ISSUE 11, June 13, 2008 To subscribe to The Briefing, email [email protected] Auckland Hamilton Wellington Christchurch Dunedin Queenstown Sat. 17⁰/13⁰ Sun. 17⁰/13⁰ Sat. 14⁰/11⁰ Sun. 16⁰/11⁰ Sat. 14⁰/11⁰ Sun. 16⁰/11⁰ Sat. 14⁰/7⁰ Sun. 15⁰/7⁰ Sat. 11⁰/8⁰ Sun. 11⁰/7⁰ Sat. 10⁰/5⁰ Sun. 13⁰/4⁰ INVESTIGATE THE BRIEFING 5 - MINUTE Cold Case Re-Opened UPDATE Solicitor-General pushing to jail business- man “Indefinitely” - media barred from film- ing proceedings An American businessman living in Auckland faces an unprecedented indefinite jail sentence if the Gov- ernment has its way at a High Court hearing Monday. Vince Siemer, whose case is detailed in part on his website, and in his book, The Rock, has been highly critical of what he argues is high level corruption in the New Zealand political and legal system. TV One News was this afternoon denied permis- sion to film, despite making this request: “‘This is a landmark case where the Solicitor General is looking to lock up the defendant indefinitely for contempt of court. This case would be of great public interest.’ Read more here Oral sex causes throat cancer epidemic A new study warns the West is on the verge of a new cancer epidemic expected to outstrip cervical cancer within a decade - and according to scientists oral sex is to blame. The study, published internationally and also de- tailed in the July edition of Investigate, blames a massive increase in oral cancers on HPV - the same virus responsible for genital warts and cervical cancer. Researchers say more liberal sexual practices adopted during the 1960s are only now beginning to bite, A 38 year old “cold case” is back in the news as fresh information throws light on a new suspect in the Jen- because of the long incubation period. nifer Beard murder back in 1969. IAN WISHART has the exclusive story Are artists the new In the words of the Bryan what witnesses described as movements would come to Murder, was a truck driver Adams song, it was the “tight shorts” was preparing dominate the later police by trade and reasonably Philistines? summer of ’69. Astronaut her pack for another day of investigation. One was well known on the West Miranda Devine Neil Armstrong had just hitch-hiking the following the man later admitted to Coast routes. This particu- rips into kiddie walked on the moon, morning. be the prime suspect in lar Christmas, his Austin porn masquer- and on the rugged West 25 year old Jennifer Beard Jennifer Beard’s murder, a A40 car had broken down ading as art, Coast of New Zealand an – born in England but Timaru man named Gor- at Tekapo and he’d been this time the Australian schoolteacher working in Tasmania – had don Bray. The other was forced to abandon it along works of Bill was entering the final 24 just checked into the Franz an itinerant worker known with some of his camping Henson hours of her life. Tuesday, Josef Motor Camp. Around only as “Dave”. gear and clothes. Returning December 30, 1969 had her, the sounds of children Bray, at almost six foot to Timaru, he purchased a brought her to the foot of playing as other carloads of tall with “a powerful build 1954 Vauxhall Velox, blue New Zealand’s southern families checked in for the in the mould of a wrestler in colour, and started his alps. Tomorrow would be evening. or a circus strongman”, summer holiday drive all New Year’s Eve, 1970 was But there are two others according to journalist and over again on December just over the horizon, and who arrived in tiny Franz author Mark Price in his 29. More in the latest is- the attractive blonde in Josef that evening whose book Getting Away With sue. For more articles >>> BEST OF THE BLOGS Bob Jones says ‘bring it on’ over EFA Entrepreneur and former New Zealand Party leader Kingmakers, or Sir Robert Jones is threatening to break the Electoral Finance Act just for the sport of it. Dog Waggers? Read it on Kiwiblog The leaders who WhaleOil goes after wheel oil on clampers Transport Minister Harry Duynhoven’s appearance on could hold the Fair Go to discuss rogue wheel clampers makes for an balance of interesting You Tube video See it on YouTube power Cellphones in cars to be banned While the Government’s move to ban handheld phones in cars is probably a good idea, there are some questions no one has asked yet.. Read it on TBR.cc Labour embarrassed by ‘family’ photo A Labour promotional leaflet that touted itself as working for New Zealand families used a US fam- ily stockshot, prompting all kinds of jokes on the blogs. Read it on No Minister Speaking of political