Sir Palmer: GCSB made 'egregious error'

30/09/2012 4:55:05 p.m.

michael wrote:

Palmer he was prime minister for 6 weeks i think , stop living of the gravy train and get a real job .these people are stooges to the establishment.

30/09/2012 3:34:08 p.m.

Robert M wrote:

With his background as PM and a Labour Party nominal head of the GCSB, Palmer does a competent job of explaining that intelligence work is by its nature secret and can not be exposed too clearly or accurately with definite authority.
But in terms of the current National administration even more than Helen Clark's Government which was expected to be somewhat left, Key, English and Grosser have failed to point out in strong general terms that the GCSB largely exists to serve the interests of the West generally and Australia and the USA in particular. Most of the GSBGs electronic, survellance and wireless targets will not relate to NZs immediate interests and will often be monitoring military and intelligence movements in the North Pacific and North Asia. Among other things the US has a particular interest in submarine communications and also monitoring the activities of its official friends like Japan and Israel for obvious reasons. There have been suggestions from reasonably informed sources that some of the GSCBs NZ based work does involve monitoring of Japanese activity as well as those of former Communist nations and terroritst suspects. Anything done on behalf of the NZ police will be of rarest occasion and only really justified when the suspect is capable of degree encyrpting communication beyond the obvious capability of the Police or SIS.
To have any real ideological or political credibilty as a right centre Political Party the National Government has to admit that the basing of the GCSB here is largely a reflection of a strong ideological identification with the interests and the cause of the United States. The National Government has progressively lost all credibility because it will not admit that it should be primarily a supporter of the US and Israel. The problem even more than regional trade is that the power of left here meams that anyone who thinks that Ryan, Rice (Condi), Reagan or Romney might be right and intelligent are derided and snubbed.

30/09/2012 8:49:26 a.m.

dennis wrote:

Leave the GCSB boys alone Paul Holmes. As Robert points out these are effectively military personnel. This is Justice Collins' baby. What do you expect them to do when the Solicitor General asks them to do a job? He will immediately threaten to sue MediaWorks if you post this, as he has done before. Let him sue. It will put him in prison should he do so, so he won't need much spending money

30/09/2012 8:16:17 a.m.

Mal wrote:

Opposition parties, GO HARD. We want the truth. JK pack your bags. DAVIDA, Dotcom will sue to get at the truth. So we will have even more to pay

29/09/2012 9:30:11 p.m.

Kathy wrote:

Some people are trying really hard to distract from Keys incompetence, when asked if other agencies were involved he was vaugue, when asked if they may have briefed him before he says the GCSB did, again he was vague and in another interview Palmer told reporters that he was shocked Key knew nothing because during his time as Prime Minister the GCSB were meticulous in reporting everything to their Minister. But it shows what a failure John Key is, denying an inquiry is the same as an admission of guilt that he is incompetent and not in touch with what security services are doing. Key needs to be held accountable, he would be demanding, no screaming at labour for an inquiry if they were in charge. You have to hold yourself up to the same standards you demand of everyone else and John Banks is another area where Key is failing.

29/09/2012 3:26:52 p.m.

DavidA wrote:

Sir Geoffrey Palmer a very good explanation on this saga. Great to hear someone, who has been there done it before. I suggest Norman (Greens) Peters (NZ First) should watch this video, Instead of being motor mouths just for political gain for themselves, and stop wasting our tax money on fruitless enquiries. As Sir Geoffrey put it, how can you have an open enquiry when you have a secret service department. I wonder what part of that can't Norman, Peters and even Shearer not understand. These so called MP's (list) should never be in Parliament wasting our hard earned tax money. It is very easy for these MP's to make statements, however, have you ever heard of them coming up in details with sensible ideas on making NZ go forward. I am not any party supporter, however as a business person the PM is doing a much better job than those arm chair critics on the opposition benches all put together, which is just where they should stay. I spend some time in China each year, is great to feel the buz of progress and positiveness compared to the negative comments you just keep hearing from NZ MP's, opposition benches. Maybe these MP's should visit China and sap up the experience and get constructive, rather than be destructive all the time, or better still, get a real job.

29/09/2012 3:16:59 p.m.

Isaac wrote:

I love that word! Perhaps future politicoligists can use it as the period of time the national party has been in power. "The Egregious era"