One narrative being peddled about America sending a warship to our harbour is that this is some sort of reestablishment of the US alliance with NZ as an equal and not a lapdog.
That’s one narrative.
Another narrative is that the forces building pressure in the Pacific between China and America is escalating and the fractures are starting to become apparent by the month.
America is currently trying to remove our political and economic sovereignty with the TPPA, and China are doing the same with their RCEP as both powers battle it out for influence supremacy in the Pacific.
The South China Sea decision has spiked tensions.
The billions spent in building NZs mass surveillance capabilities to extend American spying power over China need defending and Washington has sent Joe Biden to quietly read the riot act to Key.
America’s decision to end their self imposed sulk isn’t about showing US acceptance or agreement, it’s a statement to China.
What type of ship would America send?
If they were smart and really wanted dominance, they would send some type of huge hospital ship with wonderful stories of nobility and helping the sick injured children of the areas they bomb. While this ship is docked, the American’s would dazzle domestic NZ media with a host of huge parties and social events on the Ship with US celebrities. It would be American soft-power culture dominance at its most seductive and asphyxiating.
That is if they were smart.
With tensions ratcheting up in the South China Sea however America may want a show of force by sending a huge warship and just push Key into it.
All eyes will be on the type of Ship America sends.
This ship visit is a stamp of authority by America at the very time they are trying to force us into servitude to their corporate overlords. That’s why the protests against America and China sending warships here while they are trying to push us into these economic leashes is a call for independence from Washington and Beijing.
Every NZer against Trans National corporate corruption of our democracy and everyone against the military industrial complex must descend upon Auckland in November for one hell of a show of solidarity.
Does everyone realize if they don’t confirm this boat is nuclear free it will be illegal.
ILLEGAL doesnt apply too KEY and his agenda!!
Please excuse my ignorance, but for a long time, I have been of the opinion that the ban on foreign military ships entering our harbours, refusing to confirm or deny if nuclear weapons are being carried, is enshrined into our laws!
Have I missed something along the way?
If a US military ship is granted entry into any NZ harbour, NOT complying to the laws of this country, by neither confirming or denying nuclear weaponry is on board, then it seems to me John Key is flaunting the law!
A case of Key and his good ol’ American buddy “allies” giving Kiwis the one finger salute coming up I’d say!
So Mary,
Did the Chinese confirm they had no nuclear hardware on their ship when they visited?
More to the point,…should we be lackeys to either the Chinese or the Americans ?
No.
never mind ‘should we be lackeys’ we already are lackeys
They damn well should have. TBH, I’d prefer NZ coastguard inspection teams, but who knows if they’ve even got adequate funding anymore – Gods know public schools and medical centers certainly aren’t important enough anymore…
Well said Martyn. America is putting a ship in our waters to deter china, fat chance, it will make us a target,and just because Key is too gutless and controlled to say no.
Arms manufactures coming to sell their weapons, for a country with just under 5mill, thats a lot of attention.
The day Key was elected was the day our downfall started,it was planned from the beginning.
Yes , ELLE , …the arms dealer meeting.
What the merry hell are we doing hosting a fucking international arms dealer meeting in this country for?
What ?.. is this going to be advertised by the National party as some sort of new ‘ Mum and Dad ‘ investment ???!!!
The first indication i had that our Nuclear Free law was under attack was when Brash promised American senators that once elected the National party would have it abolished by lunchtime and an exscuse for doing so was ready for release to the public.
Caught out and under pressure he said it would not be removed without a referendum !!!
So desperate for re approachment with the Americans and with Key now backing Brash and his programme they would promise anything including abolishing the Nuclear free law.
They were never interested in sovereignty or an independent foreign policy as long as they could jump back into the Americans bed and become aligned as in the past and co operating in Americas wars.
I dont buy the arguement that Key is being played here and dancing to the Americans tune when he is more than happy to bend over for American interests and he has shown that from his involvement Warner Brothers too the TPPA.
The only people being played are New Zealanders as usual.
As for the type of ship Key has already agreed to that and i will be suprised if its not some form of warship and under the law as long as the PM is assured its not nuclear armed or powered its welcome, my guess is that the public wont know for sure either way.
Key simply CANT OR SHOULD BE TRUSTED.
Shocking!
ALL THE BLOGS ARE CORRECT HERE, SO THE US ARE CLEARLY HAPPY AT CHOOSING TO IGNORE OR LAWS!
WHILE THEY DENY US THE SAME RIGHTS IN THEIR COUNTRY!!!!!@@#$%^&*()-,
THIS IS NOT A PARTY TO ANY WAGON I’d LIKE TO HITCH UP TO WOULD YOU?????
welcome the Warship. A nuclear deterrence is no deterrence at all if you say you will not use it. We cannot defend ourselves, and the U.S. is the best friend we could have. Who cares about the weapons or power of the thing really, other than odd balls with beards?
