IT IS NOW CLEAR that Helen Clark’s Trans-Pacific Partnership advocacy in New York was just the beginning. The opening move in a chess game that will end with the Labour Party knocking over its King and returning to the bi-partisan fold on the issue of “Free Trade”. To achieve this turnaround will require the mobilisation of all of the non-elected elements of the New Zealand political system.
Applying the maximum of public pressure to Labour will be the responsibility of the news media and the numerous business lobby groups. Behind the scenes, however, Labour MPs will find themselves on the receiving end of one-on-one briefings from old friends and colleagues (senior civil servants, leading academics) “deeply concerned” that Labour has positioned itself in the wrong place, on the wrong issue.
These “old friends” of the Labour Party will warn Caucus members that their failure to support the TPP will only end up driving Labour further and further to the Left. Just as they were beginning to make up much-needed ground, the party will spurn Middle New Zealand for the tin-foil-hat-wearing brigade. Not only will this render Labour unelectable, but it will also serve as an invitation for the news media to start casting about for a Caucus member whose prepared to act in a more responsible fashion.
That such individuals exist within Labour’s caucus is indisputable. That money and resources will, very swiftly, begin flowing in the direction of these TPP supporters is equally certain. Metaphorical megaphones will also be handed to TPP supporters within the wider labour movement. Expect to see them popping-up again and again on radio and television.
Even further behind the scenes, a mounting surveillance effort will engage the resources of both the SIS and the GCSB. Relying on the legal clauses that empower these agencies to protect the “economic well-being” of New Zealand, leading figures in the Anti-TPP movement will have their communications intercepted and their movements tracked. Opposition strategies, being known, are more easily countered. Any material likely to prove embarrassing, or, even better, discrediting, will find its way to sympathetic bloggers and/or journalists.
Why will the key elements of the Deep State: the upper echelons of the news media; senior civil servants and academics; judges; the Intelligence Community; act in this way? Why is the restoration of bi-partisanship on the Free Trade issue so vital? The answer is brutally simple.
Were Labour’s opposition to the TPP allowed to stand, an opportunity would open up for voters to elect a government committed to its rejection. The election of such a government would not only put at risk all the secret material pertaining to the negotiation of the TPP, but it would also force into the open all of the deeply undemocratic assumptions underpinning the deal. Such exposure would seriously compromise the reputations of the politicians and civil servants involved in negotiating the TPP. Even more seriously, it would expose the true intentions of New Zealand’s “friends” and “allies”. It is the duty of the Deep State to make sure that such potentially catastrophic political revelations never happen.
With Labour and National – the two parties indispensable to the formation of stable government in New Zealand – both singing from the same TPP song-sheet, that fraction of the New Zealand electorate opposed to the TPP will find itself reduced to voting for a party (or parties) too small to successfully negotiate their country’s exit from the agreement.
To paraphrase Henry Kissinger: The Deep State doesn’t see why it should stand by and watch New Zealand’s membership of the TPP put at risk because of the irresponsibility of its own people.
UPDATE: Well, well, well.
I don’t much want a third of NZs population thrown back into poverty either
Oh bChris,
Watch “Watching the Hawks on RT please “Bombs without Borders (E109) as they cover the US backlash to TPPA.
https://www.rt.com/shows/watching-the-hawks/317739-us-bombing-kunduz-borders/
It was stated that of the 20 chapters in the TPPA agreement only five deal with “Trade” so they discuss why is it called a free trade agreement when 24 of the 29 chapters deal with other rules and changes not dealing with “free trade”?????
We were pushed to swallow a dead toxic rat that will kill us all and the whole setup was engineered by Corporations to rape the globe.
Yes clean green you are right,watching the hawks this morning says Russia is bombing isil targets in a gunship from way out at sea. Russia is showing usa that they wont be messed with ,hence the usa is rubbishing Russia and blaming them for crimes they are not guilty of,Isil is a weapon of America to get rid of Assard, thanks to Russia they have failed.
New Zealand this small place in the Pacific that America wants control of to counter China’s position in the Pacific, we are to be another weapon for America.
