Go Helen!
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10:25 am, April 5th, 2016 - 65 comments
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Great news that Helen Clark is putting her name forward for the very important post of Secretary-General of the United Nations. She has been a courageous champion for peace – perhaps the most important priority for the world today.
Great that she gave her first interview to Kathryn Ryan today – she sets out why she would definitely be the best person for the job – she goes for it with all our support.
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But what will the hundreds of thousands spent campaigning for Clark do for child poverty?
Indicate that you can’t imagine how we could do both at the same time?
Inform us that you are good at concocting false dichotomies?
What?
Flag referendum? Apparently we couldn’t do both then…
Just one minor detail: we didn’t want or need a new flag, nor were we ever asked.
If she wins this, then she’ll be odds-on favourite to be NZ’s first president, assuming we switch to a republic sometime during the 2020’s.
Congratulations Helen.
But the way that the Key mind works will be thus.
1. Helen will get the top job.
2. I am much better than Helen.
3. Therefore I will be the next Gen Sec after Helen.
I’m not sure Key’s mind works that way. Perhaps if Clark gets that job – thus continuing to avoid 100% of any income tax – it may become easier for Key to wheel and deal in the private sector.
Tough road against the UNESCO woman and the Eastern European preference.
Presumably her decision to run means she has the US on board, can overcome Russian-vote alliance with Iran, Middle Eastern, and Indian subcontinent states, and can see a clear path to success.
The effective appointment veto of the permanent members of the UN Security Council will be very difficult to overcome if Russia holds fast to their candidate.
I wish her all the best – she would be fantastic.
The current competition…
http://www.un.org/pga/70/sg/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Secretary-General_selection,_2016#Official_candidates
The current odds at on a betteig website…
http://www.paddypower.com/football/current-affairs/world-affairs?ev_oc_grp_ids=1822137
There’s no doubt the Slovak states are vote-splitting really badly, but if they unite, Bokova definitely stands out.
Really important for New Zealand to use its remaining time on the Security Council lobbying furiously for this one.
She would indeed be fantastic!
She is frighteningly competent and principled and would be great.
Ironic how Key thinks she would be good at running the world but thought she needed to go as PM because of …eco-lightbulbs? So much better here now. Not.
Actually Key is showing a mature diplomacy in the interests of NZ that is beyond anything Andrew Little could achieve.
How would you know?
Easy. Little opposes everything. He is so blinkered he has utterly discredited himself in his opposition to the most significant trade agreement in decades. And for no other reason that to oppose. Oppose. Oppose.
Ah, delusions then. As I said, you have less than zero clue.
It’s pathetic, really: anyone (apart from you, apparently) can find his actual statements on the matter.
Not delusions, reality. Labour has been pro trade agreements for decades, and suddenly Little decides he wants to turn NZ into North Korea.
Yep, that sounds like a totally reasonable interpretation, not hyperbolic at all. /sarc
That’s correct. Little is anti-trade. He is anti free market. He is anti the US. He is anti most things that actually work in the real world. But then what can anyone expect from someone who’s never actually had a real job?
🙄
I would expect them to say the same utter bullshit that you come up with.
I think that you are ignoring that the deal is absolute crap for NZ.
It damn near immediately increase costs for exporting manufacturers, sellers of intellectual property, and their employees. Similarly it will rapidly increase costs for importers and their customers. The compliance costs are going to be enormous for the majority of exporters and urbanites.
The only thing that it helps with possibly in another 10-25 years is to promise some minor reductions in commodity products with little intellectual property content, that everyone else can produce as market access and/or prices improve. This helps a teeny proportion of the countries population – most those few who own large amounts of .
I suppose that it is good at identifying the terminally stupid parrots with intellectual disabilities – like you for instance.
You can either continue to regurgitate left wing mantra, or you can do some serious research. When we have, come back and I’ll engage. Here are, I’ll even give you a starter:
https://tpp.mfat.govt.nz/assets/docs/Trans-Pacific%20Partnership%20National%20Interest%20Analysis,%2025Jan2016.pdf
🙄
Clark would never allow NZ to be run as a foreign money laundering offshore trust like Key.
Good luck to her.
The current law was put in place by Labour, under Helen Clark.
no, the current rules around non resident trusts were implemented by National in 2011
No, the current trust laws date back to Labour…the 2011 law made moderate improvements, that is all.
lol..yes moderate improvements that increased the number of non resident trusts more than 3 fold in as many years and were promoted by law firms as making “NZ now an attractive tax location” whereas previously it “did not treat non-resident investors well”….youre a comedian arnt you?
Some interesting admissions…
The IFSDG also produced some interesting material:
International Rescue will be here soon to deny reality, and Chapmann Tripp let the cat out of the bag.
1. Did Labour’s law prohibit said trusts?
2. Can you name a single example of a foreign entity avoiding NZ tax as a result of these trusts?
!. Did National enhance the ability of dodgy foreigners to operate said trusts?
2. Can you name a single example of a foreign entity that has a legitimate use for one of them AND has used it exclusively for that legitimate purpose?
1. No.
2. Yes.
Now answer my questions.
Might I repeat my comment on Open Mike:
I second that Anne.
She endorsed TPP and promoted neoliberal policies that helped trap people in poverty so she doesn’t get my best wishes.
