Back down by ARC chair

"At today's full ARC meeting, Gwen Bull and her business faction have retreated on all fronts in the face of a Rates Revolt that won't go away," said Grant Morgan, spokesperson for RAM - Residents Action Movement.

"Referring to the ARC's next letter to tens of thousands of rates non-payers, Bull said 'the tone should be appropriate'. This is a backdown from the last letter, which threatened 'action' if rates weren't paid within seven days. The ARC's ruling faction have retreated in the face of a massive wave of public hostility to their empty threats. The ARC's phones were jammed for days with irate citizens after the last letter," said Grant Morgan.

"The full ARC meeting backed away from the recommendation by the ARC rating special committee that lawyers letters be sent to a small group of 'test cases'. Dissenting ARC councillor Sandra Coney, acting on joint advice from RAM and the Council for Civil Liberties, pointed out that selecting test cases would 'not be equitable', since it was a violation of the basic legal principle that all citizens should be treated equally under one law. No decision was taken by the full ARC to send out lawyers letters, which signals another triumph for the power of the Rates Revolt."

"RAM, as the authentic political voice of the Rates Revolt, salutes the courage and vision of the tens of thousands of rates non-paters who are calling the ARC's business councillors to account," said Grant Morgan.

"In this October's council elections, RAM will be standing against all ten of the ARC's ruling faction. Going by the support flowing into RAM, we're poised to defeat Bull & Co. It will be RAM versus Bull in the polls."

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>