Spying on the spyers…taking the Epsom Tea Party Texts

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spying

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So once again, the State (through the Police), is found to be spying on a citizen,

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Police seize Cuppagate texts

Source: NZ Herald – Police seize Cuppagate texts

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TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

That complaint, as we all recall, resulted in police raids on the NZ Herald and Radio New Zealand newsrooms. It’s the sort of thing that might be commonplace in Mugabe’s Zimbabwe; Fiji under the military;  or Chile, under Pinochet.

It appears to be becoming more and more commonplace in our own country. This doesn’t make New Zealand a “nanny state” as National and it’s supporters once screamed hysterically in 2008 (see:  Showers latest target of Labour’s nanny state) – this is morphing a once liberal, progressive country into a policed surveillance state.

It’s as if the ghost of East Germany and thousands of it’s STASI operatives have descended upon our country.

Key, however, doesn’t like being spied on. No, not one bit;

John Key had called in police to investigate whether Ambrose had deliberately recorded the eight-minute conversation in front of a media pack in a Newmarket cafe, after Ambrose gave the recording to the Herald on Sunday.

Source: IBID

Key will happily empower the GCSB to spy on all New Zealanders and force telcos to hand over information on their clients. His right-hand man, Chief of Staff Wayne Eagleson,  will spy on a journalist and strip away her right to privacy.  And Key’s appointed “investigator”, David Henry,  will gain access to an MP’s emails and phone log.

But if anyone dares to invade Key’s privacy (even if he was in front of a couple of dozen journalists and cameramen at the time), the Prime Minister will have no hesitation in bringing down the full weight of the state apparatus on the hapless ‘offender’s’ head.

What was it that  Russell Norman said about John Key?

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Norman  Key 'acting like Muldoon'

Source: NZ Herald:  Norman: Key ‘acting like Muldoon’

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Despite a bit of screeching; gnashing of teeth;  and juvenile feet-stamping from rightwing tossers like Karl du Fresne, Cameron Slater, and others of their ilk – Russell Norman called it perfectly: John Key is as autocratic and manipulative as Muldoon was in his hey-day.

Which is not good. As Martyn Bradbury pointed out in a blogpost on 2 August (see: With all due respect to ‘Si & Gazza’ in the morning ),

It’s like the more Key rips up our civil liberties, the more the sleepy hobbits love him – we are a nation of political sado-masochists. There seems to be a dark streak of anti-intellectualism in our Shaky Isles that embraces Key’s nonchalant ignorance with the passion of a junkie to their dealer.

Enough New Zealanders loved Muldoon and his autocratic style to vote him into office as Prime Minister for consecutive nine years. Now we seem to have Muldoon v.2 – and that worries me.

All I can say is; thank god for MMP.

And to hell with the notion of a four year Parliamentary term.

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= fs =

3 COMMENTS

  1. Key is way worse than Muldoon. His destructive impact on New Zealand will go far beyond anything Muldoon ever did, and will last way longer.

    • I think in a way you’re quite correct, Fambo. Key is more subtle, and as has been said, almost “de-politicises” his right wing politics and mis-behaviour.

      With Muldoon, he could be pinned down as an autocrat.

      With Key, he’s alway “relaxed” – even as he shepherds New Zealand into a new era of a policed surveillance state…

      The word that springs to mind – insidious.

  2. The problem is that only hard cire lefties are making the comparison with Muldoon. Even Muldoon supporters were scared of Muldoon at the height of his power. If Key ever achieves that level if notoriety then you have a strong case to compare him with Muldoon.

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