Finny not a spy!
December 13th, 2010 at 12:00 pm by David FarrarSarah Harvey at Stuff reports:
Former Wellington Chamber of Commerce chief executive, diplomat and Government adviser Charles Finny has been named by WikiLeaks as the United States’ top Kiwi contact.
But Mr Finny denied being a spy and said the “key contact” mentions were flattering. He is quoted often in the US diplomatic cables controversially made public by website WikiLeaks, and in a cable from May 19, 2006, was singled out as a “close [US] embassy contact”.
“I am regularly talking to embassies, high commissions and journalists in New Zealand and around the world, in areas where I have expertise,” Mr Finny said. …
Mr Finny said he often saw important embassy contacts at functions in Wellington.
“You see them at cocktail parties, you have lunches occasionally and sometimes they formally call on you … once every four or five months. But you would probably see them once a week at cocktail parties.
If talking to embassy staff makes you a spy, then I’m a spy for the US, UK, and Australian Governments, plus the European Union.
Part of the job of embassy staff is to gain better understanding of NZ domestic and foreign policy. They do that by chatting to a variety of people. As Charles’ says, mainly at functions, but sometimes also over a meal.
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December 13th, 2010 at 12:15 pm
once a week at cocktail parties
I’m hoping this is diplomatic-speak for “I’ll meet you at the pub for a beer after work on friday” rather than a full on penguin-suit lavish soiree on the taxpayers (here or those of other nations).
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Don’t lie David, you are patently a spy.
The plans are under the park bench seat. Speak to the American in the square. Leave an X on the NZ Post maildrop as usual.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
“You see them at cocktail parties, you have lunches occasionally…”
The ablity of a source to furnish cocktail parties and long liquid lunches perhaps ranks highly on a diplomats assessment criteria.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
Apparantly Matt Mc Carten is a spy for the Venezuala. He actually doesn’t have a stutter but uses it like morse code to send messages to his handlers.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
But spys can operate this way as well, it is not all dingy streets on a rainy night with information being furtively paased on.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
It was stuff who called him a spy. Wikileaks said he was “the United States’ top Kiwi contact”.
Argue the point with stuff not wikileaks.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 1:23 pm
I note that Fairfax has named Finny, but not released the content of the cable he’s mentioned in . . .
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Wait going to parties is spying but taking restricted docments from your employer for the purposes of illegal distrubting them isn’t?
So gald we have the self appointed morality police at wikileaks to clear this up for us.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Hahahaha!
Like much of this WikiLeaks stuff, it’s a big yawn….Doesn’t look like James Bond does he.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Keith Locke is a spy for small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 2:33 pm
Something needs to be done about this spying! I suggest that it be illegal for any NZer to have a conversation with a foreigner without a public servant present to record the conversation, take notes, and interrupt if any issues that might later be reported to a foreign government look likely to be discussed. A different group of public servants might be employed to keep an eye out for foreign looking people who might stray too close to conversations going on between NZers, ready to head the foreigner off it they look as if they might overhear NZ secrets.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 2:38 pm
KEEP NZ GREEN!
Don’t tell the fuckers anything.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
“You’re a spy”
Vote:“I’m not a spy, I’m a shepherd”
“Ah! A shepherd’s pie!”
- Spike Milligan
December 13th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
I love that bit about Matt McCarten’s stutter is really a secret morse code for passing on secret messages.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
Thanks Auberon. Loved it!
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Auberon Says it all!
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
This is the main danger Assange and Wikileaks has caused. People less willing, able and/or prepared to produce good, reliable information to a range of diplomats > inaccurate diplomatic reports > foreign policies built on misjudgements and assumptions > US less able to effectively address wider Western interests and more Iraq Wars. Which is probably what the goon and the rest of the anti-American left want.
Vote:December 13th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Mr Finney seems to have a high opinion of himself. Is it true that he was once a member of the British boblseigh team? I wouldn’t be surprised.
Vote:December 14th, 2010 at 8:29 am
“I’m a spy for the US, UK, and Australian Governments, plus the European Union.”
Good attempt at misdirection.
Vote: