Trevor Mallard's allegation a few weeks ago that National's foreign policy was being written in Washington was originally dismissed as a baseless smear - but it seems that there's a little more to it than that. We all know about Don Brash's promise to a bunch of visiting US Senators that New Zealand's anti-nuclear policy would be "gone by lunchtime" if he was elected, but National has gone further than just promises. According to Phil Goff in Question Time today, during that same visit, National's foreign affairs spokesperson, Dr Lockwood Smith, actively solicited US government advice and assistance on selling such a policy change to the New Zealand public, and specifically asked for the assistance of US-based think tanks in advocating for US interests. The US rightly took the view that it was an internal matter for New Zealand and that they should not get involved.
National's response to this was simply pathetic:
Gerry Brownlee complained to the Speaker that Mr Goff's answer had been too long and implied that Mr Goff could twist any answer he gave in the House to suit his own ends.
I'll post a link to the full transcript later, when it hits the web.
Update: Corrected visit. Scoop's coverage suggested the request was made during a visit to the US; according to TV news, the request was made in the same conversation as the infamous "gone by lunchtime" comments. And just to make this clear, what Lockwood Smith was proposing was that the US government employ a thinktank to conduct a propaganda campaign against us, the New Zealand public, to produce a policy favourable to the US. If that's not selling us out, I don't know what is.
Update 2: The transcript is here. The appropriate portion is in Q5, about 40% of the way through the page.
10 comments:
and IF this is true, from the same transcript the US Senators said no. Missed that bit of the transcript did you?
Posted by gazzadelsud : 8/02/2005 07:25:00 PM
incidentally what IS your beef with the US, it was all over the media that Labour spent ages in London, copied Tony Blairs campaign, right down to pledge cards, and spent a fortune on his advisors. One of whom - an Alistair Campbell I believe, even had a private dinner with the PM while he was over here on some unfortunate business a wee while ago - WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AT THIS SECRET DINNER???
see how ridiculous it sounds- Labour takes advice from Brits? where's your scandal? So a conservative national party asks for advice from republicans and suddenly its scandal du jour.
Yawn. the double standard is quite astonishing. At least Don Brash hasnt been feted by Hamas.
Posted by gazzadelsud : 8/02/2005 07:28:00 PM
to be fair - and i'll shut up now, you did mention in your latter para that the US Senators had said no - but doesnt that undermine your headline - the only evidence that has come out is that the Americans ARENT funding national policy
again, where's your scandal? I know you're a lefty but normally you do much better than this
Posted by gazzadelsud : 8/02/2005 07:46:00 PM
All political manouvering is related to propoganda. Postin up signs with "tax" and "cut" or ribons of labour preventing babies from falling into some unknowm abyss are all propoganda.
Whether Labout used americans to think it up or national used iraqis doesn't really matter very much. If anyhting it just slightly improves the quality of the debate.
the US of course did the politically appropriate thing in staying out.
Posted by Genius : 8/02/2005 09:57:00 PM
Oh oh
Looks like all National's chickens are comming home to roost.
Posted by Anonymous : 8/02/2005 11:03:00 PM
I wish Brash, Lockwood-Smith and Brownlee would just ask for green cards and f-off
Posted by Anonymous : 8/02/2005 11:20:00 PM
Gazza: All parties have links with ideologically allied parties overseas, and share tips and strategies. But National went well beyond that, to asking a foreign government to fund and conduct a covert propaganda campaign to influence the New Zealand electorate (and hence, New Zealand's elections). If you cannot see the difference, or you do not believe that the latter is wrong, then try asking yourself whether you would have been happy for someone to have asked, say, the Soviet Union to have interfered in our elections in this way.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 8/03/2005 12:37:00 AM
Genius: Yes, politics is ultimately about the battle for mindshare. However, democracy is ultimately about the electorate (whether a local community or a nation) ruling itself and deciding for itself where its interests lie. The sort of covert propaganda National was asking for is deliberately aimed at subverting this; its aim is to subvert decisions made by the electorate and supplant them with those made for it, elsewhere, by those who do not share its interests.
Posted by Idiot/Savant : 8/03/2005 12:40:00 AM
rubbish idiot. Advice and support was (maybe) disussed. It was politely declined. How does this turn into a foreign government interfering in NZ domestic politics?
Whats even more foolish is that the Senate is NOT the executive. This was NOT a conversation with a foreign government. We might have noticed if it was a state visit?
It was a bunch of senators and congressmen on a junket to avoid the Washington winter.
The NZ equivalent of those Senators might be as select cttee members on one of the interminable speaker trips.
Did Helen Clark use Tony Blairs pledge cards? was H2 sent to London to learn how to run the 1999 campaign? was a serving brit labour MP imported to tell us how lucky we are to have them (Austin Mitchell anyone)? Does this amount to British interference in NZ politics?
No it doesnt, because to make the accusation would be foolish.
Get a grip!
Posted by gazzadelsud : 8/03/2005 08:56:00 AM
> However, democracy is ultimately about the electorate (whether a local community or a nation) ruling itself and deciding for itself where its interests lie.
If you oppose what is going on in lets say Zimbabwae you have a right to say so - if people in Zimbabwae hear you and see that your perspective has merit (as it does) then maybe they can use that information to make decisions.
> The sort of covert propaganda National was asking for is deliberately aimed at subverting this
I'm confused as to what you are refering - maybe you know somthing secret?
I guess there is a way in which any political campaign seeks to subvert democracy but come on...
I assumed he asked if they could get a focus group to look at it (of course we all know what side the focus group would take but then again I know what side a focus group organized by you would take also).
It seems the height of arogance to think that only NZders know the answers to issues - particularly international diplomacy issues.
Posted by Genius : 8/03/2005 07:12:00 PM
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