Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Dirty Politics

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  • Alfie,

    Here's one for the books. The Herald is working with Nicky Hager on an exposé of New Zealand's Five Eyes role -- specifically which allies we spy on.

    Hager said the information would show New Zealand was "far more involved than most people realise".

    "The discussion about GCSB [Government Communications Security Bureau] in New Zealand has always been about GCSB spying on New Zealanders. What this is going to be about is all the other countries New Zealand spies on.

    "Some of that won't be a surprise and some of it will be a great surprise."

    Hager said the information would not only surprise the public but also "people all through the foreign policy and intelligence bureaucracy who will know much more about this subject at the end of these revelations than they did before.

    "When I read through this material and see that New Zealand is doing these things, it seems bizarre to me - like it is from another era."

    The collaboration with The Intercept extends to a series of stories with three newspapers - the New Zealand Herald, the Herald on Sunday and the Sunday Star-Times.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Joe Wylie,

    “Mr Little said it isn’t a surprise that the GCSB would be monitoring the Pacific nations, he said he couldn’t understand the intelligence interest in “hoovering up” all communications.

    While I appreciate that Little’s a busy man, surely someone in his circle should have taken the trouble to grab a copy of Glenn Greenwald’s No Place to Hide.

    flat earth • Since Jan 2007 • 4593 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    so the GCSB is grabbing all phone calls in and out of the pacific, recording them and passing them to the NSA and friends for further use.

    But the GCSB is prohibited from spying on NZers – I can’t see how they can possibly do this without examining in detail each and every call to see if there’s a kiwi involved (“oh hey, Auntie May from Auckland is here, let me put her on”, “oh there’s a kiwi in that IRC channel, we can’t record that”)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    it exposes how ridiculous such reassurances are

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Key strokes... Doh! ex machina?

    When quizzed mid-afternoon he said he had no idea what would be revealed. But, pointing to Hager's election bombshell Dirty Politics, he said: "Nicky Hager was wrong last time. His information is old. I guarantee you it will be wrong this time."

    Says Key in The Herald - other stories repeated his earlier - pre-election 'loser' description of Greenwald - ever classy...
    ...and what a guy - a guarantee given on no information to hand - the man is a tool, hell a whole sack of tools...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Spier, spier , pants on fire...
    I look forward to Key's excoriation over XKEYSCORE revelations...
    The Spy who came in from the clod?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    It would be nice if NZers were shocked and horrified by latest revelations that NZ spied on Tim Groser's rivals for WTO post. Do we care so little about our foreign policy, ethics and the importance of building good relationships for a stable world that this rates merely a passing mention?

    Even usually sensible journalists saying this morning, Oh well everyone does it, always done it, no big deal.

    As a small independent country we should and can do better. I care.

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Sacha,

    So long as media outlets give air to the govt's ridiculous denials, they will feel they can get away with anything.

    The Foreign Affairs minister, Murray McCully, says documents showing New Zealand spied on government officials in Solomon Islands may be fake.

    Only one side of this argument has provided any evidence to back their assertions, yet whose are labelled 'claims'? #dirtymedia

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes,

    But we have to do this to stay in the "Club".
    Oh... hang on...

    Expat Kiwi Ananda, living in the United States, tried to use a prepaid postage label to send an Easter care package, picked up by the postie, to her mum. But the US postal service no longer allows it, meaning you have to go in to the post office to send packages to New Zealand and some, er, other interesting countries. The email read: "The United States Postal Inspection Service has temporarily suspended Click-N-Ship service to the following countries: "Armenia, Belarus, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo (Brazzaville), Democratic Republic of Congo, Czech Republic, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Namibia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia-Montenegro."

    Which club are we in again?.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    XKEYSCORE

    Is that different keystrokes for different key folks?.

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • linger, in reply to Steve Barnes,

    New Zealand, Swaziland: all the same to an American.
    (Wanna bet that’s the actual explanation in this case?)

    Tokyo • Since Apr 2007 • 1944 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to linger,

    They call it "Intelligence"
    ;-)

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson,

    I wonder if part of the qualifications for the job was "doesn't engage in industrial espionage for personal and his nation's advantage". Could be quite important, considering what the job was.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to linger,

    New Zealand, Swaziland: all the same to an American.
    (Wanna bet that’s the actual explanation in this case?)

    You're not far off linger. The actual list (bolded for emphasis) reads like this.

