Are the NZ Police contaminated by Dirty Politics?

48
24

10701942_10204058679040698_1235571147073205882_n-600x420

Judicial review hearing for Hagar
Investigative journalist Nicky Hager’s application for a judicial review into the police search of his Wellington home following the release of his Dirty Politics book will be heard at a substantive hearing in March.

In a judgement made in the High Court at Wellington yesterday, Justice Robert Dobson confirmed the hearing would take place on March 23 and 24.

The court heard that in applying for the judicial review, Hager asked the court to investigate the steps taken by police in applying for the warrant for the raid and also its execution.

The sooner we know about the real motives behind the NZ Police’s sudden decision to search and detain Nicky Hager’s computers and files, the better for NZ democracy. I say sudden decision because when you compare the NZ Police’s decision to search Hager’s house against their disinterest in the allegations in the book or the lack of interest in the Don Brash email case, it starts looking like the NZ Police are either acting in the interests of Cameron Slater or perhaps their own interests.

Cameron Slater makes a complaint to the NZ Police that his emails were hacked and stolen on August 28th. By October 2nd, the NZ Police had 5 Officers search Nicky Hager’s house for 10 hours. That’s 36 days.

Isn’t that astounding?

Put aside the fact the Greens made a complaint on the 14th August and Labour made a complaint on the 1st September, how can Slater get his complaint processed in just over a month?

Compare the time it took the NZ Police to investigate the theft of Don Brash’s emails that made up Nicky Hager’s book, The Hollow Men. In June 2007, Brash was told 9 months after making his complaint over the stolen emails that there was no progress on his case, and in fact Police closed the case 3 months after that.

So the leader of the Opposition can’t get the Police to investigate his stolen e-mails after 9 months in 2007, but Slater can get his complaint green lighted in 36 days?

Put aside the fact that the issues the Greens and Labour are complaining about are serious abuses of power and the Police have chosen to ignore those. Those  allegations concern undermining of the Serious Fraud Office, undermining of the Financial Markets Authority, undermining of the head of the SFO, intimidation of witnesses (including Mr Gapes), use of personal information regarding Simon Pleasants to incite threats. In respect of the Minister, the corrupt use of personal information regarding Simon Pleasants to obtain an advantage (section 105A of the Crimes Act), use of that information (section 105B of the Crimes Act), accessing the Labour Party computer system in breach of section 249 and 252 of the Crimes Act and the use of dynamic (ie changing) email and computer addresses to avoid detection and the handing over of SIS info to Cameron Slater that went well outside the normal protocols for such information.

It also turns out thanks to the Inspector General’s report that the PM Office instigated and co-ordinated the release of falsified SIS information to smear Phil Goff months out from the 2011 election.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Put aside the allegations the Police are ignoring and why Slater can get his complaints processed with such speed, what about the fact that Hager is currently investigating corrupt NZ Police and that his information has been seized by that very same police force?

He further submitted that as some of the files seized included allegations of corruption within police, he was concerned that the data survived in its original condition.

Are the NZ Police acting with such extraordinary over reach because Hager’s next project could be looking at corruption within the NZ Police force?

Having the Police act for Slater’s interests is bad enough, having them try and gag investigative journalists because of the corruption he might expose about them, well that’s even more concerning.

Will this stir NZers out of their love affair with Key?

Screen-Shot-2014-10-09-at-9.29.47-am

Highly unlikely I suspect. Muddle Nu Zilind seem to believe that Dirty Politics was all just a communist conspiracy and that using the SIS to smear the Leader of the Opposition months before an election is just politics as ‘normal’.

Of course if it had been Labour caught using the state spy agency to smear National months out from an election, there would be an armed rebellion amongst the mainstream media.

These are the double standards we now live under.

48 COMMENTS

  1. Good work @ Martyn Bradbury . Thanks .

    Of course the police are corrupt . But then so is everybody else .

    The fish rots from the head down after all .

