Some of his comments are laughable. Actually, no. All his comments are a joke. If anything, his responses to these poll results are a scathing indictment of National’s arrogance and disconnect from the public.
Which brings us to Peter Dunne.
National is in power only because of complicity by John Banks and Dunne.
Dunne’s history began in 1984, as a Labour MP. From there, he jumped from one Party to another; Labour; United New Zealand; United Future New Zealand; and join coalitions led by both National, then Labour, and back to National again in 2008.
See: Peter Dunne – Member of Parliament
Dunne is a political chameleon – able to re-shape and re-form to suit his political environment, as governments come and go. Unlike that other Great Survivor, Winston Peters, Dunne has the unmatched record of rarely having been out of government. Any government.
He has outlasted Lange, Palmer, Moore, Bolger, Shipley, and Clarke – and is now onto his seventh Prime Minister, John Key.
Whatever “political viagra” the man is on, he could make a vast fortune selling it globally, to other politicians.
Political journalist, Andrea Vance, has suggested in her 14 October article that,
“As Labour begin to pick up in the polls… Dunne is the kid on the sidelines, eyes screwed shut, willing David Shearer to pick me, pick me”.”
Like hell.
For many people in this country, and this blogger included, Peter Dunne has burnt his bridges with the social democratic left.
His vote in Parliament, to enable the passing of legislation to facilitate the 49% sell-down of Mighty River Power, Genesis, Meridian, Solid Energy, and Air New Zealand, is a step too far. (See: The asset partial sell-off can begin)
With the passing of the Mixed Ownership Model Bill into law on 27 June, Peter Dunne well and truly nailed his colours to the mast – despite even a poll on his own website receiving an over-whelming ‘no’ vote, and many comments critical of asset sales.
.
.
.
The poll was taken down soon after it began to attract public attention. (Evidently the outcome was not to Mr Dunne’s satisfaction?)
So much for asking the public to “let us know your views“.
Unless we see a threat of a possible third term for National (and one hopes the voting public is not that capricious), Shearer, the Greens, Peters, and Harawira should have nothing to do with Dunne.
His politics is best described as prostitutionism – with about as much ethics shown as a Wall Street banker or back street crack-dealer.
Dunne has utterly betrayed his own country by supporting the sale – theft – of state assets. Considering he has been part of three terms of a Labour-led government – to then support neo-liberal policies shows a lack of principled behaviour.
What was he doing in a Labour-led government in the first place?
What else is he willing to do to keep ministerial “baubles of power”?
A new Labour-led government, starting afresh and addressing many of the social inequities and economic imbalances afflicting our country, should leave behind the dross of previous administrations.
The next government should be a principled one. And Peter Dunne has none of the necessary qualities that would make him a credible fit with such a new administration.
Take note, Mr Shearer; you need to start your new Administration on the very best footing. Peter Dunne will provide the opposite.
Mr Shearer; do you really want the left-overs of a failed National “government” at your Cabinet table?
As the Member for Ohariu once said,
” We understand clearly that the only reason for our existence is to represent the voice of the people in our parliament. We believe that any party that is not constantly in touch with the views of the people is simply not doing its job. In this space you can read what others think on key issues, and you can let us know your views.” – Peter Dunne, “Have your Say Polls”, United Future website (since deleted)
Clean sweep, Mr Shearer, clean sweep.
.
*
.
Postscript:
Whilst Dunne’s website has closed down the Poll and the many posted comments are lost on his website, Blogger Robert Guyton had the presence of mind to C&P and re-post many of the posted comments on his blog.
These are the views that Peter Dunne does not want us to read: Robert Guyton.
.
.
= fs =
Military ‘spin-doctoring’ – the media catch-up
On 2 August, the issue of the NZDF spending large sums of tax-payers money was raised by Andrea Vance in the “Dominion Post”. I wrote on this issue the following day; “It’s a Man’s World, I guess“.
It seems somewhat odd then, that Neil Reid, has written on this very same issue, in the Sunday Star Times, stating, “Documents obtained by the Sunday Star-Times show the department – covering Army, Air Force and Navy – spent more than $2.7 million in the past financial year on public relations and communications. ”
.
This story has at least three componants to it;
1. PR spend.
Last time I looked, the job of the military was to carry out such actions as determined by the Government-of-the-Day. The military is tasked with certain missions, to achieve certain objectives, as laid down by the Minister of Defence, and the Government. In effect, the politicians tell the soldier boys (and girls) to go to “Spot X” and do what soldiers do best; point guns at other people.
As such, it boggles the mind as to what on Earth the NZDF would need to spend $20 million tax-dollars of Public Relations on?!?!
Spending $20 million on tanks, guns, ammunition, radios, tents, medical equipment, planes, trucks – I think we get that. Military gear doesn’t come cheap – not since we moved away from clubs and pointy-sticks.
But spending that kind of money on PR? That just makes no sense whatsoever.
Unless…
Unless the NZDF were doing something overseas that the Government(s)-of-the-Day were not being totally candid with us, the New Zealand public?
PR is basically ‘spin’ – putting the best possible image of an unpleasant situation. Another word that might be appropriate is propaganda. Authoritarian regimes (such as Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Maoist China, et al) are exceedingly good at propaganda. But Western Democracies have also developed ways and means to use PR/spin/Propaganda to make the public believe something that may not be strictly-speaking, true. (Telling lies, in other words.)
