Nandor blogs from the IPU
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:50 am by David FarrarNandor blogs from the IPU (International Parliamentary Union) meeting in Cape Town. He has some interesting observations on Zimbabwe and whether South Africa will step in if Mugabe starts massacring opponents. The IPU has also got involved:
The IPU did put out a strong statement last week. As well as being instrumental in putting it on the agenda, the NZ delegation also played a key role in getting the wording strengthened. John Carter and I worked together on amendments to the drafts, and I was impressed with what he got the drafting committee to support.
Well done John and Nandor. But who else is there:
Pressure also neeeds to be put on China to not sell arms under the circumstances. Zimbabwe is totally skint, so they can’t even pay their current bills. Any credit advanced for arms is even more unethical than normal. I had intended to mention it during the plenary debate. NZ had 8 minutes, split between Dover Samuels and me, but Dover spoke first and used up the whole allocation, so I had no opportunity to speak.
(I wouldn’t have minded so much if he hadn’t spent the whole time saying what a waste of time the IPU is before swanning off on a sight seeing tour with the delegates’ spouses!)
Oh dear.
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April 22nd, 2008 at 9:56 am
I read a report recently that there are armed Chinese Army officers in Harare. Will see if I can find the link.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:01 am
Hopefully our NZ reps also took the chance to express our disgust at Mugabe’s chief apologist: South Africa’s Tabo Mbeke.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:02 am
He made a declaration “strongly worded”, whoo hoo the world is saved.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:32 am
“(I wouldn’t have minded so much if he hadn’t spent the whole time saying what a waste of time the IPU is before swanning off on a sight seeing tour with the delegates’ spouses!)”
Yet more justification for these ‘important’ MP Junkets oops I mean working trips
Any chance we can leave those MPs there?
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:33 am
So typical of Dover to just walk in, piss on everything, and leave
D
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Oh noooooos!!!!! Not a strongly worded letter!!!!! Mugabe will surely behave himself now, and peace will break out, and all the cuddly kittens will rejoice!
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:40 am
Comrade Robert must have a “free” trade agreement with China as well………
Vote:If China is our new “best friend”, and it is obviously Zim’s best friend (as evidenced by the ship load of small arms being sent by China to help with the electoral recount), then won’t China be upset with us over Nandor and co’s strongly worded statement….?
I hope they checked it with Helen first?
For those who can’t understand why many here are uneasy over our FTA, I suggest they do a bit of digging and and see what the chinese are up to in Sub Saharan Africa. You might be surprised.
G
April 22nd, 2008 at 10:42 am
I’m not surprised that a Labour MP causally sabotaged Nandor on Zimbabwe (though it would be too much to attribute calculation to Dover in this). Labour foreign policy is utterly unprinicipled in Africa as I noted http://www.stephenfranks.co.nz/?p=316 recently.
I respect Nandor as a decent hardworking MP, despite our different beliefs, and I feel for him. Getting the IPU to take a strong position is an acheivement so congratulations to John Carter and Nandor.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:47 am
My organisations branch in Zim has had to purchase a generator to keep working and email traffic is a shambles.
Mind you Sth Africas infrastructure not much better with my counterpart looking to get a generator given the constant brown outs.
And yes Brian the Chinese have been supplying soldiers to Bob M for some time now and paying the elite armed forces so they stay loyal.
Mind you the Chinese are pouring money into a number of African countries building infrastructure etc, looking to establich long tern relationships.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am
a strongly worded letter? HAHAHA
sounds like team america, fuckin hans brix! your breaking my balls!
AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 11:44 am
“Oh noooooos!!!!! Not a strongly worded letter!!!!! Mugabe will surely behave himself now, and peace will break out, and all the cuddly kittens will rejoice!”
Strongly worded letters have sovereign power over dictators. Look at how well they have worked against Iran.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 11:50 am
Invasions go awry sometimes too…
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Strongly worded letters have sovereign power over dictators. Look at how well they have worked against Iran.
I’m picturing Ahmadinejad receiving a letter from the UN: “Oh good the toilet paper has arrived”….
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 1:09 pm
All those on this thread ridiculing Nandor Tanczos for his “strongly worded” message are presumably taking some more concrete, decisive action themselves? No? I see – if only Nandor had your guts eh, then he’d have the courage to sit boldly at his computer and slag off his betters.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
All those on this thread ridiculing Nandor Tanczos for his “strongly worded” message are presumably taking some more concrete, decisive action themselves?
Now I demand an apology, we are not ridiculing Nandor, we are ridiculing strongly worded letters…..
