Oppose The Birch/ NZBRT Agenda! Don't Pay Your Water Bills ! Merry Xmas!

It was resolved at our last meeting for the year (19.12.2001) that the WPG draw attention to the proposal in the Birch Report - "..that the Council investigate the possiblility of using a public private partnership model for both Metrowater and Watercare"

and calls on households throughout Auckland City to show their opposition to the pro-privatisation and user pays agenda outlined in the Birch Report by joining the boycott and refusing to pay their water bills.

There was a meeting of about 50 people held in the Grey Lynn Community Centre on Tuesday night to oppose the Birch report. An organising Cttee has been set up to involve as many groups and people as possible in opposition to this pro-NZ Business Roundtable/new right agenda, which will meet on Tuesday 8 January 2002.

Defence of what remains of our 'public' property and democratic rights by organising the community at street level around a campaign of civil disobedience - will give these politicians a message they truly cannot ignore.

The WPG has already 'subdivided' Auckland City into 48 areas, and has produced 'community maps' that can be filled in for each area - outlining the community assets - community centres, CABs, libraries, pensioner housing, schools, churches, sports clubs etc.

There is a similar list for those who want to be involved to fill in - so members of that community can identify how they connect with that area and the links that they have with the various community organisations.

When a whole range of groups and organisations join forces and work together to actively defend our public property, we will stop them in their tracks and in so doing, set up forms of community organisation that will be unprecedented in this country. Once that genie is out of the bottle who knows where it will all end!

On that cheery note -hope you all have a great, well-deserved holiday!

Cheers and all the very best for Xmas and the New Year!

Penny Bright Media Spokesperson Water Pressure Group (Auckland)

PS: Still no news yet from Judge McElrea on Court costs for the election challenge, or any decision from Judge Joyce on the Ike Finau signs case.

© 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>>