Key’s response to the over 5000 NZers marching yesterday against the GCSB Bill was patronizing and out-right crap…
“I accept there are some that will always feel a bit nervous about privacy and their own rights, but I can give you the best assurance I can that we’re very careful and cautious about what we do as a state. But in the end we do have to protect the interests in New Zealanders.”
…with all due respect Mr Key, if you honestly believe this, you are either bare faced lying to the people of NZ or you have no comprehension of how vast an expansion of spying this actually represents.
A rubber stamp warrant regime, statistics after the fact of how many NZers have been spied on, a review in 2015, a poorly resourced review panel of two and no guarantees that all off this won’t end up with the NSA – these changes Mr Key are purely cosmetic and in no way protect our civil liberties from the realities of mass surveillance this bill will allow.
This is the existing spy network…
…and Mr Key intends to turn this against domestic targets and spy on NZ citizens. To suggest that we the people are not informed well enough to be concerned is condescending and your assurances are as vacant and hollow as your aspiration.
In terms of the protests themselves. For something that was rushed together at the last minute, I am proud and deeply grateful for the many NZers who stood to have their voice counted. The Daily Blog had over 4500 people watching the live stream of Thursdays urgent public meeting and the depth of anger at what Key is trying to ram through with the quisling support of Peter Dunne and John Banks is palpable.
We are currently planning the next phase in stopping this damn Bill and will let everyone know once we have finalized plans. The second reading is coming up and we want to organize before the final reading.
One day you will be asked by your children if you were there to stop a mass surveillance state. I’ve done all I can to raise awareness and my conscience is clear, the rest is up to you – Kia kaha and see you for the final step in this fight.
This is what Democracy looks like: View from the Auckland GCSB protest
“I accept there are some that will always feel a bit nervous about privacy and their own rights, but I can give you the best assurance I can that we’re very careful and cautious about what we do as a state. But in the end we do have to protect the interests in New Zealanders.”
Once again Key says absolutely nothing in a series of incomplete sentences.
What he really meant was this:
“But in the end we do have to protect our interests in New Zealand”
Only not NZers
Yeah John? Whose interests in NZ? Your overlords?
On Q+A this morning Key was asked also whether a “cup of tea” deal may be made with Dunne re his likely candidacy as MP for Ohariu. Key said it would not be ruled out (i.e. be possible). He denied such a deal was part of getting Dunne’s support for the bill allowing wide scale spying, but then again, a “cuppa” down the line, like in Epsom, will have been given a lot of consideration, although it would “officially” not have been part of a deal they struck with Dunne on the GCSB bill.
Key is an expert in talking about much and noting in detail, and one must always read between the lines to find out the truth.
Sadly so many in the public fall for his dismissive talk on this bill and other policies. Key is one that must not be dealt with in a “casual” manner, as so many Kiwis still tend to do.
“Don Key” is as dodgy as can be, and he must be exposed. I hope Dotcom has something more up his sleeves.
Key – “Protecting the interests of Na Zilindes” is exactly why we protested. We understand perfectly why you’ve undermined our democracy, and our concerns have been confirmed by some very smart people over the last few weeks. Your corruption stinks, Key.
Although still fairly patronising, you cannot mistake the change in his tone – he has really scaled it down, whereas beforehand it was verging on belligerent. He is worried about stirring people, even though he really is still underestimating how widespread the opposition is.
Even with this success, I was maybe a little disappointed yesterday at the prominent political banners. This is a very apolitical issue and gave Key the political angle to spin. Although the support of those parties is important, they need to be sideline to the issue.
I agree. I was glad to hear from Labour, Green and Mana speechmakers that they would repeal the bill if they got in, but it does make it a harder sell as an issue to otherwise apolitical people if it is seen as a party driven campaign.
Maybe, but if all else fails the backstop is next year’s election. You can’t make it not party political.
They won’t repeal it. Once these things are passed they never reverse them for the simple fact they love the additional power it brings them once they get in office. I do hope they turn the GCSB capabilities right on John Key though, just to mess with him.
Never happen
the boss being looked over, never happen
The parties need to make their presence felt. We need to know who is on our side. This issue is not apolitical at all – it goes to the very heart of politics and is arguably the most political issue that has surfaced in my lifetime. To argue that parties should stay out of it is to inadvertently support the government.
