John Key has been outed by his American masters who told Journalists that NZ had been “reintegrated” into the 5 eyes spying partnership since Key came to power. Key is desperately spinning that no such decision to re-enter the mass spying network has occurred because of course this would be news to us.
None of us asked for NZ to get more tightly immersed inside the NSA mass surveillance state, that is a debate that has not occurred, clearly Key and his Government have done this secretly minus our consent because they know most NZers would be opposed to getting closer to the all seeing eye of Washington.
While Key is getting caught out secretly expanding the spying networks, he’s also allowing those networks to be used actively against the domestic population. Seeing as this Government seem to have no ethical qualms about using state resources to fund their smear campaigns against the Opposition, how tempted is the PM to use these spy networks as well? This is why allowing him to appoint his old school mate via a process that was not the norm is so questionable.
Look at the double standards being applied by the Government to releasing their Donghua Liu letters. How come Woodhouse, who has changed his story three times now as to when he informed Key about the letter, was able to get his OIA request made public with hardly any warning to Labour, yet they are able to hide their Donghua Liu letters?
Add to these type of resources a biased media who are calling for Cunliffe’s resignation and it’s no wonder the opinion polls are where they are. Beyond the manipulated narratives, people watching the campaign will see a very different Cunliffe, a point even Fran O’Sullivan acknowledges in her very interesting column today…
Reports from the US that Key quipped National had already taken out the only potential Opposition leader he was worried about – Shane Jones – deserve to be treated with a bit more professional scepticism.
If Key really thinks that, he should not have turned down media requests to go head-to-head with Cunliffe in the election campaign, a response which reveals more than a hint of arrogance and complacency by the PM.
The truth is that Cunliffe can be a stirring debater and is just as quick on his feet as Key.
Right now he’s on the back foot. But the right place to deliver a Gotcha is the election – not in this rather desperate politicking dressed up as a major scandal this week.
The lies concerning NZ’s reintegration into the Five Eyes network under Key’s watch, along with the Liu letters, one of which is made public (Labour), while the others are to be kept secret (National), indicates NZers are living inside a dictatorship!
Heard this morning on RNZ, Wikileaks has released documents suggesting there are plans to privatize NZ’s public services, including education, health care etc.
Given these scenarios, NZ has become a very dark sinister place. It will get worse, far worse, if National and the despot Key are not removed in September.
Just read John Armstrong’s latest vicious attack on the Labour Party and David Cunliffe, then to my delight found Fran O’Sullivan’s column – nothing like her normal writings, thank God for something other than that today is the shortest day of the year ! Found myself wondering recently what it would do for a journalist’s career if they stopped being led round by the nose by the Nats and actually started reporting things fairly, might be surprised by who would follow them and might make all the difference…………….
I went into shock when I read Fran O’Sullivan had suddenly gone into bat for Cunliffe. This is not the normal diatribe and I wonder what the real reason is?
As for the spying, is this why Key seems to smugly anticipate everything his political opposition seem to have?
And that reminds me that it wasn’t so long ago some other paranoid control freak who had his hands on the levers of power gave the world Watergate!
# XRAY – good point raised.
Wouldn’t be surprising at all if Key was using and abusing NZ’s spy network to infiltrate opposition parties and their leaders, for his own devious means!
Well, Muldoon did it and since Key is on record as saying Muldoon was his role model, then it can be assumed he is doing it too. Why did he adopt so much subterfuge over the appointment of Ian Fletcher if he didn’t intend to use Fletcher for furtive purposes.
The sad wee man has his diatribe regurgitated in the OTD. Like many of his ilk he seems to be suffering from SAARS (Self Absorbing Anal Retention Syndrome). Are there “journalists” still working in the MSM? Trouble is many are products of the grad/post grad courses that seem to eject those more attuned to PR/Spin Doctoring/Googling/Tweeting than investigative journalism.
Fran o’sullivan is spot on. Cunliffe and the LP have to move on from this letter nonsense. It is time to spell out some policies that will resonate with the people of NZ. Stop trying to find scandals. Focus on what you can do for NZ. You continue to play ‘gotcha’ politics and you are inviting something to blow up in your face.
You had also better hope that there is no documented evidence of large donations from Mr Liu.
Yes, it’s terrible that Cunliffe should defend himself when National launch ludicrously insubstantial smear attacks which are aided by a partisan public service and amplified by a partisan media. What? He should just leave all that hysterical bollocks sitting in the public sphere unanswered, unrefuted? After all, what’s the use of a good smear attack if the victim is able to show how unfounded it is, eh Ben?
The problem is, Simon, DC has not yet managed to demonstrate that the smear is unfounded. All he has done so far is make himself and the LP look pathetic – stolen hard drive, misspelt names, conspiracies from every quarter. The defence is daily making matters worse.
