A pissed off NZ Herald
December 20th, 2007 at 6:29 am by David FarrarGood God the Herald is not happy and not shy at showing it. I only picked up yesterday’s edition last night as I flew home. The front page story was expected, but on Page Three they have done a half page montage of all the MPs who voted for the Electoral Finance Act and have said they will be republishing the montage *every* month until the general election.
All praise the Herald. It is vitally important that MPs understand that what they have done is so bad, that there will be consequences. Destroying the constitutional conventions around the Electoral Act is not a minor escapade.
Also have to enjoy their sense of humour as the montage is headed up “In order to Inform, Enlighten and Entertain”, with a note that this is the only things the media are allowed to do from 1 January under the Act.
Their editorial pulls no punches:
The Electoral Finance Bill’s passage through Parliament late yesterday corrodes democracy and shames those whose names stand beside it as it enters the statutes. From January 1, political discourse will be less free, except for political parties – those private organisations that happen to provide the incumbent members of Parliament.
Today’s Herald has a story on the billboards and also Tim Shadbolt’s plans.
Audrey Young also blogs the Best of the Electoral Finance Bill Awards. Best Speech gone to Maori Party MP and longtime protester Hone Harewira. You must read this speech:
Yes folks money talks, but nothing talks quite like the truth, and the truth about this Bill is that it’s nothing but an arrogant dismissal by this Labour-led government to deny the citizens of Aotearoa / New Zealand the right to participate in one of the fundamental rights of any so-called “democratic society” how you elect your government.
It’s about the sweet scent of power, and the lust for control. It’s about the decadence of corruption, the stench of deceit, and the refusal to accept the reality of impending defeat.
Yes, there have been amendments, hell we even voted for one of them, but given the constitutional importance of legislation that will play a critical role in determining how the next election will be fought stitching up this deal behind closed doors, and then adding a veneer of democracy through a select committee process, is nothing but a sick joke.
We will not be party to this desperate attempt by Labour to stay in power at the expense of the fundamental human rights of the citizens of this country.
We will not be party to a bill designed to put fear into those who would speak their mind, by forcing them to run the gauntlet of registration, audit, notification, financial agency, monitoring, reporting, scrutiny, and penalty.
Madam Speaker, money is not what drives people to vote, it is truth …
And I sincerely hope and pray, that those who have sacrificed the truth for the delusion of power, that overwhelms this decadent and depraved piece of legislation, will come to see the folly of their ways when the people reject this sham, come Election 2008.
Again what a great speech. Now for the other awards from Audrey:
Worst speech went to Winston Peters and no one could disagree. A bizarre rambling speech.
Best quote went to John Key:
“If you are in favour of free speech then you are in favour of freedom of speech precisely for the views you despise. Otherwise you are not in favour of free speech.” They are not the word of a random right winger. They are not the words of a former treasurer of the Act Party… They are the words of Noam Chomsky, a man who is not from the left but from the far left.
Indeed.
Related posts:
- It’s about democracy
- “Democracy under attack”
- NZ Herald does final call to Kill the Bill
- Herald on revised EFB
December 20th, 2007 at 6:41 am
From the far north to the deep south
The Herald takes em high while Shadbolt takes em low, a crushing tackle.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 6:58 am
Good. It is great to hear that at least some people in New Zealand are willing to do the right thing. Now if only those politicians we employ to run the country for us could do the same.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 6:59 am
Well that’s that then.
I’m going to phone the Herald and subscribe. A comment from Kiwiblog in the past was so good I’m going to repeat it (I hope the original author does not mind)
“Hurrrah for “Granny Herald”
Just when “Bully Boys” Helen and Mickey thought they had successfully scared all the other kids away from the sand-pit and they could have it all to themselves, down the road comes the feisty “Granny” swinging her handbag and whirling her walking stick to reclaim it for all.
Michael Cullen must rue the day when he attempted to “blackmail the Herald into silence on the re-validation legislation by threatening to stop a law they were rightly anticipating.
Bravo Granny, right now the defence of democracy in NZ has fallen on your old shoulders and so far you are fighting like a true Kiwi, for something we have always taken for granted, but may be about to lose – “a sense of fair play”
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 7:16 am
Discussion on this between Herald editor Tim Murphy and Brian Edwards on The Panel (part 1) yesterday: http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 7:22 am
what we need now are some never ending court cases that drag on all year. Preferably over silly little things.