I guess it’s also the Law society, the human rights commission, other political parties who are a bit confused as well. I would prefer not to have his type of protection. Patronising Git.
Last week the US House faced down an amendment to its defence bill put forward by member of Congress, Justin Amash which if successful would have defunded and shut down the NSA’s ability to collect metadata on American citizens. The bill narrowly missed passing with 205 in support, 217 against. This close outcome would have been unthinkable even a few weeks ago.
Though unsuccessful, what it demonstrates is a sea change occurring in both left and right American political circles about the level of interference and power of the NSA. It’s worth going online and watching the house debate. This change is down to Snowden and journalists like Glen Greenwald who have got people thinking and talking about the extent and misuse of these powers.
The fact that our Gov’t is planning to pass a law extending the GCSB’s powers when the wisdom of such powers is being seriously questioned in America and around the world is just ridiculous.
the example the john key government is showing new zealander’s is he has no respect for the public of new zealand and what he give he will receive back..this government has no mandate by the people of new zealand to lead anymore..how long do you want us to put up with its?? someone with common sense should stand and stop this or civil un rest is coming new zealands way..
this gcsb is a fragment of global strategy to one world order ??
http://www.freeadvertising.co.nz/component/k2/item/51-gcsb-spy-agency-bill
It was a good march and a good turnout! I was there and impressed by the speakers and the participants joining in. The police were slow in preparing for a larger protest, as Queen Street was at first not blocked off, where it had to be.
More are waking up and realising what a dodgy bill this is. Key has been getting away with too much already, and now the willing Dunne has made yet another deal with the PM, selling the rest of us out, and exposing us to wide scale meta-data harvesting.
We need to take more action though, as too many of the wider public are ill informed, that is by the government propaganda and the Prime Minister. They were too busy shopping and doing other things, why the informed and alert took part in the protests all over New Zealand.
I feel we all have a duty to inform friends, family and others of the true agenda behind all this. It will not just the government “benefiting” from more surveillance, but businesses, supposedly to be protected “in the national interest”.
A great thanks to Martyn and the other organisers!
Board room politics, healthy returns on share investments, greater protections for big business, enabling your rich mates to pay less tax is the language Sharkey understands and loves.
As for human rights, well if we were all right on humans like he likes to think he is and be willing to paddle his corporate waka on minimum wages and smile in a very smarmy way while we’re doing it, we’d all be free, our privacy remains sacrosanct, and we can all be happy little dolphins playing away in our brave new privatised world owned and operated by the smartest sharks in the room eh?
Something very wrong when an average new zealander get’s 52% of new zealands believe or popularity over the Prime Minister of New Zealand recieving 34% believe or popularity..if we had an election tomorrow kim dotcom would be Prime Minister of New Zealand with 52% of new zealanders believing a average new zealander kim dotcom over john key with 34% believing..this is why new zealanders needs a SNAP ELECTION. Prime Minister John Key only has 34% of new zealanders confidence in john running the New Zealand..???
not wanting to be pedantic (I agree with the post & protested myself yesterday) but the word is not Palatable it’s Palpable
OK…let’s see how palatable it is to sing from the same songsheet as Brently…
http://www.youtube.com/nzanthem/
True Grant! But we’re in a new ‘linguistic paradigm’.
We don’t have lessons anymore – we have ‘learnings’
Gosh yes I watched & started yelling at the computer screen! I have been to known to throw the odd cushion at the TV screen before but I feel very strongly that this legislation is very wrong as all educated NZers should!
I did go & march & I will march again.
I haven’t been on a protest march for 30 years
Key stated in his comments on the demos, that the people in them were “either politically aligned or misinformed”. It is Mr Key who has been misinfomed by his spin doctors.. it was evident at the demonstration that there was a wide cross-section of NZ civil society, old, young. The political scientist commentator on Q & A said the issue was “mainstreaming”… watch this space. Many thanks to the organisers.
“I’ve done all I can to raise awareness and my conscience is clear”
Good on you Martyn, Kim Dot Com and everyone else putting the hard yards in. You are all more heroic than any of our present sports people because the opposition you are taking on is much more powerful and your resources are miniscular in comparison, you don’t get a huge salary or even some sort of grant, and what you are doing matters far more than winning a rugby match or Olympic gold medal, plus rather than getting support from the sideline, you are constantly being jeered by no less a person than the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
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