This week, the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee reported back on the Countering Terrorist Fighters Legislation Bill. The Government had been seeking, among other things, the ability of the SIS to undertake 48 hour warrantless surveillance, and for the Government to revoke passports for three years.

Quite why these measures were required were never addressed. After all, our terror threat level may have raised, but it remains on ‘low’. MPs such as Jamie-Lee Ross muttered darkly of tales of terror disclosed by the SIS: if we meek citizens only knew what the MPs knew, we would quake in our boots and immediately provide ringing endorsements of the Government’s planned changes. Of course, we mere citizens weren’t allowed to know. The SIS’s briefing was conducted in secret, open only to MPs, on the grounds of protecting national security.

The SIS’s briefing may have persuaded Mr Ross, but the opposition…

On the same day as the Cheryl Gwynn report was released, we also got the release Justice Chisholm’s report into Judith Collins and the allegations that she undermined former-SFO head Adam Feeley.

The report was ordered after the release of an email from Cameron Slater, detailing Judith Collins’ apparent involvement in a plot to undermine Mr Feeley. The email stated:

“I also spoke at length with the Minister responsible today (Judith Collins). She is gunning for Feeley. Any information that we can provide her on his background is appreciated. I have outlined for her a coming blog post about the massive staff turnover and she has added that to the review of the State Services Commissioner. She is using his review of these events to go on a trawl looking for anything else. It is my opinion that Feeley’s position is untenable.”

Cameron Slater’s explanation was that he had…

Have you really never spoken to Cameron Slater in your capacity as Prime Minister?

I would like you to consider the following questions before you answer this, because I would suggest you choose your words carefully. Remember John, no-one likes a liar…

1) You told Parliament in late October that that you have never spoken to Cameron Slater in your capacity as Prime Minister. Was this really true?

2) Did you talk to Cameron Slater the night before the release of the IGIS report, and the Justice Chisholm report on Judith Collins?

3) How many times in the last month have you spoken to Slater?

4) Does Cameron Slater records his phone calls, and if he does, how much leverage does he now have over you (whether in your capacity as a private citizen, PM, Minister of Tourism etc, etc)?

5) Are you OK with the possibility of Slater having…

It was fortuitous – having just completed two days of RMA hearing training the day before – to attend a full day of hearings on the 6th of November regarding a matter on which the Waitematā Local Board was the main submitter in opposition.

Before and after as modelled by AT.

AT propose the removal of six mature Pohutukawa trees from the side of Great North Road on either side of the St Lukes intersection. There is a good summary (including a one-minute video here). This is to allow for two lanes of traffic to turn on to the North Western Motorway on the eastern side of the St Lukes bridge intersection. The site is on the Local Board’s boundary with the Albert-Eden Local Board and on the western side of the intersection the boundary runs along Great North Road as far as Motions Road. The reserve in which…

John Key is planning to release the report prepared by Justice Lester Chisholm into allegations of a smear campaign against the former head of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Adam Feeley. Slightly Left understands that the report clears Ms Collins of any wrongdoing in relation to any such campaign against the former SFO Chief.

We also understand from sources close to the PM’s office that the report slams the NZ Herald for working with Cameron Slater.

We would like to know whether Fran O’Sullivan stands by her statements that she was not involved in the attack on Feeley and we would also like to know how many times NZ Herald Investigations Editor, Jared Savage, leaked information to either Cathy Odgers (Cactus Kate) or WhaleOil in order for them to launch attacks on Feeley.

Some serious questions requiring some serious answers from supposedly serious journalists.

Slightly Left of Centre has received information that PM John Key’s self-styled “black-ops” man Jason Ede refused to attend an inquiry held by Inspector General of Security and Intelligence (SIS), Cheryl Gwyn, choosing instead to provide only a written statement in relation to the potentially inappropriate and politically motivated release of information by the SIS during the 2011 election campaign.

Despite repeated attempts by the inquiry to question Mr Ede further on his involvement to WhaleOil blogger, Cameron Slater, Mr Ede failed to front up.

This information, which was declassified and released to Slater under the Official Information Act (OIA), directly contradicted Phil Goff’s denials that he was briefed by SIS director, Warren Tucker, about suspected Israeli agents in Canterbury at the time of the earthquakes, causing Mr Goff significant embarrassment at a politically sensitive moment.

Labour sources confirm that the report, entitled Inquiry by Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Concerning Release of Information…

John Key says the Government needs to give Police, SIS et al sweeping new powers to ensure the safety of citizens.

“Would you rather be free and dead or heavily surveilled and alive?” seems to be the choice being put in front of Kiwis these days.

Ben Ross from Talking Auckland rightly pointed out on Twitter that for all of the hoopla around our spy laws, Philip John Smith was able to leave prison, fly out and get all the way to Brazil before being apprehended by the police force of a “developing” nation.

Kiwi authorities do have a responsibility to keep citizens safe, but the number of people killed in terror attacks on NZ soil is zero. The number of people killed by domestic prisoners in the first 14 years of this century is much higher than that. Karl Kuchenbecker, murdered by Graham Burton who was on parole, Liam Ashley…

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: it’s not a good thing, except when you’re playing Frank Zappa’s 1988 instrumental album Guitar, in which case ‘Sexual Harassment in the Workplace’ is the opening track, and it’s a stonker. However, setting aside the brilliance of Frank Zappa, when one hears that someone is about to resign due to sexual harassment claims that have been upheld and substantiated, all sorts of icky things come to mind.

Roger Sutton’s press conference of a few days ago undoubtedly therefore seemed like a great idea at the time to him. He talked of hugs, off-colour jokes and calling women “honey” and “sweetie”. It was calculated to minimise the damage, instilling in people’s minds the image of a harmless, ever-so-slightly flawed, olde world boss, struck down by the forces of modern feminism.

I for one initially heard the soundbites from the press conference and thought that the whole…