[Tubby Isaacs]

Glenn Greenwald promising fireworks.

http://www.3news.co.nz/politics/greenwa ... 2014091417" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Key sounds a nasty bit of work.

"Kim Dotcom is a guy who is facing extradition to the United States," says Mr Key. "He is a man that will do anything, say anything, pay anyone to save Kim Dotcom's butt."

Don't know anything about Mr Dotcom, but becoming a close ally of Glenn Greenwald when he attacks the government who could extradite him to the US doesn't sound like covering his butt very effectively.

[The Weeping Angel]

True but Glenn Greenwald is an arse

[new puritan]

More here.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand—The New Zealand spy agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), worked in 2012 and 2013 to implement a mass metadata surveillance system even as top government officials publicly insisted no such program was being planned and would not be legally permitted.

Documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden show that the government worked in secret to exploit a new internet surveillance law enacted in the wake of revelations of illegal domestic spying to initiate a new metadata collection program that appeared designed to collect information about the communications of New Zealanders. Those actions are in direct conflict with the assurances given to the public by Prime Minister John Key (pictured above), who said the law was merely designed to fix “an ambiguous legal framework” by expressly allowing the agency to do what it had done for years, that it “isn’t and will never be wholesale spying on New Zealanders,” and the law “isn’t a revolution in the way New Zealand conducts its intelligence operations.”

Snowden, in a post for The Intercept published today, accused Prime Minster Key of fundamentally misleading the public about GCSB’s role in mass surveillance. “The Prime Minister’s claim to the public, that ‘there is no and there never has been any mass surveillance’, is false,” the former NSA analyst wrote. “The GCSB, whose operations he is responsible for, is directly involved in the untargeted, bulk interception and algorithmic analysis of private communications sent via internet, satellite, radio, and phone networks.”

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014 ... veillance/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greenwald's exposure of mass state surveillance has been very important. It's quite encouraging that it seems to be a big issue in NZ - over here people just seem to shrug their shoulders. If the Stasi had been British I'm not sure anyone would have given a shit.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Germany seemed to care, and America to some extent, but here, nope.

I'm still wondering what the hell Key was on about. Who is he saying Greenwald is "pay"ing? Or was that just a nice rhyme with "say"?

[youngian]

I'm no nationalist flag waver but I'd be cringing this morning if I was a Kiwi. It's like a depressed divorcee who can't move on.

New Zealand votes to keep flag in referendum
New Zealanders have voted to keep their existing flag after a national referendum, preliminary results show.
The referendum asked whether the flag which includes the Union Jack should be replaced by a design called Silver Fern, which won an earlier ballot.
The results show 56.6% voted for no change, while 43.1% opted for the new design. Just over 2.1m votes were cast.
PM John Key had advocated the new flag but called on New Zealanders to "embrace" the people's decision.
He was speaking after the preliminary result was announced following the close of the postal vote at 19:00 local time (06:00 GMT).
The existing design features the British Union Flag, a legacy of New Zealand's days as a British colony and the reason many wanted to change it.
The proposed new design combines four red stars representing the Southern Cross constellation, also seen in the current flag, with a silver fern and black in the corner - both motifs associated with New Zealand and its famous rugby team. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35888474" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[The Red Arrow]

Maybe they should hold another referendum with a 'Flaggy McFlagface' option?

[bluebellnutter]

From the (admittedly little) I've heard, this is basically their PM's attempt to secure a legacy and the public have used it as a referendum on him. Much the same way some seem to think the EU referendum is one on Cameron.

[Andy McDandy]

I remember Charlie Brooker suggesting that Iraq should change its flag to a parody of the Stars and Stripes, but with missile trails and 50 skulls. Just because everyone in the world (aside from America) would find it hilarious.

I quite like the proposed design. Rather elegant.

[The Weeping Angel]

John Key's going to resign

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/ ... dApp_Tweet" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

John Key, the New Zealand prime minister and leader of the National party, has resigned in a decision that has taken the country by surprise.

Key held a media conference in Wellington at 12.45pm local time, after informing the cabinet of his decision.

His resignation would be effective 12 December, when National MPs would meet to select a new leader.

Key said he would vote for his deputy prime minister, Bill English, if he put his name forward. English briefly led the party to its worst-ever electoral defeat in the 2002 election, but has since served as a successful finance minister.