Oh – and you should have heard Brian Edwards on national radio yetsreday. (as per ele message above) Hes really sour about the herald and thinks they are anti labour. He couldnt remember all ther things the Herald have praised labour nor when it was labelled Prvda Herald for supporting labour. It worries me that apparent intellegent people support the EFB. Its worth a listen as he is really brainwashed over it. However he does admit that they do have a right to state their view – but grudgingly.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 7:38 am
How can a newspaper be pissed off ?
It’s an inanimate object, actually i’ts a bunch of ex trees and chemicals.
do mean the editor, one person ?
It’s not democratic, elected, representative, responsive organisation.
Like the business round table…
so boo hoo!
They do do a good entertainment section though – ‘time out’
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 7:43 am
I listened to that interview, what a nasty bitter little partisan Edwards has turned into. I used to respect the guy a lot. But about halfway through his time on Saturday mornings he when he turned into a partisan cheerleader but now he just seems to have turned his brain off entirely.
Then he went wittering on about buying elections. I guess he could just be old and lost his marbles? Or that he’s merely been bought and paid for himself and knows what he’s talking about? He and his company have been well paid by Labour over the last decade. Its all just follow the money with some people…
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:18 am
Oh put a sock in it DPF.
This latest trick by the Herald (following the full page editorial and numerous front page stories) is simply proof that the largest newspaper in the country has been suckered in by your misinformation campaign, that’s all. They’re so gullible. But I’m not.
And the ramshackle PR fiasco that is kill the bill, why, nobody’s listening at all. I don’t think anyone’s taking any notice whatsoever.
You’re so petty, it’s fucking disgraceful, and I’m above this sort of nonsense. I think I’ll go back to my stalker blog and post something constructive and y’know, debate some issues? Not sure what I’ll talk about, but it will most likely involve square brackets, some plagiarism, lies, and um, pictures of DPF.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:40 am
“the largest newspaper in the country has been suckered in by your misinformation campaign, that’s all. They’re so gullible. But I’m not.”
OK helmet, are you smarter then the combined team at the NZ herald? Are you suggesting that they dont know what they are talking about and DPF just tricked them into thinking this bill is bad?
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:52 am
It’s called taking the piss..
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Helmet, there’s a old Yiddish saying:
‘The whole world ain’t crazy’.
When so many people from all over the geographic and political spectrum are saying ‘ hey, this ain’t right’, it’s no use blaming the VRWC, those Eeevil Capitalistas, and of course the EFB’s favourite bogeymen, the EB.
Could just be that NZ has just had a constitutional smash-and-grab.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:58 am
As David said, Helmet was taking the piss at Tane and the Standard.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Is it??? My Bad, I withdraw
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:23 am
Gezz Helmet – take a chill pill. You mustve have gotten out of the wrong side of the bed this am and stood on the dog, who then turned on you and bit you on the arse —- or something similar.
You should do a bit of historical research into the 1930′s in germany – and youll find very similar legislation to the EFB – And with very similar good sounding reasons as to why it was all needed.
You see, they thought the jews were using their money to buy and control everything. Obviously we now know that they were wrong – it was the exclusive bretheren……………….
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:23 am
“OK helmet, are you smarter then the combined team at the NZ herald?”
Depends if I agree with them or not. If they say things I like, well, they’re geniuses, but if they say things I don’t like then of course they’re a pack of partisan sell-outs.
It pretty much depends on what day you catch me on, but I like it this way, because it means that I can pretty much take whatever position I like on pretty much anything, depending on whether I think it makes National look good or bad.
I mean, you guys are so naive. I honestly reckon I’m pretty much the only objective guy left in this country.
Bro.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:30 am
C’mon Baz, all this Nazi comparison stuff is getting hysterical. Helen’s different to Adolf, she clearly aspires to be a *benevolent* dictator.
Comparing the EFB to the Nazis is disgraceful, fucking disgraceful. I’d like to see you try and convince 6 million Jews that Labour’s in the same league as the Nazi party.
I mean, until they actually commit genocide, squash all free speech, and turn the plods into a kiwi gestapo, then any comparisons are completely, utterly offensive to me, and leave me with no choice but to turn the outrage dial up to level infinity.
Bro.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:35 am
Goff should take over, repeal the legilsation and have a interim measure on state funding of political parities and interim strict controls on private donations and a bi partisan panel (Geoffrey Palmer, Doug Graham, Jim Bolger and Mike Moore, and an independant Chair) to recommend a long term solution.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:38 am
Poor ole helmet and the other Socialists apologists They just dont get it.