That is why DC needs to turn the attack on what he and the LP can do for the people of NZ. The smear attacks will continue and all DC is doing is allowing attention to be deflected from the really important issues. Try rising out of the gutter and rolling around in your opponent’s filth. If you want to get wiped out at the election you just carry on doing what you have been doing up to now.
Fran o’sullivan is spot on. Cunliffe and the LP have to move on from this letter nonsense. It is time to spell out some policies that will resonate with the people of NZ. Stop trying to find scandals. Focus on what you can do for NZ. You continue to play ‘gotcha’ politics and you are inviting something to blow up in your face.
You had also better hope that there is no documented evidence of large donations from Mr Liu.
I also think you are dreaming if revelations about the five eyes spies network are going to reverse the polls. Voters are concerned about their health, the education of their kids and being able to make a living without working all the hours that God made. Spy networks are side issues.
Sorry Ben .
Spy networks are just as important as the other issues.
After all we have not had an independent foreign policy for 30 plus years for no reason and thats by NZ VOTERS choice.
The Right and the Left are no different when it comes to the journos. Love them when they write something to their liking, hate them when they don’t.
Here are some lyrics from Larry Norman..a Jesus generation rock musician from that era..and considered the grandfather of contemporary christian rock. Although penned 30-40 years ago there is an eerie relevance to issues today..
He was asked when about to perform on the White House lawn not to sing anything political or apocalyptic by White house officials..to which he replied.. ” I’m sorry…I don’t know any Neil Diamond songs…” So he sang this :
I was born and raised an orphan , in a land that once was free ,
in a land that poured its love out on the moon..
and I grew up in the shadows of silos filled with grain, but you never helped to fill my empty spoon.
And when I was 10 you murdered law with courtroom politics
and you learned to make a lie sound just like truth..
But I know you better now and I don’t fall for all your tricks
And you’ve lost the one advantage of my youth.
You kill a black man at midnight just for talking to your daughter,
Then you make his wife your mistress and you leave her without water
And the sheet you wear upon your face is the sheet your children sleep on…
At every meal you say a prayer you don’t believe… but still you keep on
And your money says in God we trust , but its against the law to pray in schools
You say we beat the Russians to the moon and I say you starved your children to do it
You are far across the ocean in a war that’s not your own, and while your winning theirs , your’e gonna loose the one at home
Do you really think the only way to bring about the peace,
Is to sacrifice your children and kill all your enemies…
The politicians all make speeches , while the newsmen all take note
And they exaggerate the issues , as they shove them down our throats..
Is it really up to them whether this country sinks or floats? well I wonder who would lead us..if none of us would vote
Well my phone is tapped and my lips are chapped from whispering through the fence
You know every move I make or is that just co incidence..
Well you try to make my life a little less like jail , if I promise to make tapes and slides and send them through the mail…
And your money says in God we trust but its against the law to pray in schools
You say we beat the Russians to the moon , and I say you starved your children to do it
You say all men are equal , all men are brothers ..then why are the rich more equal than others
Dont ask me for the answer Ive only got one , that a man leaves his darkness when he follows the Son.
Larry Norman ‘Great American novel’ for those wondering.
Just watched Mr Key on TV One News with Corin Dann gloating about Key saying he condones air-strikes in Iraq as long as they are against terrorists.
The 11-year old Cunliffe letter dug up by Woodhouse, Slater and Key was also discussed with President Obama. Letters like the one sent by Cunliffe is a clear sign that the Labour Party leader is a terrorist.
This would mean a US escalation in NZ politics, up from an FBI raid in Coatesville, Palatino and Wewege in Auckland’s mayoral campaign to a drone-strike in Herne Bay.
Key said he was comfortable with the plan, but would discuss it with Slater first. Should this letter also have been sent to The Civilian?
Fran O’Sullivan’s column perhaps wasn’t framed in the terms of impartiality, but one of wanting to make a point this being raised on left-wing blogs, but not in the msm.
Namely that the real story is the smear campaign itself. Like; how did National acquire the letter? Why did Key, English, and Woodhouse give differing accounts how long they had had the letter?
The letter itself is meaningless when read in the cold light of day. It’s a common, garden-variety, letter that any MP might write on behalf of his/her constituent.
So yes, it’s a media beat-up, designed to generate *Shock!*Horror!* headlines and thereby sell advertising space/time.
I suspect most journos understand this, but it is easier to swallow the official government line on this and follow the “scandalous nature of the letter” narrative.
Far harder would be to lodge OIAs with the government and talk to public service workers and officials and actually try to delve beneath the government actions on this.
Because that is where the real story lies.
The first journo to do this will have a real, far more headline-making, story on his/her hands.
As such, TV3’s “The Nation on 21 June asked the wrong questions from the wrong people.
I’ve detected that in recent week O’Sullivan support for Key is starting to waiver. She’d never support the Left but at least she is asking questions about Key’s leadership and the Nats lack of vison and policy. No doubt her paymaster will bring her back into line soon.
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