“So what”, the Right cry.
“Big surprise”, the Right scream
“Duh”, bellow the Right.
The response from the Right to the news that NZ spies on China has been written off as completely normal to minimise and distract from the real problem these new Snowden revelations show us.
It’s not that we do it, of course we would spy on China, our largest trading partner cyber hacks left right and centre and there might be nefarious designs by some criminal elements. The Law that governs the GCSB has been loosened up enough by Key’s mass surveillance legislation that any threat could be defined the way the GCSB wants it.
But that’s not what is happening here. NZ isn’t using this information for policing or protecting NZs domestic well being, that might be a secondary trade off our NSA OverLords give the GCSB in return for services rendered, but that’s up to their discretion and begs the obvious question – what service are NZ rendering to the NSA?
We aren’t defending NZ, we are hoovering everything we can snoop on electronically and we are handing it straight over in real time to the NSA. We are their eyes and their ears. We aren’t spying on China to defend us, we are spying on China for America.
Which makes us America’s South Pacific nark.
We give America real time surveillance, and the report back on the threats they think we need to know is the pay back.
Where the hell are we the good guys in this? If we were genuinely protecting the interests of NZ, we would be directing our access and use of surveillance information for our domestic security and we would decide what we gave the NSA, not the other way round!
We are on the side of dictators and butchers to reinvade Iraq, we spy for torturers and have probably broken International Law by spying on China’s consulate.
How are we the good guys here?
Key’s refusal to have an independent foreign policy means we are wedded to America’s side. The TPPA is a national security leash so America can expand its economic and cultural interests in their 21st Century struggle with China over Pacific dominance, because who ever owns the Pacific is the new Global Super Power.
How will NZ Chinese react to this kind of news? Will the Party from Beijing let their unhappiness be known and call for a pro-China protest like the one they had last decade that filled Aotea Square with Chinese flag waving patriots?
Could a downturn of milk demand put the squeeze on a National Party who are deeply interconnected with wealthy Chinese businessmen?
This ANZAC Day the weight of symbolism from such titanic Pacific giants thrashing around us bears down and demands a response.
Those who have died in the past are mostly from wars waged overs seas, the real breaking of society through physical war has never visited our shores from a foreign interest since Pakeha and Maori openly fought. To have such forces with representative interests present and vying for dominance is a Tsunami we are not prepared for.
“Which makes us America’s South Pacific nark.”
Yes Martyn and I’ll bet JFK was a nark at school to get back on others.
He strikes me as a revenge merchant right enough when he gets cornered.
Probably why he wanted control of spying on everybody in NZ.
The Chinese spy on us. They just don’t have people leaking sensitive material about it to people who then spin it and release it to the media.
Which, when you think about it, Gosman, makes you lucky to be living in a democracy, right?
Or would you rather prefer a closed society like China?
As for “spin” – what’s to “spin” if it’s the truth? You do know the difference between “spin” and truth, right?
Spin is the unchecked publication of unfounded allegations that Labour accepted a $100,000 bottle of wine or whatever bullshit they said it was from Donghua Liu, which in the end turned out to be a complete fabrication.
Truth is when we find out that all during that particular furore, National, who had been baying so loudly about it, had themselves been holding private fundraisers at Liu’s family home, and receiving very real cheques, while remaining conveniently quiet about the fact.
That’s just one example. Your post appears to be a thinly veiled reference to Hager’s recent work, but others might counter that his work was in itself merely a response to the leaking of sensitive information by National and/or its associates to right wing media such as Slater, so remember that particular sword has two edges, of which I think you’ll find is bloodier on their side.
It is simple, Martyn, it is ALL just the price we are expected to pay, to belong to “the club” (5 Eyes).
Is anybody surprised this is happening? New Zealand governments have only temporarily flirted with more “independence” in foreign policy, that was under David Lange and with the anti-nuclear stand, but even that was hardly debated behind the scenes, and it was really the US pressure and punishment, that finally made the then Labour government resign to the fact, that they must stick to the gun and stand by that policy.
Even Helen Clark did start to slowly “warm” the relationships with the US again, albeit very slowly, as the Iraq invasion was certainly not what her government could support. There was more alignment with some European countries then, who also opposed G. W. Bush’s war mongering.
Key, the bankster from Wall Street and the London City, where he worked and lived, he would never stick to the former policy line. He is a cunning one, soothing, casual words and gestures, but behind the scenes, the smiling assassin is hard as nails and cold, in reversing past policies and taking NZ back to where it once was before 1984, yes even further towards the US.
The juggling act between China as largest, convenient trading partner, importing much dairy and so, and the US and Australia as strategic allies could not go on without hiccups forever.
That though will bring some adverse consequences, you cannot dance with both, who are now busy to divide up their spheres of interest in the Asia Pacific.
Wait, one day the canons will fire again, and rockets, it will happen, you better believe it. And New Zealand will be stuck between the lines, again like in WW2, when it was the Japanese making their claims.
Great article Martyn. NZ really needs to be an independent nation if it is going to flourish in the next few decades.Somehow we managed to survive the wrench away from Mother England when she joined the EU I am sure we can prosper without Uncle Sam telling us what to do.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/04/18/new-zealand-china-gcsb-nsa-auckland-hack/
It’s made the front page of RT news on the internet today 21/04/15. They quote the Chinese response thus far as:
“We are extremely concerned about this report. We strongly urge the relevant countries to immediately stop using the Internet to damage the interests of China and other countries,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei in a statement.
However rather than our sycophantic media patsy job, RT quote Key giving the one finger salute with “[Snowden’s] a thief and he stole and you’ve got a bunch of people who’ve been out there propagating information that’s actually been proven to be incorrect,” Key said.
The article continues; “He added that every country including China uses their intelligence services to serve their own interests and that not one country disclosed details of what they are up to”.
So its gone international and I am guessing that the language used by Chinese Foreign Ministry is a very diplomatic way of saying “we’re severely pissed and watch this space”
No doubt this time Keys spying has done damage.
If you try and please everyone, you end up pleasing none. Playing on two sides at once got a lot of double agents killed in the past. Friends spy on enemies and their friends alike. But John Key is no James Bond [and he is definitely shaken not stirred at the moment]. But playing with the big boys and getting caught is ,for NZ, a disaster in waiting.
Maybe Keith Locke was right all along [and they started spying on him when he was 11 years old].
But having been found out China has got us between a rock and a hard place, we keep selling off our assets to their rich or anyone who can manage a 1% loan [so they can spend some of their surplus] in return for them taking our exports!
Ian Fleming would be having a field day with this!
Never thought I would see the day when NZ would take on this role. I am deeply ashamed.
If we spy on them, we should not be too terribly upset when they are found to be spying on us…
We have lost the moral highground.
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