We are assuming that Key has a month to get his tame MPS to ratify the TPP ,the way he controls them they could have ratified it in advance no questions asked.
Key has purchased with our money a mansion in Honolulu supposedly for ambassador and his wife,that wouldn’t be Key by any chance would it?,with the flash apartment in New York he is setting up entry into the big boys club.
The Tpp he has set up is the worse thing that could happen to NZ,and Key is laughing at us for being such fools to be so meekly accepting of what he does.
He has the spy agency ,the police, the media,to back him up and will make no secret of the fact he will use them to stop any attempts to block his ambitions.
The opposition parties dont seem to put up a fight ,where’s Winston, a mild rebuke from him is all we have heard.
WE SHOULD BE FIGHTING IT LIKE HELL,NOT JUST WRITING BLOGS! WHERE ARE THE MAORI PARTIES? WHERE IS MANA AND HONE HARAWIRA?WHERE IS TAME ITI AND HIS WARRIORS?
WHERE ARE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AGAINST THIS CRIMINAL DEAL?
WE ARE ALLOWING A SLIMEY AMERICAN IMPLANT TO COME IN 9YEARS AGO TO SET THIS UP,HE HAS IMPORTED PAULA REBSTOCK AND GOLDMAN SACHS TO DO THE DEED OF PRIVATISING EVERYTHING READY FOR THE TAKEOVER AND WHAT HAVE WE DONE,SAT BACK AND GRIZZED BUT NOT DONE ANYTHING TO STOP HIM.
WE SHOULD BE INCANDESANT WITH RAGE, AND ORGANISING HUGE MARCHES ON PARLIAMENT, BUT HE IS SO SNEAKY HE WOULD NOT BE THERE BUT OVERSEAS,LEAVING HIS HENCHMEN TO CARRY THE CAN, KEYS SECURITY WILL HAVE BEEN INCREASED EXPOTENTIALLY AT OUR EXPENCE.
ALL WE CAN HOPE FOR IS ANOTHER COUNTRY NOT RATIFYING THE DEAL, BECAUSE NZ IS SO WEAK AND ACCEPTING.
THE POLICE AND MILITARY ARE KEYS BACKUP, WHY???ARNT THEY NEW ZEALANDERS AS WELL?THEY CANT ALL BE SUPPORTERS OF KEY! PROBABLY OBEYING ORDERS FROM THE TOP .
EVERYONE AGAINST THIS DEAL SHOULD STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
Come on Wild Katipo,Countryboy , Clean Green ,Mary A. John Campbell , John Minto,The staff and writers of TDB,and of course the wonderful Jane Kelsey, we need do more than write,lets do anything, not violent or illegal or Keys riot plolice would enjoy stopping us.Im of the older generation but I will walk to Wellington on crutches if it would be of any use. COME ON PEOPLE LETS DO IT!!!!
There’s a local body election happening for the mayoralty in Auckland in the not so far off future….some tout a few MP’S from the Labour party will contend.
It would be interesting if a protest – yet another – was planned if they would care to be one of its speakers.
A protest – yet another – whereby a single drummer leads the van , followed by the coffin of NZ’s sovereignty draped with the message ‘ The death of NZ sovereignty ‘ on the sides…. AND ….the REAL NZ flag as centerpiece.
Behind that , a street wide banner stating just that about the TTPA.
And right behind that , a Highland Scots band – certainly the bagpipes. And right behind them ….any and all who wished to join in.
Yes… its all been done before. Especially that theme.
But 200 people could perform just that function.
Initially.
To be carried out weekly. Until it becomes constantly etched in peoples minds…over and over and over…
Your unions and your farmers will be affected…they also could have a part to play…a cow up Queen street? Try a small herd….complete with a few good huntaways…
The banner ‘ never mind about the cows – we’re tired of the bullshit ‘ could be envisioned…
We could certainly have a 50 feet tall giant rat as a presentation from the union contingent. The name Groser or Key springs to mind to grace it.
The doctors unit could have a float with a large stethoscope measuring our democracy’s health…
90 days before the token ‘ratification’ …. we have 90 days to show any would be politicians if they want to wield power…there will a price to pay.