    The MSM are corrupt . The infrastructure we used to call our own is corrupt including the power ‘ business ‘, the communication ‘ business ‘, the health ‘ business ‘ , etc .
    Spark ( Fuck off ! ) and Vodafone getting all snuggly and smoochums fur together . Aww . No price fixing to be seen here .
    Clearly , we’re in for better services and lower costs . Hahahahahahaahh !

    Where there is money there will be corruption .

    Is there one single system operating on Nicky Hagers side ? Police ? Media ? Legal ?

    The only one I can see is The Daily Blog Squad .

    • Money isn’t the source of corruption. Greed can be a factor in corruption but it isn’t the root of all evil.

      In a democracy the most significant form of corruption is corruption of information, because information is the currency of the political process. Identifying this corruption involves having the means to tell the difference between a reasonable conclusion and a popular fallacy.

      For example, take the fallacy that the emails were stolen. Theft involves depriving the rightful owner of possession of something, copying it without permission doesn’t do that.

      Would you accuse someone of theft if they took a photo of you without your knowledge or consent? Misrepresenting copying as theft plays into the hands of the US copyright industry, but more importantly it is a way of twisting the facts to make evidence appear to be inadmissible.

      • “Money isn’t the source of corruption. Greed can be a factor in corruption but it isn’t the root of all evil.”

        how about the hunger for power?

  2. Well, when you have the ‘PM dancing to your tune’, what else do you expect from a politicalized police force ???
    Also if Slater can get the SIS to lie and reply quicker than anyone else has EVER had them reply (outside of cabinet and maybe not even them ???), then you know something is really wrong in Denmark.
    When will the Governor General earn his keep and sack this ‘almost without doubt’ corrupt Government?

    • Crawling steadily to when it might come in handy –

      https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Governor_General_of_New_Zealand_Investigate_all_the_allegations_of_corruption_in_the_National_government/sign/?aeArPbb

      Sir Jerry Mateparae is our man…

      From the GG’s website –

      The Governor-General’s Roles
      Governor-General’s strategy 2011-16 (summary)
      New Zealand’s Constitution
      An Essay on New Zealand’s Constitution
      The Head of State’s constitutional role
      Royal Prerogative of Mercy
      The Executive Council
      Credentials ceremonies
      RESERVE POWERS (my emphasis)
      Administrator of the Government

      Share this page

      “In a very few instances, the Governor-General may exercise a degree of personal discretion, under what are known as the “reserve powers.” The most important of these is the appointment of a Prime Minister following an election, or accepting the resignation of an incumbent Prime Minister.

      “By convention, the Governor-General will always appoint as Prime Minister the person who has been identified through the government formation process as the person who will lead the party or group of parties that appears able to command the confidence of the House of Representatives. The Governor-General expects that there will be clear and public statements that a political agreement has been reached and that a government can be formed that will have the support of the new Parliament. The Governor-General abides by the outcome of the government formation process.

      “Other reserve powers are to DISMISS (my emphasis) a Prime Minister, to force a dissolution of Parliament and call new elections, to refuse a Prime Minister’s request for an election, and to refuse assent to legislation.

      “These powers to act without or even against ministerial advice are reserved for the most extreme situations and with the exception of the appointment of a Prime Minister following an election, no New Zealand Governor-General has ever needed to use them.”

      Is now the time to start asking him about it?

    • Don’t hold your breath Kevin -the GG is also dancing to the puppeteers tune. You can be sure if they are paid enough – they will definitely keep their mouths shut.

      • Integrity is a wonderful and rare quality in the current power structure Key, Crosby/Textor have created……..Sir Gerry seemed to have buckets of it initially…….let’s give him a chance.
        Unfortunately, we have no House of Lords, senate/congress, even Queen to balance the power and prevent abuse/corruption as other countries, so he is our only hope..

    • @ Kevin – Good post there.

      I have said this many times before, but I fear the Governor General is a player in this corrupt game of Key, Slater & Co. After all, it was Key who conveniently shuffled him over from the position of Director of the SIS to the vice regal post! So I doubt we will see any action from him in removing Key from office.

      Despite supposedly being the vice regal representative for the people of NZ, I suspect the GG might be playing on Key’s team, in the PM’s base court!

