New Zealand First Defence Spokesperson Ron Mark has expressed his pleasure at the Prime Minister’s late decision to compensate ex Japanese Prisoners of War, along with the Vietnam veterans whom with their families have suffered the consequences of chemical warfare and its resultant fallout.

“I am somewhat bemused though,” said Mr Mark today, “that it has taken sixty years to resolve the issue for ex-Japanese POW’s, and decades to address the other compensation issue announced in the last day or two. What has happened to force the Prime Minister to respond to these pressures now, and why was she not understanding of their concerns during the many years she was a Cabinet Minister in previous governments?” pondered Mr Mark.

“I also wonder how it is that the Prime Minister can find funding to address these long unresolved issues, and at the very same Cabinet meeting neglect 48,000 low income earners and their families by omitting them from the changes to the Community Services Card threshold,” said Mr Mark.

“I hesitate to come to the conclusion that we are witnessing politics in their most raw form at present,” Mr Mark said, “but the temptation is certainly great having seen justice delivered for some and a slap in the face for others in such a fast track manner:”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

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>>