Folks, here’s the major change in the new spy powers. Under the current law that Key rammed through by urgency, security agencies apply to the GCSB to spy on a NZer. This was controversial because the GCSB is a counter intelligence agency and using those powers on a domestic population is like using tanks to direct traffic.
What the new law allows for is the GCSB to launch their own investigations – can you see how momentous a shift that is? Under current law GCSB is tech support for security agencies during active investigations, under new law the GCSB starts its own surveillance and anyone who alerts the public to illegal government spying faces 5 years in prison.
Can you see the problem and vast expansion of power that law generates?
For an agency so in debt and empowered to and by NSA 5 Eye technology, that is an extraordinary amount of power for an agency with more allegiance to Washington than Wellington.
There is more danger to NZers from cow shit polluting our drinking water than from ISIS terrorism – we should not allow Key to do a Trump and use fear to manipulate us
Our terrorism is Kiwis living in bloody cars – it’s not ISIS! Spend the extra $100m the GCSB got on feeding kids each year!
The only threat to our democracy is the Police State National are building.
Spot on there Martyn.
The major terrorism we should be alert to is within … look no further than the present Key led National government. The home made terrorists and traitors, which are destroying everything good and decent in NZ piece by piece, abusing the nation’s most vulnerable, creating an impoverished social structure with people living rough, which is shamefully about the only growth industry in this country!
The call for NZ to be aware of terrorism from outside, is scare tactics, used to justify Key’s spy law change.
And in the meantime, far too many good Kiwi families have no option but to live in cars, sheds, garages etc, while others are being poisoned by a toxic water supply! These issues should be top of government’s agenda to urgently address, not changing and investing in spy legislation to snoop on NZers, who suddenly become “people of interest” at the whim of a dodgy PM
NZ a first world nation? I don’t think so!
+100 Mary
Last century it was communists.
This century, Muslims.
Next century? Aliens?
It seems the Establishment and military/industrial complex can’t function without a decent bogeyman.
I reckon that is why Uncle Sam came ( Joe Biden ) to tell our govt it is time to spy on NZers officially and John key said sure no problem because I have no guts I am gutless
Martyn
” we should not allow Key to do a Trump and use fear to manipulate us”
I still have a lot of respect for your work and could not agree more with your
analysis on the gravity of the situation.
I just wish you would do some proper research about this man and not believe
what the MSM are spewing out with their ‘cut&paste’.
We are not allowed to properly hear what he has to say.
He truly represents the only, and probably the last chance, to take back control
of the Corporate Gvt of America for the people and,by extension, the whole
Western World.
Cheers.
Whatever you are taking is not helping your thinking ability. While the MSM are hopeless blaming them for making Trump look bad is just wishful thinking on your part.
Iain, you wrote, “He truly represents the only, and probably the last chance, to take back control
of the Corporate Gvt of America for the people and,by extension, the whole
Western World.”
Are you for real???
You think a racist, bigoted, womanizing billionaire like Trump is the champion of ordinary people? If that’s the best chamption you think we have, then it’s like choosing Darth Vader as the champion of peace and tolerance.
This isn’t about wanting ” you would do some proper research about this man and not believe
what the MSM are spewing out with their ‘cut&paste’, because Trump himself has been quoted verbatim, and we’ve seen him on our own screens spouting his hate messages.
we aren’t fools, you know. We can see and hear perfectly well.
You know I don’t have any problem with spying powers being used for the right reason: and that is to thwart criminal gangs who organize drug rings, child pornography rings, burglary rings, animal fight rings, etc. Who would have a problem with that?
But I do have a problem with spying powers being used to harass your political opponents on the grounds of national security. McCarthyism relived.
You are completely right Martyn, what we have to worry about here is P epidemics, free-flowing alcohol, government selling off what is left of its assets, government abrogating its responsibility to make sure its young, aged and vulnerable people have enough to eat and somewhere warm to sleep at night. When a government thinks that its greatest threat is from people who want to speak the truth then you have descended to the level of Putinist Russia.
But no, we have a government that is apparently convinced that we have a local ISIS chapter operating here under our noses. Perhaps they are masquerading as a Rotary or Lions club chapter?
This is not some South Seas American satellite country here, this is New Zealand a (supposedly) independent self-governing nation that prides itself on doing what is right for ITS people, respecting people of different cultures and religions and standing up for the underdog.
That doesn’t happen anymore and apparently only a minority of us care.
Great post, and spot on, solve poverty for a safer more prosperous NZ, than waste billions on security supposedly for Muslims – while we try everything including sheep farm bribery, to try to get more Saudi Muslim money and Muslim’s into NZ, go figure??? More double speak, double actions.
I more frightened of terrorism by National, US bureaucrats and the out of control spies trying to get more business and funding, than I am of Muslims.
New Zealand will only get more of the same as long as it is in a “security” alliance with the United States.
If anyone wants something different they will need to begin to clarify and press for a viable alternative.
Check my blog: “Cold War 5-Eyes Node or Global Broker? – NZ after Snowden” at: http://www.village-connections.com/?p=6999
Then maybe click to and read the “Similar Posts” links below the blog
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