Andrea Vance the new Eavesdropper.

I once had a column in one of our weekly give away,s called ‘Eavesdropper’ where I created imaginary discussions between people here in Palmerston North or NZ. I must admit that at times it was difficult because I was trying to keep it realistic while attempting to make a serious point. At times I don’t think I made a very good job of it…but at times it sounded so realistic that people like the CEO of the PNCC [Paul W] sent me lawyers letters…the then CEO of MCH complained to the local paper and alas ‘Eavesdropper was removed.

Andrea Vance a new Eavesdropper

While lunching today a friend suggested that Keys visit to Saudi Arabia deserved a ‘Eavesdropper’ style report. I thought seriously about it and later switched on my computer and if you’ll excuse the pun…Keyed in KEY and Saudi Arabia… various bits of information appeared on my screen. 

One by Andrea Vance of the Dominion appeared…on reading it I realised that there was no need for an Eavesdropper…Andrea had done it for me…so I present it without alteration or additions, you decide if I was correct: 

My view is Andrea’s reporting is in fact a actual feat of legal eavesdropping. Andrea is one of the few investigative journalists left and like Nicky Hager she fully understands what it feels like to have the GCSB on her back…when they handed over to government her phone calls during the Peter Dunne affair [saga]. Here is her report:

Prime Minister John Key meets Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal

ANDREA VANCE IN RIYADH

Last updated 20:00, April 29 2015

Photo: Chris Skelton/Fairfax NZ

NZ Prime Minister John Key meets Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul Aziz in Riyadh.

If Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's 99-storey skyscraper doesn't make you dizzy, his rapid-fire conversation will. Taking tea is the Arab way to do business. As Prime Minister John Key is on a trade mission, sitting down with one of the country's richest men was a must.

With a net worth of some NZ$60 billion, Prince Alwaleed is an investor in Citibank, the Four Seasons Hotel chain, Fox Entertainment and Twitter.  Which is where their colourful conversation started.

"I follow your tweets, more than a year," the prince told Key.

Business delegates, journalists and aides peered at them over tiny cups. 

HRH pulled out a photo of Jim Bolger.

"I have been to New Zealand one time in 1997. I met the former prime minister. it seems I only meet prime ministers from the National Party, no Labour."  

They moved on to cricket, the conversation stilted as they sipped their tea.

Key stumbled on to safe ground: "What do you think of the global economy?" 

"This Greece thing doesn't make sense at all," the prince said.

"[Former prime minister] Antonis Samaras - a very good friend of mine but this new guy comes right now and flips it all over. Europe is the weak link...the big game is China."

When the royal stopped for breath, Key made his pitch but it strangled the conversation again.

"You own Fox News, wow," Key wrongly asserted. Prince Alwaleed ran through his considerable investments (13 industries in 40 countries). 

Again, Key saw his opportunity: "They had a Four Seasons in New Zealand?"

"No, there was a discussion at one time..."

Key interrupted: "In Queenstown, I think. No? But we want one." 

The prince seemed to hint New Zealand needed a higher GDP per capita before it could have one of his five star hotels. Awkward.

"Your trip to Turkey was interesting. Prince Charles, Prince Harry," the prince changed the subject. Key: "He's coming to New Zealand in a couple of weeks." 

Prince Alwaleed: "I read about it."

A discussion of the Gallipoli commemorations followed.

Tim Groser wandered in. "That’s the trade minister, actually. Tim Tim. Come and say hello."

Off they went on a long discussion about currency fluctuations and New Zealand's economy. Then China, again. Oil prices and what the prince called "this fracking thing."

Plates and plates of food were circulated. More tea arrived: "We have mint tea and ginger."

"I'll try ginger...so has Saudi Arabia changed a lot over the last 10-15 years?" A brief history of the kingdom followed.

Key did his best to get back to New Zealand's economic interests.

 "Gosh, the Four Seasons is an amazing chain, fantastic hotels...at our Maui house the Four Seasons is in front of us, it's a great place for dinner." 

On India: "Modi's doing a great job."