This anti democratic and anti sovereignty TTPA and the equally anti democratic and anti sovereign way it has been foisted on us … needs to come with a price…
It took the anti Vietnam demonstrations some time to build….why do we think it can all be done and dusted in a matter of weeks or a few months with one or two public demonstrations…
The fact is… there are no political party’s who are really making this a major issue. They are hand wringing and giving token resistance only… they are ineffectual.
A herd of bovines walking up Queen Street…you know they used to do that years ago as a matter of course – and that was when there was no protests happening…
Sometimes Old School is Good School…
Government tried tooth and nail to protect its precious cows. Our ecosystem will change to accomodate this and other technical change.
In two years TPPA will make it harder or longer and more expensive to challenge corporat nationhood.
Throwing hundreds at a time back into poverty.
Yes ELLE
TPPA dissolves the treaty of Waitangi.
We all need to stand shoulder to shoulder with IWI, Hapu Whanau on the saving of this founding document, and forcing Government to reject the TPPA.
We all need to lobby to encourage Leaders in Maoridom to organise a Hikoi from all over NZ to gather and start a half million strong march to the bee hive in Wellington..
The march can highlight that the TPPA abolishes the Treaty of Waitangi our founding document.
From the heart fabulous ELLE ! That’s what we need more of . Bravo
put bluntly; we have been/are being f__ked over. It doesn’t matter who we vote for, what flag we choose, who we marry, who wins the RWC.
We have been owned.
Ever since 2009
A thoughtful provoking scene you paint Chris,
The CIA are also behind this as well better believe it.
Because of USA wanting a partnership with NZ for strategic military bases to counter the Chinese incursion into the south Pacific obviously as we already have several spy centres with CIA here and monitoring sites.
So the US will use any underhanded method to achieve this policy, using a current National puppet Key Government and will actively work us over and subjugate us into TPPA.
The free trade agreement (Orwell would love the use of each word in that term) that is the TPPA doesn’t include being “free” to decline the invitation.
as did Noam Chomsky contradict each word ‘free’ ‘trade’ and ‘agreement. Each word is false. See 8 minutes 20 http://www.truthdig.com/avbooth/item/noam_chomsky_every_word_in_the_phrase_free_trade_agreement_false_20150422
The Nats in their wisdom introduced a 90 day trial period into employment contracts.
So, presumably they have no ideological opposition to trial periods being enshrined in contracts.
Clarks behaviour shows a lot of why Labour is losing so many votes.
You almost have to feel sorry for Andrew Little.
I’m torn because Labour is the reason why the Nats are in power so Labour need to get some more votes to get rid of National, but how can you vote for a party that has so many pro Nats in their party and their Nat Lite policies?
Look what Little is up against. Maybe Labour should split.
I def feel sorry for Cunliffe, he was smeared big time. Would Love him to stand for Auckland Mayor – get even by rubbing the Nats nose in it and winning. Phil Goff is the wrong choice to get Auckland Mayor – Labour didn’t get the memo – Aucklander’s need a genuine LEFT mayor to vote for.
That is why Labour keeps losing, the voters seem irrelevant to their choices, which are more based on their own internal whims and relationships, than what voters want. And the amount of internal sabotage – just look at what Helen Clark did over TPP. I am shocked because I formally had a lot of respect for her.
Maybe we should all take a trip back to the 1980’s and watch ‘other people’s country’.
The only positive thing I can say about Labour is, they are slightly better than National.
Helen might have been more center-left than others in the party, but don’t forget the period of the Labour party she came from. Many in Labour are National-lite. Because of that beast within, Labour has only ever got my electorate vote, and never my party vote.
If Labour wants to know why it doesn’t get voters, it isn’t by being ‘too left’ but by being ‘too right’, and if Labour thinks turning as ‘right’ as National will win them elections, then they might as well de-register as a party, as ‘the right’ won’t switch from Key and they would re-elect him till he dies of old-age.
I voted Green, NZ First, or Mana, in the last three elections, and never considered ticking ‘Labour’ because it would mean the ‘beast within Labour would be re-elected with it.
If Labour says ‘screw the left’, then it will get what it deserves, which is just one electorate, and the popularity of Act.
