From the NZ Herald Former Act MP Stephen Franks is seeking to run for the National Party in the affluent seat of Wellington Central at the next election. Mr Franks, who was ejected from Parliament in 2005 when Act got enough votes for only two MPs, told the Weekend Herald he had been wooed by [...]

New Zealand Maori activists, socialists and anarchists have contact with radical indigenous movements throughout Latin America including Bolivia. It is no surprise then that Bolivian socialists have come out in support of those arrested in the October 15th anti-terror raids-the “Urewera 17.“ Posted on Indymedia by Communist Workers Group member Dave Brown STOP THE STATE [...]

Some time ago I posted about Christchurch activist Joe Davies mooning the Queen during a royal visit. I used a picture of some naked male buttocks to illustrate the story, implying they were Joe’s. Understandably Joe was offended that the poor quality cheeks on display were being passed off as his own beautiful bum. Joe [...]

I suggested a few weeks ago that Socialist Worker Trotskyists are planning a new left wing political to challenge Labour. I was right. From Socialist Worker’s UnityBlog PUBLIC FORUM “A New Left Party: Build it Now!” The Labour government’s demonisation of the Urewera 17 is just another nail in the coffin of any claims it [...]

Despite apparently embracing capitalism, China is playing an increasingly influential role in the world communist movement. What up? From the Communist Party USA’s Political Affairs; CPUSA National Board member John Bachtell attended the international meeting of the Communist and Workers’ Parties held in Minsk, Belarus in early November… The second major factor, I thought, was [...]

The police affadavit used to secure search warrants for the October 15th anti terror raids allegedly contains a short reference to Tame Iti and Iran. A bugged converstion from April 2007 allegedly refers to Iti intending to travel to Iraq, but expressing the opinion that he might get a better hearing in Iran. Iti supporters [...]

Hillary’s campaign has faltered and Barack Obama has got a second wind in the race for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. Barack has been backed by the communists at home-now the Cuban communists seem to be showing an interest in his fortunes. From Cuba’s Prensa Latina Washington, Nov 28 Slips and gaps in Sen. Hillary [...]

Eric Crampton from the Economics Department at Canterbury University gave an excellent speech to the anti Electoral finance Bill in Christchurch today. It takes a lot to drag an academic economist out of his office to a political rally downtown. If this were simply a protest over bad legislation, I’d have stayed in Ilam: bad [...]

Two media outlets have been most sympathetic to those arrested in the October 15th anti terror raids-aka the “Urewera 17“ They are Indymedia and Scoop. Indymedia is easy to understand. It is run by anarchists and two of its three main editors were among those arrested. At least four other arrestees were also associated with [...]

Only 17 people were arrested in the October 15th anti terror raids. However, on reading the police affadavit, it was claimed that over 100 people had attended training. The affadavit names several that were known to have attended, but for whatever reason were not arrested. Most were Maori and several had extensive criminal records. Several [...]

The 155 page police affadavit on the “Urewera 17” has been posted on the internet. It appears on a US based website in the name of the New Zealand Civil Liberties Union. Can’t give you the link but a bit of patient Googling does wonders.

This little snippet on Indymedia caught my eye. It was posted by Scott Hamilton and advertises a party to be held in Auckland on Saturday to raise funds for the campaign against the Suppression of Terrorism Act. While I am no friend of Labour’s TSA, this campaign is an extension of the leftist support effort [...]

The left is gloating over the Australian Labor Party’s emphatic victory in Saturday’s general election. From the Communist Party USA’s Political Affairs Editor’s Blog; It is predicted that three-fourths of the ministers in the new Rudd Government in Australia will be trade unionists. Amazin! This came from the fact that the single most unpopular part [...]

Like its British counterpart, the Australian Fabian Society is highly influential inside the Australian Labor Party. ALP deputy leader and probable new deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard is a proud Fabian socialist. No doubt the Fabians will approve of the new ALP government’s plans for Australia. Excerpt’s from Julia Gillard’s speech to the inaugural Fabian [...]