      Who knows. It seems Slater holds a lot of (possibly damaging) information on various prominent people in NZ, including Key et al. Perhaps one of these could also be the GG! We won’t know, until someone rattles WhaleOil’s cage! Then like an unleashed beast, he will go on a verbal rampage, spewing forth venomous details on NZ’s “hierarchy”!

  3. Don’t think the word contaminated is the right one I would say complicit
    All public servants answer to John Key, start by looking where the police got their orders
    The police are too quick to jump on people who are critical of Key, Their livelyhood might depend on him and I don’t think he would be above using that dependency.
    People don’t even trust the enquiries because they always come out in Keys favour.
    The minister of transport was found to have lied about how he got on plane illegally, is he to be prosecuted ,probably not.
    So many liars in National party and it comes from the top, Key.
    Nicky Hagar wrote the truth about dirty politics had a police raid lasting hours and his stuff confisticated , probably to stop any more secrets and lied coming out, Key is the head of the National Party Mafia, the do what they like and take no responsibility when found out.
    Any government in the world would have stopped the PM and changed the government, why are people so frightened of Key,the interesting thing is Key is frightened of Slater, so no prizes for guessing who running this country,its unbelievable.
    I wonder if as many people actually voted for Key as stated,we have no real proof.
    Most people I know believe Key was certainly aware of the whale oil blogs if not the instigater, but Key is getting away with it , we all believe Slater has the goods on Key, why is he not being investigated , also Ede and Batnagar, the police are not investigating anyone ,corruption is rife ,time someone stopped it.If the Police wont do anything then maybe someone should check them out.

    • NZ police, like MP’s, generally swear allegiance to the head of state. It is up to the people of NZ to take responsibility for the problem and find a solution, otherwise the idea that NZ is a democracy is pure fiction.

      • So let me get this straight:

        It’s OK to steal someone’s private emails just as long as it suits your (lost) cause.

        But it’s not OK for someone else to the same?

        • Nicky Hager never stole those emails: using the contents (which exposed political and democratic corruption, not personal content) responsibly, was the right thing to do. As Cameron Stater has also used someone’s private emails, irresponsibly(as a personal attack on Mark Bloomsbury) you should reread your comment and think on how this relates to Whaleoil’s position.

    • Dan, you might like to listen more closely to the way “Dear Leader” speaks. I’ve often heard him mangle the name of this country.
      I say ” if you can’t pronounce it, don’t rule it.”

  4. Thank you for publicising this Martyn. It is very sad that the mainstream media. Guyon Espiner, Paddy Gower, Shawn Plunkett, Kathryn Ryan etc. do not pursue this story at all. More proof that the main current affairs purveyors in NZ are bought and paid for. You are providing one of the few voices with a real social conscience. If the NZ public is not careful it will end up like the United States of Fascism.

  5. What we are dealing with here is the dynamics of a spoilt brat who grew up in a privileged position within the National party…who was obviously surrounded by National party values,…and as time progressed , that party’s decent into neo liberal thug ideology.

    And part of that ideology is 19th century classical neo liberal economic theory. Which has changed in order to suit prevalent social conditions. But not its central motives. Essentially,…the preservation of a ruling elite.

    And so…we have a certain right wing blogger who is invited by the right wing neo liberal Likkud party of Israel to write glowing reports to bolster that party’s justification of human rights abuses.

    Countermanding that is the sponsors of that very nations existence (Israels ). The USA.

    It is no secret that in order to keep tabs on Israel , the five eye spy network keeps tabs on Israel , Mossad, and Israels foreign agents.

    Of which are to be found in this very country.

    In doing so, this govt -and others needed a mechanism. The SIS , GSCB.

    This blogger, has obviously recorded everything this so-called ‘ prime minister ‘ has ever communicated to him. A kind of ‘ insurance policy ‘ , if you will. And he would not be alone.

    And this so called ‘ prime minister’ would be well aware of that fact.

    A counter to this is obviously our five eye spy network …and in this case, in this country ,..our SIS , …which keeps tabs on those sympathetic to ‘other nations ‘ interests…

    Is the ‘ insurance policy ‘ of this govt.

