Communist "Folkies" Bollocked Bob Dylan

Heard on Kim Hill this morning, a story about a communist conspiracy with a difference.

Apparently when Bob Dylan toured the UK in 1966, he was heckled, booed and attempts were made to disrupt his shows all over the country.

It seems the British Communist Party ran a large number of folk music clubs. Workers could come and sing about the idyllic past where everyone got along in a spirit of co-operation.

Dylan, by then had abandoned his acoustic "trad" folk, style and had gone electric, rockier and worst of all, commercial.

The British Communists regarded Dylan as a sellout and a class traitor.

The communists tried to boo Dylan out of Britain. They shouted "Judas" at his shows.

So much for artistic creativity blossoming under socialism.

Rodney on the Treaty of Waitangi

Rodney Hide has three great posts on the principles of the "Treaty of Waitangi".

He simplifies beautifully was has become a very confused and contentious subject.

Check it out here

S.A.P. Number 1, John Freeman-Moir

My first Socialist Academic Profile is John Freeman-Moir, Dean of Undergraduate Studies in the University of Canterbury, Education Department.

John Freeman-Moir has an MA from Canterbury and further education from Harvard.

As far back as 1977, Freeman-Moir was a member of the Canterbury branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. From 1985 to 1989 he was listed as an editorial advisor to the Marxist magazine "Race, Gender, Class" founded by another Canterbury University academic, the late Rob Steven.

In the mid to late '80s, Freeman-Moir was closely associated with the "Revolutionary Communist League", a tiny sect consisting mainly of Canterbury University staff and students. The RCL was Trotskyite and was NZ's affiliate to the world wide organisation, the "4th International".

The RCL dominated the Christchurch based magazine, "NZ Monthly Review" until it folded in the mid '90s. Freeman-Moir was chairman of the "Monthly Review" society which administered the magazine.

In 1990 he wrote an article for "Monthly Review" entitled "Allergic to Anything Connected with Socialist Values".

Freeman-Moir wrote, with clear regret "As a university teacher I have found it increasingly difficult to argue the case for socialism and the transition to communism. My students are just as likely to throw their hands up and declare they know all about that and they know it's wrong! There is even a hint of humour in their reaction as they wonder how anyone could be bothered with such old-fashioned stuff... Socialism should be kicked into the dust-bin of history or, as some of my younger students now put it, in the idiom of the day socialism is "wasted". Like their counterparts in Poland these young NZers, are, it seems, allergic to socialist values... It is precisely at this point in the discussion that marxists like myself are now having difficulty in getting the case for socialism across... The challenge facing socialists is to construct a vision which can serve as an antidote to the allergies of "socialism".

In March 1994, Freeman-Moir organised a Canterbury University seminar by Jane Slaughter of the US journal, "Labour Notes". Slaughter was affiliated to "Solidarity", also a Trotskyite organistion.

After the collapse of "NZ Monthly Review" and the RCL, many of Freeman-Moir's comrades became involved with the "Canterbury University Marxist Society", which supported the British, "Revolutionary Communist Party" and its now defunct journal "Living Marxism". On the 20th of March 1996 Freeman-moir addressed a "Marxist Society" on the topic of "Marxism and Human Liberation."

In 2004, Freeman-Moir wrote an article for British Journal "Policy Futures in Education". It was a special "Marxist Futures" issue. His article was tamely titled "Turning Towards History: Turning Towards Utopia". Others included the more daring "Marxist Futures: Knowledge, Socialism and the Academy" and "A Revised Marxist Political Economy of National Education Markets". Gripping stuff.

Freeman-Moir is involved in the tertiary sector union, the "Association of University Staff". At a Canterbury University, AUS rally in August 2005, he spoke on university salary levels and shared this pearl of wisdom.

Firstly, Freeman-Moir quotes University Chancellor, Roy Sharp. I have to be realistic about what this university can afford to pay staff. This is limited by both the level of resourcing that Governments are prepared to commit and also by the ability of students to pay more."

Freeman-Moir replies, "bugger realism...If universities know one thing it is this: creativity, initiative, imagination mean being doggedly unrealistic."

To which I say, "I can now see why you're a well paid academic, John, while I'm just a dumb blogger".

Socialist Academic Profiles

The two main socialist nurseries in this country are the trade unions and the universties/teacher training colleges.

Academic socialists, from the pale pink to the rabid red, are in a great position to influence, even indoctrinate, students with their ideas.

These academics live off the taxpayer, are often protected by tenure and are virtually impossible to sack. They can often dictate much of the content of their courses. They have students minds and futures in their hands.

I thought it might be helpful to profile some of these academics, to give people an idea of who they are paying to educate their sons and daughters.

I'll start with some of the individuals working in the University of Canterbury Education Department.

Rona Bailey, "High Priestess" of New Zealand Communism Part 2

In 1963 the NZ Communist Party allied with China, while in 1966 a group of pro-Soviet communists, set up the rival Socialist Unity Party. Rona Bailey stuck with the pro-Chinese faction, but did take out a subscription to the SUP's "Tribune" newspaper in 1966.

Bailey hosted Chinese propagandist and paedophile, Rewi Alley in her Wellington home during visits in 1960 and 1963. In 1966 she was one of several Communist Party members who were listed as contributing 5 Pounds towards the 2000 needed for Committee On Vietnam leaflets. This literature "exposed" US atrocities in Vietnam, and was timed for release just before the 1966 general election. At the time, Rona Bailey was an official NZ representative of the China News Agency.

In 1970, almost the entire Wellington branch of the Communist Party was expelled by the Auckland based leadership. Rona Bailey subsequently played a leading role in building a new Marxist-Leninist organisation in Wellington.

"On October 21st 1970, the Peoples Voice published a CP decision to expel six leading Wellington members. . . Jack Manson, Rona Bailey, Pat Kelly, George Goddard, Ken Stanton and Ronald J Smith. . . Under the influence of this group a big proportion of the members in the Wellington district were split off from the CP and were formed into what then amounted to a separate party, with its own programme and organisation, hostile to those of the CP. They proceeded to organise the production of a newspaper 'The Paper'. . . [Letter written by CP to Ostler, Manson and Gough of the Preparatory Committee for the Formation of a Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist

On July 20th 1971, the "Truth" newspaper photographed Rona Bailey going into the Blind Social Club in Willis Street, Wellington, for a secret meeting with ex CP members Alex Ostler, Pat Kelly, Jack Manson and John Grant-Mackie (an Auckland University geography lecturer). It was a very clandestine time.

In February 1975 Russell Johnson wrote an article for the Socialist Action League's paper, "Socialist Action" entitled "Maoists discuss dumping'The Paper'". He said 'The Paper' was founded 18 months ago by "Wgtn adherents of Stalin and Mao". Johnson named Trevor Richards (HART) and Joris de Bres (Citizens Association for Racial Equality) as 'The Paper' supporters.

Keith Locke wrote in Socialist Action (13th July 1973) that "the people involved are a group of expelled members of the CP around Rona Bailey and some younger and more recent Maoist converts".

The 1970s were extremely busy with anti Vietnam war and anti Apartheid work. The key anti Vietnam war organisation in NZ at the time was the Committee on Vietnam. It was led mainly by Maoists, but also included some SUP people and even later on, the odd Trotskyite. Rona Bailey served as Wellington COV treasurer from 1966 to at least 1973 and was secretary of the organisation in '74/75..

Besides the COV, Bailey was active in the "Mobe" committee, co-ordinating anti war demos all over NZ.

In April 1972, Rona attended the National Anti War Conference. She moved a resolution section "That this conference would welcome a call for an Australasian conference of Trade Unions against the war in Indochina, such a conference to be held in NZ in 1972, and that the Trade Unions of both countries finance this conference." It was carried.

In 1972 she became founding treasuer of a new, Maoist run group, the "National Anti Apartheid Committee". She was a guiding influence in the new group. According to John Minto "I first met Rona in 1976 at a meeting of the National Anti-Apartheid Committee in Wellington. I was a rep from Napier and new to the movement. Rona was a 'legend' already. She was a veteran in all senses of the word compared to most of us. She was much older and had been involved for a long time previously."

In a 1977 letter to NZ Monthly Review Bailey announced a conference timed for November in Wellington "Why a National Anti-Apartheid Conference?"... The need to intensify the struggle against apartheid has been recognised by the UN which held a World Anti-Apartheid Conference in Lagos, Nigeria, in August. . . Trevor Richards (HART), David Williams (CARE) and Dave Stott (NAAC) attended . . . 1978 has been designated by the UN as International Anti-Apartheid Year. . . The November conference will review current events and developments in Southern Africa. . . What are our priorities of work? How and by whom is this work best undertaken? How can we in NZ best assist the struggle for liberation in Southern Africa?"

Stott, incidentally, was also a Maoist.

In 1976, Rona Bailey, a handful of old communists and a good number of university based Maoists, formally established a new group, the "Wellington Marxist-Leninist Organisation". It was affectionaly known by its members as MILO, after the chocolate drink.

In 1979/80, Bailey and company linked up with ex communists from South Auckland and some Hamilton and Auckland based Maoist activists, to form a new Maoist group the "Workers Communist League". It was unaffectionately known by its many detractors as the "Weasels", for its dirty and underhand tactics.

Marxist MP Backs Sex Offender's "Right" to Privacy

Marxist MP, Keith Locke has come out strongly against National MP Simon Power's call for communities to be warned when sex offenders are paroled in their area.