    **The List:**
    Afars
    Ajman
    Alhucemas
    Armenia
    Astypalaia (Greece)
    Belarus
    Benin
    Buka
    Burkina Faso
    Cameroon
    Canton Island
    Cape Verde
    Central African Republic
    Chad
    Chalki
    Congo (Brazzaville)
    Republic Of The Congo
    Republic Of The Island of Crete (I corrected a typo)
    Czech Republic
    Dahomey
    Dahomey (Benin)
    Danger Islands
    Diu
    Diu (India)
    Futuna
    Ghana
    Goa
    Guernsey (Channel Islands) (Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
    Kampuchea
    Kampuchea (Cambodia)
    Kazakhstan
    Kos (Greece)
    Kyrgyzstan
    Latvia
    Lithuania
    Manahiki
    Manahiki (New Zealand)
    Moldova
    Niger
    Nigeria
    Nissiros
    Niue
    Niue (New Zealand)
    Nukahiva
    Russia
    Sark
    Serbia-Montenegro
    South-West Africa (Nambia)
    Symi
    Tahaa
    Togo
    Tongareva
    Tongareva (New Zealand)
    Trucial States
    Trucial States (United Arab Emirates)
    Turkmenistan
    Ukraine
    Uzbekistan
    Zanzibar
    Zanzibar (Tanzania)

    http://community.ebay.com/t5/Archive-International-Trading/List-of-Countries-We-Cannot-Buy-USPS-Postage-For/qaq-p/11730527

    So little old NZ isn't actually banned at all, unless you mistake Manahiki, Niue and Tongareva as alternative names for our country. It's another case of US confusion which could have been sorted with a little research from the Herald. I can understand how US postal workers might check the list and see NZ, but this is more of a ballsup than a conspiracy.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Alfie,

    could have been sorted with a little research from the Herald.

    Which is why I asked Anna Samways if she could start linking to her sources.
    I wait with bated breath for a reply...

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report Reply

  • Rich of Observationz,

    I suspect that this might be less that the US won't deal with the country but that the receiving countries won't accept a barcode printed on someone's computer as valid postage and expect a proper stampy thing duly licked and stuck to the parcel.

    We don't have an option to print your own stamps in NZ, do we?

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell,

    I don’t understand Manahiki or Tongareva being there but NZ or the Cook Islands not – maybe they’ve decided that if they send more stuff to low lying atolls it will hasten their sinking below the rising waters

    (or maybe it just costs a lot more to get stuff to islands that only see a boat every 3 months – or simply dealing with “why hasn’t my parcel been delivered yet?”)

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Rob Stowell,

    Sounds like you might need internet connected bar-code readers ... which some places might find too expensive for the volume of mail.

    Whakaraupo • Since Nov 2006 • 2120 posts Report Reply

  • Amanda Wreckonwith, in reply to Alfie,

    Guernsey??

    One of these things is not like the others...

    Since Sep 2012 • 171 posts Report Reply

  • Hilary Stace,

    Dirty Politics just won't go away. When a brave waitress outed the PM's strange harassment of her the dirty politics gang rallied to blame the victim

    http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/04/23/update-the-prime-minister-and-the-waitress-part-2-dirty-politics/

    Wgtn • Since Jun 2008 • 3229 posts Report Reply

  • Angela Hart,

    That's it for me. No more Harald, not online, not hard copy. I'm not reading these Harald pieces, I'm not supporting their advertisers.

    Christchurch • Since Apr 2014 • 614 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Angela Hart,

    That's it for me. No more Harald, not online, not hard copy.

    Glucina and the Herald have clearly breached (abandoned?) any pretence of journalistic ethics today. The Press Council's statement of Principles is clear about this.

    9. Subterfuge
    Information or news obtained by subterfuge, misrepresentation or dishonest means is not permitted unless there is an overriding public interest and the news or information cannot be obtained by any other means.

    Incidentally, if I lived in Auckland I certainly wouldn't be patronising any of the Hip Group cafés either.

    Whoops! I've reposted this in the Campbell Live thread where most of the discussion is taking place.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to Hilary Stace,

    When a brave waitress outed the PM's strange harassment of her

    "strange" being the operative word.

    Surely, Our Leader cannot survive this?

    This is not only harrassment, but seriously kinky behaviour.

    Without consent.

    Go Colin McCready!

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Rosemary McDonald,

    Golf Course Litigators...*

    Go Colin McCready!

    Graham is chipping in as well...
    ;- )


    *Chchch band pun...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Rosemary McDonald, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Thank you Ian....someone was talking about a person called Colin while I was typing and it slipped through the filter!

    Graham McCready...."serial litigator"...is that more, or less socially acceptable than than being a serial fondler of non - consenting women's hair?

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report Reply

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