It’s a useful rule of thumb that when right wing commentators attack you then you must be doing something principled and effective.
And we were.
I was one of about 30 to 40 who attended a candlelight vigil outside Prime Minister John Key’s residence in Parnell on Sunday evening to remember Daryl Jones – the New Zealander who was murdered in a US drone strike in Yemen earlier this year – and all the innocent people killed in similar strikes in the past few years.
The PM told a media briefing at parliament on Monday that it “just wasn’t cricket” for us to gather outside his house when he was having family time.
That caused a rush of blood to the heads of our right-wing commentators.
Radio Live’s Sean Plunket rang for an interview and could hardly contain his bile. How dare we upset the PM and his family? How dare we invade their privacy? And on and on…
He even suggested we had turned the PMs family into “collateral damage” of our own.
Just how any minor inconvenience – if there was one – to the Prime Minister’s family might be more important than bodies blown apart in Yemen he didn’t say.
Apparently Paul Henry told his TV3 audience I needed to get a life while Mike Hosking on TV1 joined in in similar vein.
With three right-wingers riled up the vigil had a good strike rate.
I didn’t organise it but I congratulate those who did and those who attended. Jones became “collateral damage” when the group he was with was blown to pieces because one of the group was allegedly linked with al-Qaida.
No evidence, no trial, no chance for a defence – just assassination.
And all the Prime Minister could do at a press conference was to shrug his shoulders and tell us he deserved what he got.
Sorry My Key, not only is that not cricket but it’s murder and you have blood on your hands.
Well said, John.
And shame on those media who condemned the peaceful action. They are of the same ilk who condemned Nelson Mandela’s struggle for real democracy in South Africa. They are on the wrong side of history, supporting vile, illegal, acts of State-sanctioned murder.
The fact that Henry, Hosking and Plunket are so outraged is great. They are commentators that have no credibility and are as objective as Fox News. It disturbs me that the MSM accept state sanctioned killings on our citizens demonstrates just how much the Key government has influenced the thinking of the MSM. Thank god for the Daily Blog.
Boycott Henry, Hosking and Plunket.
They talk a load of crap anyway, but let their employers /sponsors know on both scores.
Our media is loaded with right wing fantasy.
Henry, Hosking and Plunkett, Dann, Lush and Gower are Fox-wits, not journalists.
And the Fox-wits had the unmitigated gall and hyposcrisy to wring their hands and ‘woe-is-he’ when Shane Taurima was outed for bias.
Presumably it was “cricket” to send in a SWAT-style team to KDC’s house and scare the crap out of his wife and kids when he was having “family time”. The threat he was presenting was what exactly? Drugs, arms or downloaded movies?
Well said John Minto. Drone Strikes are actually illegal, but because its America its condoned, not surprised sell out john key sides with his boss.
Talk me through the picture, would you?
Ok Gormless fool –
There’s the picture of John, smiling happily outside his nice residence (safe comfy privileged existence)
The photo- shopped blood spattered all over, represents overseas Execution- without -Trial of people- which he has recently officially sanctioned… without question.(!!!!!!)
He doesn’t even ask any questions at all!
This is yet another VERY disturbing revelation about lack of principles
shown by NZ “Prime Minister”.
(Let me spell it out for you , He is corrupt!!)
Oh dear, I fear you don’t even yet get it. “Gormless”.
What strange “co-incidence” that we have all these right wingers in core media positions, just in time for election year. The MSM have been shifting to the right since before John Key and National won the elections in late 2008. But over the last couple of years this shift has become even more blunt.
Of course we had a fair few right leaning media personalities and journalists before then, but I noticed a clear “cleaning out” of certain opinion article writers in the NZ Herald, at Fairfax and also the broadcasting media, where we have virtually no left of centre media people in front line positions now.
All this works so well for Key and National, and I am sure that the socialising that happens at times at various functions and so, has “assisted” Key and his party, to “oil” the media apparatus to their liking. A word of favour here and there, a round of golf now and then, and hey, the editors and owners will see nothing wrong with cheering on Key and this present government.
So Key can go around and say whatever he likes, criticism is rare and limited, and when it comes to his private life, he is protected from any confrontation with what his rule and actions may mean to others at the receiving end.
It is time to rattle and picket a bit more, I’d say, not necessarily Key’s and some of his ministers’ homes, but offices, meetings and the likes. The truth must be told, and people must be informed of what really goes on, and how questionable, unfair and inhumane some government initiated, backed or even just tolerated activities are.
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