Which leads us to the Big Question: what requires a big enough lie to be told that warrants $16 million dollars of tax-payers’ money to be spent on Public Relations from Saatchi & Saatchi, plus another $4.2 million in media advertising?
Personnel recruitment?
That is difficult to believe when, currently, this government is laying off around 400 military personnel and removing another 600 out of uniform, to re-employ them more cheaply as civilians.
.
.
There seems to be an obvious and serious “disconnect” from what the NZDF is telling the public, and where the money is being spent, and what for.
$20 million of tax-payers money is not “small change”. Where is it going, and why?
And why aren’t the media delving more deeply into this issue, instead of two, very brief, superficial newspaper stories?
Perhaps the following provides us with a possible answer…
2. “Media product vetting”
The Sunday Star Times article, by Neil Reid, states that,
“…Locke also provided the Star-Times with a contract TVNZ signed before sending a journalist to join the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, which states the role of defence officials included “media product vetting”.
It follows claims by Hager that the Defence Force had been selective in what it had allowed to be reported in New Zealand on the role of the joint-services team in Afghanistan…”
Commander Phil Bradshaw’s response that the NZDF is vetting images of “LAVs [light armoured vehicles] [and] the Humvees” beggars belief.
Is Cmdr Bradshaw seriously telling us that “media product vetting” (ie; censorship) relates to pictures of light armoured vehicles and humvees?!?! In which case, someone needs to advise Cmdr Bradshaw that there as been a serious security breach: a “Google” search using the parameters “NZ Defence Force lav” yielded 79,400 results for images alone.
Let’s hope Al Qaida has no access to “Google”, or we’re stuffed.
No, folks, there is more to the NZDF’s “media product vetting” (censorship) than pics of a few dusty Army vehicles.
Nicky Hager has pointed the way on this issue, and the media – to it’s eternal shame – has not followed up on this story.
3. Media Complicity?
Not only is there a question mark hanging over how $20 million was spent – but it seems that the mainstream media (MSM) have been decidely blase about asking any serious questions. To date, we’ve seen two newspaper articles by Neil Reid and Andrea Vance – but precious little else in the MSM.
As well as Nicky Hager’s investigative book, “Other People’s Wars“, Jon Stephenson wrote an article for “Metro” magazine on Afghan prisoners’ treatment after being captured by New Zealand’s SAS. This excellent piece of investigative journalism resulted in…
“…Prime Minister John Key’s extraordinary ad hominem attack on independent journalist Jon Stephenson, of ‘Metro’ magazine.
Recently, Stephenson wrote an article in Metro alleging that New Zealand was not meeting its Geneva Convention obligations in its handling of prisoners captured in the course of SAS operations in Afghanistan. You might think that as the only NZ journalist who has regularly been reporting from Afghanistan, Stephenson speaks with some authority.” Source
.
.
“Stephenson speaks with some authority”, writes Gordon Campbell.
But not according to the Prime Minister, who dismissed Stephenson’s article with almost sneering derision.
In contrast, two senior journalists, Vernon Small and Guyon Espiner, both stated that they were aware of a CIA “presence” at the Kiwi base in Bamiyan.
“In fact, I, and other reporters before me, were introduced to US intelligence and communications staff at Bamiyan and at other Kiwi forward bases and ate and chatted with them. The stars and stripes flies alongside the New Zealand flag at Bamiyan to advertise the US contingent…” – Vernon Small, Source
Neither felt it necessary to report this fact to the New Zealand public? In fact, both Small and Espiner remained silent until Nicky Hager’s book blew the whistle on the real situation.
For journalists to withhold information that reveals a truth about our government and/or military, shows how far the media has sunk in the last twentyfive years. It raises questions not just about competancy and professionalism, but how far the MSM has become a “cog” in the Establishment.
Perhaps the most obscene thing about this matter is that our beloved Prime Minister, the ever-smiling; happily waving John Key; saw fit to dismiss both Nickey Hager and Jon Stephenson’s investigations into the war in Afghanistan with single, derisory, comments,
“Nothing surprises me when it comes to Nicky Hager. So whether they’re true or not is a completely different issue, but he makes a lot of spurious claims and never generally backs it up.” Source
“I’ve got no reason for NZDF to be lying, and I’ve found [Stephenson] myself personally not to be credible.” Source
Two pieces of investigative journalism; well-researched; impeccably documented; and both able to withstand critical scrutiny – dismissed by the Prime Minister without any serious explanation whatsoever.
Compare the response of the MSM and public to that of a certain stranded penguin and to the proposed “Wellywood” sign in the capital city, and one begins to suspect that, collectively, our priorities are definitely arse-about-face. Perhaps if the SAS had handed “Happy Feet” over to the American CIA, for “extraordinary rendition” to some misbegotten Third World state, for “interrogation”, we might have had an uproar from the good folk of New Zealand?
Well, thankfully “Happy Feet” is safe and sound somewhere in the Southern Ocean.
It’s a shame that the same cannot be said of our media in this country.
Read also:
Public Address: Other People’s Wars
Little kept from media eyes at base
NZ Politics Daily – 2 September
PM attacks journalist over SAS torture claims
.
.
News Archives
Crony Watch
Keeping an eye on dodgy government appointees, crony-by-crony!
Frankly Speaking... 