"We both lost a by-election recently," Key lamented.

Then it was next week's British elections: "I had Mr Blair here," the prince said. 

Key had just fired off a text off to Tony Blair's successor, Prime Minister David Cameron.

"Oh! You text David, I'll take the number off you. I use texting a lot."

They pulled out their smartphones.

"You can take my number," Key was uncomfortable about handing over the contact. 

The prince wanted to talk about Russia's Vladimir Putin. "Where is he heading this guy? Too much, huh?" 

On the table in front of them was a model of the prince's latest project: a 1100m tower which will be the world's tallest.

Key wanted to know the cost.

"$1.3 billion. Very cheap."

Prince Alwaleed

* The 60 year old is the world's 26th richest man and has been called the most influential Arab

* He bought London's Savoy Hotel in 2005, owns several aircraft and his yacht appeared in the James Bond film Never Say Never Again

* Home is a 317 room palace, with a cinema, but he's got two others to choose from

* This week he offered Bentley cars to 100 fighter pilots who took part in bombing raids on Yemen

* He donated $100,000 to help victims of the Canterbury earthquakes in 2011 

PS;

And before you ask...no John Key has never [to my knowledge] pulled her hair...but you would need to ask Andrea to be sure...

Give me a head of hair...

Go to this site to read how Key has called up the big guns to blacken a brave young woman waitress?

http://thedailyblog.co.nz/2015/04/23/waitergate-joined-at-the-hip-group/ 

 Is this the behavior of a rational man, or is it the behavior of a ten year old bully-boy...you decide.

Will Key resign...as any real man would.

John Key confesses to being a deviant odd man out…

Oh look Bronagh she's got lovely hair, can I touch it...

 Here is what No Right Turn wrote:

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

The Prime Minister is a creep

So, it turns out that John Key is a creep:

Prime Minister John Key has apologised to an Auckland waitress who accused him of harassment and bullying after he pulled on her pony-tail on repeated occasions.

In an anonymous article on the left-wing website The Daily Blog, the waitress said Mr Key behaved like a "schoolyard bully" when visiting her unnamed cafe in the past six months.

She said he later apologised by giving her two bottles of wine.

Key claims to have "apologised", but it’s the usual minimisation practiced by bullies and creeps: "light-hearted", "never his intention to make her feel uncomfortable" etc. This is bullshit. Invading someone else's personal space without their consent is the sort of thing which tends to make them uncomfortable. And only creeps do that. In the workplace, it'd be straight-out sexual harassment resulting in dismissal. When it comes from the Prime Minister, a person in a position of power who is surrounded at all times by armed bodyguards, its fucking scary.

(Speaking of those bodyguards, where the fuck, were they? They're police officers, and someone was committing an assault right in front of them. Shouldn't they have done something about that? Or are they just part of the toxic police culture which sees sexually bullying young women as acceptable?)

The woman who was assaulted wrote these words:

“So the game continued. He would come up behind me when I was at the ordering terminal, tug on my hair and then pretend that his wife, Bronagh, had done it (much to her embarrassment), and she would tell him to stop it. As he rounded the corner behind me he commented “that’s a very tantalising ponytail”.

From my perspective what the hell was Key’s wife Bronagh doing putting up with his deviant behaviour…if her son had done it, he would have been told-off... but not wee John it would appear, he can do what he likes and call it…a bit of fun, so typical of the Rolf Harris mode of behaviour...rotten to the core... 

If Key's behaviour is normal...what the hell is next...become a leader and act like a Roman Emperor...surely we deserve better than that. Key has a record of hair touching check this out...

http://imgur.com/r/newzealand/wT4XtDj  

What's next...who knows...

 

Jesus set to return plus Steve Braunias latest...

Jesus to return soon:

Yes it’s true, I kid you not, and Jesus is heading toward earth.

At least that is what Michele Bachmann tells us in a report in the Times of New York.