Good post.
Chris Trotter’s article rings true. The US were always concerned about China’s expansion in the Pacific. Now New Zealand’s new flag will be the “stars and stripes”. The effort required to changes what is happening and make our politicians re-think their stand is to mobilize the NZ population in a protest as big or bigger than that seen in the 1981 Springbok tour. That should certainly sway the Labour party to abandon support of the agreement if they see that groundswell of opposition. I think trade unions should be leading the way by mobilising mass strikes and demonstrations as it is their membership who will be under threat from the effects of the TPPA.
The additional news tonight that overseas investors members can buy land without permission of the overseas investment office is even more alarming. We are going to see more New Zealanders on the streets as property prices and rentals exceed affordability. We will even see pensioners on the streets.
Yes yes yes and yes. Where/when do we start? Who will organise it?
We must do something.
As I observe it, with some concern, the fact is, that the vast majority of New Zealanders do not “fight” for anything these days, apart from when they have a drunken rage in a pub or at home, and where they may beat someone black and blue. Or on the other hand, if it is something to “sort out” on the rugby field.
I see nobody stand up and fight, but to oppose what is happening, one needs to fight.
When faced with a problem and major challenge, most rather pick up their baggage and walk away, or duck, or just escape into workaholism, or book a one way flight out of the place.
This place is lost in my eyes.
“Were Labour’s opposition to the TPP allowed to stand, an opportunity would open up for voters to elect a government committed to its rejection”.
What opposition? It has been so weak and they have vacillated so much its a joke to call it opposition. Even the Greens who have outright opposed the TPPA have hardly been vociferous in opposition, immediately prior to the deal
@Ian +100, – National need to be held responsible for what they have done, but the Labour have been ineffectual and Greens missing in action on this one. Lets face it, if Internet Mana had got in, things might have been VERY different on the opposition side. And whose fault was that, Labour in the most part.
Much like the USA’a annihilation of ISIS huh?
The most concerning aspect of the TTPA is the Investor State Dispute Settlement process. http://www.pundit.co.nz/content/of-tpps-isdss-and-the-constitution
The concern is this un-elected and foreign three man panel will dictate how NZ is run. That policies for the public good will not be enacted or will be overturned due to the fear or actuality of being sued by foreign capital.
Right from the start our politicians should announce that Parliament is sovereign and it reserves the right to overturn any decision made by the Investor State Dispute Process. That Parliament is the final arbiter of the public good not the ISDS. That the ISDS decision making power for New Zealand is a creation of Parliament, gets its authority from Parliament and ultimately is answerable to Parliament. That kiwis have fought for democracy, that women and workers have campaigned long and hard for representation, that Maori with the spirit of Treaty of Waitangi has its place in Parliament. That at the end of the day these are more important than some three man panel.
My wife and young kids are Finnish and we could live in Finland but we choose to live in New Zealand. It is the place I feel I belong and in part due to the lack of sovereignty in Finland, I believe New Zealand gives more opportunity to my wife and kids.
You see Finland is a proud and successful country -in WW2 it had to fight off both Stalin and Hitler to keep its sovereignty. But for the last 20 years it has walked down the path of giving away chunks of sovereignty to the EU in exchange for ‘trade’. Politicians and civil servants have made lifelong careers creating new structures for this ‘trade’. But they were not democratic structures and when tested by the GFC they were found to be inadequate. Now there is no way for Finland to walk back up the path to full sovereignty and there is no electoral ‘reset’ button.
I challenge our MPs to announce that Parliament is always sovereign and it reserves the right to overturn any decisions made by the Investor State Dispute Process. That Parliament is the final arbiter of the public good not the ISDS. And let us see if any Member of Parliament or even Prime Minister -current or former will announce that actually there is now a higher power.
But have you not heard John the PM? He said, this would never happen, as New Zealand has so far “never” been taken to court for trade matters (since it fully embraced the laissez faire market style free trade agenda in the mid 1980s).
And as Chris suggests, the powers in control, will NEVER allow this to happen, because New Zealand will ALWAYS have “good” governments who will be mindful of the “need” for free trade. Hence there is NO danger of that ISDS process ever going to affect New Zealand.
