Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: The scandal that keeps on giving

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  • Stephen Judd, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    we don’t want the Mossad and their like to dilute the safety that being kiwis gives us

    Neither do I. I was very angry when that happened in 2004 and I hope this wasn't a repeat. And thus far, there's no evidence that it was.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    last thing he wants is a “jewish PM won’t stand up to Israel (like Helen did)” meme to get out there in an election year

    Honestly, Paul, I’d give folks outside the Kiwibog/Sub-Standard sewer a lot more credit. Yes, folks, I do believe that no matter how grim and desperate the campaign may get for Labour that’s one depth not even Trevor Mallard would sink to. And, frankly, you think whistling for that dog wouldn't be more damaging for Phil Goff than Key?

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to DCBCauchi,

    ripped from today’s headlines…

    I sincerely hope half a dozen hacks are starting out on their potboilers at this very moment.

    indeed, not so much “ya couldn’t write this stuff” as “it just writes itself”
    - a manna-script even…
    with the Israeli connection it’s all sorta
    Ruth* is stranger than Friction”

    *Ruth was in the book of Judges (very 2000AD!)
    "The scenes in the book of Judges are black with crimes against God and man; treachery, brutal war, massacre, cities in ruins etc. Into these “Dark Ages” of Israel, the book of Ruth sheds a ray of light"
    </whimsy>

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Paul Campbell, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    It's an interesting issue - on the left you have the anti-zionists and the right some fundies and the closet racists - I suspect that Key isn't particularly worried about losing the anti-zionist vote to the Greens - but if the fundies stay away it may be an issue for him

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    With all due respect, Paul, I think "the fundies" have more pressing issues with John Key than him being a tool of the Elders of Zion.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Yeah, maybe they were doing something constructive. Sad if their having a criminal government impaired such good work.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Stephen Judd,

    Your last link is to David Irving’s website though… yick.

    I thought it was Moment Magazine
    that is where the article is from originally,
    I don't know if they have a connection to Irving,
    feel free to shoot the horse the article rode in on, but don't dismiss the article out of hand because of it...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd,

    I don’t dismiss the article – like I said, sounds plausible – I just don’t want Irving’s site to get PAS’ link juice. His site seems to be basically collecting negative stories about Jews and Israel, including that copy/paste article from Moment.

    Also, Irving being Irving, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if there were textual changes from the original.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • 3410,

    Can we just agree to leave the Jewish people out of it until it's relevant?

    We're talking about a climate of recent admitted fraudulent passport use in NZ, Australia, and the UK in the commission of assassination.

    Auckland • Since Jan 2007 • 2618 posts Report

  • Craig Ranapia, in reply to 3410,

    Can we just agree to leave the Jewish people out of it until it’s relevant?

    At the moment, I'm inclined to suggest there's a great Media7/Mediawatch crossover in how conspiracy theorising can run a marathon before actual evidence is warmed up. :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report

  • Sacha, in reply to 3410,

    a climate of recent admitted fraudulent passport use

    Which seems to be skewing the coverage. There are other plausible reasons for foreign security interests in Christchurch at that time. If that's what this was.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Rich of Observationz,

    It does strike me that rather than having NZSIS run around doing secret investigations, this sort of thing should be properly and openly investigated by the police.

    Rather goes to indicate that having a secret service is a waste of money - the only miscreants they ever seem to come up against are Israelis, and they've largely failed to catch any.

    Back in Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 5550 posts Report

  • FletcherB,

    Surely, if you happen to have dual citizenship, you may well have 2 (or more?) passports... but they'll all be in your name, with your details...

    If you have multiple passports that carry your photograph, but have different names and birth places, etc.... that might be a sign you were attempting something less straightforward...

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report

  • Stephen Judd, in reply to FletcherB,

    Absolutely. But unless I've missed something, there is a very frustrating lack of detail on this point.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 3122 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic,

    Back to cosy affairs between the state and vested interests, can someone tell me this isn't 'wining & dining'?

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Steve Barnes, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    So there is hope for a Labour win then...

    Well yes, I, for one, am getting tired of those "Nattering nabobs of negativity", Otherwise known as the "Fat annoying bitter voting base!"
    Social Justice shall prevail...

    Peria • Since Dec 2006 • 5521 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    some people come by them naturally - my dual citizen kids have NZ and US ones and (like JK) could probably apply for Israeli ones if they wanted to

    And there are places where it is still safer to not travel on an Israeli or US passport if you can manage it. I know a number of people who have had business dealings all over the Middle East who legitimately have Irish or NZ passports (for example) as well as their 'native' passport so as not to stir up prejudice at border crossings, or to present when entering countries that would take exception to their land of birth.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • nzlemming, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    Eek. 165 'gifts' for 24 people in 12 months! Shame the PDF is embedded in a flash doohickey.

