Stuart, how can you be supporting a moron who is just as corrupt as the previous Government. This is the guy who has a brother-in-law receiving full pay while doing time for manslaughter, gets released a few months later and Frankie gives him his old job back as Navy Commander.
”

I don’t support the dictator of Fiji, but I do say that our policy is unrealistic and for the last three years it has failed.

If however I feel the need to have some know nothing snide left wing female body part put words into my mouth I’ll get my brain replaced and give you a call. Till then, cram it.

So you’re saying your pal Adolf has no ‘priciples’ (sic), Murray?

When the matter of freedom of speech was brought up he got bitter and hung up.

Don’t be too shocked if some bloggers just plain turn up dead in Fiji. Defence of this military dictatorship is not an option for anyone with priciples any more. Maybe at the start but it has become clear than any honest intent went by the board some time ago. Its time to acknowledge your error and not be afraid of the flip flop.

I mean what are the Chinese going to do

Launch a military invasion of NZ and Aust from Fiji. Really I dont think so.”

In case you had not noticed China is a growing totalitarian power, with ambitions. All they need to do is what the Japanese planned to do, and undermine us from a position of strength, should the situation call for it, like the Soviets did with Finland. Australia and NZ do not need to be invaded to undermine and coerce our independence and sovereignty, all that is needed is to be able to dominate our export markets and threaten our trade routes, and you need freindly bases to do that.
Afterall why do you think they wanted to exclude us from the EAS, along with India and Australia and yet were happy to sign a free trade deal with us?
For an example of this type of thing look at how the French blackmailed us over our butter exports for the releace of those two French agents we convicted over the Rainbow Warrior affair.

”
There are only 2 options. Isolation and withdrawal of the UN peace keeping and other contracts. Only providing aid when there is a complete audit and control of where and to whom it is going.

OR a covert destabilisation programme aimed at the Commodore and his close supporters to undermine his control followed up by a support programme for a democracy movement”

There is a third option that has never been explored as described by Adolf Fiinkensein above, but that would require us to admit our policy to date is wrong.

Tyrant in Iraq who does not allow freedom of speech or fair elections…

(Supposed) Tyrant in Fiji who does not allow freedom of speech or fair elections…

Are some of the same people who attacked Bush for going into Iraq now suggesting that we should do the same in Fiji?

I have to say I am no longer a fan of Bananarama. We should send Bros in to take them out immediately.”

Having SAS assainate the Commodore may well be possible but we could not control the fallout from that, so it’s probably not worth it unless you know what the outcome would be or had pre-arrainged outcome you know will work.
A conventional invasion is out because ourselves and Australia cannot get a force of adequete size into Fiji..we simply dont have the lift or logistical capacity for that sort of endevour, and to be honest we dont have the money at this point even if we did have the gear and numbers.

Am I the only one who does not give a toss what happens in Fiji?

Let THEM sort it out, stop sending money and stop all assistance, the Fijian people are the only ones who can do anything about the situation and from what I can tell (admittedly I don’t really care) the people themselves are not that bothered.
”
The people of Fiji dont have the firepower to do anything about it and we should care what happens there because sooner or later Fiji will turn to China et al for any shortfalls, and that kind of help from those quaters comes with strings that would not be in our national interest.

Thats the problem David, all we are doing and have done is protest, and not suprisingly its not working, because mindlessly protesting the things we dont like and cannot change seldom gets us anywhere, and that is a bad thing in foreign relations. We have to be a little bit smarter than we have been, and the first thing we must do is admit that our current approch, of banging our heads against a brick wall we dont like for no result, is not working.

Leave aside all the jokes about gunboat diplomacy etc etc Its the citizens of a country like Fiji who suffer under bad governance just like Zimbabwe. As one who has business colleagues in both countries it hurts to hear the support for terrible governance.

We must count our blessings that we dont suffer from the same level and thats why I and others have and will continue to speak up and speak out to prod and criticise our governance.

there is a fine line between the good and the bad when it comes to governance and every so called leader is perfectly capable of stepping over the good line if they are allowed to by the citizens.

It is only citizen power that prevents any government from going bad.

IMHO the Commodore has committed so many fundemental breaches of good governance principles and gone back on his word so many times he has no international credibility and now heads a failed State.

the Chinese government will be very weary of getting too overtly involved if the US and others make it clear they are not wanted in the SP

I mean what are the Chinese going to do

Launch a military invasion of NZ and Aust from Fiji. Really I dont think so. There are only 2 options. Isolation and withdrawal of the UN peace keeping and other contracts. Only providing aid when there is a complete audit and control of where and to whom it is going.

OR a covert destabilisation programme aimed at the Commodore and his close supporters to undermine his control followed up by a support programme for a democracy movement

[DPF: Adolf. That doesn't matter anymore. His stated aims may be noble, but nothing justifies arresting journalists for telling the truth, censoring the media, cutting off Internet access for the country - that is what they do in North Korea. He has to be judged by his actions, not his words. Corruption will only get worse in a country without free press.]

Everything justifies arresting journalists who tell lies or distort the truth. Corruption was endemic in Fiji when there was your so-called free press. What on earth gives you the idea that your precious ‘media’ are angels? You do not seem to be able to accept that Fiji is not NZ or Australia and what works here might not work there.

Perhaps you might devote your intellect to figuring our how much better off everybody might have been if Australia and NZ had not acted like a pair of jack booted bullies. Had we actually gone in there in 2007 and offered genuine help to sort out their disastrous constitution, carry out a reliable census, run a genuine and legitimate election, then by now Fiji would indeed have democracy restored. Not some sham election for the sake of having an election, just to keep a few political studies freaks in Wellington and Canberra happy.

[DPF: It is sad you are so far gone you now advocate military dictatorships.Now in case anyone is feeble minded enough to agree with your argument that because the media are not angels this justifies his actions, let me rebut that. If the media report falsely, then you can sue for defamation. You can even apply to have then fined by some tribunal. But only a fascist would advocate that journalists should be arrested by armed troops, simply because a self appointed dictator does not like their stories. I am amazed you advocate arbitrary detention of journalists - that is detenton with no charges, with no trial, with no chance to plead guilt or innocence. Imagine if in NZ, the Govt had Police arrest without charge right wng bloggers who said things the Govt did not like? Would you cheerlead for that?

It no longer matters what the Commodore's motives are. He could be the Virgin Mary, or Sister Theresa. But his actions in censoring the media are quite simply wrong, and they would be wrong if done by Jesus, the Commodore or Nelson Mandela. No amount of so called good motives justified forcing people at gun point to stop criticising the Government]

“I have to say I am no longer a fan of Bananarama. We should send Bros in to take them out immediately.”

The “Bro’s” would not last five minutes.

Let THEM sort it out, stop sending money and stop all assistance, the Fijian people are the only ones who can do anything about the situation and from what I can tell (admittedly I don’t really care) the people themselves are not that bothered.

Agreed however, that NZ’s approach, both from National and Labour, has been ign’ant. They should have offered to work with Frank to help facilitate a new constitution and follow that with elections. But no, blanket condemnation has been the order of the day, and now the Commodore has finally decided he doesn’t give a shit. His crackdown on basic human rights is a disgrace, but on the other hand, New Zealand and Australia have put him in a position where he is damned whatever he does, and given that choice, why not be a dictator?