I will accept no-one other than Che Guevara for Secretary-General of the UN. No compromise.
You do realise there is a big section of the left who is anti-authoritarian The Gormless Fool formerly known as Oleolebiscuitbarrell?
Just that Che was a bit of authoritarian, so I hope you ‘ant mixing us up 😉
No, she said that if the TPPA was a good deal, we’d be stupid not to sign up.
She made no comment as to whether it was a good deal or not.
You would think someone as clever as Clarke would be well aware that her comments on the tppa would snooker Little and labour, are you suggesting otherwise.
Yes, I was quite surprised by what she said, given how easy it is to misconstrue it (as the media in fact did do, and Key repeated in Parliament).
But that’s what she did actually say.
Key to Clarke ” you back my tppa deal”
Clarke to key ” and you back my shot at the in job”
For God’s sake, her name is CLARK, not CLARKE.
Is everything else you say as foolish as not even knowing her name?
It must be a tough world to live in if little errors upset you their chief.
Spot on Lanthanide……the spin has unfortunately proliferated on this.
No she didn’t Slumbergod, but John key most certainly endorsed TPP and promoted neoliberal policies that helped trap people in poverty.
The only down side is that if Helen Clark gets the position people overseas will continue to have the impression that New Zealand is a progressive, environmentally friendly, non-corrupt etc country, when in fact half the voting population prefer a Prime Minister who wants to destroy the unions, attack people on benefits, trash the environment, doesn’t give a toss about global warming etc et al
I think people from overseas might go, oh the UN-SG is from New Zealand… Isn’t that the place that trashed it’s environmental record, has abysmal carbon emissions, is a hideout for the wealthy, riddled with corruption, and has that strange Prime Minister who would be more suited to leading an eastern European country?
At least she had the balls to prosecute Mossad agents stealing NZ passports.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004_Israel–New_Zealand_passport_scandal
Labour needs to stop worshiping this woman,In this Bernie Sanders world let’s reevaluate Clark, a tppa endorsing, neoliberal illegally spying, kick it down the road , user of xenophobic and antimaori sentiment when it suited her,worshiped at the alter of the reserve bank right wing leader who did nothing to fix infrastructure,housing,education or much of anything other than kicking the problems down the road for the next gen to deal with as has Key, also both clark and key better have answers re the tax haven fiasco which is a much bigger story than an establishment career politician seeking office. What’s with all the neoliberals from the 90s coming out of the woodwork?
– Hello?…Do you know what time it is?!
– What? The US want to be allowed to sell nuclear technology to India? But, they’re not even signatories to….
– Oh, I see.
– But we’re the poster child of nuclear non-proliferation and….
– They’re saying I can name my price, really?
– Okay. (pause) How about head of the UN Development Programme? Put it on the table and let me know how it goes. Oh. And Phil? Pull it off and you get to be the next leader of the party, okay?
Conspiracy theory alert. Fiction is not real, Bill.
You don’t get any of the top positions in the UN without US sign off.
@Colonial Viper. Helen Clark is highly respected, was a successful PM, has a good track record, and got the position on her own merits.
“A good track record…on her own merits.” Geeezus, you have to be frakking kidding me. It’s a political appointment. And those things you mention may very well be supportive but they are in no way decisive.
@Colonial Viper. You have kind of contradicted yourself by saying having a good track record and merits do matter, but then you say they don’t.
No, I am not kidding you. Even though its a political appointment, in many respects its still decided on merits. The US don’t pull all the strings like they used to, other countries have veto rights, that NZ doesn’t have.
Yes Leftie, fiction is not real. But it can sometimes approximate reality, reflect reality or expose reality.
And, I’m sure you’ll agree, there was some kind of trade off in the mix when NZ dropped its veto so that India could be supplied with nuclear tech in spite of it not even being a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty.
As to what that trade off was….all mere speculation.
At the time, it was surmised that the trade off was for talks about free trade talks with the US. Maybe that was so. But it looks like a damned feeble trade and, yeah…too feeble to be taken seriously in my book.
Anyway…
Russia is the likely winner. Will Key go to the UN too?
Key will go to a major investment bank, or a senior position in an organisation like the IMF or World Bank.
@Tanz
I reckon Key will head back home to America and the Fed reserve, to enjoy all the bonuses and perks for a wrecking job well done.
I agree, Leftie. Key has no sense of wrong or right and he smugly actually thinks he is doing a great job!
Hopefully Key will go to a Serco run jail as the money laundering and tax evasion international scandals continue and more international investigations are conducted. Iceland’s PM has already resigned.
Lets face it, does anyone really believe Key increased our offshore trusts and slowed down international tax legislation, championed the dog of the deal TPP signed in a casino (which Trump, Clinton and Sanders all are against) but does not get to hide money himself?
I hope the SIS are illegally allowed to spy on Key, and seize all his money too so he can’t defend himself aka Dotcom. Also make sure that the MSM and all the political parties claim publicly he is guilty and make sure the expert judge resigns so that someone else hears his case.
He and the prominent NZer can share a cell having so much in common.
Be careful what you wish for.
He is looking tired and hagged lately. The lies and guilt catching up, maybe…but then again, he seems to regret nothing.