This Christian, fundamentalist, whiz kid, one time republican candidate for President of the United States now famous or infamous for her amazing statements regarding all things biblical. This is one of her more unintelligent statements, reported by Fox News that great supporter of all things republican…and Israeli.

As if that wasn’t stupid enough Michele Bachmann went even further when she claimed that Halloween is based on Satanism:

  But now she goes even further, this from The Times [NY]: According to her vision from her God…Satan won’t get a look in…because Jesus will beat him…and clean up the mess left by Nixon, Bush, and other crazy republican tea party members. Here is what the Times actually said. I’ve kept it short hoping I can beat the arrival of JC…

‘Jesus to return soon’

Michele Bachmann the former Republican congresswoman, who campaigned to become president in 2012, says President Barrack Obama’s handling of the Middle East is a sign of the End of Times and that Jesus Christ will soon return.

In a radio interview, Bachmann once dubbed the “Queen of the Tea Party” predicted that the White House’s rocky relationship with Israel would have “negative consequences”.

She continued ”: I believe that the Bible is true [and] the people of our nation will reap a whirlwind, and we could see economic disasters, natural disasters… The Unite States does not want to be in that position.”

While condemning Obama’s attempts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, she identified a silver lining: “These are not fearful times, these are the most exciting days in history,” she said.  “Jesus Christ’s return is imminent. Is there anything more important to talk about?”

During her presidential campaign, Bachmann’s worst gaffe is widely regarded to have come when she visit Iowa and declared her delight at being in Waterloo, hometown of John Wayne.

It was actually the home town of John Wayne Gacy, a serial killer who murdered 33 boys and young men…

Now of course Michele Bachmann ‘thank heavens’ lives in the United States, but the United States is not the only country that has weird political figures.

We here in NZ have our own brand of nut cases…for example did you know that the outfit known as the Sensible Sentencing Trust, led by that strange character Garth McVicar a Conservative candidate at the last election, has had his so-called victim advocacy movement officially registered a CHARITY because it  does not have political advocacy as its aim. So it operates tax free for those who donate to it…It did this by adding the word ‘GROUP’, yet various other community groups have been rejected charitable trust status on the grounds that they advocate on behalf of those seeking a better performance from outfits like CYF and suchlike. Here is what the Internal Affairs gave as their reasons for granting SSGT their gift of tax free operations: 

Sensible Sentencing Group Trust registered as a charity

The independent Charities Registration Board has registered the Sensible Sentencing Group Trust (SSGT) as a charity. 

The General Manager of Charities Services, which supports the independent Board’s processes, Lesa Kalapu, has provided the following context for its decision, to assist other organisations that may be considering applying for registration:

“The changed approach, which has enabled the registration of the Sensible Sentencing Trust Group reflects a change in the rules and activities of the SSGT, not a change in charities law or the way it is applied.

“The SSGT no longer has political aims that prevent its registration as a charity.

“It submitted a new application with amended rules and information about its activities, which was assessed on its own merits, and resulted in registration as a charity. Another entity called “The Sensible Sentencing Trust”, has non-charitable political advocacy aims that mean it is still ineligible to be registered as a charity.

“Registration of the SSGT does not signal any change in the law, or the way in which the law is applied by the Board or those acting on delegated authority from the Board.  Every application for registration is assessed on its own merits, applying current law.

“Charities Services monitors charities to be sure that they remain charitable and are not engaged in fulfilling or funding non-charitable political aims, contrary to their own rules and the law”.

Charities Services is a branch of the Department of Internal Affairs.

Naturally Charities Services of Internal Affairs never took account of the fact that the religious based Conservative Party is closely entwined with the National Party and its partners ACT and United Future. Their strange decision is creating utter confusion around the law changes that disallows groups who seek to assist those least able to help themselves. Both the National Party and its hangers on along with the Conservative party strongly believe in the creation of private prisons while closing state prisons as they move toward a full privatisation and commercialisation of our prison system.  

While compiling this blog I was checking the Herald and came across Steve Braunias latest "The Secret Diaries of ... Campbell's nemeses. I just had to share it. It's a great read... 

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=11434543