    What's missing though is the value of each 'gift'. According to the State Services Commission:

    Gifts or benefits can range from one-off offers of small gifts to ongoing discounts on goods and services. While a blanket ban on the acceptance of gifts and benefits may be impractical, there is a clear limit to what is acceptable and what is not. A bottle of wine at Christmas for the office may be acceptable - family tickets to a show or ongoing personal discounts from a supplier are not.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to nzlemming,

    Eek. 165 'gifts' for 24 people in 12 months! Shame the PDF is embedded in a flash doohickey.

    But wait, there's more...

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Matthew Littlewood, in reply to Craig Ranapia,

    In England? Well, since Ed Miliband has perfect confidence in his own ex-Murdoch spin thing ( The Times in Tom Baldwin’s case) plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

    Y'know, I'm with you in the sense that both major parties have danced with the devil (so to speak) over the last couple of decades in order to gain power and/or influence, going right back to Thatcher's open courting of Murdoch (the other most notable being Blair doing the same out of desperation and cynicism- he didn't want to be another Kinnock), but the attack line certain members of the Tory establishment (not you, Craig- as far as I know you're not a member of the UK establishment!) that Milliband employing Tom Baldwin is somehow analogous to Cameron employing Coulson is a stretch, to put it mildly.

    Baldwin was a well-regarded, dogged investigative journalist who through dilligent means (and probably yer usual journalistic sleuthing techniques) manage to uncover some rather grubby revelations on how Lord Ashcroft was siphoning his party funds. No one- not even the police- has suggested he's done anything illegal. Coulson, on the other hand, is up to his neck in the hacking scandal and directly implicated. He has actually been arrested. Baldwin? Not so much.

    It's actually quite insulting to Baldwin to somehow compare him to Coulson. But if your broader point is about NewLabour's courting of Murdoch, then that's another issue, but the attempt by members of the Conservatives to somehow redirect attention off Coulson and onto Baldwin is at once desperate and cynical (and therefore par for the course in politics, naturally).

    As an aside, Vince Cable must be feeling like he's sitting very pretty at the moment.

    Today, Tomorrow, Timaru • Since Jan 2007 • 449 posts Report

  • FletcherB, in reply to Stephen Judd,

    But unless I’ve missed something, there is a very frustrating lack of detail on this point.

    Indeed, I nearly commented to that effect in my post...

    That said... If the multiple passports is what first piqued the authorities interest... maybe we can infer that it wasn't something as hum-drum as dual citizenship?

    West Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 893 posts Report

  • Kumara Republic, in reply to Matthew Littlewood,

    (the other most notable being Blair doing the same out of desperation and cynicism- he didn't want to be another Kinnock),

    Absolutely. When Thatcher resigned after the Poll Tax affair, Kinnock tabled plans to de-cartellise the press barons - especially with Murdoch in mind - and the Sun responded with both barrels in the form of the front-page splash, "If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights", complete with an old hag on p3 to scare readers even further off Kinnock.

    The southernmost capital … • Since Nov 2006 • 5446 posts Report

  • Matthew Littlewood, in reply to Kumara Republic,

    Absolutely. When Thatcher resigned after the Poll Tax affair, Kinnock tabled plans to de-cartellise the press barons – especially with Murdoch in mind – and the Sun responded with both barrels in the form of the front-page splash, “If Kinnock wins today, will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights”, complete with an old hag on p3 to scare readers even further off Kinnock.

    Absolutely. Which is why so many writers have quoted that line back at NI this week.

    The great "unknown" of British politics of the last 20 years is: what would have a Labour Government under Prime Minister John Smith been like? His death really changed everything. Would we have ever seen NewLabour?

    It's really hard to guage how much influence the Murdoch Redtops had in the last election, however- Conservatives only got 32 percent of the vote to Labour's 28 percent, the biggest story was the LibDems holding the balance of power at 22 percent. Since then, the LibDems support has absolutely tanked in the polls (arguably through formerly disaffected Labour voters returning back to their ordinary party-of-choice).

    Today, Tomorrow, Timaru • Since Jan 2007 • 449 posts Report

  • Ian Dalziel,

    Duty Gifts...
    surely there's a tax on those?

    Among the stranger gifts were a book titled "The Dry Valleys of Antarctica" given to John Whitehead by Antarctica of New Zealand,

    I don't see what is so strange about that, it is a fascinating place, and I hear the Sauvignon Blanc from this region is excellent!

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report

  • Geoff Lealand, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    But surely if they are dry valleys, they should be alcohol free. Drinkers hang out in the wet valleys of Antarctica?

    Screen & Media Studies, U… • Since Oct 2007 • 2562 posts Report

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