What can we thank Kim Dotcom for?

1) He did help to bring some opens to how our security service operates and that caused a 'little' embarrassment to the Government.
2) He brought a 'little' focus to NZ.
      BUT---did he do this for the betterment of NZ or----yes folks---for himself. Just look at the  manner in which he lived in he manor, leaving behind, allegedly, many unpaid bills to hard -working NZers who were silly enough to be sucked in by KDC's sense of grandeur.
Will he be missed--certainly not by all those gullible people who lined up behind him, believing him to be some  sort of messiah for freedom on the net and the harbinger of a new political era. Go well in your 'new country, KDC. You did bring about a great deal of much needed discussion and a lot of unanswered questions.

Shane Jones joining NZ First---you are kidding---right?

It is true that Shane Jones has made far more ‘splash’ in the headlines than his boss lately. It is also true that his efforts have been consistent and grabbed public attention. Some would say that he possesses all the hallmarks of a ‘populist‘ leader and that he is quite capable of attracting ‘middle NZ,’ (not Middle Earth!) to Labour’s cause.

Why is he doing this? The latest ‘theory’ proposed by some pundits is that he deliberately trying to either distance himself from the current leadership, or possibly causing a rift in which he either challenges for the leadership (here we go again!) or gets excluded from the LP and then joins NZ First, sharing the leadership of that party, attracting many votes and takes over from Winston at an agreed date in the future (2017).

Would Shane go along any of these paths? I suspect that his loyalty to the Labour Party is far less shallow than that. While it is true that he isn’t exactly close to Greens, the probable team player in a future Labour led Government, I think that he would find some of NZ First’s policies a little too far from his political leanings. But, the more I think about it, a move towards NZ First does make some sort of sense. Without a doubt, it would push that party well above the necessary 5% threshold and even win an electorate seat for himself. If any of this eventuated, we would be in for a very interesting period in NZ political history.

What are you going to do, Shane? I know you are calling such talk---poppycock, but one does wonder at your moves in recent times, just when your leader is languishing in the polls. As for National and the other parties---there is nothing in this for them! Maybe this story really does not have ‘legs;’ like the one re Hone and KDC!

www.authorneilcoleman.com

Diversity of readers from many countries.

I am happy to see that the number of countries reading my blog is increasing all the time and that more too are hookin in from NZ, my home country. Great to France, Poland and Canada getting in on the act. You will be bale to download the books again soon, but in the meantime, I shall keep the blog going. I will be starting on editing the huge new series, Sons of Orpheus soon. That will be a massive challenge and an expensive one. I propose turning the book into three, in ebook format and hard copy.
Thanks for your continued support.

Syrians die and a downed plane--cooperation rules, but what about Syria?

It is sad indeed that there are many grieving families out there who have almost definitely lost loved ones in the downing of a plane in the Indian Ocean. The scenes of despair coming out of KL and the spectre of officials who just don’t have any definitive answers, is galling to say the least. I am not denigrating the loss of more than 200 lives but something must be said about the balance the media, we as individuals and the resources along with the international cooperation; something that is galvanizing, heartening and a sign that we can get it together when the chips are down. We can work together to arrive at an answer.

Why is it then that we cannot replicate this spirit of willingness to help and work together when it comes to other terrible events on the world stage? Is it that there is something that gets to our very souls when it comes to planes crashing, whether it be my human failure of through human evil?! Perhaps there is even an economic motive behind the above togetherness of action.

One does not need to look far to find human suffering on a vast scale and the moves to alleviate these issues meet with dismal failure, simply because there are political forces and power rivalries that subjugate the need to resolve them. That we have millions of refugees pouring out of Syria to put huge pressure on the countries receiving them: That the families and children, the elderly in particular are living in squalid situations without hope for solution. We have the large powers in the background, unable to agree on untied action; action that would need to be many times more powerful that that we are witnessing in the Indian Ocean. There is no will to resolve the Syrian crisis.

Look around many regions in the world and ask the same question. How can we not work together to lessen the suffering of huge sectors of humankind? We are too selfishly travelling down the road of nationalistic, individual power-plays and very often covering up corrupt practices on a huge scale.

I am sure that given the will, matching the need and coming up with the resources that the Syrian issue and others could well be dealt with so that lives are saved and rebuilt. The logjam of despotic rule and regional rivalry is the massive doorstop to finding an opening for a better future.

In the meantime, let us all wish that the relatives and loved ones of those missing in the plane in the Indian Ocean find resolution and understanding about what has happened.

www.authorneilcoleman.com