Peter Dunne and this National Government should hang their heads in shame in the wake of Helen Kelly’s death.
That Helen had to become a criminal to gain the cannabis she so desperately needed to ease the pain of the last 20 months of her life is a national disgrace.
Peter Dunne turned down her application using technical jargon to do so and this Government have been spineless in making any real change on cannabis.
We lost a great hero for New Zealand, and yet these smug pricks are the ones that stay alive.
We need real change, not just for cannabis reform, but safety in work places, Union rights, worker rights and the dignity of work.
To not continue those battles she so tirelessly fought would be to dishonour her memory.
Rest in Peace Helen, we will continue to hold the bastards to account.
Maybe some will remember this story:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/82292705/Helen-Kelly-My-back-is-broken-and-I-only-have-months-to-live-but-I-m-pain-free
An interview from RNZ’s website:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/checkpoint/audio/201813153/helen-kelly-on-why-she-uses-medicinal-cannabis
It is not the day to talk politics, it is a sad day, and we must remember Helen Kelly for her work, dedication and for what she stood for.
Of course some in government could have done something, but we know their “priorities”, do we not?
More from RNZ on the sad event of today:
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/315621/trade-unionist-helen-kelly-dies
This woman is three years younger than me. Throughout her lifetime she fought for what she knew deep down in her soul to be right and true. She created many enemies during her time as a Trade Unionist and many of those very enemies happen/happened to be politicians.
Now we know with politicians who are a dime a dozen and pretty well a free-loading lot that they(the policitians)can be really spiteful towards those who do not share their ‘visions’. We only need to look at the current batch of politicians crusading as so-called democratically elected representatives of NZers to know how opportunistic and self-seeking they truly are.I am in particular referring to those very MPs like Peter Dunne etc,etc,etc, in the Key coalition government.
I am sure that in pure vindictiveness to drag out Helen’s pain and suffering that Peter Dunne bent to the demands of his Most Dearest Leader John Key when it came to the of Cannabis for pain relief etc.
And so today Key uses the token and shallow words in his thought/speech about Helen Kelly when in fact he couldn’t stand her or any other Trade Union associated person.
Key wants puppets and Yes people around him. He hated Helen Kelly because she said quite loudly ‘NO”.
Whole heartedly agree. Key does not want anyone around who has the guts to stand up to him. He just made the most of Helen’s illness as a way to be rid of her.
Spineless bastard.
Helen Kelly made a submission to the Health Select Committee which was considering the issue of assisted dying, following the brave stand by Lecretia Seales.
Helen Kelly Helen Kelly also wanted the option to die with dignity under her own terms.
One hopes that she did.
It should be a legal option.
I wanted Helen Kelly to lead a Labour Party, or at least a left-leaning party to redress the damage that has been inflicted by right-wing slash-and-burn, neoliberal bullshit-laden parties like National, ACT, United Future and the Maori Party.
Instead, this current crop of self-centred scumbags have lined their own pockets, the rich and corporate, while fleecing the poor and downtrodden. Just a bunch of arseholes, that started with Prebble, Douglas and co in 1984 and have continued almost unabated with Richardson, Banks, Brash, Hyde, Whyte and Seymour, hiding behind Key and his “populist” banker-robbers.
Helen represented every person, group and sector of society that have been marginalised, downtrodden, made homeless and criminalized by right-wing, heartless, asocial, neoliberal fuckers.
I express here, what Helen more-than-likely thought, but instead acted upon, with her deeds. Rest in peace Helen, but know that every suffering soul in this Godforsaken country loved your aroha, your compassion, your caring and your socialism in the face of unprecedented hatred and scorn by the likes of hypocrite Key and his slimy, corporate backers.
I don’t look forward to tax cuts, I look forward to a more humane and caring, egalitarian society in New Zealand. I don’t look forward to a “decent-ish society” under National and its scumbag cabal-coalitions, but a socially-minded, left-wing coalition that puts people ahead of profits, and aroha ahead of avarice. A society that cares instead of condemns. A society that loves instead of loots. A society that houses the poor instead of hating them.
RIP Helen. Everyone that knew you, knows what you stood for. New Zealand will be even less equal now that you have passed. Thank you for helping me and my extended family and for giving me a clear vision of what New Zealand should be.
RIP you beautiful, loving, humane woman. I hope you become New Zealander of the Year.
The issue now is who is going to stand up for the average worker. Does not seem to be anyone else on the horizon so i can only summise things are going to get worse. Maybe we will see revolution if we keep on this path…
We certainly need political revolution!
