‘I can tell you one thing right now. Our gun laws will change’, right from the start Jacinda has shows what real leadership looks like.
From the moment this tragedy started, to right now, she has calmed a frightened and angry nation in a way few others could and she has shown an empathy that has led.
She has shown a grace and compassion that has helped us all weep. This is what true political leadership looks like.
She’s has truly earned the title, ‘Right Honourable’ in the last 2 days hasn’t she?
In a lot of the angry debate swirling right now, please let us remember that this diseased human chose Christchurch BECAUSE NZ is a peaceful progressive multi-cultural society, this violence IS NOT a reflection of us, we were targeted because we are good.
That’s not to say there isn’t much Islamaphobia we need to stamp out, that blogs like Whaleoil with their constant Muslim Hate, David Moffett and the New Conservatives language of violence and a rise of the far right aren’t concerns, but we weren’t targeted because this is us, quite the opposite and we need to remember that as we move forward because while this atrocity must change us, it will not define us.
“Our gun laws will change”
“That blogs like Whaleoil with their constant Muslim Hate, David Moffett and the New Conservatives language of violence and a rise of the far right aren’t concerns.”
It was disturbing to find on my Facebook newfeeds a leading online 1080 opponent saying, just 24 hours after the event, that he was surprised James Shaw hadn’t been attacked earlier, called Eugenie Sage a c**** and describing them as unelected nutters. And just 24 hours after the terrorism attack, he was posting a page that is going around calling the Christchurch attack a false flag event, designed to represses right wing voices and encourage gun control. He even used the victims for his post against gun control by saying we should be respecting them by not discussing this so soon.
The point of all this is that New Zealand now has a large number of New Zealanders, violent in words, if not action, who can’t be categorised by the standard white supremist profile. There are shades of this in facebook pages that call themselves things like “One New Zealand” and “The South Island Independent Movement”, but they range from hunters, some of whom believe in a conspiracy that the Department of Conservation plans to get rid of all non native animals in New Zealand (not sure if this is just on conservation land or the whole of the country), to 1080 opponents, to people who think the country is going to swamped with coloured immigrants under the UN agreement, to those opposed to any controls on cats etc, quite often with cross over between them. From what I can see, the 1080 opponents seem to be the most extreme amongst them and they have already committed violent action such as hijacking a helicopter at gunpoint. Apart from being disturbed by the fact that the James Shaw attack and Christchurch gunning seems to have given no pause for concern or thought to some of these people, I think New Zealand security agencies were slow to see the threat posed by white supremists and are only now going to take them seriously, but will be just as slow in taking seriously the threats of violence posed by other conservative groups. If someone is using threatening language on social media, then they deserve to be taken seriously. Not all of them will act out their opinions with violence but it only takes one.
Please respect what has happened here and push your pro 1080 anti hunter barrow elsewhere.
ESOTERIC PINEAPPLES – well said.
I drive from Napier to Gisborne every two weeks, and even see a lot of “road rage” now so we are becoming a violent nation, – no doubt about it.
100% on the increasing violence.
TV is full of it, violence, victim, hood, confilct and fear.
Most of it imported from gun toting Hollywood, one of the most violent rambo cultures in the world.
We suffer the effects of mindless exposure to that.
Can’t help comparing Jacinda Adern’s genuine and inspiring leadership at this time with what might have been that of our opposition spokespeople.
Even Trump tried to sound sympathetic as he laboriously read his prepared script but couldn’t stay on track and sank into a meandering self promotion about his absurd wall.
Yes my wife said that Simple Simon was standing next to Jacinda and he looked as uncomfortable as a shit on his head would feel.
Simon Bridges is a ‘strawman’ for more evil types ready to knife him.
National rare pure evil and jacinda looked far more as a leader than anyone else on either side of the aisle.
She needs to clean out the rot inside labour such as ‘Clare Cullen’ and others who do absolutely nothing for us constituents.
As a kiwi in a distant land, let me say yes, you have a fine lady in your leadership position, New Zealand. She reflects well on you for choosing her. Bravo, my country, my native land.
Agreed Juliana. I’m a bit of a cynic (not a surprise, I guess) but in Ardern’s case, she has risen to the challenge. Her performance (if I can call it that in a non-derogatory way) has been outstanding
God help us if Key had still been PM!!!!!!!!!!
