activism

Categories under activism

Spying (310)

Swivel-eyed loons

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:44 pm, May 20th, 2013 - 24 comments

Why do right-wing leaders have such low opinions of their activist supporters?

GCSB is watching you? Won’t ‘confirm or deny’

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:46 am, May 15th, 2013 - 37 comments

The GCSB won’t “confirm or deny” if they spied on individual Kiwis. Concerned citizens might contact the Privacy Commissioner or start a class action. John Key’s rushed GCSB Bill won’t prevent mission creep, surveillance to support international corporate interests or inadequate oversight of the GCSB. [Update]: link to Waitakere News

This is what corporate dictatorship looks like

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:45 pm, May 14th, 2013 - 32 comments

The compensation part of Joyce’s and Key’s dirty, undemocratic SkyCity deal, could legally be over-turned by a future government, as proposed by the Greens. However, the TPPA could weaken NZ’s parliamentary sovereignty and open the government to claims by secret private offshore tribunals. Opposition needs to step up!

Dim-Post on two comparisons

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 10:14 am, May 13th, 2013 - 4 comments

Danyl at Dim-Post on the strangely muted media response to the GCSB spying legislation, the witch-hunt against NZ Power, and more. Plus – check out Danyl’s (first) book – looks like a treat in store…

Pot and Kettle

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:36 am, May 10th, 2013 - 60 comments

Key on Gilmore on front page of today’s DomPost: “In the end, to make a contribution, you have to have integrity, and to have integrity there has to be a directness and fullness in your answers.” That’s why Key has no integrity about GCSB – there was no directness and fulness in his answers about it, either in Parliament or to the “knucklehead” media.

Advocacy is the core of any charity

Written By: lprent - Date published: 5:26 am, May 10th, 2013 - 35 comments

Yesterday’s NZ Herald editorial gave a hard-line conservative view of what a charity should be. Charities should and must deal with ills of society on a person by person basis without attempting to fix the causation. That sounds more like a parasitical “charity” like the workhouses of the 19th century or the adoption factories of the 20th than anything that a person of goodwill would choose to support.

The climate reality pledge

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:44 am, May 9th, 2013 - 32 comments

“… I demand action from our leaders to work on solutions to the climate crisis. I pledge to get involved …”

GCSB Bill: & Dotcom versus FBI, “NZ Intelligence Community” et al

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:21 am, May 8th, 2013 - 47 comments

John Key is using “urgency” to push through his anti-democratic Big brother GCSB surveillance Bill. Dotcom’s lawyers have released a 39 page white paper making a range of allegations against the FBI, Obama & NZ authorities. Peters is keeping his cards close to his chest. Update: Peters’ calls government “bully boy” & will vote against the Bill.

Asset sales petition has more work to do

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 2:41 pm, May 7th, 2013 - 143 comments

Breaking – The asset sales referendum petition has collected 292,000 valid signatures. It needs 16,500 more (about another 5%) to reach the threshold. The Keep Our Assets Coalition has 2 months to get the remainder – and says it will get them…

The oxymoronic “responsible Minister”

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 6:43 pm, May 6th, 2013 - 19 comments

Spying on Kiwis is ok if “the responsible Minister” says so – this was how the Herald described today’s announcement from John Key regarding the GCSB clean-up Bill. Responsible Minister? Yeah right -that’s an oxymoron when applied to John Key.

Hager: Uncomfortable truths

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 7:53 am, May 5th, 2013 - 7 comments

Phil Twyford on Nicky Hager’s Capt Jack Lyon Memorial Lecture Uncomfortable truths, NZ foreign policy in the ‘war on terror’. As Phil notes: “I think it is a cautionary tale for any future Labour-led government with a progressive, independent foreign policy”.

It’s all in the “game”

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:00 am, May 4th, 2013 - 192 comments

Supporters of the sale of the powercos, portray the Labour-Green NZ Power policy in terms of political strategy and game-play. They focus on the “market”, risk, profits & “fat cat hatred”. They avoid dealing with the guts of the issue: fuel poverty, income inequality & damaged lives.

Reminder: Day of Action Sat 27 April

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:00 am, April 27th, 2013 - 123 comments

Aotearoa is Not for Sale is counting down to the National Day of Action this Saturday 27 April. Now is the time to support NZ (People) Power & say there are alternatives. Get your banners & placards ready, polish up your chants and slogans, and get ready to make some noise. [Update: added poster][Updated posting time to move it to the top today] Update – AKL photos]

‘That politician got amnesia again’

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:30 am, April 26th, 2013 - 21 comments

Today’s anonymous Dominion Post editorial points to the beginning of John Key’s fall from grace. It centres on Key’s personal qualities, continues to support the MSM’s support of personality politics, glosses over the serious issues masked by Key’s (alleged) amnesia, and uses a false equivalence with Helen Clark.

Monbiot on our misplaced faith in “the market”

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:22 am, April 25th, 2013 - 23 comments

Relevant in so many ways to current events in NZ, here are extracts from an excellent article by George Monbiot. Read the full piece in The Guardian or at monbiot.com.

