Why the Secret Intelligence Service feeding Cameron Slater information is so very, very, very serious

By
Martyn Bradbury
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16
2

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Folks, it doesn’t matter if you are Right or Left, the issue of the Secret Intelligence Service being forced to feed a far right hate speech merchant like Cameron Slater with sensitive information is an ‘us’ issue.

The SIS are ‘deep State’. We ‘trust’ in them to use the vast powers they have for the protection of NZ. I think we can all see, regardless of how we vote, that getting them to release information to a blogger with the ethical standards of a drug cartel are well outside what is acceptable.

We know that the guidelines for the release of such information from the SIS requires consultation between Key, Ede and Eagleson for several days. The PM has stated in his video answer that he was briefed, he has since claimed that when he said “I was briefed’ he means something completely different, and that when public servants Tucker and Wakem both said he was briefed, they also meant something completely different.

So that’s 3 people saying the same thing but all meaning something completely different, and this is the tissue thin defence being erected to shrug off handing Cameron Slater of all people information sensitive within one of our spy agencies?

This just isn’t fucking good enough. This defence of “when I say me and I, I actually mean some faceless and anonymous ‘office’ where blame and responsibility can’t actually be established” isn’t a defence, it’s a declaration of incompetence that if true simply means all of them, the whole office, needs to go.

The Prime Minister is either incompetent or lying through his front teeth. Neither of which helps explain why someone as toxic as Slater was given access to SIS information.

Using the state spy apparatus to embarrass and smear political opponents is a dark and frighteningly dangerous moment in our political history, it can’t just be shrugged off with ‘my office was briefed’ as an answer.

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Such casual fascism must be challenged.

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16 COMMENTS

  1. I hope NZers respond to this wake-up call – and WAKE UP! And use their vote wisely – they have a chance to do something very real and very positive about ridding NZ of these slimeballs from the political sphere at least.

  2. Is the PM’s office going to be included in the most preferred Prime Minister stakes? John Key 50%, Bonito Mussolini 25%, Richard Nixon 19%, John Keys office wall paper 16%??

    I mean are we to judge on the contour of the desk, the elegance of the coffee table, the functionality of the pencil sharpener?

    Is John Keys office made of gib board, wall paper, paint and carpet possibly the first in the world to run a country?

    Nah, I think the more rational explanation is John Key was briefed by the Director of the SIS as per the law. Its just a teeny tiny bit more credible than briefing some 4×2 wooden office!

    • Talking of the PM’s Office, I thought the cartoonists would have had a ball with that one. I half expected to see an RNZAF Hercules aircraft sitting on the tarmac… back end open… and a bunch of loaders trying to squeeze the PM’s Office into the plane.

  3. Why don’t we promote the making of a spectacular full length movie about the Nicky Hager book “Dirty Politics and how Government began an unsuccessful dirty politics attack on Nicky Hager’s integrity?

    As this never ending saga now would have ample subject material along with the addition also of all new emails appearing now, as we then can short circuit the rubbish Tabiod press dressing this up as a fanciful tale of politics as usual?

    This could by for penetrate the hearts and minds of everyone no matter their political affiliations as the Watergate movie clearly did.

    “Price of freedom & Democracy is constant vigilance.”

  4. “Feeding information” – you mean the information anyone with a fake name could get by going through FYI.org.nz?

    • Anyone can ask for it, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be given it. Slater was not the only one to ask. MSM outlets also asked for the same info as Slater asked for, but were denied it, or only given the copies days after Slater had been provided with it. So yes, feeding information. It’s a clear cut case of favouritism.

  5. Immensely important issue as you say Martyn. But will this conversation even make it back into the corporate media? Seems they’ve found a new toy with Dotcom’s youthful hacking forays equating him as suspect number one. “Muddy the waters boys and onwards to victory.”

  8. Steady on, Martyn – you’re going a bit over the top here and being a bit tough on the drug cartels.

  10. Funny thing…

    I was reading one of David Farrar’s rah-rah blog-posts last year where he was waxing lyrical about the benefits of the GCSB Amendment Act and how wonderful it would be to live in a policed surveillance state (not quite in those words).

    His loyal KB acolytes were swallowing his line, hook and sinker.

    Except one…

    Redbaiter.

    Now, I understand that Redbaiter is a far-right individual, who posts some rather unhinged stuff, but I was intrigued to read that he saw the pitfalls of an enhanced surveillance state and that, one day, it would be an ideal tool for a Left Wing government to surveil right wing fanatics.

    He understood that it was a double-edged sword that did not care who wielded it, and who was the “enemy” – it would cut down anyone, regardless of partisanship.

    It illustrated the irony that the Right Wing – who demand that the State get out of our lives – were cheering and clapping for an increased surveillance state that could feasibly watch over us all.

    It took a far-right “nutter” to point us this simple truism, though none seemed terribly interested in listening.

  11. Obvious the spy network has been subverted from apolitical to being politicised .

    Dangerous .

    And a classic hallmark of fascism.

    In our case a type of ‘ passive creep ‘ of fascism , and also part of a global trend….the monopolising of media networks by governments.

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