back to article Kiwis rally against 'snoops' charter' law

New Zealanders have mobilised against the country's “spooks' charter”, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) bill that's been criticised for legitimising formerly-illegal snooping on NZ residents. Last week, The Register reported that a deal between the country's minority government and Peter Dunne made it …

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  1. Anomalous Cowturd
    Mushroom

    Go Kiwis...

    But don't expect us totally apathetic Brits to get off our lazy arses to back you up.

    We love being abused by capitalists too much.

    What it would take to wake us up. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    P.S. elReg! Put the icons back on the other side! It just looks wrong!

    1. Mephistro

      Re: Go Kiwis...

      What Western democracies need is an 'Arab Spring'. Except in the States, of course, where they risk ending up with a fundamentalist govt. ;-)

      Go, Kiwis!++

      And thumbs up also for the 'Bring the Icons Back Home' proposal! :0)

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Go Kiwis...

      What does it have to do with capitalism?

      I'm sure you'd love to work on a communal farm, or in a communal factory, one job for life with no prospect of trying things out for yourself?

      1. Mephistro
        Unhappy

        Re: Go Kiwis... (@AC Monday 29th July 2013 00:06 GMT)

        "I'm sure you'd love to work on a communal farm, or in a communal factory, one job for life with no prospect of trying things out for yourself?"

        Perhaps it's just that Mr. Anomalous Cowturd doesn't want to end up living in the places you named, or living in similar conditions. Or perhaps he doesn't want that future for his children or grandchildren.

        I know I'm stating the bleedin' obvious here, but given the way things are going in this fairyland of political and economical systems we're living in, I wouldn't be too surprised if in a decade or two most of the population of the First World(TM) was longing for a communal farm, instead of having to live in a cardboard box under a bridge, or if they were lucky, in a 30 m2 flat without natural light, for which they'll have to pay a rent bigger than a fourth of their total income. There would be people who actually CHOSE to live in a cardboard box.

        You may notice that the conditions I describe in the last paragraph closely resemble the actual situation in China. I'm being too optimistic. It would be like China, but without any exports, as every country on Earth would be similarly screwed and thus unable to purchase any goods, so the infrastructure and basic services would vanish really fast.

        1. Rukario

          Re: Go Kiwis... (@AC Monday 29th July 2013 00:06 GMT)

          > I wouldn't be too surprised if in a decade or two most of the population of the First World(TM) was longing for a communal farm, instead of having to live in a cardboard box under a bridge, or if they were lucky, in a 30 m2 flat without natural light, for which they'll have to pay a rent bigger than a fourth of their total income.

          Sounds like Vancouver.

    3. Cliff

      Re: Go Kiwis...

      I think we ran out of steam when 1M people marched against Blair's illegal invasion of Iraq and were summarily ignored.

    4. GrumpyOldBloke

      Re: Go Kiwis...

      Don't expect anything to happen in NZ either. The don't smack your child rule was opposed by about 80% of the population yet these people were ignored. No point confusing democracy with any sort of accountability to the overall population.

  2. Adrian 4
    Trollface

    Can we take it that the PM is not 'politically aligned' then, since that apparently invalidates his opinion.

    1. John H Woods Silver badge

      I came here to say the same thing. It's significant when politicians say stuff like that because it either shows that they are tragically stupid, or that they think we all are - either of which being sad state of affairs for an elected representative.

  3. This post has been deleted by its author

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Love this kind of thing, Government Division acts illegally, gets slap on wrist, government rewrites law so legal in the future. Welcome to Democracy.

    1. Jerome Fryer

      They could have passed retro-active legislation, as they have done in the past. So the past illegal activities become legal.

      Fairly surprising that they didn't do that in order to further their state-sponsored terrorism of Kim Dotcom.

      Not anonymous because: anonymous -- yeah, right; and I'm fine that the gummint' know they can get stuffed over this spying BS as far as I'm concerned.

  5. Winkypop Silver badge

    Go Kiwis

    Bring the Icons Back Home

    Oh, and no snooping, OK?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Considering the investigation, it takes chutzpah to call these protesters "misinformed".....

    "Actually, we spied on our citizens and reported it overseas EIGHTY-NINE times since 2003! You guys missed one!!"

    Well played evil PM....well played!!

  7. Wang N Staines

    The Five Eyes are really going after their citizens!

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    This current Government has a history of passing this type of retrospective legislation to make good its mistakes.

    They also like passing legislation under “urgency” so that it does not go through the apparent democratic process in New Zealand.

    If John Key wants to read your email I suggest everyone BCC all their email correspondence to him so he does not have to go to the bother if getting his spies to look it up. Maybe also BCC the GCSB.

    If they want it give it to them.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    misinformed, clearly

    but - by whom? Certainly, never by their own government, lol

  10. Bernard M. Orwell

    Can't help but wonder....

    ... What NZ's excuse is for the surveillance in the first place. Do they have a rampant terrorist problem, like us? Oh noes! I had no idea that AQ were operating in NZ!! Think of the children!

    [End Sarcasm]

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Can't help but wonder....

      "What NZ's excuse is for the surveillance in the first place."

      Good question. I'd guess it's more to do with China than anything else.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Nothing new here

    As usual the populace is illiterate.

  12. Miek
    Linux

    "Prime minister John Key dismissed the protests as small, saying that protesters are either “politically aligned” or “misinformed”." -- Well, I'm glad he cleared that all up for us, I might have thought they had a point until he offered this insight.

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