Fletcher-Key meetings: networks of influence

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:23 am, April 24th, 2013 - 90 comments

There were a number of meetings between Key and Ian Fletcher prior to Fletcher’s appointment as GCSB boss. Key tried to cover up his cronyism, and preoccupation with undemocratic shifts in the government’s control of the GCSB, and its focus on intellectual property & commerce.

On the new spy laws

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:33 am, April 23rd, 2013 - 27 comments

An Otago University academic and expert on computer security speaks out about the proposed new spy laws: “Surveilling the innocent – is that what we do to protect anyone or is that what we do in totalitarian society?”…

MRP share offer suspended til tomorrow

Written By: karol - Date published: 5:19 pm, April 22nd, 2013 - 36 comments

The government announced about an hour ago, that it has suspended the share offer for Mighty River Power until tomorrow, while it devises a supplementary disclosure in the light of the Labour-Green NZ Power policy.

National Day of Action vs Asset Sales: Sat 27 April

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:31 pm, April 22nd, 2013 - 18 comments

Aotearoa is Not for Sale is counting down to the National Day of Action this Saturday 27 April. Some people have explained why they will be joining the Day of Action on Saturday. Why do you support action against asset sales? What are the alternatives? [Updated: details of actions around NZ]

Marriage equality: living with prejudice

Written By: karol - Date published: 10:00 am, April 17th, 2013 - 117 comments

The marriage equality law will pass it’s final reading in the House tonight. It is a measure of how things have changed. The passing of the law will not bring an end to all prejudices, inequalities and debilitating practices. But, today is a day for celebrating. [Update: Louisa Wall’s speech added.]

Feed the Kids – Big Breakfast

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 2:14 pm, April 16th, 2013 - 1 comment

Tomorrow Mana’s Feed the Kids campaign is running a Big Breakfast event to feed 2000 kids. Contact the organiser if you can help.

Pull the other one, it’s full of sarin

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 7:27 am, April 16th, 2013 - 90 comments

New Zealand is, famously, a nuclear-free country. We’re also signatories to the Chemical Weapons and Biological Weapons Conventions, which outlaw them. So, if you’re looking to learn about weapons of mass destruction, New Zealand’s the wrong place to go. It’s laughable that Key’s inventing WMD-seeking terrorists to justify legalising spying on Kiwis.

GCSB changes – outrageous anti-democratic

Written By: karol - Date published: 6:13 pm, April 15th, 2013 - 42 comments

Key has announced changes to the GCSB roles that will include assisting business and the police in spying against Kiwis. it is anti-democratic, and will increase lack of accountability of the intelligence and crime fighting services.

Seeking a wormald to the truth

Written By: karol - Date published: 1:47 pm, April 15th, 2013 - 33 comments

Dotcom has promised some significant revelations from this week’s court proceedings. This morning his lawyer focused on Grant Wormald, the role of the police Special Tactics Group, and the truth. Is the GCSB is off the hook? Meanwhile, Key has been claiming he is “honest and upfront”. [Update – Key’s announced changes to the GCSB outrageous & undemocratic]

Networks of influence

Written By: karol - Date published: 8:45 am, April 14th, 2013 - 57 comments

John Key is into networking and schmoozing with the wealthy & influential. He’s given special attention to the entertainment industries, GCSB, intellectual property & commerce. He crossed paths with Warner’s people the year before the Hobbit dispute, but never played golf with Dotcom.

Diplomacy, you’re doing it old school

Written By: Michael Valley - Date published: 11:53 am, April 13th, 2013 - 34 comments

Have you noticed that we have very few visits from leaders of major countries to NZ these days? I was thinking about that watching Key give himself ’10 out of 10′ for his trip to China and reading Audrey Young’s piece, which basically asks ‘what was all that in aid of?’ Key’s junkets always seem to be ‘goodwill’ visits with no real goals or diplomatic outcomes.

Stand up for kids

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:15 am, April 13th, 2013 - 4 comments

Stand up for kids is “a campaign for parents, families, teachers and other educators who all want the best for our children”. They are holding street marches in centers all round NZ today.

The stealthy dismantling of democracy

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:44 am, April 12th, 2013 - 27 comments

John Key’s government has been gradually dismantling NZ’s democratic processes. Various activities this week are a major part of a frightening shift: a Bill enabling mining conservation land; punitive social security Act; Key’s control over NZ’s “intelligence community”.

Leaked EQC data posted online

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:38 am, April 12th, 2013 - 11 comments

The EQC data leaked to a Christchurch advocate / blogger has been posted on line.

The Key-Fletcher trail

Written By: karol - Date published: 11:36 am, April 11th, 2013 - 77 comments

The PM, Fletcher, the GCSB – questions need answering: why, when, where, who? It’s all about intellectual property, global commerce and international networks. From London to Aus 2009, to NZ 2010, then down the rabbit hole to Dotcom, Hobbits & uncertain links with complex global money mazes.

An analogy

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 10:29 am, April 11th, 2013 - 65 comments

Before the soft-headed repetition of the Nats’ line goes on too long, here’s an analogy. The GCSB’s justification for their illegal spying, that they knew they weren’t allowed to spy on New Zealanders but thought it was OK if they were acting on behalf of another agency that could, is like you not having a driver’s licence but saying it’s OK for you to drive if someone with a licence asks you to.