Posts by Keith Locke

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  Booksellers should defend freedom of expression - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  As a former bookseller I have been disturbed that some booksellers (Paper Plus and the Warehouse) have been panicked by a Facebook campaign into refusing to stock Ian Wishart’s book Breaking Silence: the Kahui Case. It sets a bad precedent for booksellers to ban from their shelves other books on controversial topics that upset a [...] read more
  July 4, 2011 10:53 am - 25 Comments
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  What Taliban hotel attack says about NZ military involvement - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It will be a difficult time for the families of NZSAS soldiers injured in Afghanistan and my sympathy goes out to them as they wait for updates on the medical situation of their loved ones. On the political level, the Taliban raid on the Intercontinental Hotel underlines the failure of the US-led war in Afghanistan. [...] read more
  June 30, 2011 11:06 am - 6 Comments
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  Laid-off defence staff need special consideration - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  The Defence Force has put an overly positive spin on the laying off of 308 members of the armed forces whose jobs are being “civilianized”. While recognizing it is “a difficult day for the Defence Force” Lt Gen Rhys Jones claims that those laid off “will welcome the decision” if they have “registered their interest [...] read more
  June 29, 2011 2:57 pm - 3 Comments
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  Taxi chats could be dangerous - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  After a long week in Parliament I often have a pleasant chat with the taxi driver taking me to the airport. So I was disturbed to find out that the Wellington Combined cabs would be installing video cameras that also have voice-recording capability. Who knows where my private chats might end up, I thought. Thankfully, [...] read more
  June 22, 2011 3:17 pm - 11 Comments
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  Auckland Burmese celebrate democracy leader’s 66th birthday - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Yesterday I spoke at an Auckland celebration of the 66th birthday of Burmese democracy leader (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Aung San Suu Kyi. She is now out of house detention, but the regime closely monitors her movements. On Wednesday she begins a tour around the country, to further test the limits of her freedom. [...] read more
  June 20, 2011 3:17 pm - 2 Comments
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  Campaign for Fiji democracy throws up unlikely bedfellows - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  New Zealanders who support a return to democracy in Fiji are divided whether Tevita Mara, a former Fiji army chief, now a critic of the regime, should have been granted a short-term visa to visit New Zealand. Coalition for Democracy in Fiji spokesperson Nik Naidu points to his past involvement in beating up detainees as [...] read more
  June 13, 2011 10:27 am - No Comments
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  Dalai Lama raises spirits in Christchurch - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Realising Cantabrians could do with a moral boost the Dalai Lama altered his schedule and fitted in a talk in Christchurch before his Australian tour. The Canterbury Arena was packed for the event. The only sour note was from the Chinese Embassy, which approached our government after they heard about the visit. Presumably, as they [...] read more
  June 9, 2011 5:20 pm - 2 Comments
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  Climate change adaptation in Cuba - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  I didn’t hear any climate change denial in Cuba. In fact, the environment ministry people outlined to me a detailed climate change adaption programme. They calculate that if there is an 85 cm sea level rise by 2100 twenty one communities by the sea will disappear, and many others will be badly affected. They dazzled [...] read more
  May 31, 2011 2:49 pm - 24 Comments
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  Community gardens the in-thing in Havana - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Back in the 1990s the Cuban economy was in deep trouble. The Soviet Union collapsed, as did its trade with Cuba. Cuba didn’t have much money to import food or buy fertilisers. The obvious answer was to expand local agriculture, using organic methods. People in Havana were encouraged to grow veges, and community gardens mushroomed. [...] read more
  May 31, 2011 4:26 am - 6 Comments
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  Loosening the Cuban economy - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  There’s much enthusiasm for the dramatic economic changes announced by Cuba’s Communist Party last month. Most people I spoke to said they were well overdue. For years the Cuban state has run almost everything from factories to restaurants and taxis. This “command” economy hasn’t been particularly efficient, with extensive “featherbedding” to keep people in work. In [...] read more
  May 30, 2011 4:16 am - 3 Comments
