Judith Collins tells the international security policy gathering in Germany 'we can’t depend on one nation’s taxpayers' to protect the rules-based international order.
Collin’s said “Old style ‘cold war’ commentators are naive to think that the Pacific is without threat.”. Isn’t it the opposite? It is old style ‘cold war’ commentators who think the Pacific is threatened (by China). They are right about one thing and that’s there’s a threat but the threat comes from the old style ‘cold war’ thinkers who have not yet adapted to the 21st century reality that the US century of world domination is no longer sustainable
"Collins also briefly addressed New Zealand’s disapproval of the Cook Island’s signing of a strategic partnership agreement with China last week, reiterating the Government’s view that it had not been adequately consulted over the deal. “There is enormous (geostrategic) competition in the Pacific region… We’d like to see this agreement, as would the people of the Cook Islands,” she told the conference event."
Will the New Zealand government commit to revealing the details of agreements it is negotiating with other states even while negotiations are under way? Will it commit to revealing the details of all agreements it has already entered into with other states? No, it will not. Therefore it has no right to demand such transparency from the government of the Cook Islands.
Collins went on to say "the Blue Pacific is sparsely populated with an underwater continent with enormous wealth on the seabed". So is that what it is really all about? Is it just like the cause of "Ukrainian freedom" which now seems to be tied up with deposits of rare-earth metals in that country? Does Ukraine have to pay with both blood and treasure for the privilege of being a pawn of Anglo-American imperialism? Are the Cooks being threatened with military intervention because they have the audacity to think that they should decide how to use their own resources?
Collins also argues for more money to be spent on the New Zealand military. More than double the present rate of expenditure if Donald Trump is to be given his way. Yet that is rather odd coming from a government which focuses on effectiveness, efficiency, achieving targets and so on.
Because we have to ask "What has the New Zealand military ever achieved for us?". It has been involved in quite a few wars in the past half century, and has won none of them. It suffered a humiliating loss in Vietnam, failed in Iraq (while fraudulently claiming victory), was trounced in Afghanistan, is staring defeat in the face in Ukraine and a probable drubbing from Yemen. To top it off it managed to sink one fifth of its operational naval fleet on a reef off Samoa. If any other department of state had such a record of complete and unmitigated failure going back fifty years, would it have even more money thrown at it?
All this illustrates the astonishing contradictions of the colonialist regime. It pretends to stand for the rights of nations and peoples, yet tries to bully the government of the Cook Islands, not to mention its own people. It demands transparency from others but offers none of its own. Like a dog in a manger it accuses China of coveting the wealth of the Pacific, yet clearly wants that wealth to go to its own patrons in Washington and Canberra. It calls for peace and the rule of law, but seeks to expand its military at the command of a man who is the very antithesis of the rule of law. It claims to seek "value for money" in all its operations but for the military there is no accountability, whether moral or financial.
Time for us to be rid of Ms Collins and Messrs Luxon, Seymour and Peters before they can do even more harm.
Like your comment but I must say the previous Labour govt was clearly heading in the same direction as these fools. Looks like the US has its steel capped boots on to me...
You are right of course Malcolm. My last sentence may have given the impression that the problem can be fixed through a simple change of government. I don't believe that is the case. The Realm of New Zealand pursues colonialist policies because it is a colonialist state. It can do no other. A radical change to the system of governance is needed. That change is rangatiratanga under te whakaminenga.
About time NZ stepped out of the 5 eyes, and became more humanitarian. Who are they to tell the Cook Islands what they should do? How can our country NZ continue to support the USA/Israel in their terrible display of ethnic cleansing
Collins wants the NZ tax payer to prop up the dysfunctional rules based order, the same one that’s backing the most shameful and heinous genocide in Palestine, so they can maintain hegemony and control over NZ sovereignty. How does this relate to our economic and trade interests. By investing in initiatives to provide cannon fodder for the cause of the U.S and Europe cronies, how will this enhance our society, education, health, environment?
It seems Collins and co. are choosing on our behalf to side with a toxic and decaying imperialism reliant on sanctions, tariffs, and militarism in favour of the emerging east where we currently conduct most of our trade and which promotes multipolar cooperation and cohesion.
The Defence force does not make NZ’s foreign policy or choose what wars to fight. The Government does that. Defence’s job is to execute the government’s orders. Our Services have a proud history of doing just that. NZ has got away with spending far less on defence than it should have and the time has now come to equip and staff all three Services properly. They can then do what the government, of any party, requires of them.