And it could be said that an anti nuclear stance is no deterrent if a superpower wants to drop one on you , either.
Tell me though… do you believe in national sovereignty and self determination , respect from another country for a country’s laws as voted for by their citizens ?
Because what I take from you is that is only if you believe in ‘ might is right ‘ and that only the superpowers get to hold those ideals.
So actually , I don’t like your attitude , mate. And the more I think about it ,… the more it seems to stink.
” do you believe in national sovereignty and self determination , respect from another country for a country’s laws as voted for by their citizens ?” WK, that is an absolutely fair question. I just think the stakes are too high, by which I mean our national security, that we need a big brother. I do not many on this site to agree with me and I respect their right to say so.
Dave, Oh that’s nice of you!!!
Who the hell!@!!
I respect your right to!!!!
But I for one wont be told what to think either by you or anyone else who advocates backing the bully in the school yard as you seem to do, so fine.
as for your question ” do you believe in national sovereignty and self determination , respect from another country for a country’s laws as voted for by their citizens ?”
Yes as I lived in there country four others actually over 20yrs and did!!!
But it is an entirely different issue when you do a “Crosby Textor double speak” on this issue of sovereignty, as they need to respect our borders also when they come here can you spot the difference.
You are clearly on the side of the ‘high & mighty’ while we are more for always a peaceful resolution and I assume you respect that also.
ultimately I think you have to respect the decisions of the democratically elected government of the day. I would love to see a binding referendum on the nuclear issue.
Dave, you want to see a “binding referendum on the issue”?
What about the referendum against asset sales? Or doesn’t that count because you disagreed with the outcome? Nice of you right-wingers to display your hypocrisy so out in the open.
referendum on Nukes? yes. I have always thought we should keep assets that pay a dividend, employ kiwis, give Kiwis a fair go. Telecom would have been a good one to keep, as well as power companies. Those that are just a money pit, then maybe not.
A4-K Sky hawks are a money pit. Should we hold referendums to buy or sell on those to?
There was a binding referendum asset sales. It was called a ‘General Election’
….and you lost.
It was part of National Party policy and they’re doing just as they promised.
That’s the problem isn’t it?
Oh you think the USA is a good friend. Tell that to those poor buggers in Europe who are being dragged into a war with Russia that is totally formulated on USA lies about Russian aggression. Tell that to the Philippines who are being dragged into what is really a local dispute that could be easily settled if the USA did not see it as an opportunity to stir up trouble and try and limit the burgeoning geo-political power of China. (Who really has a primary interest in freedom of navigation in the China Sea, Hint: Its in the name of the sea.) Tell that to Libyan’s, the Iraqi’s the Syrian’s whose countries have been destroyed by the USA’s aggressive policies where only their own interests are considered important. That is why Biden is here. To ensure NZ acts in the interests of the USA and no one else. And when I say the USA I don’t mean the American people, I mean the Washington Neocons who act in their own interests even against their own countrymen. With friends like that who needs enemies
Well said..
the US funds the “odd balls with beards” you ignoramus. Dont you have fkn internet?
Why are there no headlines saying “End of nuclear free NZ”?
People need to understand that this is what is happening here. It even looks like the Daily Blog bought McCully’s line that “we’re just not asking them”?
As I recall from the 80s asking for a reassurance (that there were no nukes on board) before we let a US warship visit was the big sticking point.
This is just staggering.
OK so I’m completely wrong about this. Nicky Hager says we’ve actually won this issue and that the ship is almost certainly not nuclear armed http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/309113/nz-'won'-on-nukes-hager
And the arms dealers meetings?
Probably even more directly disgusting and contemptuous to host that in this country than the USA warship.
E X A C T L Y ! ! ! !
Yes, and I could not help but notice that Bomber stole Paul Buchanan’s suggestion that the US send the USS Mercy (a hospital ship) rather than a warship in order to emphasise the humanitarian aspects of naval deployments (which the RNZN trumpets as a core mission), then twisted it into some incoherence about soft power manipulation.
If Hager and Buchanan can agree on the issue, then perhaps the ship visit should be seen as US acceptance of NZ’s non-nuclear stance (as both of them have said). The real concerns are the arms convention and the prospect of deeper US-NZ military ties regardless of the visit.
[Ziggy, I take a dim view of your reference to “Bomber stole Paul Buchanan’s suggestion”. Please use other terms in future if you wish to have your posts published. – ScarletMod ]
If you think that the status quo is bad, you do not want to have Trump get president, you really do not want that:
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/22/opinions/republican-convention-roundup/index.html
He wants to renegotiate all FTAs, to get better terms for the US, including TPPA. That may get us rid of TPPA, good, but what will come instead? It is not going to be a warm and good future with the US once that man sits in the White House.
