Aotearoa (New Zealand)

The TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the corporate Mega-deal on “free trade” has been concluded between the partner states, and is now in the final stages of its ratification.  This deal involves the US and 11 other countries (Canada, US, Mexico, Chile, Peru; Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Brunei, Japan) of the Pacific Rim, representing 40% of global economic activity.  The text was secretly negotiated by hundreds of corporate lobbyists.  It has now been released, and Congress will have 90 days to examine the 6000 page text before approving, which will allow the President to sign it in

The shocking decision by the government-owned New Zealand Super Fund (NZSF) to not divest from Israel Chemicals Ltd (ICL), manufacturer of white phosphorus, blatantly violates the NZSF Responsibilities:

ethical investment including policies, standards and procedures for avoiding prejudice to New Zealand’s reputation as a responsible member of the world community

and Standards for Human Rights:

I think [Winston] Churchill is one of the most dangerous men I have ever known.
— Mackenzie King, Canadian PM to King George VI, June 1939

“FBI Believes It Has Identified ISIS Hostage Executioner
The U.S. believes it has identified the British-accented masked man in the video depicting the beheading of two American journalists and a British aid worker, The FBI director says.”
— Huff Post Politics September 25, 2014

Another great thing about living in New Zealand is the ease of bringing a private prosecution against wealthy and powerful sociopaths that the police decline to prosecute.1 A particular odious scumbag named John Banks recently resigned from Parliament after being found guilty of electoral fraud.

A number of years ago I read portions of a book entitled The First Casualty: From the Crimea to Vietnam: The War Correspondent as Hero, Propagandist and Myth Maker by Phillip Knightley.

New Zealand has decided to change its flag. This was only briefly mentioned in the media here. But it is a significant example for us.
The old flag is based on the British one, the Union Jack, which signifies the union of England, Scotland and Ireland. The three different crosses are integrated in an intricate design.

America does not at the moment have a functioning democracy.
— Former US President Jimmy Carter

A key dispute in the TPP negotiations is the patents on pharmaceutical drugs and medical procedures.  Long patents inflate the profits of the pharmaceutical industry by not allowing less expensive generic drugs on the market. This means that people around the world will not be able to afford critical, often life-saving, drugs and medical procedures.  It also means that countries like Japan, Australia and New Zealand that have national health care systems will see the cost of healthcare rise to a breaking point, undermining some of the best health systems in the world.