Yes you are right Country Boy;
That article in Listener said it all, about overtired truckies driving 18hrs a day.
Forced to take drugs to keep awake and getting hooked.
Unbelievable!!!!
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/01/transport-s-dirty-little-secret-the-truckers-breaking-the-law-just-to-survive.html
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2019/02/watch-horrifying-footage-of-reckless-near-miss-involving-three-large-trucks.html
The PM has been brilliant and many overseas people have remarked upon it.
The current sport for kiwi cognoscenti, is reading the person before reading the card attached to the soft toy/candle/bunch of flowers placed as publicly as possible then deciding which of the two lines neolib airhead Ardern offered up within an hour of the murders, that particular person will have written on the attached card.
The most popular seems to be the probable lie “this not us” as Christchurch has had a well known & thoroughly documented problem with white supremacy since the mid 70’s days of skinheads & punks – the kids of Christchurch mostly went for skinheadism & nazi salutes when just about all the rest of Aotearoa opted for J. Rotten, safety pins & punks. The reason is the usual, I reckon, back then unwhite people were not in huge supply in ChCh whereas I doubt it was possible to grow up in Auckland or Wellington without Maori & Pacifica friends or family.
The other line Jacinda offered up is “They are us” They meaning kiwis who practised Islam. This more obviously inclusive line has been used but not as often as the first one. In the end it barely matters since both are simple avoidances, devices on tap to all kiwis who prefer not to think too hard about the mindsets which provide a suitable environment for a fascist to feel at home or at least a little bit at home.
Kiwi pols don’t have quite as bad a record of overt racism that Oz pols including a former Oz Prime Minister. see https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tony-abbott-backs-away-from-infamous-islamophobia-hasn-t-killed-anyone-remark-20190318-p5156u.html can boast mebbe Winston “Mr Dogwhistle” Peters in the 90’s if he had exceeded his scotch quota that day.
The Australians keep electing the arseholes too. https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/pauline-hanson-denies-one-nation-complicit-in-christchurch-massacre-20190318-p5151k.html
Altho it need be pointed out that like Joh, Hanson was born in Aotearoa.
Grafton the town in NSW where the murderer comes from, only has one industry and one employer The Department of Corrections, for Grafton is the home of the most notorious prison in Australia. Grafton prison was much featured in the 117 volume “Outcomes of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Aboriginal deaths in custody”.
Most prisons in NSW are mainly staffed by screws who have a bit of a live & let live mindset translated as “If you don’t cause a lot of trouble with yer penchants for sex & drugs, we won’t give you any trouble” Not so Grafton prison, which was the boogieman that recalcitrant inmates would be threatened with a sojourn in if they didn’t pull up their socks.
Many inmates beaten to death, tortured and maimed. Over the decades there were so many inquiries into Grafton Prison that in the end the state government gave up closed the f***er down and bulldozed most of it. That didn’t impress the local Graftonites who needed a steady supply of unfortunates to torture so the government almost immediately decided to ask for tenders for a ‘private correctional facility’. The locals could continue to get their rocks off but the government couldn’t be held accountable.
A cobber of mine who had the bad luck to spend a few years slotted up in Grafton swears that many of the prison screws are descended from the jacks who were charged with disciplining the original transportees to Botany Bay – more than 200 years of oppressing others.
Of course none of that doesn’t excuse the little creep (see how 1.75m coppers tower over the slug) who shot everyone from two year old children to men in their 80’s, but it does provide some context into the screwed up community from which he sprang & who will meet with the Grafton bible bashers tonite, also clutching signs claiming “This is not us” & replete with faux denial. No “They are us” signs will be visible at the Grafton knees-up.
I have been somewhat critical of Jacinda as PM and of her government. I have also held back with commenting over recent days, as it really shook me up what happened in Christchurch.
But given this crisis, and the challenges coming with it, Jacinda has been formidable in her conduct and wise words on matters of greatest concern and grief. I also note she has given an interview to Al Jazeera English, which may perhaps be worth watching and listening to.
We have many problems that need solving, but in such moments leadership is asked for, and Jacinda has offered humane and moral leadership at a high level.
Well put, completely agree.
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