Will last night’s electoral victory by the Australian Labor Party bring significant changes to Australia’s domestic and foreign policies? If likely deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has anything to do with it, I’m betting the answer will be yes. ALP deputy leader Julia Gillard was the centre of controversy in the last few weeks, after [...]

If you want to know why Maori radicals and anarchists were running around the Ureweras with guns and napalm-ask this man. A near legendary figure, the always masked Subcomandante Marcos leads the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatistas), from the impoverished southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Marcos has yet to reveal his true identity, but [...]

It is no surprise that the Communist Party of Australia wants John Howard and his Liberal led coalition out. However, the CPA is not urging its supporters to vote Labor, but to give their first preference to the Australian Greens. The CPA clearly reasons that a strong green party ifluence will help drive Labor further [...]

From an editorial in the Communist Party of Australia’s Guardian In 1991 when the Soviet Union broke up and its leadership destroyed the Soviet Union’s socialist system, the Sydney Morning Herald came out with an exultant front-page banner headline — COMMUNISM IS DEAD! A statement of confidence issued at that time by the Executive Committee [...]

A New Zealand “official” (and socialist) backs Iran. From Iran’s Islamic Republic News Agency New Zealand’s National Advisory Council for Disarmament Ex-Chairman Robert James Rigg said on Thursday that the report presented by IAEA Director General Mohamed Elbaradei to IAEA Board of Governors indicates that Iran’s nuclear dossier should be referred to IAEA. Speaking on [...]

Good luck tomorrow, Australia.

DEMOCRACY UNDER THREAT Protest March Victoria Square to Cathedral Square Wednesday 28 November 12.30. March starts 1.00pm. Organiser of the Auckland and Wellington marches John Boscawen will speak.The last week has seen the most blatant display of political hypocrisy in the nation’s history. At a time when MPs have voted themselves more of your money [...]

ACT deputy leader Heather Roy, has been named as ACT candidate for the key seat of Wellington Central in 2008. In a speech to last night’s candidate launch at the Museum Hotel, former ACT leader and one time Wellington central MP, Richard Prebble gave his views on Wellington Central and it’s significance for 2008. Wellington [...]

I challenged Wellington anarchists, particularly Sam Buchanan and Asher Goldman to distance themselves from the pro-violence views of Mr Geoff Karena. Here’s Sam Buchanan’s reply with some comment by me in the first section. Sam Stretching it a bit here aren’t you, Trev? If you have issues with Mr Karena shouldn’t he be the one [...]

Some photos from yesterday’s anti Electoral Finance Bill rally in Wellington From Not PC

Wellington anarchist, Asher Goldman, had several friends and colleagues arrested in the October 15th anti-terror raids-including his two Indymedia co-editors. He’s not happy at the lack of security in the anarchist movement. From Indymedia Where do you stand? Shutting the fuck up to not risk our freedom In the wake of the October 15th raids, [...]

This is Oblong Inernet Cafe, Cuba Street Wellington, run by and for Wellington’s anarchist community. It is often used as a meeting place by the activists running anarchist newsite, Indymedia. Inside is the Freedom Bookshop where one can buy anarchist books,’zines and posters. Geoff Karena, who claims to be friend and relative of “Urewera 17” [...]

A press release from ACT leader, Rodney Hide The Electoral Finance Bill is the most serious assault on free speech and political expression ever seen in the developed world – and the recent amendments to it have changed nothing, ACT Leader Rodney Hide said today. “Absolutely nothing has been changed by these amendments – they [...]

Geoffrey Fuimaono Karena is a Wellington based activist and musician. He is of mixed Maori/Samoan descent and hales from the Bay of Islands. He has been a long time Maori sovereignty activist and protestor. Photo from Teanau Tuino’s Conscious Collaboration’s website. Mr Karena studied at Victoria University in Wellington from at least the mid ’90s [...]

In this post I quoted from the Bebo site of Mr Geoff (Potangotango)Karena. It seems that Mr Karena is a relative of Rangi Kemara of “Uruwera 17″ fame and is also close to Kemara’s colleague Teanau Tuiono. Reading Mr Karena’s Bebo blog is very interesting and if he is serious, more than a little chilling. [...]

A friend sent me this. He reckons its two Labour voters rushing to the polls. What do you think?