Monday, October 8 2001

The bitter irony of the Western World going on the offensive against terrorism on the very day many of our Air Force personnel are booted out will not be lost on New Zealanders, ACT Defence Spokesman Owen Jennings said.

"On the very day that Air Force personnel receive their marching orders, the Western Allies have chosen to strike a military blow against terror.

"We are all a little less safe because of this Government's policy of decimating the air force. The ideologues in Helen Clark's Government stand in stark contrast to Western leaders like Blair, Howard and Chrétien.

"While others make a commitment to preserving freedom and democracy, we in New Zealand are seeing the effects of Ms Clark's desire to demolish our armed forces.

"All New Zealanders extend their sympathy to the personnel who lose their jobs today, and to their families.

"Despite the vain attempts of Helen Clark and Phil Goff to convince New Zealanders we are honourable allies of the United States, a deep and lingering distrust of this Government's motives remains among most of the population," Mr Jennings said.

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>>