Posts by Petra
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Hard News: Moving targets, in reply to giovanni tiso,
Depends on the endgame, I guess. First the pen, then the hammer?
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Hard News: Moving targets, in reply to Dismal Soyanz,
China is expanding it's power in the Pacific, through the pen rather than the sword. Piece by small piece, it's making inroads. It has an agenda, and I'm a bit squicky about what exactly that agenda is. The propaganda is all very feel good; and in some cases, the country has been quite magnanimous, by providing development aid and low-interest loans, and even cancelling some debts owed by Pacific Island nations. But the end result, which may well take a few patient decades, is about "One China" that extends into the greater Asia-Pacific (and Indian Ocean) regions. Quiet money and diplomacy will see them get to the point where they hold the balance of power in this region, and then maybe they'll begin to exercise that power with a more authoritarian hand. I admit that I might be being a bit dramatic or alarmist, with too little evidence to present, but China makes me even more nervous than the US.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JD10Ad02.html
So, I may be conspiracy theorising to some degree, or my wary view of China may be well founded. I guess we'll find out all in good time.
Also, I am Ngati Whakaue - on my dad's side - so I am Tangata Whenua in this region. I got my Whakapapa and everything! ;-)
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lol. I <3 Ian Dalziel. Yes, I do.
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Hard News: Moving targets, in reply to Sofie Bribiesca,
I know! Free the higher profile prisoner and lock up a few not so well known ones. There ought to be a law... :(
I'm happy for Aung San Suu Kyi, though. Bloody long time coming.
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No need to go away now! I'm enjoying your point of view. :)
Plus, as an amateur photographer, I would LOVE to travel China with my camera. Hell, yes.
Also, I'm a bit pissy at the moment because Ai Weiwei has been paced under house arrest for the political statements he makes in his art. And I <3 Ai Weiwei!
I guess it's that old adage - communism: man exploiting man. At least with capitalism it's the other way around.
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I’m picking on China because of our close economic ties with that brutal regime. China is our ‘best friend’, but it has nefarious interest in the Pacific, I tell you! Nefarious!
And, for me, it's not about being white and middle class. I enjoy the many colours NZ's immigrants from all over the world bring, so I'm not against the average Chinese citizen being here and doing well....it's the regime I don't like.
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Dodgy.
I really don't like our close relationship with China. It's in their favour more than ours, I think. And I'm sure it's going to bite us HARD in the ass eventually. They will own us, our land, our politicans, everything.
Many of you may well think that sounds xenophobic, but I don't think so. I have no problem with the average Chinese citizen immigrating here and adding to our cultural diversity. But fellating the Chinese regime and Chinese Big Business like we do is just wrong. It's like Tiananmen Square happened - that mass murder - and we thought, "Oh, God, don't hurt us, we're only little, here have our lunch money, take everything, we'll be your BFFs!"
Though there's a few people in NZ biz and politics getting quite rich on the back of China screwing us. Fuckers.
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Nicely said, Steve and Sacha!
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Wish I were as common as they. :p
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I'm less generous than you, Neil. While I'll grant a certain level of ineptitude, I still think that a 'rort mentality' is rife in politics, and I'm quite sure that Pansy Wong was/is not above rorting the system to unfairly benefit herself and her husband's personal interests.