Nat’s Nuclear Meltdown

Princes Street Labour Branch

“I wonder what is going thru their heads” pondered Conor Roberts, chair of Auckland Universities Princes Street Labour Branch.

“Nationals nuclear policy is all over the place, we are still waiting to hear exactly what they are going to do with New Zealand’s iconic and visionary nuclear ban” he said.

“The story gets more confusing as it goes on. Firstly National released the policy discussion on the day of the hikoi, obviously because they were trying to hide their nuclear agenda. Then we heard that National wouldn’t change the laws unless it was manifesto policy before going into the election and the public sent a strong mandate that they wanted the law changed. Then we heard that it could be put to referendum. Then we heard that Brash told visiting American senators that the ban would be ‘gone by lunchtime’. Now we hear that after Don’s visit to Washington that the laws wont be changed, except by referendum, after National becomes government.”

Mr Roberts said, “What people want is to know is what National’s policy is. However Don Brash lacks the fortitude to tell the public what he really thinks.”

“Well if that is that case and we get a referendum, and heaven help us if Brash ends up as the prime minister, National is going to have to explain its position before the vote. So why all the U-turns and deceptions now?” said Mr Roberts.

“National has absolutely no credibility on this issue. The only certainty we have is that National would relinquish our foreign policy to Americans interests, in order to gain the hope of a trade deal” he concluded.

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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>>