Trevor Mallard likes to pretend Parliament is some sort of woke kindergarten for hard working modern parents and allows as many infants as possible to clamber all over his chair, but when young people (including Youth MPs) stood in the Viewing Gallery and sang a song in solidarity with Ihumātao he trespassed the lot of them for an entire year from Parliament…
After Question Time today, the 14 teenagers – aged 17 and 18 – sang the Māori waiata
Tutira Mai Nga Iwi while flying the Tino Rangatiratanga flag in Parliament’s public gallery.
They were kicked out by Speaker Trevor Mallard, who banned them from Parliament for a year.
Speaking to media outside of Parliament one of the group’s spokespersons, Jack Leang, said it was peacefully action to draw MPs’ attention to the Ihumātao hikoi making its way to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s Mt Albert office this afternoon.
She said the hikoi was going to Ardern’s doorstep in Auckland – “and we thought we would take it to her other doorstep”.
Ardern was not in the House or at her Mt Albert constituency office today.
…the only reason he’s done this is because the protesters were embarrassing Jacinda’s no show at the hikoi to her Electorate Office today.
Babies clambering all over him for photo ops is fine, but young people stand and sing a song in support of ongoing injustice against Māori and he trespasses them from their democratic seat of power for a year.
His progressive wokeness is as shallow as it hypercritical.
How precient? This, in todays The Guardian.
This Aussie cartoonist does a good job.
Look.
See.
“Some ‘sinister tactics’ those brave protesters in Queensland ( in Wellington AO/NZ too ) could have used but also didn’t”
“In case you were wondering: civil disobedience is supposed to be inconvenient. If it wasn’t there wouldn’t be any point in doing it would there”
First Dog On the Moon.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/aug/22/some-sinister-tactics-those-brave-protesters-in-queensland-could-have-used-but-also-didnt
I’d a been amazed if he did otherwise. He’s a dyed in the polyester neo liberal.
Duck’s been around since little roger douglas flew the crypt.
He can ban people from their own parliament!?
He needs a wee spanking. Naughty little Duck. Naughty, naughty little duck. ( No disrespect to actual ducks. )
“The protest began as Education Minister Chris Hipkins began speaking on the Education (School Donations) Amendment Bill.
As the singing got louder, Mallard rose to his feet and admonished the gallery. ”
If they were singing while an MP was speaking, then I think that Mallard made the right call to not allow bad manners. The dignity of Parliament and Parliamentary proceedings has to be maintained – even if half the politicians sometimes behave like gin-sozzled barrow boys – and the incredible disappearing fishwife.
Applewood: “If they were singing while an MP was speaking, then I think that Mallard made the right call to not allow bad manners.”
I agree. I note, moreover, that they have been banned only from Parliament building itself. They are still free to go on to Parliament grounds.
I believe that citizens cannot be banned or trespassed from Parliament grounds: it’s our right to go there. But the same doesn’t apply to the building itself.
D’Esterre my concern was kids being given to understand that it’s ok to ignore protocols and procedure and interfere with the business of Parliament just because they think that they’re on the right side. The dear little baby doesn’t come into it !
If the Greens want to mess around with Parliamentary procedures, they need to do it properly, via legislative change They have already tried to exacerbate race relations in NZ, and we don’t need any more of this.
Had those kids been allowed to proceed, then so should forestry workers, and junior doctors, and Wgtn bus commuters, and exploited fisher persons, and anyone else with a grievance. And what’s more, there are one or two politicians quite capable of using susceptible persons for their own ends, which is another reason to stick to correct processes – to protect people from unscrupulous politicians or others.
You note that citizens can access the grounds of Parliament, and this is where petitioners and protestors do frequently meet with MP’s to present their concerns. This group could have done that also, instead of behaving in a socially unacceptable way – I thought it was the righteous young bullying the old again.
Applewood: Hear hear! You’re absolutely correct: I agree with everything you say. Very neatly put.
The police allow the protestors to to stay on private land children are ecouraged to miss school it is good that Mallard upholds the rules in parliment . It is interesting that 3 of these protestors were associated with the Greens who have been encouraging this action from the side lines. I dread to think how thinks would be for the country if they get to be anything more than the poor relative in a coalition government
Yeah, Trev. Next thing you know, a grown man will be driving a tractor up Parliament’s steps…
Trevor – it’s a bit of a worry if Green politicians were encouraging young people to high-jack the parliamentary process. This is very wrong. Being Green or being Maori, does not exempt anyone from behaving in a manner which the hoi polloi would not be permitted to.
Greens high-jacked the Auckland Muslim vigil to tell the world that the evil ChCh massacre was the fault of white NZ’ers, which was totally unfair on ordinary decent Pakeha, and if the Greens don’t know that, then they should. It looks like they can’t see the wood for the trees. Or perhaps they just need to grow up.
Applewood: “Greens high-jacked the Auckland Muslim vigil to tell the world that the evil ChCh massacre was the fault of white NZ’ers, which was totally unfair on ordinary decent Pakeha, and if the Greens don’t know that, then they should. It looks like they can’t see the wood for the trees. Or perhaps they just need to grow up.”
Exactly. That was an egregious piece of political chicanery on the part of the Greens. Had I been disposed to vote for them in the first place, that would have decided it for me. It’ll be a cold day in hell before they get any political support ever again from this neck of the voting woods.
D’Esterre, I was a Green supporter. I brought one rgt-wing rellie in with me, and one neighbour, who in turn brought her social group of do-gooders. Not any more. I know that I will never again vote Green, and that is because of those disgraceful racist antics which they initiated at the Muslim Vigil.
The NZ Green Party owes NZ’ers an apology for their paranoiac branding of white NZ’ers as baddies.
I doubt that they even discuss these things within their own leadership personnel because that requires an emotional maturity which may be lacking among Green non-men. (Trying to avoid gender intricacies here because I am soo oo politically correct.)
I now have to look at other parties’ Green credentials – and that’s OK.
A good reminder of what Mallard really stands for.
Anyone who thinks we have a left wing government for the people, is at this stage – deluded.
The rules about behaviour in the House are clear. No sympathy.
Yes RosieLee and as long as Mallard keeps throwing Smith out then he’s doing an outstanding job. For 9 years Smith was allowed to get away with appalling behaviour.
Mr Duck is simply that a duck, what else can we expect from a guy who believes that Douglas was a hero…so much so that the Nats knighted him…. Douglas, Prebble and Donald Duck made a great neolib team…they destroyed the country, made the rich richier and working people poorer, introduced university fees, wrecked our education and health system. and even now they spend all their time kissing the backside of Israel and the USA. They allow our police and military to break our and international laws…and all the while Davy Duck kisses babies and bans singing school kids…oh how brave are our over weight MP’s…such a wonderful example to our youth.
Peter Wheeler: “….bans singing school kids….”
That characterisation makes it sound so innocent; it wasn’t, you know. See Applewood’s comment above.
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