Well 08 gonna be a great year. A long continuous series of Court cases with citizens who their fellows perceived as honest upright good people being paraded in the dock for speaking up and speaking out in matters that concern them.
And meanwhile the citizens will witness the Socialists spending tens of millions of tax payer money on advertising under the guise of ‘infromation dissemination” and bribing the guillible with seductive promises of ‘vote for me vote for me”
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:39 am
The Dominion Post are currently running a campaign against whaling. This is clearly advocacy, rather than inform, enlighten, and entertain. I’m guessing that some, at least, parties have policies opposed to whaling.
Does that mean that the Dominion Post will be breaking the law in eleven days time?
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:40 am
I think the word you’re looking for is “Endlösung”.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:42 am
On the nazi comparison Hitler used prejudice against a small religious sect with a lot of money to propose a series of repressive controls. Helen Clark is using the same arguments – a werd sect she called them. The Bretheran are Labour’s new jews. Remember this: everything Hitler did was within the laws of that country at the time.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Court cases? advertising campaigns?
What’s your game gd?
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Poor ole helmet and the other Socialists apologists
I’ve often wondered to what degree posters here read other posters comments. For crying out loud GD, have you not been reading Helmet over the last few months? Did you not read earlier, similar …my bad… comments in this thread?
Does sarcasm on blogs really need it’s own icon for it to work?
Maybe Craig was right on the Billboard thread – as interesting as this has been people’s bile ducts need the Christmas R&R.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Look, I can’t believe you people aren’t scared of the Exclusive Bretheren? They’re obviously up to no good. First up, they keep to themselves, which isn’t normal, and even creepier, they dress kind of old fashioned, don’t watch TV, and the chicks don’t seem to wear much makeup.
When you combine the above scary facts with the additional information that they are rich, (they have more than a million dollars! well, seven of them put together do anyway), they work real hard, and they go to church a lot, well, it’s obvious to me and to any other sensible person that they are clearly the most serious threat to our democracy that this nation has ever seen.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 9:57 am
ha ha good one helmet man.
Tom Hunter – people’s bile ducts are going flat out because they are riled at this matter. It is an entirely natural reaction to anything which is threatening.
A side issue – 6 million jews?? When I was a wee pecker trudging thru the NZ school system the number was always 3 million.
Perhaps Rwanda was actually 2million and the chinese at the hands of the mongols 50 million.
So how many was it?
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:08 am
Wikipedia says 5.3 million Jews, and wikipedia is never wrong. Ever.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:30 am
It’s the fact that they don’t wear make up that disturbs me the most.
I mean, don;t they want to look pretty for their men-folk?
But enough about the Labour Governement.
What about those Exclusive Brethren, eh?
Vote:Creepy or what?
December 20th, 2007 at 10:33 am
I watched Hone deliver his speech on PTV, Hone was great, a breath of fresh air. I only wish all the traitors on the left weren’t present to hear a great speech, I quess they were all to ashamed. As Hone says it’s the “truth” in the end that counts, as far as the suckling pigs on the left are concerned the “truth” left the building years ago.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:34 am
tom hunter: I’ve often wondered to what degree posters here read other posters comments.
Yuply. I’ve agreed with Roger Nome on substantial points before and have had him argue against me then. Some days people simply stock up on preconceived notions and forget to pack their brains. It happens, I guess.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:46 am
yes fair point pascal and tom hunter. I’m one who jumps on here at somewhat random times and tries to pick up the gist of what;s being said and then add my 2c. Unfortunately time is short and I unable to read everything. Diminishes the quality a bit I’m sure.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:48 am
All I know is if I am on the same side of an issue as Hone Harawera, that means that something is seriously, seriously wrong!
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:56 am
“What about those Exclusive Brethren, eh?
Creepy or what?”
Look Lee, you’re taking the piss again aren’t you. I don’t like it. I’m trying to warn you guys, the bretherens are trouble.
I actually know some of these exclusive bretherens, and they freak me out. They own some orchards, they grow kiwifruit and apples and stuff, and it’s like a big family business.
Now I don’t like to go spreading rumours, but I reckon they’d be making quite a nice little bit of dosh from those orchards, which makes them, well, I’d say pretty rich. That’s right guys, you heard me, they’re *wealthy*. Probably rich pricks, in fact.