ads... This one’s a doozy, and is now officially the top- ranked NZ political video on YouTube See it here Can the small parties sur- able one seat majority. vive this election, and do The experience of Labour’s they deserve to? blitzkrieg years (1984 – 1990) however caused This election could sound widespread discontent a death knell for New that a party could obtain Zealand First and perhaps such power. The actions even the Greens. IAN of Jim Bolger’s National WISHART looks at the Government, with Ruth challenges facing the minor Richardson’s black budgets parties and their records as of the early 90s, aggravated they head into the election the situation so much that campaign from Hell when a promised referen- dum on electoral reform If necessity is the Mother was held in 1993, MMP of Invention, then the swept the field as the pre- politics of desperation is ferred option. the mother of Invention’s It was not, actually, the evil twin, MMP. At the end best option, but it was the of the turbulent 1980s, a easiest option for the aver- shell-shocked electorate age voter to understand. booted a Labour govern- But the MMP system had ment with Helen Clark in been cunningly designed the no. 2 spot out of office for post-war Germany, so in a thumping so brutal as to prevent the rise of that leader Mike Moore another Hitler. The idea joked he could hold his was to force coalitions that caucus meeting in a phone left major parties without booth. sufficient strength to make They were the good old major changes. days of First Past the Post, In theory, it could work an electoral system that well, but in practice the required a political party NZ experience has shown to win a simple majority of that a powerful leader can electorate seats if it wanted bribe small parties with to form a Government. sufficient lollies to make Although coalitions were co-operation with the wider possible, generally small agenda a certainty. parties were unlikely to be This election, there is popular enough in a single a very real danger that a electorate to actually win coalition of minor par- a seat in parliament. The ties could – if Labour most recent exception to is re-elected – entrench that rule had been Social themselves virtually forever Credit, which managed to in parliament at the taxpay- get leader Bruce Beetham ers’ expense, by voting in and deputy Gary Knapp favour of Labour’s plans for into the big house in the taxpayer funding of existing 1981 election, leaving political parties. Prime Minister Rob Mul- More in the latest issue of doon with an uncomfort- Investigate magazine The Climate Change Industry They’re hitting your pocket, but have they got the science right? With all but one political party considering crippling legislation in a bid to avert supposed dire consequences of climate change, politicians and taxpayers alike need to be aware of the shonky science and shady politics used to foist climate alarmism upon the world, argues MIKE BUTLER With an election looming, international carbon price. in an editorial in the New and up to 27 points behind Numerous submissions Zealand Herald, that “the in political polls, the Clark at select committee level debate on global warm- government is pushing have opposed the climate ing may have been won at ahead with the costly change bill on the basis a cerebral level, that “the Climate Change (Emissions of the high costs expected weight of scientific opinion Trading and Renewable by various sectors of the has to be accepted.” Preference) Bill. economy. This article will How did the world get Reports by forecasters like show that any government to this position? Scare- Infometrics and the Insti- effort to change the climate mongering reports from tute of Economic Research based on the assumptions the United Nations, and predicted the emissions of human-caused climate former United States vice trading scheme will mean change should be opposed president Al Gore’s science 22,000 jobs gone by 2012, because the scientific basis fiction movie An Inconven- wages down by $2.30 an is unproven, unsettled, and ient Truth spring to mind. hour by 2025 and a cost to arguably wrong. The beginnings of what households of $600 a year Disinformation masquer- may turn out to be the big- by 2012, rising to some ading as science has cre- gest-ever deception go back $3000-$5000 a year by ated a worrying mistaken to the early 1970s. 2025, depending on the consensus, as expressed More in latest issue We’ll pay your petrol! 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