Crikey! That’s strong … Well, fair enough I guess.
In A farce upon farce reaching to the highest level — John Armstrong of the NZ Herald offers a passable imitation of an apologist’s defensive spin for the Key government, ending with this:
[Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bill] English’s behaviour is inexplicable. But the Dotcom affair has seen farce increasingly piled on farce. You would accordingly have to favour botch-up on English’s part ahead of conspiracy.
Oh. That’s reassuring, John. (Not.)
– P
This is botch up! I knew this was building before the Raid even happened.
The Movie industry in US was mounting huge pressure to clamp down on Pirating. Hollywood claiming we are losing Millions (which is Bollocks) and were threatening to shut the financial tapes feeding Obama’s campaign.
This also co-insided with a legislation change in the US promoted by Obama.
This was a simple sabre rattling by raiding Dotcom making him a scape goat and sending a harsh message was sent out.
But the anti Movie Pirate brigade will find out soon enough they need to pull their heads in before it gets chopped off. They don’t have a leg to stand on.
Now this operation is obviously driven by the US and the Raid run like a US raid in the US, however its in our little very PC NZ ,someone here certainly folded to US pressure. (they should be ousted) but stating its Key and or the Government running this is just Crap.
As I have stated many times before here people are employed to do THEIR job. Do NZers including you Peter and indeed all other Labour supporters think every decision in NZ crosses John Keys desk. No. Does the buck stop with him YES. Do I expect him to be responsible for the Pot holes in my local neighbourhood No, come on get real.
Blaming John Key or even government is drawing a very very long bow. Sure they are responsible for explaining what has happened.
I know you moaners need this to keep chipping away and making your self feel like Labour Blogs like this one are justified in their existance.
Also I find it fascinating that No one in media or in Labour for that matter had realised until this last week that the Raid and passing info on by GCSB by a NZ resident is not Cricket.
And if they did they obviously did not think it was ‘meaty’ enough, but now everyone’s like hang on a minute.
Am I surprised of this well no. The Media/Blog sites in this country are crap. They claim to be use Twitter and Facebook to find what people are thinking. So when a simple detail like this is sitting right there and should of released 30 mins after this happened. No we wait what 3 months for someone to stumble on this piece of crucial information.
And to statement “the rest of the world thinking we look stupid”.
Give me 10 instances of the rest of world thinking this?
Its simple exaggeration.
“Blaming John Key or even government is drawing a very very long bow.”
The work of the state security agencies are the Prime Minister’s responsibility. (Whoever that is at the time.)
Pot holes are not.
If Bill English or his office did not communicate with John Key or his office about the suppression order English signed while Key was in the US until *after* the PM’s media conference declaring the until-then-secret GCSB surveillance ‘illegal spying’, well, that DOES look incompetent.
That’s unavoidable.
– P
Leave out the tiresome accusations that this is a ‘Labour blog’. I’ve already denied it.
Q&A
What was the unlawful activity?
The GCSB is expressly forbidden from monitoring the communications of New Zealand citizens or residents but it eavesdropped on Kim Dotcom and Bram van der Kolk who were both permanent New Zealand residents.
When did Dotcom become a New Zealand resident?
In December 2010. Dotcom was one of the first foreign nationals to be granted permanent residency under the “Entrepreneur Plus” scheme which favoured wealthy applicants after he invested $10 million in government bonds.
Should the GCSB have known Dotcom and van der Kolk were residents?
It asked the police’s Ofcanz unit for assurances that all the people it was being asked to monitor were foreign nationals and was told they were. However Dotcom’s successful residency application was widely reported in the media.
When did the eavesdropping happen?
Between December 16 and January 20, the day of the raid on Dotcom’s Coatesville home.
How did the GCSB’s involvement come to light?
Detective Inspector Grant Wormald, the police officer leading the raids, said during a court hearing last month that an unnamed government organisation was present during planning meetings early this year. The GCSB’s unlawful conduct effectively voided a “ministerial certificate” or gagging order issued by acting Prime Minister Bill English on August 10 prompting Prime Minister John Key’s acknowledgment this week of the bureau’s involvement.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10836545
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http://publicaddress.net/legalbeagle/kim-dotcom-questions-and-answers/
No I believe GCSB knew he was resident. They just did not care What I’m saying is the numpty media did not have the skills to notice this.
I remember vividly them stating immediately Dotcom was a resident.
This was not a huge leap. But as I stated before the blindly lead media just wait for details to arrive then split hairs over that detail. And start the grandstanding.
I’m sorry but the Pot holes are responsible by Key
Just the same way GCSB is it’s just the Potholes have far more layers
Of people and management between it and Key. And of course most would think Pot holes aren’t things Key day to day should be not be concerned with just like GCSB now this bill English angle sounds like fishy.
When this kind of assignment needs approval You would expect detail like whether this assignment is legal it should be determined well below English. He must trust people who are experts in their field.
Just like you said I think someone with GCSB or Police wanted the five minutes of fame in the eye of the US authorities. Have gone to government ” everything’s fine here we have it under control ” so key was overseas well shouldn’t he be emailed in on this. No
Why because the troops below him need to be trusted to do their Job and if they don’t which happened here or at the council for not fixing Pot holes they should be repremanded appropriately.
.
Sorry Peter I make no apology for my claims for the heavily leaning Labour only views here an I will continue to do so.
Until evidence expresses otherwise.
Here’s a poll fellow readers.
Are Peter views here suggest he’s a member of the party?
Or have my eyes failed me for over 12 months
And missed the one entry which either puts a positive light on National or a negative one on Labour.
Send you results to
peterfuturelabourmp@labour.govt.nz
And my view seems to be a pretty reasonable one.
“The Neazor report is long on detail about the potential for confusion over the wording of a law change in 2009, but does not explain how some of the supposedly brightest minds in the country preferred to rely on police assurances they were operating within the law, rather than check themselves.”
So GSCB either don’t check (I doubt it) or knew and pushed anyway.
Its easy to grandstand stating you should of checked don’t believe anyone any-time. is just not a practical approach that’s what the troops below them are employed to do.
So why should they check? Talk is cheap. Check this check that its a cop out to Blame the persons/partys who you wish to blame.
So some Douchebag well below Cabinet level has assured people above them “things are fine nothing to see here” Move along.
No but go ahead and play the buck stops here card. And while your at it could you please mention the Potholes near my house. Heads should roll over this.