The ones with vested interests will ensure NO government will come into power that dares take New Zealand out of the network of traders, like the member states tied to the TPPA, or out of any other free trade agreement.
Watch that space, it will never be “allowed”, it will not happen, because of what Chris has written here.
I’m constantly bewildered at how we’ve become so used to not standing up for ourselves and we let the rats run the ship from the bilges.
I remember watching an odd little French film years ago. I can’t remember the main plot of it but I do remember an element of it.
A kid was bullied by another kid. The bully would wait and attack the other kid on his way home from school and humiliate him and slap him around just for the fun of it.
The bully subsequently got sent to prison once he grew older.
While the bully languished in prison, the bullied kid took it upon himself to buff the fuck right up and resolved to kick the bully’s arse when he was released.
The bullied young man became a monster. He was hugely muscled and learned how to fight.
One day ! There! There was his nemesis. Looking nasty and aggressive but small. Weak looking. The bullied kid went over, grabbed the bully and threw him across the street, then followed to give him a kicking.
The bully however regained his composure and went on the offensive. He called the big young man all the names under the sun. He postured and strutted and threatened.
And won. He slapped the confidence right out of the clearly bigger guy, kicked his arse and that was that.
Analogy alert.
We’re 4.3 million people . We’re being bullied, abused and exploited by a mean little man with a lot of money.
His NZ minions are equally feeble and yet ? We do nothing. Even when we have excellent opportunities to act? We do nothing. We’d rather eat our own right foot than stand up for ourselves, our brothers and sisters, our friends and whanau.
If we don’t act ! We should instead find a safe place and hide in it.
But what might we say to our ancestors when we meet again in the Great by and by ? Those kids who died in the stinking trenches ? Those names inscribed on memorials scattered everywhere throughout NZ / Aotearoa ?
What are we going to say to them ?
We gave our country away without one shot being fired. Sorry.
And what will we say to our grandchildren?
What a grim little blog Chris.
Accurate and realistic but grim.
All I can think is a generic “I warned ya I did” but that is really no help to anyone just now.
By God I hope someone can come up with a suitable counterplan to all this.
We’ll definitely need it…
Chris I recently made a pilgrimage to Orwell’s grave at a churchyard in Sutton Courtenay. A well trodden path thru the grass lawn cemetery made it easy to find. Well kept with 2 rose bushes planted on it. One red one white. many leave messages to Eric. One read “freedom is slavery.”
The TPPA has created INGSOC the deep state of his greatest work,1984.
Great article by the way.
Shit, now that was scary reading, it is difficult for everyday folk to get their heads around such ideas. This is the sort of thing you cannot blame people for not wanting to believe, as we are pretty powerless against it and you can’t really see the enemy to confront him/her/it/them.
Makes me want to try though.
Dang….Didn’t see that coming.
” Any material likely to prove embarrassing, or, even better, discrediting, will find its way to sympathetic bloggers and/or journalists.” …… ‘Leverage’……If security services ,in their politicised muck raking find some muck to rake, the Yankee Doodle dandies call it “leverage.”
NSA whistleblower Russel TICE states no-one in any position of power in USAMOland gets anywhere without it.
Thank you for mainstreaming deep state in the narrative. It needs be recognised and pried open. My understanding of it is from Peter Dale Scott and his scholarly work on COG (continuity of government) instituted by the odious war criminals Cheney and Rumsfeld after false flag 911. Ongoing. TTP is part of that continuum..the ‘back door’ destruction of democracy by the obviously fascist (deepstate) PNAC NEOCONS.
From a sound-bite of TV1 News tonight (7 October);
Annette King said,
Dem is powerful magic-words.
Question is; will a Labour-led guvmint exercise that right?
After Helen Clark’s recent disappointing performance, I am not reassured.
Unless the right is included in the agreement in full legalese, then it’s just a vote-catching puff of wind.
Annette King always has some comments to the media to make, but after some time passes, it all just vanishes into a huge and vague void, and empty space, and all that hand wringing is nothing more than verbal diarrhea, meaning nothing, it is not words I would put too much faith in.