They’re up to something, with those fruit they grow, and all their money, and their church, and their little plaid shirts and headscarves, I know it, I can just tell.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:19 am
oh no, more ‘rich pricks’. they must be stopped!
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:21 am
At this stage I am only interested to know whether or not the Governor-General has the balls to refuse to sign the EFA and so prevent a second piece of corrupt legislation from being entered into our Statute books?
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Never had a problem with the EB’s myself but man, you could really do a job on the Scientologists and Mormons!!! If there was ever a threat to society as we know it!
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:31 am
the assent should be refused. Reason – centuries old conventions on electoral changes have been breached in ramming this thru parliament. It goes right to the very heart of the westminster system, of which the G-G is head. It has implications that go to the top of the chain and the whole structure of the system.
G-G refusal to assent would be an H-bomb event, but not unprecedented. This is an exact example of where the G-G can act.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:40 am
Tom Hunter See helmets post at 8.18am As Im not a mind reader I read that as it was written and replied accordingly
If you get too clever by half then its your own fault if the reader doesnt get the meaning. Say what you well mean and mean what you say.
Works OK for me
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:41 am
Yeah, the Mormons are also a threat to democracy. They must be stopped.
I see one is running for the republican nomination in the US- he’s obviously anti-democracy. Probably hates it in fact. Probably has a big democracy shaped dartboard at home to vent his anger on.
In fact, anyone who’s different is a threat to democracy, if they have money.
Vote:Lots of different kinds of poor people= diversity.
Lots of different kinds of rich people = threat to democracy!
December 20th, 2007 at 11:42 am
“It’s the fact that they don’t wear make up that disturbs me the most.
I mean, don;t they want to look pretty for their men-folk?
But enough about the Labour Governement.
What about those Exclusive Brethren, eh?”
YOU WIN!!!!!!! BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am
No sweat GD, I understand you famous people, the types who make it into the newspapers, have better things to do than second guess kiwiblog comments.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Agreed
Keep your undies on GD – I agree with most of what you write – it’s just that I’ve been enjoying Helmet’s acidic prose this morning during my occasional dips into the thread.
vto – similar comments. My bile ducts are actually running pretty hot about all this – but you’ve got to keep a sense of humour even as your squeezing off the trigger: as in the semi-famous fictional story of the the soldier who shot the terrorist and then said in response to the question – “what did you feel when you killed him?”
Recoil
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:59 am
More on those anti democracy crusaders, the mormons, they’re everywhere!
Senate majority leader in the US, Harry Reid, he’s one too! Everyone knows that the democrats are, er, undemocratic and anti democracy.
We even had a mormon MP in NZ, winston first list MP Bill Gudgeon.
Vote:And we all know that NZ First is anti-democracy… wait, they are. Shit.
December 20th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
OK guys Its Xmas so I apologise if I gave any offence as it wasnt meant.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Talking for myself, and I feel alone in this,,
I fel better knowing the Herald is jumping on the band wagon. Politicians always quote from the Herald. The Herald is the most prestigious, influential and popular news paper in this nation.
If the Herald were for the EFB I would be literally quaking in my boots.
That said, I now know the Labour govt and the EFB are going to suffer hugely from now on in.
And the Nazi comparisons are correct. Germans were all made to have photo ID in the thirties, just as we were with drivers licences.
The comparison is fully valid. Esp with the help of the media who labelled the life time licences old. The AA also remained wimps and remained silent.
And thanks VTO. At school I also remember learning it was 3 million jews.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
Meanwhile, DPF, what about putting a bit of acid on the DomPost for its pathetic “opposition” to this bill? The Herald puts them utterly to shame. I’ve always suspected Pankhurst was in the great Clarkist conspiracy up to his eyeballs.
GREAT job by the Herald.
[DPF: Actually Dom Post had a superb editorial today on it]
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:29 pm
The supporters of this bill deserve all the crap they get thrown at them. I just read some Hansard where Helen Clark was as good as saying that Tim Shadbolt would have nothing to fear under this legislation, but making sinister insinuations about the Exclusive Brethren in every second breath. If ANYTHING should come back to bite her, this is it. If ANYTHING invites the drawing of parallels with Nazidom and Jews, this is it. NZ-ers should utterly repudiate this kind of stuff.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I agree PhilBest.
Jews are evil and trying to control society.
Exclusive Brethren are evil and trying to control society.
