Hon Max Bradford
Minister of Defence
MEDIA RELEASE
November 19, 1999

Dad's Army With Rowboats: NZ First Defence Policy

New Zealand First has shown its true colours by walking away from New Zealand's defence needs, Defence Minister Max Bradford said today.

"NZ First has shown that despite talking tough, it is really soft when it comes to making hard decisions in the interests of New Zealand's wellbeing.

"NZ First, by reneging on the deal to lease F-16 aircraft and not replacing frigates, would turn our balanced, credible Defence Force into a Dad's Army with row boats," Mr Bradford said.

"It is a policy position that would leave our troops vulnerable, undermine our trading relationships, and leave our international credibility in tatters.

"It is a nonsense policy from a nonsense party," Mr Bradford 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>>