She has done it re health, welfare and so forth, but what has come of it? Nothing really, when I observe the Labour Party. With “commentators” like Pagani there is no chance of any change soon, as Labour let her get away with her little light blue line of ideology.
Shame on them, these hollow and shallow soldiers of empty words.
No reflection on your article good Sir, but reading it was akin to throwing up, picking the lumps out and eating them again. And that’s all I have to say about that.
Ha ! @ Flying Gabriel . Have you seen a film called ‘ The Mule ‘ OMG ! That’s all I can say .
You are so, so right CB – that one line should have been headlines on every form of media in this country, and perhaps even some of the other countries that signed up.
“We gave our country away without one shot being fired. Sorry.”
Nothing is being said about Monsanto ,who are already in NZ getting ready to poison us with their toxic seeds,they own big per % of seed companies already.
Once the rotten TPP is ratified Monsanto can take over our food supply.
So many negatives in this so called trade deal.
Prescient stuff Chris – and here it begins.
I had never even heard of FOMA before. Who the hell are they? And what about this piece of bullshit? “Maori have always traded across Te Moananui A Kiwa so the TPP is a contemporary expression of age-old trading routes”. What a load of absolute crap
Look, you ding bat @ Blueice ( I love you really xx ) It’s not an issue or trade per se . It’s more an issue of secrecy. Jesus ! Don’t you read ? OMG !
Sorry guys, but not only have Labour sold us out before, they have also trampled their core values in the dust! Most politicians have quite a backbone, until you dangle a big enough – or juicy enough – carrot in front of them. Should the ever-increasingly apathetic Nu Zilunders ever get off their arses to do something, we will need some fresh blood. Or a revolution.
Okay, all. So now here is a thought experiment.
What exactly would happen if we refuse to sign up, (and everyone else does?)
Getting royally screwed doesn’t necessarily mean you have choices, as female junior doctors recently learned in Melbourne.
I was talking to a man from Wellington today,he said people in Wellington say it wouldn’t have mattered to Key how bad the deal was he would accept it ,because his job was to put NZ into mix for the sake of corporates and banks who are part and parcel of the cabals,that is just what hes done.
We need to talk to Mr Putin to see if he could help,just a long shot but you never know.
Yeah, let’s!!!
Chile needed a military coup.
All we needed was Roger Douglas.
Remember the movie “Sleeping Dogs” (Smith’s Dream). I find myself thinking about that far too often these days
[…] The Daily blog has always pointed out, the neoliberal streak runs deep within Labour. That’s why Cunliffe’s Leadership was […]
That update – written by Matthew Hooton – says it all.
What’s left of Labour?
Matthew Hooten is a liar and a stirrer when he wants to be. Just because he says there are Labour MPs who will vote for the TPPA – because insiders have told him so – it does not necessarily mean it’s true. Sure, there’s one or two who may do so, but I’m more interested in who these supposed “insiders” are. Josie Pagani anyone? She has minimal support in the party and is regarded by many as a traitor.
Some Labour MP’s will sign simply because its the neo liberal thing to do.
Which is why i changed my vote to NZ First.
I’m not going to support any party that goes out and intentionally loses an election because it doesn’t even know its own tax policies.
Sorry to say, but Labour will be rank 3rd or 4th major party in NZ shortly and would be better off doing right by voters and merging with National now.
At least we’ll know where they stand on things.
having disagreed with mr trotter many times in the past..i hafta note i can’t disagree with a word in this one..
Georgeous…Its signed, and started by Labour but hated by the left, and you guys when you get you grubby hands on it 90 days later you will cherry pick the down side and it’s just what the left need/want…Labour will agree and will be TPP approved!
Eddie, it’s obvious you haven’t been paying attention – or been deliberately looking the other way; but opposition to the TPPA comes from more than just “the Left”. Quite a cross-section of the country either views the TPPA with deep suspicion, or total antipathy.
Hey Eddie, I have written a contract here that binds you to work for me for the next 20 years at an unspecified pay rate, and you also have to follow 1000 rules, but you can’t read it. Just sign it OK?
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