    Think of it like a kind of detente’ ….this is what we have.

    And yet the curious thing is this : it is a perfect counterbalance.

    Except for the ludicrous statements each makes in mutual self justification. It makes for good but deadly serious black comedy.

    Now, caught in the middle of all this , and privy to SIS /GSCB machinations is our Commissioner of Police….indeed the upper echelons who takes orders from our elected ‘MP’ for Justice/Police.

    Who , in knowing these dynamics all to well , – like the pressure put on the SIS , elects to take the easy path , become selective , and to seek the easiest set of circumstances.

    A choice between a govt ‘smeared ‘ investigative journalist?…or the political intrigue of geopolitical politics – which is like trying to catch a ‘ Will o the Wisp ‘ .

    A bit like what happened to Mr Kim Dotcom.

    Basically , – the same dynamics.

    In conclusion …what we are witnessing is a huge , well planned ‘ butt saving ‘ exercise.

    Similar to what we read about historically in Soviet Russia , – or any other totalitarian state.

    Passive or otherwise.

  6. It may surprise many that in the case of foreign invasion…it is the police,…who actually initially have charge over our military. Initially.

    That is the power of civil legality. The military are subservient to ‘ law and order ‘. The Police. The Police traditionally take charge over terrorist operations. Not the military. That is the legal hierarchy descending in correct order.

    It is interesting in light of recent developments regarding Hager…that a book highlighting potential corruption within that Police force …becomes a threat to this incumbent ‘ govt’s’ overall plan of the TTPA , TISA,…

    That effectively , if no ‘action ‘ were taken …would ‘ detooth ‘ the body this ‘ govt ‘ uses to enforce its surreptitious and devious goals.

    That , in essence being, – is as a subservient and compliant signatory to the devolution of our sovereignty and highly undemocratic status of the people of this land as a nation.

    In effect,…that we would become , as it were, …a part of the antipodes branch of the govt of the United States of America.

    We would most certainly have to forfeit our local ‘national ‘ law in deference to that of the USA’s….

    Regional ‘law’ would be subject to local legislation. Such as it is in the USA in individual states . But in geopolitical ‘ law ‘….we would become subject to their Federal govt.

    Hence the true loss of any concept of ‘ sovereignty’.

    And this is played out in squashing any local opposition… such as we are now witnessing with the attempts now being undertaken in the totally one sided persecution of Nicky Hager…and might I add…Mr Kim Dotcom.

    And THIS….is no longer the rule of law in a Western sense.

    THIS is passive TOTALITARIANISM.

  7. “Money talks,- truth walks” is probably Key’s mode of operation Martyn, so he throws our tax money around to buy himself protection nothing less.

    We are now a corrupt country no doubt and he will get away with his corrupt system as long as Public Servants keep quiet about it all.

    Key knew he had to get total control of the public data though GCSB and SIS to keep the public gagged, and when someone blows key’s cover the whole sorry mess will be very ugly.

  8. In the UK, the same problem happened once Thatcher bribed the police to be her enforcers during the 1980s. Owen Jones dedicates a chapter to the issue of ‘The Boys In Blue’ in his recent book ‘The Establishment.’

  9. I believe that if Hager had not published his book and Mr dotcom had kept his mouth shut Labour may well have won the election and would have been able to get on governing without all the distractions of Dirty Politics.

    • So do I!

      It seems that we have become a a bunch of soft big girls blouses smug in our own self righteous world. Even when the truth rears up and faces us, we still seem to think that if we just press the delete button, it will all just go away.

  10. Excellent article Martyn, it would not surprise me one bit that the police are corrupt given the facts you have laid out.
    The big question that needs to be asked is, “How far does corruption go within this government”
    I have a feeling that Nicky Hagar’s book “Dirty Politics” only scratches the surface of what is really going on within the national party.

    • The police are consistently mired in scandal, any prospect of cleaning up that outfit I deem hopeless. Being involved in “dirty politics” is hardly surprising, even expected.

    • My uncle was a cop before retiring. His view of his superiors was less than flattering and he actively discouraged any of us from pursuing a career in the NZ Police. One of his favourite turns of phrase was, “The higher you go, the worse the stench.”