According to this morning's Christchurch Press, Comrade Locke claimed that making the addresses of offenders public would open the way for more "disgraceful vigilante action" of the type recently seen in New Brighton..

Comrade Locke went on to say "We need more compassion towards former sex offenders trying to reintegrate into society"....If we had that, then former offenders wouldn't need to hide their past and the community could work with them in ensuring the safety of children in the area".

Get the Marxist outlook here. Sex offenders are the responsibility of society. We have an obligation to let them live in their midst and help them to reform.

Comrade Locke clearly does not see sexual offending as a personal evil choice, the consequences of which should be borne by the villain himself.

Comrade Locke is right that we should have compassion for sex offenders. They are human too and nobody is completely beyond redemption. However if you commit a heinous offence against a child, the most compassion you should realistically expect is not to be hung or castrated.

Some crimes cannot be atoned for in a lifetime. That is the harsh reality. The perpetrators of such crimes should be jailed for life to suffer and reflect on their flaws.

Those a bit lower down the scale of evil, may one day seek release from jail, to work every remaining day of their lives towards atonement and forgiveness.

They should be marked men for life. That is until they can prove (and the onus is most certainly on them) that they can once again be trusted by decent people.

Comrade Locke has no kids. He has been a Marxist nutcase his entire life. He has supported murderers, tyrants and torturers and praised them as heroes.

How does he have the cheek to tell decent, sane people that they should allow convicted sexual predators to mingle incognito with their children?

The man should be locked in a dark cell with six of them for a month. Dressed as above.

Mike and Gman Hit the Spot

Discovered two excellent posts today while surfing my blogroll.

Mike Heine has an excellent piece "liberalism and the Labour Market" on the stupidity of minimum wage laws and union attempts to manipulate the labour market.

"Unions and politicians over-complicate the labour market, and they do so at workers' peril. Of course if the Unions didn't there wouldn't be much call for them - hence why they make as much noise as they do. The labour market, like any other one, comes down to supply and demand. When demand for labour is high, expect the price (wages/salaries) to be higher. When supply is outdoing demand, it's going to be lower."

Gman hits the spot with a piece entitled

What if…..Greens Co-Leader Keith Locke were born 60 year earlier.

Bletchley Park—Buckinghamshire, January 7 1940

British Communist Party Co-Leader, Mr Keith Locke, today lead (yet another) protest outside the secretive Bletchley complex protesting the probably illegal use of technology and snooping believed to be undertaken in the plant, ominously code-named "station-X".

"Everyone knows what really goes on inside these gates," Mr Locke yelled, whilst holding an anti-American placard, "The Communist Party are the only voice in Parliament against sweeping new powers awarded to GCHQ and the shadowy sections 5 and 6 of Military Intelligence!. Workers of the world should unite against this oppression from Mr Churchill and his close chum Mr Roosevelt.

"We are in danger of becoming a surveillance state because of legislation that attacks our freedoms and civil liberties, with snooping into people's private lives the norm.

Mr Locke has been at the forefront of protest. Keith says: "We have to wake up to the fact that the so-called 'war against Nazism' is being used as an excuse for a serious infringement of our human rights..."

Check them out.

What's Stephen Franks Doing These Days?

What has former ACT MP and Justice spokesman, Stephen Franks, been up to lately?

After a period of "spraying gorse, hunting, skiing with friends, and ‘playing’ on my bulldozer", Stephen has returned to the law with his old firm, Chapman Tripp.

However a "non-exclusive consultancy lets me pursue some enthusiasms that Chapman Tripp might not ordinarily share. For example, I’ll continue to help the Sensible Sentencing Trust. I'll comment on matters legal through my uncensored occasional newsletter "unfranked".

Will he return to parliament? "It’s not ruled out, but I can be more objective if the opportunity arises in a year or so. I won ’t think about that while I get stuck in to re-establishing a law practice."

Stephen Franks was one of the gutsiest MPs in Parliament and by far the best advocate for sound constitutional and criminal law. Whether he returns to Parliament or not (I hope he does), I have no doubt he will continue to influence NZ's political and legal direction in a positive manner.

Simon Power Gets it Right on Sex Offenders

Congratulations to National Party Law and order spokesman, Simon Power for standing up for citizens rights. Mr Power was responding to the Corrections Department admitting there 292 paroled sex offenders in the country, but refusing to identify them or reveal their whereabouts.

In today's Press, Simon Power said the Department's attitude was "outrageous and asking for trouble". He added "Our communities and our children have a right to be protected from these people and must be told if they are living in their neighbourhoods"...this information goes to the heart of public interest"

Mr Power criticised the Department for hiding behind the Privacy Act and went on to say "Serious questions have to be asked about why these people get parole at all,...They should serve their full sentences, but then, having let these people out, the Corrections Department should at the very least should be telling the public where they are living."

One hundred per cent correct, Mr Power. But why should this only apply to sex offenders?

Perigo Back on Air

I hear that libertarian "curmudgeon", Lindsay Perigo is back on "Radio Live" for a short time.

Apparently he is filling the 10am-2pm slot while Michael Laws is filming "So You Wanna be a Rockstar?, Series 9"

Give Lindsay lots of calls and maybe "Radio Live" will see sense and put him back on permanently.

"Naming and Shaming"

A Christian friend, is fond of the phrase "name and shame". It means holding people personally and publicly to account for their sins, crimes or bad behaviour in the hope they will change their ways.

The key point is that change is the desired outcome. Punishment is secondary.

Currently in NZ it is pretty hard to apply this principle to criminal offenders, because often we don't even know who they are, or what they've done. The false notion that "once you've done your time, you've paid for your crime" is too prevalent' especially within the justice system.

Rehabilitating criminal offenders is a life long process that cannot be left to the state alone. As it is now, an offence or offences are committed, the offender is tried, jailed and often released in an unsuspecting community. Ex convicts are given anonymity by the state and communities are expected to fend for themselves.

Schools cannot guard against paedophiles, businesses are at the mercy of fraudsters and flatters don't know if their flat mate is a psychopath, because it is almost impossible to find out who you're dealing with.

What should happen? As past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour, criminal offenders should lose their "right" to privacy for life.

Every convicted criminal should have his or her details, photograph and criminal history entered in a computer database. This should accessible by all taxpayers. If you are a business, you should be able to check the record of any potential employee.
Any scout troop should be able to check out any potential scout master. Any school should be able to search the record of any teacher.

If the state, which we fund, wants to take on the responsibility of administering justice, it must make freely available to all tax payers, the records of that justice system.

The results of this would be less fraud, theft, rape, murder and fewer innocent people suffering at the hands of criminals.

It would give power back to individuals and communities to protect themselves from all levels of criminal offending. It would allow us to better protect our kids from paedophiles, our businesses from fraudsters and our homes from burglars. It would enable us to "name and shame" wife beaters, drunk drivers, petty thugs, graffiti vandals, shoplifters and the like.

It would also confront more wrong doers with more of the consequences of their actions. It would make conviction mean something. More people would try to avoid convictions, because unlike tattoos, they would with you for life. Some people are incorrigible, but most people will lead better lives if they know their community knows about their criminal behaviour.

Forgiveness, redemption and rehabilitation are mere fancy words unless people have the means to realistically evaluate those they are dealing with.

Information about convicted persons does not belong to the state. It belongs to those who pay for the gathering of it.

Perverts and Paedophiles are Public's Problem

According to this morning's "Press" there are 55 sex offenders on parole in the South Island and nearly 300 nationwide. There are 31 in my home town of Christchurch.

In response to an official information request from the "Press" for the number and location of paroled offenders, the Department of Corrections would only supply a list of regions offenders were paroled to.

Said Katrina Casey, the Department's general manager of probation and offender services "We believe there are no circumstances in the public interest that would make desirable the release of the information requested".

So get this. An offender rapes your 11 year old daughter. Rather than killing or castrating him yourself, you, good citizen that you are, entrust the state to arrest, try and punish the offender.

The state arrests, tries and "punishes" the individual, then lets him back out in the community. You, the taxpayer who forks out for all this, have no further right to monitor or know the whereabouts of that offender.

The offender will be placed in some unsuspecting community and "supervised" by some overworked probation officer, until he rapes another child or children and the cycle is repeated.

The main flaw here is the assumption that when the offender "does his time" he should be free of any further consequences of his crime. This is regardless of the fact that your daughter and your family will probably will probably bear the scars for life.

In a just society, the consequences of offending should stay with an offender for his entire life. That is, unless he takes sufficient steps, or does sufficient good to outweigh the evil that he has done.

Property Rights Essential for Prosperity

Rodney Hide has an excellent post, taking to task those who wish to force Telecom to give up the exclusive rights to their copper wire network.

According to pundits the way to speed up your internet connection is to “unbundle the local loop”. That means forcing Telecom to allow competitors to use the copper wire Telecom owns through to your house.

It’s the same argument that sees government trying to overtutrespassass laws to allow access to waterways.

Experts can see the result they want; the only thing that stands in their way is other people’s property. Easy, get government to pinch it.

Although private property rights are sometimes inconvenient to those who know what's best for us, they are the foundation of all freedom, progress and prosperity.

All investors in the future want to know that their investment is secure. Security of investment depends on rock solid property rights. Therefore property rights bring about increased investment which brings about greater prosperity.

Those who wish to dilute Telecom's property rights, see a short term gain. What they don't see is all those investors who spend their money elsewhere because NZ clearly can't be trusted to respect property rights.

Rona Bailey, "High Priestess" of New Zealand Communism Part 1

Two prominent former members of the Communist Party of NZ's, rebellious Wellington branch have died recently. Rona Bailey died in September, Tama Te Kapua (Tom) Poata in November, 2005. Both played a big role in the movements of their day and both are worth study by those who wish to understand NZ today. This is my profile of Rona Bailey.

Rona Stephenson was born in 1914 in Wanganui. She grew up in Gisborne, as the well off daughter of an ex Yorkshire coal miner, turned shoe importer. After leaving Gisborne Girl's High she trained as a primary school teacher in Auckland, then undertook a physical education scholarship in the US in 1937.

Ironically it was the US that turned her towards communism. She was inspired by a speech by the communist leader of the Longshoremen's Union, Harry Bridges. During a trip to Panama she attended a concert by black communist singer, Paul Robeson. The famous singer and the sight of a group of KKK cross burners in Virginia were to spark beginning of an interest in race politics that would last her life time.

Her courses in modern dance at New York's Columbia University also led her into the left wing theatre movement then flourishing.

Returning to NZ in 1939, Rona Stephenson became physical welfare officer for the Department of Internal Affairs in Hamilton. She moved to Wellington in 1941 to a position as the Department's senior womens physical welfare officer, which she held until 1952 when she contracted tuberculosis.

In Wellington, Rona Stephenson became involved in the communist dominated "Unity" theatre group. She formally joined the Communist Party in 1943. She also married and quickly divorced communist writer and student activist, Ron Meek. In 1945 she married another Communist Party member, Chip Bailey. They had one daughter, Meg in 1949.

Rona Bailey's two main interests were dance and communism. She founded the "New Dance Group" and traveled to the UK in 1949 to visit recreational centres. She managed a side trip to Czechoslovakia where she attended a festival of the Soviet Front, "World Federation of Democratic Youth". Bailey also visited Hungary and Yugoslavia where she joined a railway work gang and interviewed the communist leader Josip Tito.

Back in NZ, Rona Bailey became active in the campaign for equal pay for women. Before this successful campaign, women were paid less than men in the public service. Rona bailey was president of the "Public Service Association's" womens committee and used her position to promote the cause. The communists found it easy to gain support for this campaign.

The Bailey's also endured a difficult time, when Chip was briefly expelled from the Communist Party and ostracised by party supporters, for questioning the "party line". Chip Bailey was however, quickly rehabilitated and played a leading role in the "Wellington Drivers Union" and the campaign to establish the "Federation of Labour".

In 1951, the Bailey's played leading roles in communist support for the waterfront strike. Chip Bailey wrote and the couple distributed, the bulk of the illegal, pro union, bulletins circulated in Wellington. This involved smuggling literature around the capital by covert means, often in the dead of night.

The Bailey's hid a "Gestetner" in their flat and it was discovered during a police raid. They were fined 14 Pounds, a large sum of money in 1951, for possessing an unregistered printing machine.

Through the 1950's and early '60s Rona Bailey was active in several party fronts, including The NZ Peace Council and the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. She was also national secretary for the "Society for Closer Relations with Russia" and represented the society on a visit to the Soviet Union in 1962.

The timing of this visit was interesting, coming as it did just before the Sino- Soviet split of 1963. Some intelligence experts such as Soviet defector Anatoly Golitsyn have claimed the split was bogus and part of a long term communist disinformation campaign. Certainly Rona Bailey followed the NZ Communist Party in adopting the Chinese line. Some students of communism, however believe that though Rona Bailey worked with pro Chinese factions, she was in reality a Soviet agent. Maybe some future release of Soviet archive will be able to confirm this theory.

Rona Bailey was also a pioneering anti Apartheid activist, marching up Wellington's Lambton Quay in mid '50s, waving banners at the uncomprehending public. In 1959 she played leading role in the "No Maoris No Tour" campaign against sporting ties to South Africa. This campaign was run by the "Citizens All Black Tour Association", another Communist Party controlled organisation.

Chip Bailey died in 1963 of a brain tumour, aged only 42. Rona Bailey never remarried.

The "Young Ones"

A huge highlight for me this year was working with ACT's, ACT on Campus candidates.

I first met David Seymour, Mike Collins and Liz Barkla at the "World Freedom Summit" in Rotorua in July '04.

I met Andrew Falloon, Tetauru Emile, Scott Clune and PJ White a little later as they became more active in ACT, earlier this year.

I met Helen Simpson and Kerry O'Connor during the candidate selection process.

Every single one of these people is a potential MP or party president. What impressed me most was the level of understanding they all have of liberal principles, economics, politics and social trends.

I really do mean this. These people are not in politics for social climbing, or to add something to their CVs. They all understand what we are fighting for and are all committed to a better NZ.

Every one is an idealist, but they're all grounded and well rounded people.

I think this crop of "young turks" will play a big role in ACT and the wider freedom movement in the future. It cheered me no end to have you all on board and I know that Rodney, Heather, Catherine, Brian and the board feel the same way.

What also cheers me are the others coming through the ranks behind them.

So have a good break guys. Those who've graduated, all the best with your careers. Those who are back on campus next year, keep working on the next crop.

A Big "Ups" for Heather Roy

I first met Heather Roy at Canterbury University Clubs Day in 2003. To be honest when I first met her I thought she was one of the students.

Heather was the "buddy MP" for our region and helped me in my roles, first as chairman of ACT Christchurch Central and later as board member for the Upper South region.

Heather is a big part of the reason why ACT is doing so much better in this region now. She is an extremely organised and committed person and has worked tirelessly for the electorates in her "patch".

Her command of her "portfolio" Health is excellent and as a first term MP had Labour's Health Minister, Annette King, on the back foot on many occasions.

Rodney Hide once called her the toughest member of his caucus and I would concur with that. I've seen her handle some tricky customers and she took absolutely no crap.

Heather is now the "buddy MP" for all NZ outside of Auckland, so we'll probably see a bit less of her down here. But remember NZ ACT people, she was our "buddy MP" first.

I hope you, Duncan and the kids have a great Xmas and holiday break.

Rodney is Metro's Auckland MP of the Year

"Metro" readers have voted Rodney Hide as the top Auckland MP of the year.

Doesn't Metro sell south of the Bombay Hills? Why only Auckland?

Congratulations Rodney, you've been a truly inspirational leader in a very tough year for ACT. Have a good break and come back better than ever.

Hugo Chavez, Castro's Man in Venezuela

Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chavez is a key player in Fidel Castro's plans to socialise Latin America.

Venezuela is the world's fifth-largest oil producer, giving Chavez controls of 15% of US oil imports. Like Libya's Qadaffi (before he was semi tamed), Chavez is using oil wealth to consolidate power at home and export revolution to his neighbours.

While Venezuela's oil revenues subsidises food prices for the poor, it is also being used to buy weapons such as 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles and 30 attack helicopters from the Russians. There also have been discussions about a $4 billion purchase of MiG fighter jets.

Venezuelan oil also is sold at discount prices to Cuba, which in turn supplies doctors, teachers and military advisors to Venezuela. Chavez openly cites Fidel Castro as his model.

Colombia has accused Chavez of supporting the Narco-terrorist organization Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (which is at war with the Colombian government). Other neighbors have made similar accusations against Chavez.

Chavez has been a major player in the Sao Paolo Forums, which have been held all over Latin America since 1990 and their recent successor,the "Bolivarian Congress of the Peoples" which have been hosted by Chavez in Caracas.

The Forums were the brainchild of Marco Aurelio Garcia a Brazilian based Marxist. In 1980, Garcia founded PT, the Brazilian Worker's Party, with Lula da Silva. Since then, he has been PT's international affairs advisor. The PT gained power in Brazil in January 2003, under "Lula's" leadership.

In 1990on Garcia called a meeting of all socialist groups from Latin America and the Caribbean. Representatives from 48 different communist parties and terrorist groups attended. This was the Sao Paolo Forum which Marco Aurelio Garcia led until 2002.

As the leader of the Sao Paulo Forum, Garcia controls the activities of Marxist guerrillas and subversives from Mexico to Argentina. Many members of the Sao Paulo Forum are openly terrorist. There is no doubt about Garcia's ambition. To quote from an article he wrote on the "Communist Manifesto", "The agenda is clear. If this new horizon which we search for is still called communism, it is time to re-constitute it."

In 2002 Chavez was almost toppled by a huge strike in the petroleum industry. His friend Garcia saved his bacon by arranging a Brazilian tanker, the Amazon Explorer, to deliver to Chavez 520.000 barrels of gasoline from the Brazilian oil company Petrobras.

Chavez also had strong ties to Saddam Hussein in Iraq and personally visited the dictator in Baghdad. After Chavez's first visit, Castro then sent his right-hand man, Rodrigo Alvarez Cambras, to Iraq for discussions with Saddam. It is believed that Saddam Hussein, Castro and Chavez worked together on bio-weapons projects. Hussein is out of the picture, but there are fears that Brazil's president "Lula" and Marco Aurelio Garcia want to restart Brazil's abandoned nuclear weapons programme.

In the near future, the US is facing the possibility of a nuclear armed Brazil, an oil rich Venezuela and a continent infested with powerful communist parties and terrorist groups, all led by Fidel Castro. This will be a threat to US interests far greater than anything Saddam Hussein was ever capable of.

Nichlemn's New Blog

Nichlemn has a new Blog Who Cares. He's got some great solutions for the world's problems ie blow up the planet.

He's even more astute when it comes to NZ's economic problems. How does a $50 dollar an hour minimum wage and 52 weeks a year paid holiday grab you?

Some think he is an ACT supporter, others suspect he's an economic advisor to Michael Cullen. Check him out before he's snapped up by the World Bank or the IMF.

Bullshit Statistics Cost us Billions

You know how everything from crime, to bullying, to cigarette smoking is costing the country X billion dollars a year?

Well Lindsay Mitchell adds it up and wonders how come we ain't broke yet. Great post. Check it out.

Another Socialist Victory in Latin America

South America continues in its slide into socialism with the election of Evo Morales
to the leadership of Bolivia.

Bolivian socialist leader Evo Morales has won enough votes in the country's presidential election to be installed as leader, electoral officials say. The country's electoral court confirmed that with almost two-thirds of the votes counted, Mr Morales' share was enough for him to win.

From Granma Newspaper of the Cuban Communist Party 20th December 2005

"IN one of his first statements to the press after his election as president, Evo Morales stated by telephone from La Paz for the popular Cuban informative space of the Roundtable: "I personally had and have much confidence in the Bolivian people.

"Those who killed us with bullets are now trying to kill us with lies, but the Bolivian population knows who I am and those dirty campaigns had no effect, given that the marginalized poor know who to defend and why they are doing so," he emphasized in a statement for the Roundtable.

He added that he is already at the stage of organizing his cabinet and is planning to travel abroad in order to be in contact with other leaders.

He sent a message of thanks to the all the Cuban people and government for their constant solidarity with the Bolivians by demonstrating to the world that one can fight with dignity and sovereignty, and took advantage of the situation to reiterate his condemnation of the US economic, commercial and financial blockade of the island."

Morales is the leader of the "Movement Towards Socialism which he founded in 1995. The MAS had been a long time participant in the the "Sao Paolo Forum" meetings which have united Latin American Communist and Socialist parties in recent years.

It is also on the Secretariat of the Sao Paolo Forum's successor organisation, the "Bolivarian Congress of the Peoples" which has been meeting in Caracas, Venezuela. Other parties on the Congress Secretariat include the Cuban Communist Party, the El Salvadorean FMLN and Marxist Hugo Cavez's Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela.

Morales is openly allied to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. With Bolivia, Venezuela and Brazil all run by pro Castro Marxists and several other Marxist movements close to power on the continent, it seems socialism ain't quite so dead after all.

Labour Bashes the Young and the Unskilled

The adult minimum wage will increase from $9.50 to $10.25 an hour from 27 March 2006, and the youth minimum wage from $7.60 to $8.20 per hour. Labour's goal is for the adult minimum wage to reach $12 an hour by the end of 2008.

When is Labour going to learn? You can't increase someones labour value on the market by passing a law. You can't make people pay $10 per Kg for tomatoes by passing a law to that effect. People will simply by onions instead.

As a very rough rule of thumb, a worker has to produce five times what you pay them to make it worthwhile. That is, if you pay someone $10 per hour, by the time you add on taxes, overheads, mistakes, wastage, training costs, cost of capital, etc etc etc they have to produce at least $50 per hour to make the relationship worthwhile for the employer.

If you in any way reduce that margin, the employer gains nothing by employing someone and may, in fact, lose money. Therefore if you raise the minimum wage you make it very difficult for young and/or unskilled people to get jobs at all. You also put the jobs of marginal workers at risk.

Economic conditions have been good, but few, including Michael Cullen, expect that to continue. The Labour government has enacted legislation that has made employing people even more marginal economically and very risky legally. If the economy goes south, these laws will start to bite. Coupled with an increase in the minimum wage we will see real pressure on marginal jobs.

Young people, immigrants, lowly skilled and even some older workers will be consigned to the dole, the sickness benefit, or some scam subsidised course on the local marae or polytech.

How arrogant is it for some Cabinet Minister on $200,000 pa to tell a 19 year old Samoan girl from Otara that she cannot sell her labour to the local clothing factory for $7.50 per hour? How cruel is it to tell that girl that she can never climb the ladder of success because the government forbids her getting on the first rung.

In their generosity however, the government does pay benefits and it has legalised prostitution (with no minimum price) so the girl will have options.

Just a thought: if you raised the price prostitutes could charge to $300 per....encounter, would more men become Labour cabinet ministers or union officials?

Fight the Power-Moccachino Marxists

Message on the "Unite" union website to all the burger bar revolutionaries and coffee bar communists, fighting in the jungles of Takapuna and Howick.

Solidarity!!

Messages of Support

Greetings comrades!

I hope that your cause works out and that we SMASH the evil capitalist masters that rape our workers financially every single day.

Keep fighting the good fight and I will see you all at the front.

Joseph

Fight the power, all you Cheeseburger Ches, Latte Lenins and Moccachino Marxists.

Tom Poata, the Original "Maori Radical" (Final)

In 1981 Tom Poata was truly in his element. The Springbok Tour brought chaos to NZ's cities and Poata and his friends were in the thick of it.

Initially Poata worked with Wellington's, "Citizen's Opposed to the Springbok Tour" organisation. He was elected to the COST Marshalls Committee after Alick Shaw (now deputy mayor of Wellington) was asked to recommend members. COST was completely controlled by Maoists from the newly formed, "Workers Communist League."

COST consistently denied the charge of WCL domination but a list of COST officials and activists, with WCL connections includes Rona Bailey, Peter Beach, Eileen Cassidy, Martha Coleman, Campbell Duignan, Christine Gillespie, Richard Hellyer, Dave MacPherson, Lisa Sacksen, Alick Shaw, Ron Smith, David Stott, Roger Tobin and Simon Wilson.

According to the police "Red Squad's" Ross Meurant, Poata was a COST marshall at the Wellington Springbok test and "could be clearly seen directing the activities of the mob who opposed Red Group on Rintoul St"

In August 1981 PM Muldoon released a Security Intelligence Service report containing a list of anti-tour radicals. It said Poata was a COST demonstration marshall in anti-Springbok Tour protests advocating violent confrontation with the police and had come to consider WCL tactics ineffectual.

The report stated "A radical element within COST is dissatisfied with WCL discipline. Tom Poata, Ted Nia and Barney Pikari have urged greater militancy and will now plan their activities independently of the COST marshalls' committee. Both Poata and Nia were marshalls on July 29 when batons were used in Molesworth Street. Just as in Auckland the breakaway radicals hoped to take advantage of large demonstrations to confront the police."

In the mid '1980s Poata returned to film to push his propaganda line. He wrote and was the associate producer of the film "Ngati", which was fully funded by the Film Commission. Ngati was praised in the socialist journal NZ Monthly Review "It embraces a class consciousness (the awareness by the workers that they need to control the means of production) . . . It harmonises ethnic and class consciousness to fight the broader economic oppression."

In November 1987 Poata himself told the "Public Service Association Journal" "Ngati was developed as a statement of struggle from the indigenous people of NZ." Poata took the film to the Cannes Film Festival where it earned high praise. In 1988 "Ngati" received an award for Best Film in a film festival at Taomarina in Italy. At the presentation ceremony, a Russian director and jury president Nikita Mikhalkov, praised the film and said "It had everything, everything you look for in a film. . . There was no other film to come first."

In 1988 Poata was appointed by then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russell Marshall to his "Advisory Committee on Southern Africa". The committee advised Marshall on African policy and was loaded with Marxists. Another prominent member was the old Maoist, Trevor Richards with whom Poata had founded HART in 1969.

It is surprising that Poata gained a security clearance, because in his SIS file (which Poata had obtained in 1981 while attempting to sue PM Muldoon for defamation) it stated "he had been involved in a plot to overthrow the government. The plot involved an arms store on Wellington's Mt Victoria..."

Despite, or perhaps because of, his radicalism Poata was contracted to editing documentaries under contract to the Broadcasting Corporation. He was involved with several other films and documentaries right up until recent times.

Poata was also involved other related causes. According to an obituary by Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples "Tom was also a pioneer in the pursuit of Maori intellectual property, ensuring there was cultural protection long before others had even heard of it. He initiated the WAI 262 claim by calling together the original claimants, and lodging the original claim".

According to the Maori Party's other co-leader, Tariana Turia."Tom was one of our quiet revolutionaries who changed our world for the better, in so many different areas..... Tom was at the forefront of the call for justice - he was instrumental in the planning of the Maori Land March in 1975, he took the test case which saw the 17 people arrested at Raglan walk free, and he is remembered for the extra precaution he took in trying to ensure the safety of people during the Molesworth Street clash with police over the Springbox Tour of 1981"

"The nation has lost a much-loved and well-respected advocate of Te Tiriti o Waitangi"

Tom Poata was a very brave and committed man. He was also a hard core Marxist-Leninist who used racial or "National Question" politics to fundamentally change this country.

He is an inspiration to many young disaffected Maori who strive to forfill his vision. Only by understanding Tom Poata's agenda can we prevent the chaos it will most certainly bring if we are gutless enough to allow it.

Student Scam Story Number 3

Mike Heine's Blog On the Right, explains how voluntary student unionism was overturned at Waikato University recently

"Last week the students at Waikato University were forced to return to compulsory membership of the student union. Voluntary membership had been in place since 1996 and had been voted for at referenda every year since. At the most recent referendum before last week’s one, in 1999, 33 percent of the University voted and the result was overwhelmingly in favour of voluntary membership. Other referenda had voter turnouts of between 25 and 33 percent.

Last week, 10.5 percent of the campus voted. Most people were at home on their study break before exams.

Now here’s another question for those of you playing at home:
if the Government decided to hold an election and
- they decided to hold it the following day
- it was the summer holidays, the least likely time that people will be in their electorates
- no other parties got the opportunity to put their view across to the voters
- the election was run by supporters of the Government
- only 10.5 percent of the country voted
would you deem the election to be fair and democratic?

Well, that’s exactly what the students at Waikato had to go through last week.
In addition, at a meeting of pro-compulsory groups and people, including Vice-Chancellor Bryan Gould, it was decided that if the result came out compulsory, then the WSU President would become the student representative on the university council. This will be instead of the duly elected candidate, M. Forbes, who achieved more than twice the support from voters than the three WSU executive members earlier in the year.

Compulsory supporters claim that by not having a WSU member on the council means that the student representative could vote blatantly against the student’s wishes and not be stopped. That is a remarkable statement to make given that the WSU is quashing the student’s wishes in removing the democratically-elected representative and replacing him with one of their own - a person who has also gone against her own constitution which says the Union must campaign for voluntary membership."

This kind of scenario is common on university campuses. There is a lot at stake here. Some student unions have multi million dollar budgets and are often seen by the media as representative of student opinion. Student executives are often elected by fewer than 10% of eligible voters. They are more often than not dominated by socialists who then dish out huge amounts of student's money to their pet causes.

Just as voluntary unionism greatly improved NZ's industrial environment, so universal voluntary student unionism would vastly improve campus life.

Christmas Joke

Did you hear about the dyslexic Devil-worshipper?

He sold his soul to S-A-N-T-A.

Student Scam Story Number 2

Mike Heine reveals the tactics used by the Otago University Students Association to defeat the campaign for Voluntary Student Membership.

From his Blog "On the Right"

"When I was at Otago University I helped the campaign to make the student union voluntary. We lost because although the law required both sides of the debate to be funded equally, the Otago University Students Association were given a 'gift' from the University Bookshop of around $30,000 for their campaign. As it was a donation they weren't required to give us the same amount. However, as the OUSA owned FIFTY PERCENT of the Bookshop, it can hardly be argued that it was all above board."

Dirty little totalitarians aren't they? The trouble is a lot of these little Hitlers go on to bigger things.

Deborah Coddington for Reserve Bank Governor

Former ACT MP Deborah Coddington has got it dead right with her excellent article on Reserve Bank heavy handedness in yesterday's NZ Herald. Some excerpts

It's difficult to admit you were wrong, so I'll take a deep breath. Thirteen years ago I wrote in praise of the Reserve Bank Act's price stability agreement and its single objective of achieving stable prices. Foolishly, I didn't ask why price stability was a noble objective, just accepted that keeping inflation below 2 per cent was a good thing.

But when the current Reserve Bank Governor Dr Alan Bollard lifted the official cash rate for the ninth time in two years, I started to wonder... We don't have massive unemployment, free trade with China has given NZers cheap and plentiful goods, the Labour Government hasn't dramatically reversed much of the Lange-Douglas deregulation and privatisation. So where's the inflation bogeyman we're so terrified of?

Why do we persist in calling a commodity price rise inflation?

At the moment property's to blame - there are more buyers than land and buildings for sale, so prices go up. Dr Bollard wants property prices to fall, so he raises the price of money. I don't get it. Money suppliers are permitted to earn more, but property suppliers aren't.

Lifting the cash rate makes the Kiwi dollar very desirable, so the exchange rate goes up and that really hurts exporters, who are also manufacturers and/or producers. They get squeezed, respond rationally by closing plants and reducing staff, unemployment goes up, productivity goes down, social welfare spending increases, so we get inflation. You could argue the Reserve Bank causes inflation.

How can those who say they support a free-market economy based on supply and demand also support a state-owned institution legally charged with freezing prices?

Last week Dr Bollard raised the cash rate to 7.25 per cent - the highest it's ever been. But two out of three homeowners in New Zealand don't have mortgages and 80 per cent of those who do have mortgages are on a fixed rate of interest. Yet Bollard firmly predicts his intervention means house prices will drop by 5 per cent and reckons he's been "saying this for two years so you'd have to be pretty thick not to get it".

Well, how thick do you have to be to answer me this: New Zealand is hugely dependent on manufacturing, agricultural production and exporting, so why do we tell that sector they're bad people, not needed for wealth creation? Just because good people want to buy property?

Indeed Deborah. Commodity price rises are not inflation. They are simply manifestations of the law of "supply and demand". Inflation is the process whereby government "inflates" the money supply and dilutes it value to cover budget deficits.

In other words, a government doesn't have enough cash to pay its bills. Its afraid to put up taxes. So it prints extra money so that more and more paper money or credit is in circulation. This bids up prices all over the economy .

Inflation is the cause, rising prices are the effect. Alan Bollard is attempting to smash down housing prices by beating up on the whole economy. It's like cutting off your leg to get rid of an ingrown toenail.

Question. Deborah Coddington is a journalist. How come she understands economics better than the Reserve Bank governor?

Lindsay Mitchell's new Blog

Lindsay Mitchell, ACT's number nine and Hutt South candidate from the '05 election has launched a Blog. Lindsay has been campaigning against the state strangulation of genuine welfare since 2001. She is currently petitioning Parliament for a review of the DPB. In Lindsay's words.

This blog intends to debunk the myths surrounding the welfare state. The government is not caring and compassionate. It cannot replace families and community. The welfare state is unsustainable economically, socially and morally.

The link is on my Blogroll

Tom Poata, the Original "Maori Radical" Part 2

Around 1969 Tom Poata had come to know the Lake family. Poata and the Lakes worked together in many areas including the Communist Party's youth wing, the Progressive Youth Movement, which Poata was delegated to watch over. One of the Lake's three daughters', Sally, helped found the Wellington PYM in 1969.

Doug and Ruth Lake served in NZ's Legation in Moscow from 1946 to 1949. In 1954 Doug Lake left the External Affairs Department, rather than face a security investigation. The couple became closely involved with the Wellington branch of the Communist Party, Ruth Lake joining the communist controlled Society for Closer Relations with Russia.

From 1963 to 1968 both worked in the Foreign Languages Institute, Peking, polishing work for the foreign language press. They traveled each year to various provinces of China including Mongolia (1964) and Tibet (1965). The Lakes lived through the "Cultural Revolution" and all three daughters were believed to have been active in the "Red Guards". On returning to NZ in 1969, Doug Lake became active in the communist controlled NZ-China Friendship Society. He wrote a booklet "Tibet, the Facts", published by the Wellington branch of the Society.

It included these quotes "As the Chinese see it, the national question is in essence a class question. In exploiting class society the ruling class of each nation tries to expand its sphere of exploitation and oppression to others. In order to achieve this it sets one people against another. Thus the national (or racial) question arise from the actions of the oppressing classes of the exploiting nationality... China's national policy therefore can be described as a class policy by which minority nationalities are assisted to liberate themselves in order to take the path of socialist development..."

The Communist Party wanted to apply the "National Question" strategy in NZ. The Maori people were seen as an important tool in bringing about revolution.

In 1971 Poata wrote the foreword for a book "Te Karanga A Te Kotuku" by Saana Murray, about a land rights struggle in Hapua, North Auckland. The book was edited by Ruth Lake.

The same year Poata wrote a letter with Ruth Lake, Jo Lake and Jackson Smith (all representing the "Maori Organisation On Human Rights") to the NZ Antiwar Mobilisation Committee suggesting how to improve on the April 30th Antiwar demos, which the four attended. They suggested a march around NZ as an alternative strategy.

Jackson Smith, a Maori Drivers Union official, became a covert member of the pro Soviet, Socialist Unity Party in 1973. He later became a leading member of the SUP's "Commission on the National Question" and worked with Poata and other radicals on racial issues.

In 1975 a "Maori Land March" was organised by "Te Matakite o Aotearoa", of which Poata was secretary. A few months after the march the organisers tried to set up a tent embassy outside parliament, they wrote to Chairman Mao, British newspapers and world leaders to promote their cause. Poata's "tent mate" was a young Tame Iti, also an identified Communist Party member during the 1980's.

In 1977 Poata took 6 months leave from activism to star in the NZ historical film "The Governor". This was a new phase in Poata's career, working in film to push his racial politics to a wider audience.

In February 1978 Poata was arrested at a "land rights" protest at Raglan Golf Course. He wrote an article for the Trotskyite paper "Socialist action" on the protest. "In fact the whole economic system is set up on the basis of the pakeha majority. And this is an unfortunate thing." He also warned of "real violence, bullets and bloodshed over land issues" [Chch Star 25 May 1988]

That year Poata was involved in protest marches in support of the maori/communist occupation of Bastion Point. In 1979 he was active, with Barney Pikari in Te Matakite o Poneke, a Wellington based "Maori Rights" group. In May 1979 Poata addressed a Wellington "Socialist Forum" (organised by the "Socialist Action League")on Maori issues, with Raglan protest leader, Eva Rickard and Barney Pikari. In September 1979 Poata and Pikari attended in Wellington a celebration of 10 years of the "Socialist Action" newspaper.

By 1980 Poata was hanging around with Maoists again, addressing a meeting of the Victoria University "Progressive Students Association".

Timaru Rebel Fights "Fag" Fascists

From today's NZ Herald
"The fight is not over for Timaru publican Geoffrey Mulvihill who was convicted yesterday of failing to enforce the smokefree legislation in his tavern.

Mulvihill was ordered to pay a total of $15,000 in fines and costs at the Timaru District Court for not taking all reasonably practicable steps to ensure nobody smoked in his bar.

But the pub owner said today that people from all over the country had been calling and offering to help pay the fine. Donations now stood at $4000 to $5000.

"They (donors) said they were pleased with the stand and to keep going. Because I haven't finished yet -- as you can imagine. It's not over yet, it's just the first round,"

He said he was not going to appeal his sentence, but had "other ways of attacking" the legislation. He declined to reveal his plans.

Mulvihill was the first publican to be tried under the Smokefree Environment Act which came into effect on December 10, 2004.

He argued that it was up to individuals to choose whether or not to smoke in bars, saying: "I'm standing up for the people of New Zealand's basic freedom of rights."

I've got to confess a slight personal connection here. My wife has known the Mulvihill family since childhood. She says that Geoff has always been a bit of a rebel and is a local "legend". He is a great guy from a great family.

We need to encourage people like Geoff Mulvihill. I'd rather have one battler like him around than a 100 pious little Health Department pricks, or some condescending "beak" who thinks its OK to slug a man $9,000, for trying to stand up for his rights.

Ring up the Carlton Hotel in Timaru and give Geoff a message of support. Better yet send him a donation


Definition of Fascism

A system of government that allows private "ownership" of property but dictates how that property may be used.

5,000 Hits

Just ticked over 5,000 "hits".

Thanks to all my readers out there and to my colleagues in the freedom end of the "blogosphere" for their support.

Trevor L

Rodney Hide-Poli of the Year

The Christchurch Press' political commentatator Peter Luke has named ACT leader, Rodney Hide as "Politician of the Year".

Luke named Rodney above Michael Cullen, John Key and Bill English because he:

"ensured his own political survival and that of his party by winning the affluent Epsom seat from National...His feat was all the more outstanding because virtually every political pundit and at least one media poll, gave Hide no show in the seat.

Although ACT's party vote entitled it to just one other MP, no other NZ MP achieved what Hide did this year-pulling his party back from the brink of extintion.

For this reason Hide ranks as the politician of the year".

Rodney Hide has achieved more in opposition than most Cabinet Ministers ever achieve. Imagine what Rodney could do in cabinet or in a "confidence and supply" agreement with a reforming government.

Poli of the century?

Eden Bacon? Not Bloody Likely, I'm an Anarchist

The Premier Bacon Company is threatening legal action against Mark Eden of the Wellington Animal Rights Network, who has registered premierbacon.co.nz and put up a website criticising Premier Bacon's factory farming practices.

This is a step up in sophistication for Eden. In 1996 the unemployed anarchist was sentenced to 100 hours community service and reparations of $1911 after smashing windows with slingshots, gluing locks and painting "kill all duckshooters" on the Complete Anglers Shop in central Christchurch.

In his "career" Eden has been involved with the Maoist/Anarchist, Aotearoa Youth Network, arrested at a Waitangi Day protest in Wellington, protested against the Kaimanawa wild horse cull and attended the "Anarchist Odyssey" conference in Christchurch in 2001.

He has also been involved in Peace Action Wellington and was arrested with two others during a 2003 protest. One of the protestors, Paul Hopkinson was later charged (and aquitted) of burning the NZ flag. Hopkinson and the other protestor, Jared Philips have since joined the Revolutionary Workers League. Eden has stuck to anarchism and "animal rights" activism..

Nick Smith, May I Have a Picnic on Your Lawn?

National's Nelson MP, Nick Smith is a major worry. His latest idiocy is his Overseas Investment (Queen's Chain Extension) Amendment Bill, currently before a select committee.

According to today's Press, Smith's bill proposes that "when a foreigner tries to buy land that includes ocean, lake or river frontages, it should be possible to force the formation of an esplanade reserve for public purposes as a condition of sale."

Federated Farmers, the Law Society and Carter Holt Harvey all oppose the bill on the grounds that eroding property rights for foreigners will set a precedent for eroding NZers property rights.

They've also argued that such a move will lower property values.

They're quite right, but don't foreigners also have property rights? Aren't foreigners buying land in NZ entitled to the same rights as citizens?

If we want foreign investment in this country (I do) our top priority should be abolishing all laws (Nick Smith's daft bill, the RMA etc) that in anyway impinge on anybody's property rights

Franks Takes Courts to Task

Former ACT MP Stephen Franks makes some excellent points in his latest "Unfranked".

"An Auckland court withheld from the jury a videotape said to show Noel Rogers confessing to killing Katherine Sheffield. He was acquitted last week.

TVNZ wants to show us the video so we can judge for ourselves what was excluded from our so-called "open courts". Rogers objects. In round one this week the court supports him, worried that Rogers’ privacy would be breached, and considering the Police conduct to be”improper”.

This is “hero judging”. TVNZ should remind the appeal judges of a simple truth. Acquittal just means not proven beyond reasonable doubt. It does not force the rest of us to accept the accused's innocence. A victim can win a private lawsuit based on exactly the same evidence as failed in the criminal acquittal case, reassessed on the civil “balance of probabilities” standard. Nicole Simpson’s family succeeded against O J Simpson on that basis.

Acquittal merely means that the State's powers of punishment cannot be used against the person acquitted. Victims and relatives and employers and news agencies must remain free to make up their own minds, and free speech helps ensure we have the information on which to exercise our freedom of thought.

An acquitted person can use defamation law for protection from baseless accusations.

Thankfully TVNZ has the resolve and the resources to fight on in this case...."

Stephen Franks is right. The courts are only one of society's sanctions against evildoing. People must be able to judge and act accordingly to individuals, regardless of a court verdict.

A good example of this flawed legal logic is the idea that once a criminal has served his time (whether, thief, murderer or paedophile) "society" should automatically forgive all and welcome the offender back into its bosom.

Forgiveness and judgement are individual acts. No court can dictate them.

Tom Poata, the Original "Maori Radical" Part 1

Two prominent former members of the Communist Party of NZ's, rebellious Wellington branch died recently. Rona Bailey died in September, Tama Te Kapua (Tom) Poata in November. Both played big roles in the movements of their day and both are worth study by those who wish to understand NZ today.

Here is part one of a look at Tom Poata's life.

A member of Ngati Porou tribe, Tama Poata was born in 1936 on the East Coast and was educated at Tokomaru Bay High School. In the early '50s he worked worked on the Roxburgh hydro project. There his "conceptions of politics were shattered by contact with socialists who were involved in the '51 waterfront strike."

By the 1960s he was living in Wellington, working as an organisor with the Communist Party controlled, Drivers Union and active in the Party. In 1966 the CPNZ front, the NZ Peace Council organised a demo against US President Lyndon Johnson during his visit to Wellington. A large contingent of maoris took part, led by Poata.

Already known as a firebrand, Poata spoke at the 1967 "Peace, Power & Politics Conference" in Wellington. The conference was designed to oppose NZ's involvement in the Vietnam War. Poata told the assembled peaceniks "The struggle of the Vietnam people to obtain self-determination is similar to the Maori struggle in New Zealand. The fundamental difference between them is that real bullets are being used in Vietnam." [CPNZ's People's Voice 17 April 1968].


By 1968, Poata was the founder and Secretary/Treasurer of NZ's first "Maori Radical" group, the Maori Organisation On Human Rights". On Waitangi Day that year, Poata was involved in a protest on the steps of Parliament in which an open letter was delivered to Prime Minister Holyoake. The letter demanded withdrawal of the Maori Affairs Amendment Bill of 1967 which Poata said "served to enhance exploitation of this country and its people by overseas capital interests" [CPNZ's People's Voice February 14].

Poata was a good "networker and in November 1968 was in Auckland. As chairman of MOOHR he addressed a meeting of people from various Maori organisations in Auckland. The meeting passed a resolution of unanimous support for the aims and objects of MOOHR and vowed to keep in touch with Poata's people in Wellington. " The MOOHR, said Mr Poata, is against the Maori people playing any part in the Vietnam War. It wanted no part in killing Vietnamese workers and peasants who were fighting for the same rights as the Maori people themselves." [CPNZ's People's Voice 13 Nov 1968].

In March 1969 , the MOOHR condemned the Maori Council for supporting the 1970 All Black tour of South Africa and supported Syd Jackson for his leaflet "I'm against the Tour". [CPNZ's People's Voice 2 April 1969].

In May 1969 a meeting called by a young Maoist student politician, Trevor Richards was held in the executive lounge of the Auckland University Students Union. Invitations were sent to Citizens Association for Racial Equality groups, trade unions, churches, Maori groups, students organisations and the United Nations Association. The aim was to set up a radical new anti-Apartheid organisation. MOOHR sent a delegation from Wellington. Delegate Tom Poata christened the new group, Halt All Racist Tours, or HART.

In 1970 at Waitangi weekend, Poata attended the formation of the NZ Race Relations Council at Waikato University, hosted by Hamilton CARE. This was a Maoist front aimed at highlighting "racism" in NZ and Apartheid in South Africa.

Organisations represented by the 150 attending, included CARE, United Nations Association, NZ University Students Association, the Riverside Community, National Council of Churches, Public Service Association, HART, the Christian Pacifists, Christchurch Catholic Peace Fellowship, Canterbury Fabian Society, NZ Student Christian Movement, Cook Islands Society, Maori Womens Welfare League, MOOHR, Northern Drivers Union, Otage Trades Council, Society of Friends, Radical Students Association and Defence and Aid Fund for Victims of Apartheid.

Poata told the assembly "I believe that in a revolution some people get knocked over and some are left standing. It depends on your interpretation of violence. The South African coloured people have been very passive because they've had no arms to meet violence with violence. As a trade unionist, I'm prepared to put words into action and will die doing this if necessary." [NZMonthly Review March 1970]
In 1971 Poata was elected to the executive of the NZ Race Relations Council

On June 12th 1970, the day before the All Blacks were to depart for South Africa, Poata, Don Borrie (secretary of NZ Student Christian Movement) and Paul Grocott (president of NZUSA) organised a demonstration in Wellington which held up traffic for two hours. 31 people were arrested.

In August 1970 Poata attended the Radical Activist Congress At Victoria University. He spoke at the forum on "The Exploitation of Ethnic Minorities" where he was described as "a member of the dissolved Wellington Communist Party". The Party's entire Wellington branch had recently been expelled by Auckland HQ. Poata was now an independent who worked mainly with Maoist leaning communists

Frogblog Compares Orewa Speech to Cronulla Riots

The Green party's Frogblog has once again lost the pond. In a post today, one of our slimy green comrades, tried to compare the thuggery of the Cronulla beach rioting, to National leader Don Brash's famed "Orewa Speech".

Don Brash's speech called for one law for all and an end to race based laws in NZ.
To the slimy green socialists of Frogblog this means he is encouraging racism and is only a little better morally than the thugs and "Lebo bashers" of Cronulla Beach.

Croaks Frogblog
"You see, it may be that when comparing events that have thrust race relations to the forefront of the political agenda, Cronulla is Australia’s Orewa. If it is, then happily my country is more civilised than the one across the Tasman.

For as unpleasant as Brash and Peters’ tactics have been, at least the racist backlash here has, so far, been largely contained within the political process."

For Frogblog to make any alignment at all between an honest man trying to heal this country's racial problems and the drunken thugs of Cronulla is quite apalling.

Frogblogs sick post shows just how warped the Greens are. How can they think such rubbish is acceptable on an official party blog?

Sorry David ; Standards Based Assessment is Crap

David Farrar over at Kiwiblog has got it half right on "standards based assessment." David agrees with the NZ Herald "that standards-based assessment is as well suited to some subjects as it is ill suited to others. It works well for motor mechanics or maths, but far less well for arts and humanities."

Sorry David, SBA and the "Unit Standards" awarded under that system, are in some ways even worse for technical learning. I hear David's arguement all the time, mainly from people in academia with no experience of technical training.

SBA has several disadvantages in trade or technical training and no advantages I've ever come across. (I am involved in apprenticeship training and am a fairly unpopular member of our Industry Training Organisation's, Sector Advisory Group. My main mission in this role is to get SBA dumped before it further wrecks what's left of our apprenticeship system.

SBA is extremely cumbersome to administer and involves large amounts of paperwork.

SBA is expensive to administer. It creates a very top heavy training pyramid. To get people "assessed" you either have to large amounts of time or employ an outside contractor. Many small businesses cannot afford this.

SBA allegedly measures "competence" in various tasks, then adds up the number of credits to produce "qualifications" There need be little overall understanding of the trade involved. Indeed real understanding is discouraged as the apprentice tends to think he knows it all when he gets a credit for rolling a bun, putting a croissant on tray or having a conversation with his girlfriend's mother.(serious)

SBA has zero integrity. Every workplace assesses differently and many, including training organisation staff, routinely cheat the system.

SBA adds huge complexity to apprenticeship training with zero discernible benefit. I believe this complexity is a major disincentive to training apprentices and is partly why numbers are so low. I believe it also contributes heavily to the very high (60% or more in some industries) apprenticeship dropout rate.

Ask yourself-why would non academic kids leave school to learn a trade, then spend hours a week on meaningless, farcical and non productive SBA work?

Have a look into this David and have chat to Bill English. This is a very serious issue.

NCEA and the Law of Unintended Consequences

The integrity of the NCEA qualification is under attack yet again, this time from National's Education spokesman, Bill English. Labour Education Minister, Steve Maharey has leapt to its defence as has the secondary teachers union, the PPTA.

Its not surprising the socialists are defending NCEA, because the system has been socialist from the beginning.

The one redeeming feature of “standards based assessment” we are told is that it gives less able or disadvantaged kids more sense of achievement and self worth, because everything they "achieve" is rewarded with "Unit Standards"
Unfortunately this "self esteem" only lasts until the kids try to enter the work force. Then they find the “qualifications” they’ve worked for aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. How cruel is that?

Even crueler is the way “standards based assessment” handicaps able people from poor backgrounds. This is a classic example of the "law of unintended consequences". In other words socialist measures always end up harming most, those they are allegedly designed to help.

Say for example I want to hire a new apprentice chef.
I advertise and get two applicants.

Tom comes from the lowest decile school in town, but he got 85% in School Cert English and 87% in Food Technology. Jason comes from the highest decile school in town, but he only got 70% in English and 75% in Food Technology. All other things being equal, I employ Tom, the applicant with the best marks. His academic results overcome his disadvantaged background.

Try it again with “standards based assessment”. The applicant from the poorest school has “Unit Standards” in English and Food Technology. They mean nothing to me because I find them hard to understand and I have no idea how hard he worked to obtain them. I also have no faith in their integrity.

The applicant from the best school also has equally meaningless “Unit Standards”
What do I do? Simple, I choose on other factors. Who came from the best school, with the best reputation? Who plays sport? Who has the best haircut?

Because academic achievement that can't be measured, or trusted is of little use to an employer, the applicant from the poor school is permanently disadvantaged. The applicant from the best school has a big and undeserved advantage. This socialist measure ends up reinforcing, the very elitism it was supposedly designed to counter.

“Standards based assessment” gives worthless qualifications to the less able. It disadvantages the able from poor backgrounds. It discourages able students from extending themselves and aiming for excellence. It handicaps parents because they cannot tell how well their kids are really doing. It confuses and frustrates employers who have to waste their time reading meaningless CVs. It impoverishes taxpayers who have to fork out for all this rubbish.

It does however keep NZQA bureaucrats in high paying jobs. It also provides ammunition for teachers unions when pressing pay claims. Maybe that’s why these two groups seem to be the system’s biggest (and almost only) fans.

Should Stanley Williams Have Been Executed?

I had little sympathy for Stanley "Tookie" Williams, executed last night by lethal injection in California. A quadruple murderer, gang leader and violent thug of the first order, if anyone deserved to die, it was Williams.

Was his "redemption" genuine. I have my doubts.

Should the State of California injected him with lethal drugs? No

By killing people the state takes upon itself a responsibility it is not fit for. Life in jail with hard labour can be ended and compensation awarded to those wrongfully convicted.

If he was innocent (and I don't think he was), the best Stanley Williams can hope for is an apology.

That isn't quite good enough.

Philip Morris Takes the Gutless Option

Cigarette company Philip Morris, "responsible for a brand of cigarettes causing offence to Maori" has apologised for any insult.

The company's Israeli subdivision has been selling packs called "Maori Mix". They apparently feature a Maori design, and a map of NZ on the back.

"Maori anti-smoking groups are up in arms about the packaging, claiming it is appalling that such a precious name is used to sell a product that kills millions of indigenous people around the world."

Philip Morris says the packs are no longer on sale in Israel.

Since when do this so called entity "Maori" own that name? When did "they" ever trademark it? Have French bakers trademarked "French" sticks, or Danish bakers "Danish" pastries?

Philip Morris should have more guts. The company should tell these so called "Maori anti smoking groups" to bugger off and go and do a bit of research on what property rights really mean

Mrs Turia Wants Return to Medical Apartheid

Maori Party leader, Tariana Turia, wants the Labour government to reinstate medical scholarships for Maori and Pacific Island students. Currently about two percent of GPs are Maori and 1.2 percent are Pacific Islanders.

Mrs Turia says the scholarships that were abolished under the so-called race-based policy review need to be reinstated. She adds that there are higher expectations for GPs working in Maori and Pacific Island communities because their populations are less healthy.

If positions at medical school are limited, that means that for every extra Maori or Pacific Islander admitted, someone else must miss out. It means that at a non Maori or Pacific Islander may have higher grades but still be excluded, solely because of their ethnicity.

If my family is being treated by a GP, I want the most skilled person available. I do not some second grader, who scraped into med school because their ancestors came from a certain location.

If Ms Turia wants more Maori and Pacific Island doctors she should be concentrating on freeing up primary and secondary education, not imposing Apartheid like quotas on medical schools.

NCEA's Fatal Flaw

Yet again our main secondary school qualification, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement is under fire. National's Education spokesman, Bill English is claiming that pressure is being put on markers to ensure more students are awarded higher grades.

NCEA will never be fixed, because it's based on a false premise. That is, that knowledge can be compartmentalised and tested in little chunks. These are called "Unit Standards" and are the building blocks of both the NCEA and apprentice training, in this country. Unfortunately they are clumsy, unsophisticated, difficult to administer and easily subverted. They might be an effective way to teach monkeys to do tricks, but are no way to impart theoretical or practical knowledge to pupils or apprentices.

A good teacher or tradesman, instills in his pupil or apprentice the principles of the trade or subject being taught. This could be how fermentation effects flour in baking, the basics of geometry, or the principles of German grammar.

By understanding basic principles, the apprentice or pupil can apply his skills to varied situations. They can learn to integrate skills, to problem solve and become real masters of their art. “Unit Standards”, is an extremely clumsy and primitive approach to learning. All New Zealand’s universities have rejected it and few if any other countries have adopted this inferior system.

To get an idea of how useful “Unit Standards” are-apply them to Rugby. Imagine if Rugby coaches were required to award “unit standards” to all players.

Passing the ball-tick
Hooking the ball-tick
Jumping in the lineout-tick
Taking a dropped goal-tick
Tossing the coin-tick,
Having a conversation with your coach’s mother-tick
Having a tidy uniform-tick
Putting in your mouth guard-tick
Back chatting the ref-tick.
Putting on your mascara (Welington only)-tick

This would make life so much simpler for selectors. They wouldn’t have to worry about watching players play, examining track records, how they react under pressure etc. It would be simple. You would pick the All Blacks on the basis of who had the biggest number of the appropriate “Unit Standards”. We would know that we had the best team available because he would have a “record of learning” to "prove" it.

Make sense? No, neither does NCEA. The sooner we re-establish a comprehensive and rigorous exam system, the sooner we will be rid of this endless tinkering and destructive nonsense. Or even better and more libertarian. Let every school choose their own exam systems and let competiton produce excellence.

Jeanette Fitzsimons and the Communists

Green Party leader, Jeanette Fitzsimons, has always had a socialist streak.
According to Green Party website "Even as a child she had a passion for justice, particularly the vast contrast between the 'rich world' and the 'poor world'.
She protested against war in her teens and this carried through to interest in non violent protest action, passive resistance and alternatives to the military."

In the mid '70s Fitzsimons became a full time environmental activist and by 1977 was elected as Energy Spokesperson for the new, eco-socialist, Values Party.

By 1992 Fitzsimons was a leader of the newly formed Green Party and co-deputy leader of the Jim Anderton led, Alliance Party. Through the Alliance, Fitzsimons came in contact with the communists of the Australian "Democratic Socialist Party". The DSP was formerly known as the Socialist Workers Party and was and still is, a major player in the international Marxist-Leninist movement.

The Alliance's Matt McCarten and Jim Anderton had close ties to the DSP, as did old Trotskyites like Keith Locke and Matt Robson. Fitzsimons did a couple of interviews for the DSP's "Green Left Weekly", in the early '90s

From March 31 to April 1994 the DSP hosted the International Green Left Conference, in Sydney. The gathering, according to US Trotskyite, Malik Miah "brought together a wide
range of activists and concerned individuals to discuss and debate the ecological and social problems currently facing the world. During the meeting, a new international discussion journal, "Links", a quarterly magazine for socialist renewal, was launched.

The "Links" editorial board included; "Jeremy Cronin, a leader of the South African Communist Party and editor of The African Communist; Langa Zita from the SACP and the South African Metalworkers union; Baddegama Samitha from the New Socialist Party of Sri Lanka; and leading members from the New Zealand Alliance, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, the Farabundo Marti¡ National Liberation Front and the (Trotskyite) Fourth International.

Malik Miah went on to say: "The highly successful conference grew out of an initiative of the DSP of Australia, the main left formation in that country. Carl Bloice, national co-chair of the Committees of Correspondence, Mike Wyman, editor of CrossRoads' recent El Salvador ­Presente! issue, Peter Camejo, a member of Committees of Correspondence national executive and the board of the Environmental Federation of America, and I were among over 800 participants from all over Australia and around the world."

Miah, Bloice, Wyman and Camejo were all leaders of the US Committees of Correspondence. Formed in 1992 as a split from the Communist Party USA, the CoC consisted of Communists, ex Maoists, Trotskyites, black activists, environmentalists etc. Miah was a Trotskyite, black activist and later a Green Party activist. Bloice was the CPUSA's former Moscow correspondent. Camejo, was once described by Ronald Reagan as one the 10 most dangerous men in California. He was in 1976, a presidential candidate for the Trotskyite, Socialist Workers Party and in 2002, stood for the Green Party against Arnold Schwarzeneggerer for the governorship of California. He describes himself as a "watermelon", "green on the outside, red on the inside".

The conference was part of a worldwide movement at the time to form new political parties out of the various splintered Marxist and radical groups then existing.

Explained "Links" editor Peter Boyle "The range of groups involved in "Links" is proof of a new climate of collaboration in the international left," This is a project involving the left from the Communist Party, the Trotskyist, Maoist, ex-Social Democratic, independent left and liberation theology traditions. We all have in common a desire for socialist renewal based on support for democracy, feminism, ecological sustainability and internationalism."

Fitzsimons was no mere observer, she played a leading role at the conference. According to Miah. "Ideas for dealing with the international environmental crisis were put forward by a diverse range of speakers. A lively discussion occurred on the different paths towards sustainable development and environmental justice. The panel, "How can we build a sustainable society," was one of the best attended and included Peter Camejo, Jeanette Fitzsimons, Graham Mathews from the Australian DSP, and Dr. Nguyen Khac Kinh, deputy director of Vietnam's National Environment Agency. The broad and open views discussed highlighted the importance of linking green and socialist perspectives in reaching common strategies and goals."

Jeanette Fitzsimons also spoke on "Women in NZ Politics". The other three speakers on her panel were; Dulce Maria Pereira a black activist and Alternate Senator with the Marxist led, Workers Party of Brazil (now governing that country), Christabelle Chamarette, a Greens Senator from Western Australia and Lucianna Castellina, a Euro MP and directorate member of the Italian Party of Communist Refoundation.

While Fitzsimons never mentions the "S" word when speaking to the media in this country, she was less guarded when among friends. She told "Green Left Weekly" number 147, June 1994 "If socialism is to survive as a relevant political movement in the 21st century, it must develop a response to the ecological crisis and a socialist strategy to build a sustainable future. Green Left Weekly provides the tools of information and analysis to make that possible."

Jeanette Fitzsimon's is the co-leader of the Green Party. The last election brought her to within the plaque on her teeth, of a cabinet position. Most Green supporters and the public generally, see her as some kind of harmless "Green Granny". Is she really a "Marxist Matriarch"? Would NZers vote for her if the saw her rubbing shoulders with 800 of the most hard core communists on the planet?

Shame on You Sue Bradford, Minimum Wage Laws are Cruel

Green MP Sue Bradford's private member's Bill aimed at raising the minimum wage to $12 per hour(Abolition of Age Discrimination Bill) has been drawn in the ballot.

Grace Millar, secretary of the Unite union which is also campaigning to raise the minimum wage says Unite welcomes Sue Bradford's work to end youth rates through a private members Bill.

What do these people hope to achieve with this idiocy? If raising the minimum wage helps anybody at all, or increases real wealth, why not raise it to $100 or $1,000 per hour? Why stop even there?

Its simple economics. Labour is subject to the law of supply and demand like any product or service. If you raise the price of something, people consume less of it.
If you lower the price people will consume more.

Once, second hand BMW's were expensive and rare. Now because of Japanese imports they are cheap and common. Porsches are still expensive and still rare. If you halved the price tomorrow, you'd see a lot more of them

If you artificially raise the price of labour, people (employers) will buy less of it. If you raise the price at the bottom end, employers will simply employ no bottom end labour, replace it with machinery or spend their limited funds on higher end skilled labour.

If you are poorly skilled, young and lacking experience, disabled or lacking language skills, you need the opportunity to get skills and training. You are worth comparativelyly little to an employer as he is going to find it very hard to make a profit on your labour. Therefore if he has to pay you more than you're worth to him, you stay on the scrapheap. Minimum wages keep marginal workers from gaining that first toehold on the ladder to greater skills and higher earnings.

Imagine if the government set a minimum price for tomatoes-say $3 per Kg. Does that mean everybody would pay $3 for crappy substandard tomatoes. No they would only buy good high quality tomatoes worth more than $3, or they would by carrots or courgettes instead. Blemished tomatoes would be fed to pigs instead of going into low income family's shopping baskets.

If there was a minimum price on houses, say $150,000, what would happen to the lower end houses worth less than that. Everybody who owned a low quality home would never sell it and could never afford to buy anything better.

That's how it is with minimum wages. They force low end workers right out of the market. As with every socialist measure it harms those most, who it is designed to help. Sue Bradford, Unite and the CTU should be ashamed of themselves for their out and out cruelty

Get Rid of the Shit

The Australian Senate has outlawed, by a narrow margin, compulsory membership of student associations. This has long been on the agenda of the Howard government.

Of course many universities will get round this by levying students and then directly funding the student unions. They will however, not be able to pass themselves off as legitimate student representatives and their mandate will be weak.

Howard I believe, understands that student unions are a major power base and training ground for the political left. He knows that if you want to change the political culture of a country, you must deprive the socialists of their illegitimate power bases and funding sources. Compulsory student unions funded by student levies are an ideal playground for the socialists and a blatant breach of the right of free association. Abolishing them should be a high priority for any centre-right government

Many of the current government and its appendages, cut their teeth in student politics: Steve Maharey, Marian Hobbs, Paul Swain, Peter Dunne, David Benson-Pope, Darren Hughes, Nandor Tanczos, Sue Kedgely to name a few.

Power, influence and large amounts of other peoples money attract socialists and the corrupt like shit attracts flies. You can keep going back and spraying the flies but the long term answer is to get rid of the shit.

Any National/ACT government should immediately abolish the clause allowing state tertiary institutions to force students to join and finance student unions. It will be a victory for freedom of association and a step to improving the political culture of this country.