Helen Clark imho is nasty, bigotted, exhibits selected-ethnic hating, a hypocrite, and abuses the power of the office she is (temporarily) holding. I think she thinks it is her that has the power – DELUSION – it is the office.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:38 pm
I think the EB should get stuck into her and King and Cullen etc and call her for the hater and wrecker she is.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
spelling and grammar not too good. whoops
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 2:07 pm
Sheesh, yesterday some people couldn’t understand satire, today it’s parody that’s whistling over the tops of people’s heads. I blame television. A generation brought up on weak American “sitcoms” has lost it’s ability to parse more nuanced forms of humour.
Well done, helmet. Reminded me of the best stuff by one of the 20th century’s greatest humourists, Alan Coren, specially his authorship of books by Idi Amin.
Meanwhile, back on topic… I have long harboured a degree of animus toward the Herald from my days doing PR in Auckland. They had this childish policy of flouncing out of any event at which the Auckland Star’s reporters were also present, forcing a choice between one newspaper and the other every time. Clearly the strategy was an anti-competitive move to kill the Star and even more clearly, it worked.
I’d read it for Audrey Young and a handful of other contributors, but begrudgingly. But after their recent performance, all is forgiven. It’s to be hoped they put this campaign up for a Qantas Media Award in 2008, and that they win.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
The exclusive bretheren ARE trying to control society. The ones I know grow fruit.
Fruit!!!!!
Everyone loves fruit!
And those buggers could take it away, just like that! I’ll bet they’ve got John Key by the short and curlies… ‘John, just do what we say, or the kiwifruit gets it…’ or perhaps- ‘play by our rules mate, and you can have all the mandarins you want, y’hear?’
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Thanks Rex, that’s quite a compliment.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
“An expert panel will be appointed in the New Year to review outstanding electoral issues following the passage of the Electoral Finance Act.
Justice Minister Annette King said the panel would review electoral administration and………….”
Heh Helmet : Kiwi Gestapo = expert panel = Firm Engaged to carry out monitoring of electoral spending.
1st step on the inevitable slide……join the dots you idiot!!!!!
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Simo, I see the logic in your statement, but consider this-
The government governs for the benefit of the citizens, they simply wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t in our best interests. I heard that the gestapo used to break down doors and drag people off to prison or worse, in the middle of the night, that sort of thing. As far as I’m aware Ms King hasn’t asked the expert panel to do that just yet.
All I can say about the panel is that I hope Nicky Hager’s on it, he’s brilliant, and he’s got far too much insight and common sense to compare this law to anything the Nazi’s did.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
Let me expand a bit on my comments above now that i have a bit more time.
One has been sickened more deeply than hitherto, having read some of the Hansard involving the parliamentary debate for this bill.
Ms. Clark and her colleagues, including Winston Peters, have stonewalled on one honest question after another concerning the effects of this bill.
What the PM herself is literally on record as saying is that Tim Shadbolt can spend as much money as he likes saying “bring down the government”, but members of the Exclusive Brethren had better watch out.
Has NZ got an independent judiciary who are expected to apply legislation according to its letter, without favour or prejudice, or NOT? Do we still have a committal to Magna Carta or not?
Are Ms. Clark and her colleagues, including Annette “law of commonsense” King, so sure that they have stacked the relevant judicial agencies with their fellow-travellers that this law will indeed be applied by whim and favour?
This is just the latest in a long line of ugly signs that have not had adequate media airing and public scrutiny.
Ms. Clark continually asserts that John Key, Don Brash, and The National Party “conspired” to “steal” the last election.
I SUGGEST:
1) She KNOWS this is a filthy lie of the same ilk as those used by the Nazis to demonise their opponents
2) SHE was behind the political espionage job done on Don Brash. SHE KNOWS that there is NO EVIDENCE of ANY SUCH COLLUSION as she is claiming, because if there was, HER F***ING SPIES WOULD HAVE FOUND IT FOR HER, and it would have been in Hager the hitman’s book. One e-mail FROM an EB TO the Nats does NOT make a case, seeing that a 24/7 espionage job on the Nats failed to come up with any replies or exchanges of correspondence, or any meetings. This in spite of Hager’s book having 24/7 “fly on the wall” type stuff about who Don Brash was talking to and when.
3)Don Brash’s surprise at the EB leaflet campaign was genuine, and he did not “lie” about this.