Certainly colonialist politicians cannot be absolved of responsibility. They have made astonishingly bad decisions in the past and are on the brink of making even worse decisions now. When governments go to war they consult with their senior military staff who are informed by their military intelligence division as to whether the proposed war is winnable and under what conditions. I would say that New Zealand governments have consistently been given bad advice by the Defence Force. At the very best, the military have gone along with bad political decisions, they have failed to offer sound advice, and they have executed those decisions with a breath-taking degree of incompetence. At the worst, the military themselves have driven the decisions of government.
Up till now New Zealand has been able to walk away from its lost wars relatively unscathed. Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ukraine cost a few lives and a limited amount of money. Go into a completely unjustified war with China and New Zealand as a whole will be made to pay the ultimate price for allowing the colonialist regime to continue along its merry way.
This is a government of magic numbers. Increase exports by 40% and the economy will recover. (Even the staunchest advocates of market economics can see the fallacy in that one). Double spending on defence and the nation will be secure. That should be easy. Double the wages of all infantry, cooks, drivers, pilots and navy personnel including those who just sank one fifth of the operable naval fleet on a reef off Samoa. Double what you pay for fuel, equipment and supplies. Done. You may say that is silly, but it is not my silliness. It is the silliness of magic numbers.
There are sensible questions to be asked. What is the nature of the threat New Zealand faces? If there is a threat, can that threat be averted by diplomatic means? If not what sort of military response would be necessary and effective? What personnel, equipment and other resources would be required for such a response?
The colonialist regime is not asking these questions because the only sensible answers are not to its liking.
Buying a couple of frigates (the easiest way to double defence spending, and therefore government's default option) will not make New Zealand safe. "Interoperability" will not make us safe. In fact it puts us more at risk.
A policy of non-aggression coupled with a people's army equipped only with light arms would be the best assurance against external threats. However such a policy would challenge the entire logic of colonialism in New Zealand, and therefore it is off the table. Instead either billions of dollars will be wasted on useless military equipment while the health system is in chaos and thousands go hungry or are homeless, or the colonialist regime will be blasted apart in the course of a totally unjust war ostensibly designed to make the world safe for Anglo-American imperialism.
Collin’s said “Old style ‘cold war’ commentators are naive to think that the Pacific is without threat.”. Isn’t it the opposite? It is old style ‘cold war’ commentators who think the Pacific is threatened (by China). They are right about one thing and that’s there’s a threat but the threat comes from the old style ‘cold war’ thinkers who have not yet adapted to the 21st century reality that the US century of world domination is no longer sustainable
"Collins also briefly addressed New Zealand’s disapproval of the Cook Island’s signing of a strategic partnership agreement with China last week, reiterating the Government’s view that it had not been adequately consulted over the deal. “There is enormous (geostrategic) competition in the Pacific region… We’d like to see this agreement, as would the people of the Cook Islands,” she told the conference event."
Will the New Zealand government commit to revealing the details of agreements it is negotiating with other states even while negotiations are under way? Will it commit to revealing the details of all agreements it has already entered into with other states? No, it will not. Therefore it has no right to demand such transparency from the government of the Cook Islands.
Collins went on to say "the Blue Pacific is sparsely populated with an underwater continent with enormous wealth on the seabed". So is that what it is really all about? Is it just like the cause of "Ukrainian freedom" which now seems to be tied up with deposits of rare-earth metals in that country? Does Ukraine have to pay with both blood and treasure for the privilege of being a pawn of Anglo-American imperialism? Are the Cooks being threatened with military intervention because they have the audacity to think that they should decide how to use their own resources?
Collins also argues for more money to be spent on the New Zealand military. More than double the present rate of expenditure if Donald Trump is to be given his way. Yet that is rather odd coming from a government which focuses on effectiveness, efficiency, achieving targets and so on.
Because we have to ask "What has the New Zealand military ever achieved for us?". It has been involved in quite a few wars in the past half century, and has won none of them. It suffered a humiliating loss in Vietnam, failed in Iraq (while fraudulently claiming victory), was trounced in Afghanistan, is staring defeat in the face in Ukraine and a probable drubbing from Yemen. To top it off it managed to sink one fifth of its operational naval fleet on a reef off Samoa. If any other department of state had such a record of complete and unmitigated failure going back fifty years, would it have even more money thrown at it?
