There is no misogyny in New Zealand *
* sung to the famous tune from Blam Blam Blam.
Social issues
human rights
New Zealand is in a terrible state *
* or is it?
The politics of the voting age change
The Supreme Court has just lobbed a grenade into New Zealand politics by ruling that denying 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote was not only discrimination on the basis of age but also had not been justified and was therefore a breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.
Diplomatic Values
Trudeau got a 10-minute stand-up with Xi followed by a public shirt-fronting, Albanese a 32-minute sit-down, and Jacinda Ardern a 50-minute formal bilateral. In the carefully calibrated world of the diplomatic dance-card, that says something. New Zealand would be foolish not to take advantage of what is on offer from China.
Male privilege is a fragile thing
Golriz Ghahraman wanted Parliament to condemn the Iranian Government’s oppression of women’s rights. David Seymour moved to block the motion because Golriz had raised points of order against him during a previous speech. Fancy putting your hurt feelings in front of making a statement of support and principle.
The right is weirdly gleeful about the end of the mask mandate
National MPs and their supporters have been celebrating the removal of the mandate with weird levels of glee.
Hey Free Speech Union, Simon O’Connor is being muzzled
Someone should send out the free speech police. Simon O’Connor has been muzzled and is being stopped from saying what he thinks.
Human rights, culture wars and the right
Christopher Luxton has proposed that social media posts showing gang members wearing bling should be censored. And in the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has railed against a ECHR decision which has upset his efforts to illegally extradite refugee status applicants to Rwanda. These are different examples of something the right is finessing, culture wars against minorities in breach of their rights for political advantage.
National’s anti gang policies and the Bill of Rights
This weekend National threw out a few hunks of red meat to some of its more rabid supporters by going to its old favourite of gang bashing.
Kia kaha Louisa Wall
Earlier this week Louisa Wall announced that she is retiring as a Member of Parliament. History will confirm that she was one of our best Parliamentarians.
The right to protest Christchurch version
Christchurch Council has billed Destiny Church for traffic management fees relating to recent protests. For once I am firmly if reluctantly on the side of Destiny Church. Exercising the right to protest should not attract Council bills.
Real protestors do not burn kids playgrounds
Wellington protestors recent activities in torching a 100 year old Pohutukawa, burning a kid’s playground and threatening to occupy Wainuiomata Marae suggests they are being given PR advice by Vladimir Putin.
The difference between the Wellington protests and the pro Ukraine protests in Russia
Currently in this world there are two significant protests occurring, both similar but at the same time completely different.
Why negotiating with the Wellington protesters is a waste of time
There is something of a manufactured chorus of calls for the Government to sit down and negotiate with the protesters. Here are four reasons why negotiations would be a complete waste of time.
Why the Wellington protestors are wrong
The Wellington protest has exceeded any moral mandate to protest.
They Are Us
The people camping outside Parliament are also us.
We are better than this
Trying to remember the numbers of protestors in Wellington are small in number compared to the rest of us
Why haven’t the police acted?
It is day 10 of the Anti vax protest on Parliament’s grounds. More cars are being parked illegally and despite considerable disruption to Wellington’s roading network so far not one car has been towed by the police.
What does the right to protest actually mean?
A primer on the “right to protest”. Contrary to the views of some there is no right to protest. Instead there are rights of assembly, movement and a right to freedom of speech. And there is no absolute right to do these things at Parliament.
The difference between Black Lives Matter and the Anti Mandate protest
Claims that local Black Lives Matter protests and the Anti Covid mandate protest are different examples of the same thing appear to be very overstated.
The right to protest
Complaints that the police are unnecessarily interfering with the Wellington Convoy’s right to protest appear to be vastly overstated.
Women’s human rights and the vulnerability of pregnant women
While social and mainstream media hash out the details of Charlotte Bellis’ situation, her case points to the gross inequity that women still face even in countries like New Zealand.
He’s not the messiah …
… he is allegedly a very naughty boy.
Human rights and MIQ
Well known socialite, fashion blogger and apparent Constitutional expert Jamie Ridge thinks that the country’s MIQ arrangements are completely unconstitutional.
The Mandate To Say Goodbye
In the next two weeks we will find out how many teachers in New Zealand are immune to facts, were happy to enforce vaccinations upon their children for multiple diseases over multiple decades but not themselves, and after decades enforcing state rules in daily attendance and behaviours of young people at school could not themselves be subject to that same force of state.
The Freedumb Protesters give protesting a bad name
As a principle the right to protest is important. But the freedumb protesters making outlandish claims and at the same time plagarizing the language of progressive protest movements deserves to be called out.
Freedom Protesters are a pain in the ass
Human rights are a pain in the ass. Yesterday’s protesters were rude, unfit to invite home to dinner, shouty, and so incoherent that you could’t make any sensible point with them. They were and are a pain in the ass. But they are OUR pain in the ass.
Friday will change Us As Citizens
While we may have been lifted out of martial lockdowns and some rights have been reinstated in limited form, we have surrendered to another more pervasive power. The power of big data.
Why Can’t We Do More?
The Government’s dramatic action taken over the past 18 months to respond to Covid and the population’s overwhelming support suggests that it should be taking similar drastic action to address poverty and climate change.
Is this the post Covid world?
Just as we did with travel security after 9/11, we are about to get our next set of global regulations to control crisis.
Terrorist attack – Law changes may not have helped deal
A proposed urgent change in the law concerning preparing to commit a terrorist attack may not have stopped the New Lynn attack from happening.
Can The Terror-Injured Citizens Hold the New Zealand Government To Account?
While Prime Minister Ardern is an empathic Prime Minister, good for the country in a crisis, and is genuinely caring, there’s also a time for citizens to say that the state must pay to right wrongs.
How Far Ought The State Go In A Pandemic?
Even in a time of crisis, people have human rights that must be upheld.
Fuck-knuckles, cock and piss, balls does not breach BSA guidelines
The Broadcasting Standards Authority have ruled that the use of the words “Fuck-knuckles, cock and piss, balls” by student radio station 95bfm does not breach standards of good taste and decency.
Bowker may be a dick but he has not breached the draft hate speech legislation
Troy Bowker has bowled out of Hurricanes Rugby but has claimed free speech martyrdom after the response to his well publicised criticism of the word “Aotearoa”. But his claims of martyrdom like his recent attacks on lefties would appear to be hopelessly overbaked.
National used to be better than this
Back in the day National used to have a strong urban liberal wing that gave the impression that it was sympathetic to LGBTQI issues. Yesterday that impression was trashed.