Rubbish, a Trump presidency would be the best result for NZ,
the best thing NZ could do is cut ties all with the United Slaves
Hey Mike in Auckland, I am not disputing you as I have much respect for your hundreds’ of daily blogs but one thing I clearly heard Trump say yesterday was;
“We will get rid of any trade agreement and deal individually with each country as we want”
I think this may benefit us because we will keep our sovereignty and bargaining status as one of the best regional producers of primary products perhaps and not have to give any binding powers to Corporations to control our next Government any more?
Lets not get all Trumped up about it just yet….
I agree, I’d be very careful with Trump, he say and promises a lot, but is damned short on detail, and going by his personal track record, he does not always stick to the truth and mainly serves his own interests. He is indeed a bit like our PM, wanting to fulfill his life-dream, Key became PM as he desired so as a kid, Trump wants to be President, as that is his nice closing job on his dreamed up CV.
Also note how he has all his family clan involved, to promote him, while few others want to be having too much to do with him.
One lone “fighter” with no matter how much own wealth will not beat Wall Street, it takes the people, in their majority to do this, so far they have failed, Trump will not deliver what he promises, wait and see.
Building a wall along the border to Mexico, arming the police and empowering them to shoot first and then ask questions, paying lip service to workers, but offering huge tax deductions for business, and also allowing racists divide and rule, that is what Trump stands for, my friend, I would dread to be anywhere on this planet should he become president.
He will take on the Chinese at the South China Sea, go loggerheads with Putin and Russia, march into the Mid East and nuke ISIS and all else who happen to offer themselves as collateral damage, that man is a madman, I would not think anything positive comes out of him becoming US president.
So you seem a bit naive there, to think it may benefit little New Zealand, while we are already very marginalised now. Trump wants new trade deals that FAVOUR the US, the mighty US, and nobody else, so how will that benefit us down here, I wonder?
Trump has specifically said the USA should cooperate with Russia and the USA should downsize its overseas military including NATO, and concentrate on “making America great again”. His concerns about the trade pacts are about giving Americans jobs just as the NZ government should consider NZ jobs when negotiating these pacts. At least if Trump is elected we will avoid the nuclear war Clinton and the Neocons seem intent on starting.
Now that is pretty positive
As much as I dislike Hillary Clinton, I trust her more with staying well away from the nuclear button than Donald Trump.
He way wish to make a deal with Russia, but that may have some negative consequences for Europe, who Trump also wants to spend more money on their own defence for.
As long as Putin is in charge in Russia, or persons like him, there will be a threat to peace, as Europe may become more divided again, and return also to conflicts between various countries.
Yes, Trump wants Americans get jobs again, but has he committed to raising the minimum wage there?
We get a lot of talk about jobs from our government, but they have also expanded the working poor section of the population. What good is a poorly paid job?
My thoughts as well, Mikeinauckland. Mind you, what does that say about the choice for voters when you pick the candidate less likely to destroy civilisation through atomic war?
In John Keys past ( maybe present ? ) , he invested in URANIUM MINING IN NEW ZEALAND ! ! ! Very interesting.
We can not cave in on opposing any form of nuclear energy ; nuclear ships and war mongering nuclear arms sales. It is a dirty and unrealistic and unprofitable form of energy.
We need to find out if this ship coming in Nov. is nuclear powered.
In November in Auckland, a disgusting event to showcase the sales of more peace killing; fear encouraging and profit making arms etc. sales. That is beyond disgusting. Another example of our PM being in bed with greedy arms dealers and unethical corporations to make a buck and to hell with its impact on NZ or on our growing peace and sovereignty.
Militarization – U.S. style and this govt. is encouraging fear and perpetual war mentality instead of peace and good will for all.
Dave, our resident paid troll, supports this govt.s stance and pro nuclear lunacy – poop stirrer and a waste of our time and here I go responding to his tripe when I said I was not going to.
There is no defense of nuclear in any form and at the top of the list of reasons is that very little is done to effectively and safely secure the radioactive waste from uranium mining from thousands of years of radioactive damage to the environment and people. These pro nuclear greedy liars are all about making money and not about promoting safe sustainable forms of energy. They can’t meter the sun.
Fear mongering and promoting nuclear stinks the big one. We do not need more guns and arms and military style paraphernalia. We are not a little U.S. trying to be safe and secure because more arms etc. has brought no more peace to the states, just more hate; racism; fear and violence.
With an American warship visiting , how long do we stay terrorism free? When the first people get killed by terrorists in NZ ( no offence to those families victim of the French ) there will only John Key to blame!
our economic & political sovereignty were given away long ago with the predatory loans of the 60s & the follow up Rogernomics. The actuality of our slavery is just becoming more obvious now. IMO.
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