activism

The Politics of Small Green Fences

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 12:30 pm, April 1st, 2014 - 43 comments

I arrived at the TPPA protest march in Wellington the intent of making my voice heard. The protest started well – enlightening speakers, a funny MC and raucous chanting. However, when we got to parliament, the march was confronted by a waist-high green fence blocking our way up seven stairs to the main courtyard in front of the parliament. How we dealt with this seemingly insignificant obstacle does not bode well for the political left in New Zealand.

NRT: Blowback

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:56 pm, March 31st, 2014 - 6 comments

“The vast scale of online surveillance revealed by Edward Snowden is changing how businesses store commercially sensitive data…”  “A survey of 1,000 business leaders from around the world has found that many are questioning their reliance on “cloud computing” in favour of more secure forms of data storage as the whistleblower’s revelations continue to reverberate.”

Walking the talk – protests Sat 29 March

Written By: karol - Date published: 2:07 pm, March 28th, 2014 - 63 comments

Tomorrow Today: Support the important Day of Action across NZ against the TPPA – the TPPA is anti-democratic, pro-corporate & will make life harder for ordinary Kiwis; Support the NZEI demonstrations in Auckland & Wellington, for a living wage, for an excellent public education system, against poverty that undermines education. [Update: photos & reports]

NRT: A global cyberwar against everyone

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:31 am, March 14th, 2014 - 14 comments

The latest NSALeak: the NSA is deliberately spreading malware on a massive scale to spy on everyone. This isn’t the sort of targeted operation they aimed at Belgacom – its effectively a global cyberwar against everyone. They infected 100,000 computers already, and they plan to infect millions – well beyond any possible number needed strictly for “national security”. Why? So they can pwn you

Five Eyes, One Network

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:32 pm, March 12th, 2014 - 60 comments

Edward Snowden revelations indicate that the US NSA pressured the NZ government to make last year’s hasty changes to the GCSB and TICS laws, to enable mass surveillance.  John Key sometimes denies he knows of visits to NZ by the NSA’s Gen Keith Alexander – but Key would have to approve the visits.

Glen Innes ‘war zone’

Written By: karol - Date published: 9:08 am, March 6th, 2014 - 52 comments

A  photo/video documentary project in March Metro Magazine shows Glen Innes as a war zone.  The National Government’s war on the poor continues with the sales and removal of state housing.  Protest this evening at Glen Innes.

NRT: So much for Parliamentary oversight

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:23 pm, February 24th, 2014 - 13 comments

When Parliament in its select committee oversight role asks the GCSB about whether it is obeying the Public Finance Act, or whether it has formal NSA moles in its organisation, then suddenly its an “operational matter” which they can’t answer. The natural conclusion: they do and there are – because if either allegation was false, they’d just deny it. Looks like John Key’s assurances about greater parliamentary oversight over the GCSB are a lie.

Plausible deniability: Smoke & mirrors

Written By: karol - Date published: 12:56 pm, February 17th, 2014 - 79 comments

It’s puzzling why John Key diverted attention from who spied on Winston Peters, by implicating Cameron Slater.  Following revelations about the 5 Eyes spying capabilities, & illegal surveillance of Kim Dotcom, there is much at stake for Key. Recapping some significant details in the surveillance saga.

Polity: Kim Dotcom’s 5% gambit

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 8:39 am, February 12th, 2014 - 92 comments

Rob Salmond looks at the implications of the Internet party failing to poll 5% and DotCom throws his support behind another party. A bidding war from competing parties? For the left this would be being both hypocritical and a bit icky. One of the reasons they worked hard to make election funding fairer in the late 2000s was to limit the ability of individuals seeking to buy government policy for cash. The right disagreed but is now caught by their own logic that it couldn’t happen.

just a voice

Written By: Bill - Date published: 4:01 pm, February 7th, 2014 - 6 comments

Brief occasional updates were requested on the public meetings being held in Dunedin. I’ll be straight up about this. I’m not altogether comfortable about submitting these posts because some readers might see the meetings as being synonymous with me. They’re not. But since I’m the only person with posting rights and because it wouldn’t be be appropriate to post an opinion under ‘notices and features’…

The essence of a political activist

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 9:00 am, February 1st, 2014 - 39 comments

For all you political activists out there.

Nicky Hager on Surveillance and Privacy in the Snowden Era

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 10:18 am, January 30th, 2014 - 30 comments

If you are (a-hem) free today, then you might want to head down to Otago University campus for a presentation by Nicky Hager.

update – attendance  is free

A little exploration?

Written By: Bill - Date published: 12:22 pm, January 23rd, 2014 - 23 comments

On the pipers, the dancers and the great unwashed.

Off The Pages – reminder

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:27 am, January 16th, 2014 - 9 comments

Saturday afternoon. 1 O’Clock. Bandstand in Dunedin Botanic Gardens.

NRT: The NSA spies on its own government

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 11:11 am, January 8th, 2014 - 51 comments

Since Edward Snowden leaked proof of widespread NSA spying on US citizens, people have been wondering who exactly they’re spying on. Are they spying on their own government? Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wanted to know, so he asked them directly. The response was not reassuring.

Perhaps the same question should be put to the GCSB? After all its oversight seems even more incompetent and incestuous than that of the NSA.