3 March 2004 Media Statement
Promises worth nothing from National

“Promises on New Zealand Superannuation are worth nothing from National as they have a history of bad faith on the issue,” Finance Minister Michael Cullen said today.

“New Zealanders won’t forget that National promised to remove the surcharge in 1990 but in fact extended it, froze the payment and increased the age of entitlement.”

He was commenting on a speech by the National Leader Don Brash calling for “honesty” in the superannuation debate and ruling out an early increase in the qualifying age.

“As always with National, it is important to read the fine print.

“Dr Brash is saying that under National anybody who is 49 or younger will see the goalposts moved again and have to work past the age of 65 in order to receive a full pension,” Dr Cullen 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>>