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Yes, well let’s see how tough Nandor would be if the IPU meeting had been in Harare…and as for taking concrete decisive action? I don’t give a fuck about Zimbabwe. I care about New Zealand. The hippies run round trying to save whales while kids are getting beaten to death by their so-called caregivers here. Similar hippies try to save Zimbabwe when we’ve got issues that need to be sorted here. Fuck Zimbabwe. Let nature decide.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pm
This reinforces my opinion of both Nandor and Dover Samuels. It’s a shame Nandor is leaving parliament even though we don’t share the same political opinion.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I voted for UN led invasion of Zimbo pm so cram it.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 5:51 pm
these armed chinese (good friend of helen davis) are they wearing blue track suits, hey buggerlugs the bitch opps witch has given open season on OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY fuck learn cantonese as helen mugabe has invited the chinese in, guns and all maybe (WHO KNOWS ) what deal its struck liarbor , opening the door to our takeover.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Which is yet further confirmation that these sorts of nebulous political gabfests are nothing but taxpayer funded all expenses paid vacations for the likes of the Z-listers mentioned in the lead article.
The way to take the chain-saw to these junkets is to ask, “What would happen if none of our chaps attended?”. If the answer is “nothing” or “not much” then these drones can bloody well stay at home and spend the time surfing Trademe instead – or pay for it out of their own blasted pockets.
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I hope Dover has finally been toilet trained,
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Dover’s use of the total allocation is clearly the fault of a sloppy public service speech writer. I mean we’d have to believe Dover can speak for eight minutes without the words written in very big letters, no more than two syllables long, ideally with colourful illustrations so he doesn’t get bored.
The Chinese sell weapons?! I can just imagine it the scene. “Halt or I’ll… oh hang on, the batteries are dead again and I only just recharged the bloody things, can you just wait there a second? Corporal, do you have a night sight? What do you mean the handle broke off? Sergeant, hand me yours. What? Yes I know none of the assembly instructions were in English but there were pictures! Damn it, just shoot in that general direction then. What? So you’re telling me the bullets don’t actually fit the guns we ordered…”
Vote:April 22nd, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Hi David,
I’ve just received this item from overseas – not surprised it didn’t make the NZ media !
NEW ZEALANDER SEES THE LIGHT
We have recently received the following most interesting report from a
supporter in Wellington, New Zealand:-
“A veteran New Zealand anti-apartheid campaigner has rejected a nomination
for a prestigious South African award for foreigners, saying he is dismayed
over conditions in the country, local media reported on Monday. John Minto,
nominated for a ‘Companion of OR Tambo Award’ by a South African government
official, asked for the nomination to be withdrawn, the Christchurch Press
newspaper said.
“‘[South Africa] was the democratic country with so much hope and I think
for so many people it’s been the deepest of disappointments, and certainly
it has been for me,’ Minto said. ‘I’m just deeply dismayed at what’s
happened,’ he told the newspaper.
“The Tambo award is the highest honour granted non-South Africans in
recognition of friendship, co-operation and support. Previous recipients
include Mahatma Gandhi, Kofi Annan, Salvador Allende and Martin Luther King jnr.
“A [trade] union organiser, Minto was national co-ordinator of the ‘Halt All
Racist Tours’ movement during the controversial 1981 Springbok rugby tour of
New Zealand – when an all-White rugby team representing South Africa was
strongly opposed by many New Zealanders.
“In an open letter to South African President Thabo Mbeki, Minto blasted the
African National Congress government which, he said, had left Black South
Africans ‘worse off than they were under (White) minority rule’.
“‘When we protested and marched into police batons and barbed wire here in
the struggle against apartheid, we were not fighting for a small Black elite
to become millionaires,’ Minto wrote.
“‘We were fighting for a better South Africa for all its citizens. The faces
Vote:at the top have changed from White to Black but the substance of change is
an illusion,’ he noted.”
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:01 am
Rhodie:
Hmmm. You obviously missed this party.
You need to click through from DPF’s summary post, to Poneke’s full post, which includes this:
Vote:April 23rd, 2008 at 9:52 am
Rex, the chinese stuff you buy from the Warehouse may well be crap, but thats because the Warehouse buys the cheapest crap they can find in china to sell to NZers to increase their margins. Its called business. China actually do make high quality goods, and most of the worlds computer manufacturers (including laptops) are in China. Apple? Dell? HP? yep – all made in China, and probably at some point all these brands had product lines coming out of the same factories.
Vote: