Scoop: Top Scoops + Just Politics

Friday, 26 May 2006, 4:24 pm
Article: Alastair Thompson

TODAY’S TOP SCOOPS:
Defence: NZ Forces Readying for Timor Response
QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
Legal Issues: Acquitted Policemen Up On More Rape Charges
Commerce: Auckland Supermarket Stocks Aussie Speed!
Politics: Robson Back Teaching In Otara – This Time Rookie Cops
Community Values: Mountain Rescue Advocate is Most Trusted Kiwi
Art: Personal Identity And Four Square Feature In Exciting Art Show -
Parody: Billboards, They Worked Before Why Not Now?
Satire: "This Is Chardonnay Socialism At Its Worst!"
MORE HEADLINES:
Samoa: Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film
Regional Security: UN Supports Dialogue With Timor-Leste Dissidents
MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

SCOOP COLUMNS:
Solomon Islands: Who's Responsible For RAMSi Tuesday?
The Real Deal: Catherine Austin Fitts Discovers Two Slices Of Truth
Polygamy: Suzan Mazur Widens The Senatorial Responsibility Net
Crooked Spooks: Cocaine One Was Most Probably A CIA Plane
MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

OTHER NEWS (Just Politics):
Budget: Loan Access Cut Off For Private Students
Smacking Debate: Kiro Stresses Need To Defend Kids From Assault -
Maori Affairs: Minister Not Praised for Fiscal Responsibility
Environment: Minister takes A Boots'n'All Approach To Sustainability -
MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:
POLITICAL COLUMNS

Defence: NZ Forces Readying for Timor Response

New Zealand sends NZDF planes and personnel to Darwin today Prime Minister Helen Clark announced early this morning that the government is dispatching an RNZAF 757, a Hercules C130, and New Zealand army personnel to Darwin today. Helen Clark said that the situation on the ground in Timor Leste had deteriorated seriously on Thursday with chaos and murders on the streets of the capital, Dili. See... NZ sends NZDF planes and personnel to Darwin today [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00619.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00541.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00502.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00277.htm

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00617.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00590.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00559.htm

Legal Issues: Assistant Police Commissioner Clint Rickards, former police officers Brad Shipton and Robert Schollum

are facing sexual offence charges alleged to have been committed during the 1980s. In March, the three men were acquitted of raping Louise Nicholas in a high profile case where only Rickards was publicly named. The High Court today eased suppression orders after the New Zealand Herald won the right to publish the alleged offenders' names. See... News: Rickards Shipton Schollum Face Rape Charges [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00380.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00276.htm

Commerce: Auckland Supermarket Stocks Aussie Speed!

- NZ Customs may have stopped $135million worth of crystal meth and pseudoephedrine from entering the country this week, but another speed shipment seems to have got through. The pictured Australian energy drink Speed is prominently displayed in a six-foot high stack at an Auckland supermarket. Exactly how socially responsible is the manufacturer, or the supermarket chain, in stocking this product when the country is struggling to get through a P "epidemic"? See... Aussie 'Speed' Sold At An Auckland Supermarket [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00382.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00624.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00267.htm

Politics: Robson Back Teaching In Otara – This Time Rookie Cops

- Well-known barrister and former cabinet minister Matt Robson has returned to his teaching roots and is equipping prospective police recruits with a thorough grounding in the law, through an introductory course on New Zealand legislation at Manukau Institute of Technology. Once a teacher in Otara, Matt has returned to the community to give the Introduction to New Zealand Law course lecture at MIT’s School of Foundation Studies. See... Former minister returns to Otara teaching roots [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0605/S00101.htm

Community Values: Mountain Rescue Advocate is Most Trusted Kiwi

- If you can't trust your partner, who can you trust? Certainly not your neighbour if the results of the 2006 Reader's Digest "New Zealand's Most Trusted" survey are anything to go by... Returning to the survey for a second year is Individuals, with Sir Edmund Hillary once again topping our most trusted individual poll. New Zealanders' love of sport is evidenced with a raft of sportspeople including cyclist, Sarah Ulmer, rugby player, Tana Umaga and golfer, Michael Campbell. See... Who do New Zealanders trust? [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00272.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00278.htm