All this illustrates the astonishing contradictions of the colonialist regime. It pretends to stand for the rights of nations and peoples, yet tries to bully the government of the Cook Islands, not to mention its own people. It demands transparency from others but offers none of its own. Like a dog in a manger it accuses China of coveting the wealth of the Pacific, yet clearly wants that wealth to go to its own patrons in Washington and Canberra. It calls for peace and the rule of law, but seeks to expand its military at the command of a man who is the very antithesis of the rule of law. It claims to seek "value for money" in all its operations but for the military there is no accountability, whether moral or financial.
Time for us to be rid of Ms Collins and Messrs Luxon, Seymour and Peters before they can do even more harm.
Like your comment but I must say the previous Labour govt was clearly heading in the same direction as these fools. Looks like the US has its steel capped boots on to me...
You are right of course Malcolm. My last sentence may have given the impression that the problem can be fixed through a simple change of government. I don't believe that is the case. The Realm of New Zealand pursues colonialist policies because it is a colonialist state. It can do no other. A radical change to the system of governance is needed. That change is rangatiratanga under te whakaminenga.
About time NZ stepped out of the 5 eyes, and became more humanitarian. Who are they to tell the Cook Islands what they should do? How can our country NZ continue to support the USA/Israel in their terrible display of ethnic cleansing
Collins wants the NZ tax payer to prop up the dysfunctional rules based order, the same one that’s backing the most shameful and heinous genocide in Palestine, so they can maintain hegemony and control over NZ sovereignty. How does this relate to our economic and trade interests. By investing in initiatives to provide cannon fodder for the cause of the U.S and Europe cronies, how will this enhance our society, education, health, environment?
It seems Collins and co. are choosing on our behalf to side with a toxic and decaying imperialism reliant on sanctions, tariffs, and militarism in favour of the emerging east where we currently conduct most of our trade and which promotes multipolar cooperation and cohesion.
No tariffs levied against us….yet. Just expected to prop up the military industrial complex.
The Defence force does not make NZ’s foreign policy or choose what wars to fight. The Government does that. Defence’s job is to execute the government’s orders. Our Services have a proud history of doing just that. NZ has got away with spending far less on defence than it should have and the time has now come to equip and staff all three Services properly. They can then do what the government, of any party, requires of them.
Certainly colonialist politicians cannot be absolved of responsibility. They have made astonishingly bad decisions in the past and are on the brink of making even worse decisions now. When governments go to war they consult with their senior military staff who are informed by their military intelligence division as to whether the proposed war is winnable and under what conditions. I would say that New Zealand governments have consistently been given bad advice by the Defence Force. At the very best, the military have gone along with bad political decisions, they have failed to offer sound advice, and they have executed those decisions with a breath-taking degree of incompetence. At the worst, the military themselves have driven the decisions of government.
Up till now New Zealand has been able to walk away from its lost wars relatively unscathed. Vietnam, Afghanistan and Ukraine cost a few lives and a limited amount of money. Go into a completely unjustified war with China and New Zealand as a whole will be made to pay the ultimate price for allowing the colonialist regime to continue along its merry way.
This is a government of magic numbers. Increase exports by 40% and the economy will recover. (Even the staunchest advocates of market economics can see the fallacy in that one). Double spending on defence and the nation will be secure. That should be easy. Double the wages of all infantry, cooks, drivers, pilots and navy personnel including those who just sank one fifth of the operable naval fleet on a reef off Samoa. Double what you pay for fuel, equipment and supplies. Done. You may say that is silly, but it is not my silliness. It is the silliness of magic numbers.
There are sensible questions to be asked. What is the nature of the threat New Zealand faces? If there is a threat, can that threat be averted by diplomatic means? If not what sort of military response would be necessary and effective? What personnel, equipment and other resources would be required for such a response?
The colonialist regime is not asking these questions because the only sensible answers are not to its liking.
Buying a couple of frigates (the easiest way to double defence spending, and therefore government's default option) will not make New Zealand safe. "Interoperability" will not make us safe. In fact it puts us more at risk.
A policy of non-aggression coupled with a people's army equipped only with light arms would be the best assurance against external threats. However such a policy would challenge the entire logic of colonialism in New Zealand, and therefore it is off the table. Instead either billions of dollars will be wasted on useless military equipment while the health system is in chaos and thousands go hungry or are homeless, or the colonialist regime will be blasted apart in the course of a totally unjust war ostensibly designed to make the world safe for Anglo-American imperialism.