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  Cuba’s contribution to a healthier Pacific - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  I am writing from Havana where I am being hosted, as Green foreign affairs spokesperson, by the Cuban Parliament. One topic of my meetings has been Cuba’s contribution to improving the health systems of Pacific Island nations. Cuba has doctors – as part of its aid programme – in Nauru, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Kiribati, the Solomons [...] read more
  May 28, 2011 8:47 am - 17 Comments
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  Our MP in Havana - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  On Sunday morning your Green MP headed west from Havana to visit the Terreza eco-village, now designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The project began in 1968 when Tito Nunez Gudas and his friends set about planting 6 million native trees. Now there are all types of gardens, teaching facilities and an eco-restaurant Tito is very [...] read more
  May 24, 2011 10:21 am - 4 Comments
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  Need for War Crimes Investigation in Sri Lanka - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s pleasing to see Foreign Minister Murray McCully has responded positively to my Parliamentary Question asking if he would support the call by a UN Secretary General’s Panel calling for an independent international investigation into credible allegations of human rights violations during the Sri Lankan civil war, “some of which would amount to war crimes [...] read more
  May 16, 2011 8:55 am - 3 Comments
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  SAS present 35 times when prisoners taken, but minister dodges any responsibility for their welfare - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Denials that our SAS troops could be handing Afghan prisoners over to torture are getting less and less credible. The government claims that on joint operations with the Afghan Crisis Response Unit our boys don’t take any prisoners. Last year, when I asked the NZ Defence Force about this – during a Select Committee hearings [...] read more
  May 15, 2011 3:28 pm - 8 Comments
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  Claim of right defence being restricted after Government lose case - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  One of the problems with bills amending the Crimes Act is that they sometimes contain disparate provisions, some of which we support, others we oppose. The Greens voted against the Crimes Amendment Bill (No 2) at its first reading last night, particularly because it effectively removes the defence of ‘claim of right’ that was successfully [...] read more
  May 11, 2011 11:31 am - 2 Comments
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  Conundrum for PM on changes to royal succession rules - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Prime Minister Key said this morning he was “not uncomfortable” with a suggestion that he was leading Commonwealth discussions on ending discrimination in the laws of royal succession. He implied he is more likely to get agreement to remove discrimination based on gender (that is, the current preference for male heirs) than discrimination based on [...] read more
  May 10, 2011 4:34 pm - 9 Comments
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  Tiki Taane comes back singing - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Appropriately, Tiki Taane has responded to being charged for disorderly behaviour last month by writing a catchy song, Freedom to Sing. The song was to be launched last night in the same Tauranga nightclub he was arrested in for singing the well-known song, F… the Police. Here is a Youtube of his rendition of Freedom [...] read more
  May 8, 2011 2:37 pm - 1 Comment
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  Flag-burning decision confirms the right to protest - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  The Supreme Court’s quashing of Valerie Morse’s conviction for burning a New Zealand flag has confirmed the right to protest as guaranteed by our Bill of Rights. The Court found that the district court judge hearing the case had misunderstood the meaning of offensive behaviour. The Supreme Court said that just provoking anger, disgust or [...] read more
  May 7, 2011 9:33 am - 80 Comments
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  Greens reject use of fire at will law for parliamentary staff - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  Both the Greens and Labour have said they won’t allow National’s 90-day probation law to be used against any of the staff they employ. Unfortunately Parliamentary Services, under advice from the State Services Commission, has issued guidelines that the 90-day provision should apply to staff contracts. They government has been playing a double game on [...] read more
  May 6, 2011 5:36 pm - 3 Comments
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  Fatah/Hamas pact welcomed - by Keith Locke

  
  
  
  It’s good to see the NZ Herald, the UN and former US President Jimmy Carter all coming out today in support of Fatah/Hamas agreement for a Palestinian unity government. The Herald rightly says that “Palestinian unity should be regarded as an opportunity, not an obstacle”, noting that Hamas “was elected and continues to enjoy the support [...] read more
  May 5, 2011 5:33 pm - 119 Comments