A significant proportion of New Zealanders want to see the GCSB (Government Communications Security Bureau) spy agency closed, its Waihopai spybase shut down and New Zealand withdraw from the “five eyes” alliance.
These three policy changes would shift New Zealand to an independent foreign policy rather than the role of toady to the US bullyboy as it spreads death and destruction, mayhem and murder, insecurity and instability around the world.
The Green Party has had these policy objectives since its inception and each year at least one Green Party MP has attended the annual protest at the base along with associated activities organised by ABC (the Anti-Bases Campaign)
This year Stefan Browning represented the Greens.
Most Labour Party activists would likewise support these three policy changes and with a Trump-led US intensifying its international rampage I think most New Zealanders will seriously question whether we should remain part of this unholy alliance.
Currently the US is bombing seven countries with regular drone strikes as it works hard to fight any attempts to restrict access to US corporations to any part of the globe. Under Trump this aggression will escalate as the US moves to openly challenge China – after appeasement with its old cold-war enemy Russia.
John Pilger has a film coming out shortly “The Coming War on China” which clearly outlines this renewed US objective.
As this scenario unfolds and public opinion shifts further, progressive New Zealanders will need to apply intense pressure on the leadership of our biggest political parties for them to develop foreign policies based on principle rather than cowardly expediency.
That’s how we got our anti-nuclear policy in place and that’s how we will leave the five eyes.
Absolutely right. I was at Waihopai and was polanning to write to my local aspiring Labour Party candidate until I heard on the TV last night that Andrew Little intends us to remain in this insidious system, spying on Bangladesh, India, China, Solomon Islands, all south Pacific nations and other countries. None of these countries to my knowledge are enemies of New Zealand. But then we spy on who the U.S. asks us to and that information is handed on to them.
I think that most of us know none of this spying has nothing to do with terrorism but it is to do with global domination by the bully boys of the world.
Give me Five Eyes over the Chinese mega-dictatorship any day of the week. The anti-nuclear stunts were a distraction as the Labour government brought in Rogernomics and crushed working class NZers underfoot. For shame.
http://charleshughsmith.blogspot.co.nz/2017/01/the-collapse-of-left.html
Opposing Clinton was never a reason to support Drumpf, just a reason not to support Clinton. Similarly, opposing the Chinese regime is not a reason to support the US and the 5 Eyes abomination. As for the success of the anti-nuclear movement, writing it off as merely as “distraction” is like writing off the defeat of the TPP as merely a “distraction” from the evils of the Drumpf regime. Yes, Rogernomics was bad, and yes the neo-liberals in Labour were happy to use an anti-nuclear leader as a distraction from it, but a nuclear-free Aotearoa was and is an important achievement.
New Zealand is in the Goldilocks zone between Australia and the American continent meaning no type of invading force can approach New Zealand unmolested. There are good reasons for that, one is because New Zealand is covered by a nuclear umbrella by default, that includes ICBMs and missile counter measures, just by occupying land that dominates the air space around the southern ocean means we play a role in international affairs that isn’t wildly acknowledged.
China plays a role because they want to buy COP22 and lead CO2 reductions. Which is an odd spectacle. That’s code for we don’t have to listen to the US like poodles, we can get financed other ways and China shows us how.
So, you’re not much of a leftist after all, Castro?
This is an ideal time for NZ to withdraw from Waihopai and other military alliances and, instead, promote NZ as a peace-with- justice country committed to diplomacy. Let’s hone our conflict resolution skills, sorely needed in today’s world. Is everyone aware that the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has moved the Doomsday Clock forward?
Soon after the NZ ban on visits from nuclear-armed ships, I had to visit the US for family reasons. I was surprised to meet people who had not only heard of NZ but were enthusiastic about the nuclear ban.
Andrew Little said something about the possibility of NZ showing international leadership. Now is a golden opportunity to do so. Many Americans would thank us. If you find that hard to believe, do some research re Code Pink, one of several ‘peace groups’.
New Zealand can barley tag illegal fishing boats with out international cooperation so before getting to far ahead of ourselves perhaps we should examine our obligations under different agreements and see if they stack up.
For the most part New Zealand enters into agreements all honourable and shit, then about face as soon as it’s our turn to put something of substance on negotiating tables. The constant reversion to estimates and forecasts is a prescription for failure.
So before we start thinking about tearing up treaties, perhaps we could do a bit of house keeping first and access the risks. Instead of closing waihohai couldn’t it be gin ev to the university system, I’m sure they’ll use an instrument like that.
We have other covert technology far more deadly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTK4NuTMKE
AGAIN – YET AGAIN – WHERE IS MY COMMENT MARTYN ?
MUCH MORE IMPORTANTLY – WHY ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF LOOKING BEHIND THE CURTAINS AT THE CAUSES AND THOSE GENERATING CHAOS INSTEAD OF FOCUSING ON THE SAME OLE SAME OLE ?
Are you a – Left Gatekeeper Martyn ? ? ? Some are wondering.
Where is my comment ?
There was no reason, no good reason for denying it ?
Where is my comment ?
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