Submission on GCS (Echelon Spying) Bill - New Zealand

To Mike McBurney,
Acting Clerk
Intelligence and Security Committee
Parliament
New Zealand

Submission on GCS (Echelon Spying) Bill - by 30 June 2001

I am totally opposed to any extension of powers, and to any spying or electronic snooping upon citizens of New Zealand, by either the department you act for, or by any other governmental/private agency of New Zealand or any other state's agency - including "friendly" foreign powers.

The "historic" record of espionage penetrating New Zealand's secrets to the point of compromising national viability or sovereign integrity is flimsy and lacking logical premise. This is probably why spurious and alarmist rhetoric usually precedes every move to further equip the insecurity services of this country.

It's certainly the reason that official "justifications" of such measures are received by more rational citizens as simply unbelievable and therefore risible.

However, the potential of political misuse of legislation such as GCSB and SIS Act against New Zealanders cannot be dismissed so easily, especially in the light of past internal spying operations (clandestine or bungled) against various New Zealand citizens.

The odd individuals who relish the intrigue and adventure of spying are an infinitely tiny minority of our species. Why describe the masquerade of these pitiful nutters as "intelligence"?

I am making this submission as a person with nothing to hide - to record my active opposition to this devious and dangerous Bill - and with not the slightest expectation that it will make a shred of difference to that which the Labour/Alliance government (or National if they were in offcie) has already decided to inflict on the people who voted them into parliament.

Paranoia resides, first, within the ranks of spies - their worst efforts can't protect the rotten system they serve from eventual overthrow.

Let them play these ignoble games with their mercenary exotic counterparts in some flea-ridden fantasyland where they belong.

How dare the New Zealand government and their unelected masters threaten our privacy and socal wellbeing!!

Jim Gladwin
Member for International Liaison
The Water Pressure Group
Auckland
New Zealand

bcc - elsewhere. Go get 'em Helen Clark!

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