New Zealand's support of the US

me | September 19, 2001 | Doug Loss

[Doug Loss]

A few days ago I posted an article from the New Zealand Press in which the NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark was quoted as saying NZ was withdrawing from the ANZUS pact and wouldn't support the US in its time of need. This engendered quite a response, mainly from outraged Americans.

However, I've also heard from Kiwis who said that the newspaper report wasn't accurate, the PM doesn't speak for them, and that the NZ people heartily support the US. Most of the Kiwis were polite in their messages :-), too.

Now that things have cooled down a bit I'd like to thank everyone from NZ who replied for their thoughts. We welcome your support, both moral and material. However, I hope you can soon put your house in order. Your PM is an international embarrassment to you.

[Blunderfromdownunder]

Although I havent had time to check out the specifics, I believe the 1942 strike was about working conditions; The NZ wharfies still had to do everything by hand (hard, dangerous, dirty, slow) and werent impressed that the shipping companies/government wouldnt provide modern equipment to load the ships (which the americans had, obviously).
Also, and it has been mentioned here or on a similar thread, the locals in general werent impressed with certain American attitudes eg regarding race and relations with the lcoal married women whose husbands were off fighting. THe former actually sparked a riot with numerous casualties and a few deaths, after American servicemen refused to let Maori soldiers into the Allied Services Club in Wellington. This incident is known as "The Battle of Manners Street", and involved approx. one thousand servicemen and hundred of civilians.
Harry Bioletti (sp?) wrote a book on the "American invasion" of NZ in 1942, its a good read. My dad used to wash laundry for American servicemen at the Cornwall Park base in Auckland. He would get paid in $US or military scrip (I cant recall), buy a load of candy at the PX and sell it to his friends at inflated prices (Yay, my dad the 13 year old war profiteer!)

[Verbatim]

Damian5, your quote about wanting to find a wee small man and whip him just about sums you up.

A few postings back I accussed you of practicing bigotry, and you took this as I meant you were a racist, let's look at what else bigotry means:

Prejudice, Racism, Intolerance, Bias, Narrow-mindedness. I think I had it right.

[kiwiexpat]

I remember that the Watersider Workers Union were hard at it (striking that is) during the 1970s and 1980s as well. They were out of control. Nevertheless, in my view, a strong union movement is an indication of a more advanced democracy, in that workers have more freedom of association than they do in countries (such as the US) where it is almost impossible to unionize a company. Conservatives never understand this view of freedom. I always opposed the tour.

[kiwiexpat]

Newt Gingrich was a hypocrite (e.g. he was having an affair when he criticized Clinton for doing so)and he had a misguided view of history and his own place in it. Nevertheless, even he, with his hatred(?)of liberals, recognized the greatness of FDR. FDR may have been a traitor to his class, but he did save capitalism in the USA, and life for most working people before him was pretty damn grim. It is no wonder that Ronald Reagan modelled himself on FDR, even as he set about to role back the policies stemming from the New Deal.

[1rudeboy]

I can't figure it out. One of my pet peeves during the Election fiasco was that folks were not reading the thread before responding. Sometimes, the refutation occurs somewhere downstream. Little help here, as we now know that the press report was inaccurate (imagine that!), and might have been deliberately planted to drive a wedge into whatever alliance is forming . . . .

[kiwiexpat]

Hence the huge drop in real wages and living standards for the working class in NZ during the late 1980s and 1990s. I left NZ permanently in 1989, so I'm a bit out of touch, but I do recall reading that approximately 40% of New Zealanders are living in poverty according to some estimates (principally by Charles Waldgrave) if memory serves. Sorry, shouldn't use the term working class on a conversative list. It's a commie term.

[Verbatim]

Damian5, your recollection of who started the vulgarity and your accusation of kiwiexpat being a 'pious hypocrite' is like everything else you write, inaccurate.

You orignally refered to sex with sheep in post 36 when you said, "Let'em go chase sheep for sex, there are no men there or they would get rid of the 81tch".

Whereas kiwiexpat mentioned that you should, "If you can't get your facts straight, go back to your regular activity of masturbating quietly in a corner somewhere", in post 125.

Just thought I would clarify this as being another one of your inaccuracies and unfounded accusations.

[1rudeboy]

What a shocker!

New Zealand Offers Troops, Support for Terrorism Fight

[kiwiexpat]

Actually New Zealand offered SAS troops and intelligence 3 days after September 11; the article is very old news.

[1rudeboy]

I figured as much. But be careful, newbie, if you agree with me you will be labeled a "globalist." It's a catch-all term for the intellectually disabled. Please refer to my comment #15.

[New Zealander]

Damian, Damian, Damian

You were being lucid for a second there - hence my wondering who was borrowing your alias at the time.

Bloody didn’t last now did it? :)

It's simply not true to say that 'Kiwis were just piss poor allies at that time'. The watersiders were not part of the military or the government - hardly a position to affect allied status.

If you or someone close to you got caught up in all that bollocks back then, and you're still bitter about it, then it's time you sorted your shit out - it was over half a lifetime ago.

You try to say that the New Zealand paper that touched off this whole thread was somehow significant, and that being so, it supports your silly 'New Zealand employers can't do this' quote from TNA - let me remind you and anyone else who doesn’t understand - obscure papers are often quoted, unsupported, to prop up a flimsy and incompetent argument. If New Zealand employers lost their rights, it’d be news in papers here – and you’d have no problem finding sources. If New Zealand really had no support for the US at the moment, you’d find it in a major paper – but if you want to go on believing bullshit like that, you’re ultimately going to have to start living in a drug or alcohol induced state.

[New Zealander]

Haha - for sure your just one sad bastard!

[DB]

If were lucky this thread will disappear...

[Qatar-6]

Ref: Pay your UN dues:

I'm sure they really appreciate the prompt rending of your $1.98 too.