Sun Nov 7 1999

New Zealand First's announcement of its post-election intentions confirms that it could keep National and Act in power, Alliance leader Jim Anderton says.

'Nothing Winston Peters says can ever be taken as 'final', after the fiasco at the last election.

Then Winston Peters told the country 'if you want to get rid of National vote NZ First' and after the election took a position as deputy Prime Minister in a National-led government.

'At this election, you're either part of the solution or part of the problem. If Winston Peters hasn't made up his mind that he's against National and Act by now, then he never will.

'The New Zealand First position means that if you want a definite change of the government, the only certain way to get it is to vote Alliance or Labour. I believe New Zealanders are rapidly coming to the same conclusion and won't reward NZ First for sitting on the fence hoping to dodge responsibility for the decision.

'New Zealand faces grave social and economic challenges and we need a strong and committed government to deal with them. Winston Peters has made himself irrelevant by confirming he isn't prepared to take up the challenge of government and by confirming he could keep National and Act in office,' Jim Anderton said.

Visit http://www.alliance.org.nz for more information about the Alliance

© 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>>