Yay – we are free
April 1st, 2009 at 10:56 am by David FarrarI blogged two days ago that there was a potential huge win-win if NZ withdrew from the race for a place on the thoroughly discredited Human Rights Council, as the Obama administration was clean to re-engage with it, and reform it (I doubt anyone can but good on Obama for trying).
Murray McCully seemingly agrees, and has announced NZ is withdrawing to make room for the US.
New Zealand has decided not to pursue its candidature for election to the Human Rights Council in 2009, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced today.
Mr McCully said the decision had been made to avoid four nations contesting three positions, following the United States’ indication that it would seek a Council seat.
This will gain us some serious kudos with the Obama Administration. They will repay the favour at some stage. So we gain a big IOU from the most powerful country on Earth, and best of all the concession is something we should have done anyway.
“The Human Rights Council has been widely criticised. It was our intention, in seeking election, to provide a force for change and improvement. However we believe that US membership of the Council will strengthen it, and make it more effective.
“That is in the interests of all those who, like New Zealand, want to see the Council respond robustly and effectively to human rights violations wherever they occur.
“Frankly, by any objective measure, membership of the Council by the US is more likely to create positive changes more quickly than we could have hoped to achieve them.
“This decision was not taken lightly but we see New Zealand’s standing aside as being in the best interests of the advancement of international human rights at this time.
The best interests of international human rights would be to kick all the dictatorships off the Council. But failing that, the US is going to be have a higher chance of sucess than a minnow like NZ. In some areas like the Security Council (and there I support our bid 1000%) we can play a very constructive role. But the Human Rights Council has far too many vested interests with countries actually wanting to use it to supress the right to criticise religions.
So for someone like me who saw our bid as misguided, this is an absolute win-win. But even if you are one of those optimists who thinks we could have done some good there, there is no doubt we gain far more kudos for letting the US back on and having Obama owe us one.
Related posts:
- Dom Post on free speech
- A potential huge win-win for NZ foreign policy
- US disengages from UN Human Rights Council
- NZ’s campaign to join the abusers on the Human Rights Council
April 1st, 2009 at 11:07 am
Yep, well done McCully and well done the Nat’s.
Next in line should be the reintroduction of US Navy visits.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 11:13 am
Hurrah! this is great news. Good stuff.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 11:25 am
Huzzar!
Can we gtf out of kyoto now or shall we ease unemployment by paying the sick lame and lazy to shovel taxpayer money on to ships to go to Russia?
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 11:35 am
Nice one
Shafting the UN the day Clark gets her UNDP job confirmed
Hows that for irony?
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 11:50 am
Has McCully shafted the UN or just laid his cloak over the Republican puddle for Obama to step on as he leads the United States to the Left?
The Washington Post leads into its account this way: “The Obama administration decided Tuesday to seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, reversing a decision by the Bush administration to shun the United Nations’ premier rights body to protest the influence of repressive states. ”
The newspaper adds, as DPF reports: “New Zealand, which had also been on the ballot, supports the U.S. decision and withdrew its name to make room for the United States, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced. “Frankly, by any objective measure, membership of the Council by the U.S. is more likely to create positive changes more quickly than we could have hoped to achieve them,” he said.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:02 pm
Being a dormat is a win- win ??
You mean they desperately want the Minister of Tourism to get an invite to the White House!!.
He has of course been knocked back so far, better get DPF to lay off the teleprompter jibes he gets from Fox news (a commentator said there is a rumour FEMA is opening concentration camps as they lead the US towards socialism)
After all DPF gave GWB a free pass so he stayed on the US embassy invite list
[DPF: Heh you don't know much about the typical State Dept employee, do you?]
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Murray , Kyoto was signed on by Shipley, call her up at her job at a Chinese government Bank and tell her what you think
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I don’t give a crap who signed it, we can’t afford to ship money off to Russia just to feel good about sitting in the bloody dark.
The Labour Party sold it as money earner and cocked up their sums. They also racked up an impressive array of new taxes to go with their little maths D- exercise.
Finally I don’t sycophanitcally support any and every party decision based on where it comes from. Thats your department. No one gets a free pass on my time.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
Jacob and the rest of the lefties just don’t get it Murray. They don’t understand that you do NOT have to blindly agree with every call your side makes. You can disagree and openly say that something was a bad call and Kyoto was a very bad one by Shipley.
Murray McCully’s call to pull out of the disgusting UN NHRC is a very very good one. That I personally applaud.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:34 pm
And the Americans have noticed:
This from the Washington Post a few minutes ago:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/31/AR2009033102782.html?hpid=topnews
New Zealand, which had also been on the ballot, supports the U.S. decision and withdrew its name to make room for the United States, Foreign Minister Murray McCully announced. “Frankly, by any objective measure, membership of the Council by the U.S. is more likely to create positive changes more quickly than we could have hoped to achieve them,” he said.
The decision was welcomed by U.N. officials and rights advocates, who had been briefed on the decision. Human rights activists have been advocating U.S. membership in the council since its creation in March 2006.
“This is a welcome step that gives the United States and other defenders of human rights a fighting chance to make the institution more effective,” said a human rights advocate familiar with the decision. “I think everybody is just desperate to have the United States and Barack Obama run for the human rights council, and countries are willing to bend over backward to make that happen.”
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 12:59 pm
But considering Obama is hardly a champion of human rights himself could this be a move the world comes to regret?
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Well Done Muzza.
With this move, Clark to UNDP and Mclay as UN Ambassador, New Zealand is showing some skill in international affairs.
I wouldn’t be so sure Obama won’t fix up the UN HRC. Whilst he is educationally steeped in the individual rights analysis of the US constitution and its BOR much much much much more importantly for dealing to the UN Human Rights Council is the fact that he comes from Chicago – he is the toughest thing many of these tinpot dictators will meet.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Well James, the Obama administration will feel right at home at the UN, that wonderful collection of rogues, reds and rebels. I’m sure comrade Helen will give comrade Obama a nice toothy welcoming smile. So good to rid ourselves of membership of this particular council which has been captured by all manner of tyrannical, self-serving, Islamic and socialist regimes. Kind of like the rest of the UN.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I’m going to have a wild stab in the dark and say that what the human rights advocate was referring to was torture or something.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 2:49 pm
The DVDs are already in the post.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Dazzaman is on to it, the Obama administration appear to be UN loving sycophants, all to willing to throw their constitution out the window to appease the corrupt bastards. Bloody good job we have pulled out of this lefty wank feast, this organisation has very little do with human rights but more to do with the rights of a one world government. Human rights my arse, New Zealand can do way better without this tosser outfit removing our freedoms.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Now lets hope like hell that the Nats wont follow the ‘rulings’ of the UN and give them the bums rush (in a very nice way of course) every time they want the western world to take up one of their idiotic pronouncements like the one about religion they are trying to pass at present.
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Get your eyes opened about the U.N. “Human Rights Council” if you had any illusions: watch these vids of them in action. Have a chunder bucket handy:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=31F629C9FF2C34C2
Have a good explore of the whole “Eye On The U.N.” website while you’re about it:
http://www.eyeontheun.org/
Vote:April 1st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Korea
Vietnam
Iran
Iraq
Afghanistan
… and now the UN Human Rights Council.
Boy oh boy. They sure don’t learn do they.
How can we get then to bail out ACC (well, even both of them!)? Why didn’t we tell them in 1990 that the BNZ was a hot bed of islamic fundamentalism??? Or, subsequently, Air NZ. OR KIWIRAIL 4 CHRIS SAKES!!!!
This country will never get ahead unless we take advantage of ALL these opportunities.
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