Well said! Wha Left 🙂
Almost entirely my sentiments Wha, but your language is a bit strong to be using for my liking. I sense you are very angry, and most of us are mourning the death of a very special kiwi. As an elderly kiwi, I too am angry at the state New Zealand is in after years of neoliberal economic policies by cads and bounders.
The best way, is to talk politely to everyone we meet and convince other caring and socially responsible kiwis, that there has got to be a better way than what we are being served up by “right-wing, heartless, asocial, neoliberal ‘politicians and corporates’” – almost your words, but not entirely the way I would express it.
@ WHA LEFT … BINGO! Said as it exactly is. Well put.
@ Wha Left. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
But you do know what we must do to honour Helens life don’t you?
We must FIGHT to wrest our lives back from the scum fuckers you so eloquently refer to and Helen tried valiantly to defend us from.
We’ve got to fucking do the job. All the way, from the poor bastards living in the streets to the equally poor fuckers buried in bank debt.
We have to fight the bastards. They’ve gone too far. We’ve let them go too far. It has to stop. Now.
+100 to all the comments here…she fought for other people’s rights to the end
Today New Zealand lost the most caring compassionate, and forthright battler for the workers of this country, and how did the clowns on the Breakfast Show this morning honour her – by showing a news clip of that big mouthed egotist Paul Holmes putting her down for fighting against Peter Jackson who was dancing to the Warner Bros puppet show and who expected NZ actors to knuckle under.
Shame on the producers of Breakfast Show – the workers of NZ are proud of Helen Kelly. RIP
yeah Martyn completely agree, and that’s why to continue the fight, we make sure we get Peter Dunne, John key, his National government and all of their support partners kicked out at the next election.
I think Dunne withheld permission for Helen to use cannabis therapeutically out of sheer spite. The best way people can honour Helen is to vote the bastard out of office next year.
Michael the best way of honoring Helen is creating a law on medicinal cannabis and calling it HELENS LAW.
She would have been proud of that.
Yeah AFTER kicking out the bastards next year. Because it’s certainly NOT going to happen with National in power.
That’s why you have to kick out the nats and their support partners like Dunne becasue there is no way National will ever create that kind of law if still in power.
Spot on Michael.
Peter Dunne held back progress of drug law reform for decades by blocking it in the United Future coalition agreement with Labour in 2005. If it wasn’t for Dunne, Helen Kelly might have been able to obtain medical cannabis legally, and might still be with us today:
http://www.alternet.org/drugs/cannabis-cure-cancer
Dunne has been holding onto the Ohariu electorate by skin of his teeth for the last decade or so, mainly because the opposition vote is split between candidates from a number of parties. In the last election National encouraged their supporters to vote for Dunne instead of their candidate. There’s no question now, a vote for Dunne is a vote for National.
All those in Ohariu who want to see a change of government need to get together and identify a strong, local candidate who opposes National, who they can all rally behind. It doesn’t matter if they represent a party, or run as an independent, as long as they can be relied on not to support a National-led government. 2017 may be as close as 2014, and every seat will count. Time this ex-Labour, National-supporting, carpetbagger lost his seat.
Psychopaths don’t feel shame or guilt.
No one should have to suffer this way least of all the peoples champion Helen Kelly.
A woman who gave more , did more and achieved more than Key and his cohorts could ever do in a lifetime.
And when they had the chance to show real compassion and dignity they failed not just Helen but so many who are sick and in pain you could not imagine and facing death at any time.
They failed us as a nation in not doing whats right.
In the life of this government there has been some dark moments and this is one of them.
Helen always made me proud and i told her so in an email earlier this year , thanking her for standing up for me and many others.
Good always triumphs over evil and it will again on the day this John Key government comes to an end, and it will !!!!
Why didn’t that bastard Peter Dunne do this when Helen Kelly needed it?
Medicinal cannabis costs set to tumble after cheaper product gets green light
“The cost of medicinal cannabis is set to tumble after Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne approved a Canadian pain relief product.
It is estimated the marijuana-based tincture called Tilray will cost at least 50 per cent less than the existing legal product Sativex, a UK mouth spray made by GW Pharma.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=11729713
Going to desist on the politics on this day of mourning.
But I would like to say how ashamed I am that in her final days of suffering when Helen should have been able to live in the most dignified way her cancer permitted, the powers that be c/would not grant her something that would obviously help.
Yet again, where is my commemorative comment for Helen ? ? ?
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