4) The media’s role in all this was so disgracefully one-sided in FAVOUR of the Clark Govt and against Don Brash, and such a thorough counter to the EB leaflets – note how the EB were “smeared” by the media, and THEIR leaflets were attacked as a “smear” when in fact they were very to the point and heavy on facts- that it is no Bl—dy wonder that Clark and Co thought they could get away with ANYTHING following it.
5) The petty disunity in the National Party that allowed Don Brash to be thrown to the media wolves and that went along with the ugly anti-EB bigotry in the media and on the other side of the parliamentary chamber, did not help either.
SOMEONE, Ian Wishart perhaps, needs to do an investigative book on all this and kiwis need to wake up to the implications of the historical parallels to this whole COURSE of behaviour on the part of their government.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 4:21 pm
AND the course of behaviour of the media UP TILL NOW, seeing that the EFB has given them a wake-up. They are at least partly to blame for the arrogance of the Clarkists. The kind of stuff they went along with up till the EFB was no credit to them either.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Good Post PHIL/// I think some of the Media woke up to the fact that the EFB was the first step and a free press was next for the black blanket of censorship.
Vote:I also salute Hone Harawira for a brilliant speech. For good or ill this man will always be a formidable representative of his people.
December 20th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Heh Helmet,
Clarks demonisation of the EB’s has an eerie similarity to the events leading up to the Germany elections in 1933, I know of Germany families in this country who were victims of this demonisation, the EB’s unfortunately are the new victims in this re-enactment of European history
Make no mistake about this piece of legislation, it only take a few tweaks and weasel clauses to become somthing a whole lot more sinister, and Clark is only too capable of this, to justify the end game – a 4th term in office.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Do you think she’d go for a fifth too, if she had the chance?
Lately, whenever I see or hear her, I just can’t help it, the M word springs to mind.
Mmmmmegalomaniac. She’s calm, but I genuinely think she’s psychotic.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
I propose that the next constitutional reform include term limits.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
The Government wants public feedback on new ways to deal with dangerous dogs
We are tossed a consultation bone on the matter of dangerous dogs… while the Labour mutt savages our democracy. They need to be put down.
Vote:December 20th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
“All I can say about the panel is that I hope Nicky Hager’s on it, he’s brilliant, and he’s got far too much insight and common sense to compare this law to anything the Nazi’s did.”
He can’t make sweeping accusations like that without losing professional credibility, and well you know it.
the truth is the pattern emerging here is exact to the Nazi pattern of the 30′s. By the next decade conditions will be at the same stage as war time Germany.
Vote:December 21st, 2007 at 12:35 am
Did anyone also hear that this panel was also going to look at public funding for political parties, Simo, what were you quoting from above?
Vote:December 21st, 2007 at 7:27 am
“He can’t make sweeping accusations like that without losing professional credibility, and well you know it.”
I think he already has hin,
“According to author Nicky Hager, Burton’s legislation is “something that the Nazi Party could have brought in””
But for me personally, Hagers professional credibility got a bit thin when he based his last book on unverified, probably stolen communications.
Vote:December 21st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Reading “The Hollow Men”, it is disgracefully obvious that Don Brash and the Nats were subjected to monstrous breaches of privacy, that, had it been the regime of Our Dear Leader suffering those breaches at the hands of, say, Ian Wishart, our Clarkist lapdog media would have been screaming bloody scandal to the heavens, not giving the book and its author a whole lot of starry-eyed adulation and free editorial. That is why I say they are partly to blame for the sheer arrogance of the regime since. Having stolen its political rivals e-mails and been implicated in extensive surveillance of Don Brash at least (read the book) – AND HAVING BEEN ALLOWED TO GET AWAY WITH IT by both our FIIIIINE, NON-PARTISAN Police AND our media “WATCHDOGS”, what were we all to expect?
If the media will drive a campaign of odium against a minority religious group, accusing them of untruthful “smears” when their campaign was no such thing, and if the media will cry blue murder when there is any suggestion of breaches of privacy of any cabinet minister, but the leader of the opposition is regarded as “fair game”, well what did these media arsewipes EXPECT the Clark regime would do next? What did dumb-arse, half-asleep Kiwi sheeple EXPECT the Clark regime would do next?
The sheer hypocrisy of Hager himself in this whole episode is breathtaking. The guy is a neo-Stalinist. I don’t believe for a moment that he would have any objection to “rich pricks” getting tossed into jail for spending too much on advertising, when, heck, he wouldn’t have any objection to the forcible disapropriation of all their assets by The State either.
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