Art: Personal Identity And Four Square Feature In Exciting Art Show -

Following Kelcy Taratoa's acclaimed exhibitions Who Am I? Episodes at Lower Hutt's Dowse Art Museum and Palmerston North's Te Manawa last year, City Gallery Wellington is proudly exhibiting Back to Mine: Urban Realities from June 18. Hailed as one of New Zealand's most exciting young artists, Taratoa's paintings investigate the forces that shape personal and cultural identity. See... Exciting Young Artist on Show At City Gallery [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0605/S00245.htm

Parody: Billboards, They Worked Before Why Not Now?

- National has new billboards. One feels obliged to mash them up, but frankly, they're not all that inspiring. Since their Internet release, the ripfest has not been furious. The campaign itself seems familiar, but diminished. See... Lyndon Hood: Billboard Jamming 101 [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00367.htm

Satire: "This Is Chardonnay Socialism At Its Worst!"

Following the discovery of a confidential Labour discussion document on communications, National MPs have slammed the Government's approach as "all spin and no substance" for one of the paper's suggestions: that repeating phrases again and again can be used to control the media debate. See... Lyndon Hood: National's Labour Spin Spin Machine [1] ALSO:

New Zealand National Party - Labour admits it's losing policy debates [4] Scoop Audio: Manning & Pound – Spin Letter + Iraq Govt [5]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00379.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00376.htm
[3] - http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/0605/Language_Matters.pdf
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00496.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00378.htm

MORE HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00628.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00273.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU0605/S00584.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0605/S00170.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/CU0605/S00252.htm

Samoa: Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film

- Samoa¹s principal censor has banned the screening of the film The Da Vinci Code from cinemas and all local television stations. The ban also applies to the hiring of videos and DVDs of the film. The decision on the weekend comes after the government censor¹s office invited leaders of the Samoa Council of Churches to watch a preview of the film held in the country¹s only cinema. See... Samoa's Government Censor Bans Da Vinci Code Film [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00532.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00519.htm

Regional Security: UN Supports Dialogue With Timor-Leste Dissidents

- The United Nations states that quiet is returning to Timor-Leste following recent violence, the UN Office in the country (UNOTIL) is supporting the Government’s proposed initiative to convene a meeting with representatives of the dissident groups in order to engage in a dialogue, a UN spokesman said today. UNOTIL has set up a camp near the UN headquarters for some 1,000 persons seeking refuge from the violence, Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York. The mission is providing tents and supplies for those people and will be seeking additional tents from UN agencies in case they are needed, he added. See... UN Supports Dialogue in Timor-Leste [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00502.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00268.htm

MORE INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00534.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00533.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00527.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00521.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00517.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0605/S00512.htm

Solomon Islands: Who's Responsible For RAMSi Tuesday?

- On Tuesday, 18 April 2006, the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands was stoned by an angry mob on the steps of Parliament, tear gas was tossed around, a large chunk of the national capital, Honiara, was burnt to the ground, livelihoods were lost and lives seriously threatened. How can such a thing happen on RAMSI’s watch — with the region’s pocket superpower, Australia, in charge? Where’s the stench of burning reputations to match the stench of burning Chinese stores? See... ‘RAMSI Tuesday’ Wasn’t Due To Intelligence Failure [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00401.htm

The Real Deal: Catherine Austin Fitts Discovers Two Slices Of Truth

- There are times when the walls start to close in on me. When that happens, I reach out for a true thing. Something that pushes the walls back out and that makes a way in my spirit. This week I read two remarkable books by two remarkable people. True is not a word I use a lot. These two books are true. Their authors are way makers. See... Mapping the Real: A True Thing [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00398.htm

