nznews

Friday 19th March 10. Friday would have to be the most boring day in the week. The damn thing lasts from Thursday to Saturday.

Up to six Government departments face investigation in the hunt for the sources of leaked Cabinet papers. State Services Commissioner Ian Rennie yesterday announced investigations into the leaking of the two papers detailing mining and public service restructuring plans. The Herald understands they were made public before the Cabinet saw them. The answer is simple, shut down the six departments. Nobody will miss them.                                                   Article

Domestic security threats will be more closely examined by a reformed government intelligence bureau.   The External Assessments Bureau announced on its website that it has been renamed the National Assessments Bureau. The Green Party says this is a "huge change", creating a "domestic spy agency" that should have been subject to Parliament's scrutiny.   The name change marks a change of emphasis for the bureau, with more work being done on intelligence within New Zealand. The staff and budget have not increased from the existing 30 people and $3.5 million. Maybe they should keep an eye on the Beehive?                    Article

Agriculture Minister John Carter has lashed out at dirty dairy farmers over a report showing "totally unacceptable" levels of effluent management.   An audit of the industry shows an increasing rate of dairy farmers is failing to properly treat the toxic runoff from their land, which in turn poisons waterways and streams.   The issue continues to blight New Zealand's clean, green image, our ability to swim in our streams, and potentially tourism markets.   Dairy farming earned $9.9 billion in exports for the year to March 2008. Tourism earned $9.3b. Last November, the British Guardian newspaper lambasted the country's green image in an article entitled "New Zealand was a friend to Middle Earth, but it's no friend of the earth" which criticised, among other things, the agricultural sector.   Dear Minister, you greedy taxation level is "totally unacceptable?" Go and bludge a living from somebody else!               Article

The acquittal of the Waihopai Three for their attack on the Waihopai spy base is as welcome as it is surprising. To succeed in court, one would have thought they would need to have proved a direct connection between the base near Blenheim and the war atrocities inside Iraq and/or the renditions occurring elsewhere – possible, but no simple matter – and moreover, that the property damage done was more than a symbolic act i.e. that the actions taken by the protesters went some way towards preventing, or mitigating the evil being committed.   Down with everything American? Article