Wed, 18 Aug 2004

Christchurch mayoral candidate slams councillor pay rise.

Mayoral candidate Sam Kingi for the Anti-Capitalist Alliance, says that because councillors could "receive up to $100,000 a year is an outrage"

"How are these people sitting in the council chambers going to relate to the majority of Christchurch's population? The answer is they can't. All this pay rise will do is attract self-driven career politicians and people who have the same interests as the rich" stated Sam Kingi.

"The average income in this city is less than a quarter of this proposed lush pay packet, if the councillor's and mayor's pay were tied to the average wage or something similar, then they will have an interest in fighting to raise everyone's wages and standard of living" said Sam.

Sam Kingi added "Thousands of people have been dumped off hospital waiting-lists, the fact that charity is needed to be used in this city is cause for concern, people are paid low wages and have bad conditions, jobs are being sent overseas to increase profit for bosses, permits are needed to have an organised march, insufficient housing; the list is endless. Things need to change drastically, it will take more than elections to change things, it is likely to require a revolution."

The Anti-Capitalist Alliance is also standing Chris Rigby in the Shirley-Papanui ward, he is also a senior union delegate in one of Christchurch's largest factories. Chris and Sam's nomination forms will be handed in today.

ENDS

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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>>