Polygamy: Suzan Mazur Widens The Senatorial Responsibility Net

- In the interests of balancing Senatorial responsibility for the absence of law enforcement action against polygamy, while the FLDS, America's largest polygamy cult, is incorporated in Utah -- members live and vote on either side of the Utah-Arizona border. That means media darling John McCain's (R--AZ) stance on polygamy is also an issue, particularly because of McCain's 2008 US presidential aspirations. See... Senator John Mccain Passes The Buck On Polygamy [1] EARLIER STORIES IN THIS SERIES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00396.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00364.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00335.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00244.htm

Crooked Spooks: Cocaine One Was Most Probably A CIA Plane

- The “mystery” of Porter Goss’ resignation last month as CIA Director is apparently directly related to the huge seizure in Mexico several weeks earlier of over 5.5 tons of cocaine, according to government documents recently obtained by the The MadCowMorningNews [1] . After Goss’s surprise resignation last month he told reporters his reason for resigning was "just one of those mysteries," offering no other explanation for his sudden departure after almost two years on the job. See... UQ Wire: Porter Goss Resignation Solved [2]

[1] - http://www.madcowprod.com/10312005.html
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00392.htm

MORE SCOOP COMMENT & OPINION:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00375.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00399.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00377.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00393.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00391.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00374.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00390.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00389.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00372.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00387.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00373.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00388.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00371.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00386.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00385.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00370.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00384.htm

Budget: Loan Access Cut Off For Private Students

- Student loan access for thousands under threat from proposed Budget funding cuts Thousands of students could lose access to student loans from next January because of a little publicised and 'senseless' Budget initiative, says Education Forum policy advisor Norman LaRocque. See... Student loan access for thousands under threat [1]

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0605/S00102.htm

Smacking Debate: Kiro Stresses Need To Defend Kids From Assault -

Today, Children’s Commissioner, Dr Cindy Kiro, presented her oral submission on the Bill to repeal Section 59 of the Crimes Act (1961). Section 59 says that parents are justified in “using force by way of correction of a child if the force used is reasonable in the circumstance”. It allows parents who are arrested for assaulting their children to use section 59 as a defence by saying that the assault was justified, reasonable or carried out to discipline the child. See... Commissioner calls for repeal of Section 59 [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00263.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00265.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00264.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00270.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00269.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00270.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0605/S00275.htm

Maori Affairs: Minister Not Praised for Fiscal Responsibility

- “At the Maori Affairs Select Committee this morning, his refusal to answer simple questions; his evasive responses, and his complete lack of concern at the abject failure of the Maori Affairs portfolio gave me much room for concern. The astonishing revelation that the reason why Maori Affairs failed to win any resources in Budget 2006 was because the Minister didn’t even bother to put forward a Budget Bid left me gob-smacked” said Dr Sharples. See... 'Maori Affairs Minister Has To Go' says Sharples [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00584.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00626.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00613.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00599.htm

Environment: Minister takes A Boots'n'All Approach To Sustainability -

A snapshot of New Zealand’s key environmental issues has been published in a new book launched today by Environment Minister David Benson-Pope. Gentle Footprints: Boots ‘n’ All is published by the Ministry for the Environment and aims to provide a starting point for ordinary New Zealanders to have conversations about their environment. See... Snapshot of New Zealand’s environment [1] ALSO:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00598.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00578.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00611.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00594.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00606.htm

MORE POLITICAL HEADLINES:

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00643.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00636.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00633.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00628.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00627.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00623.htm
[7] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00620.htm
[8] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00615.htm
[9] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00612.htm
[10] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00596.htm
[11] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00642.htm
[12] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00637.htm
[13] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00635.htm
[14] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00616.htm
[15] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00610.htm
[16] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00603.htm
[17] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00600.htm
[18] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00641.htm
[19] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00634.htm
[20] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00632.htm
[21] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00629.htm
[22] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00607.htm
[23] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00614.htm
[24] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00605.htm
[25] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00604.htm

POLITICAL COLUMNS

[1] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00644.htm
[2] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00639.htm
[3] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00631.htm
[4] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00477.htm
[5] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0605/S00309.htm
[6] - http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA0605/S00475.htm

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

Contact Alastair Thompson

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