      I suspect he was right.

  11. What stamina you have Martyn, thank you for continuing to articulate all the grubiness and corruption that muddle nu ziland have become inured to.
    As long as a critical mass of voices unite so that the masses take notice, right will out.

  12. Good observations Martyn.

    The police are contaminated alright. Been bought and paid for by the Key mob of sneaky shysters to dance to their tune.

    Re Cameron Slater – after all the unsavoury activity post Dirty Politics, he seems to be the power behind the throne, holding the ace card, not only over the PM and his band of filthy Natsy sludge, but also I’m picking, our law enforcers and a few other equally corrupt prominent NZers as well! They are sh*t scared of what the emotionally fragile WhaleOil can inflict, awakening raw retribution against them, should he feel threatened!

    At least Nicky Hager, through all of his writings over the years has proved he is far more loyal to NZ, than John Key could ever be! Hager is an ordinary Kiwi guy, working for the benefit of his country, yet gets the proverbial thrown at him while Key is a traitor and a blind eye is turned the other way to his treachery!

    A simmering dissidence is building and the result will be ugly, unless Key and his rabid mob are removed from office, before a forced revolt puts paid to his tenure of office!

  13. 5 cops raiding/invading Nicky Hagers home and stealing/seizing his work equipment and some of his kids stuff shows whose side the police are on in the Dirty Politics brand of misfits.

    Their raid seems like an example of state intimidation against those who expose their abuse of powers …. its quite fitting the police wear national party colours when they do this.

    We could also compare this to the non action by the police when the roastbuster pack rapists were in action ………. no raids and nothing seized.

    You could almost be mistaken for thinking Clint Rickards was in charge of the cops at the moment…… ..

    Is the present police commissioner the one who spoke at the corrupt evidence planting police officers Huttons funeral and called him a man of integrity ?? ……….. If you approve of a police officer planting evidence to frame a innocent man for murder you would think nothing of politically motivated police harassment and intimidation.

  14. And now this –

    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11377632

    Mike Sabin, Natsy MP for Northland accused of alleged assault. Not sure if this happened when Sabin was still an active police officer, or prior to the last election, or after.

    However, what is noticeable is the fact Key’s office, the police and Sabin himself are closing ranks on this one, with some buck passing (Key’s office to police) and no comment whatsoever from any party!

    If the alleged assault is true, then there has to be some culpability somewhere!

    The question here has to be, will police do a thorough investigation of the complaint? Or will they do Key’s dirty work, the usual ‘nothing to see here, move on,’ modus operandi, because some unsavoury facts concerning the police force in general, including Sabin, Key (of course) and the rest of the corrupt Natsy government, will come out?

    I think the filthy rot has infected just about every government department, over the past six years!

    As far as this issue is concerned, a case of watch this space? I think so.

    • I think the filthy rot has infected just about every government department, over the past six years!

      It started 30 years ago during the final years of the Muldoon government. It gathered pace during the Rogernome and Ruthanasia years. It more or less plateaued during the latter half of the Bolger/Shipley and Clark years. Then it began accelerating again from the start of the Key years. The rot is now running rampant and goes way beyond government departments.

      • Thanks for that piece of info Elle.

        The lack of detail available to the public at the moment into the Sabin issue, is causing some ambiguity.

        However, I suspect a typical cover-up will feature here!

  15. It isn’t that the police are corrupt, rather that because they have a power structure that is militaristic, centralized, authoritarian and hierarchical, they have an in-built bias in favour of the Right and a concomitant disdain for all politicians and political aspirations of the Left. You find a similar attitude among all the armed forces (and also among the All Blacks who have a similar power structure).

    That is why we are lucky enough, as a nation, to have in place a universally-believed fiction that there is an apolitical orientation in these branches of government. Imagine what it would be like if they felt no need to pretend impartiality.

    Argentina anyone?

  16. That type of self serving rubbish is so common now does. To get justice is rare. Ethics have eroded everywhere to put the value of money or power in its place.

Comments are closed.