Chris Bishop says sorry after Chlöe Swarbrick again accuses Opposition of ‘lies’ about drug testing
Chris Bishop has apologised for apparently getting his facts wrong about drug testing at music festivals after being called out on Twitter by Chlöe Swarbrick.
The National Party MP claimed on the social media platform that attendees at this year’s Rhythm & Alps (R&A) festival would be able to test their recreational drugs but not be able to test themselves for COVID-19.
But the Green Party MP pointed out that isn’t the case.
“At (R&A) this summer there will not, in fact, be drug checking services. National fought it every step of the way (and continued to spread falsity like this) and while I’m over the moon Labour Ministers finally signed off some funding, it came too little too late,” Swarbrick said.
Bishop replied: “Sorry. I thought there would be at R&A. My point is not about that specific festival but is about antigen testing more generally.”
Big Bish took a Twitter hot-take dump and got schooled by Chloe.
Beautiful.
But the real issue with pill testing gets lost by Bishop’s bungling attempt to conflate a progressive harm minimisation approach to party drugs with his pet hobby horse of self testing for Covid.
National are so desperate that their supposedly liberal crusader will shit on good drug policy to make petty points against a pandemic that Labour’s handling of leaves National with little more than stone throwing as a childish response.
The real issue here is that middle class children named Apple and Bruschetta can party safely at their expensive summer festivals while working class stoners have their rights going backwards!
The obscene farce Labour have allowed with medicinal cannabis to become dominated by corporate pharmaceuticals and Billionaires is the antithesis of what we should be building and things are worse now than when Labour started!
Look, I’m pro pro pro pro pro Drugs! Seriously, if you know a guy who knows a guy, get in touch because ‘my guy’ can’t find jack shit!
I’m all for Apple and Bruschetta getting their kicks safely at their expensive middle class summer festivals but the long suffering working class stoners are getting sweet fuck all.
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Little Apple and Bruschetta 1st years (still tied to their senior public servant parents apron strings ) seem to be doing OK in this neck of the woods @ Martyn, although I do notice a bit of a drop off in bleeding bloody obvious early morning drop offs. But when I do, the parties involved seem to be driving expensive bleeding bloody obvious cars rather than the unwarranted and unregistered.
My take on that – as I lay my stereotypical prejudices on the table – is that pot is scarce while P and other useless shit is still readily available. At a price.
The answer is probably DYI and keep it quiet or there’ll be a 501 around to tax (or even execute) you.
Chris Bishop is a slow learner, obviously learning nothing from Judith Collins’ own goal; for goodness sake Chris when you have arrived at rock bottom stop digging.
What exactly would be achieved with rapid anti-gen testing other than heaps more rubbish? If anyone there has any symptons they must follow public health advice – Isolate and get a PCR test – that’s the message Chris Bishop should be pushing loud and clear.
Very good summation of the situation Martyn! Soo hypocritical of the govt not to support law reform on the green…rushed through, ill informed and dumbed down to prevent it passing… not to mention unsupported by the PM. Also let’s not forget how alcohol fuels these festivals…you could say it’s all about the alcohol cos that is where ALL the profits are made for promoters of these festivals, so it is well encouraged, and why impossible to smuggle it in. The drug testing tent is just PC nodding bullshit in my opinion, even if it didn’t happen. A tip of the hat to a pretty much meaningless requirement when the whole lot are reeling drunk on expensive alcohol they are encouraged to buy. The ambos no doubt take care of the few who overdo it on crap drugs.
Good luck! Happy New Year.
Whoops sorry! Wrong end of stick, pill testing is a good idea…but still the bullshit around drugs is very annoying.
We do not have enough money for a multitude of government depts to function better but have money in the bottom draw to test illegal drugs. This government as strange priorities.
Yes because the money spent on drug checking saves the health system more than the drug checking costs too fund, much like the needle exchange programme does.
I see your point never looked at it that way . That is why this blog is worth following.
Bishop is lining himself up to be the next National leader once the John Key Puppet that is Chris Luxon loses ‘flavour of the month’ in the eyes of the mainstream NZ media(who are deeply into the NZ National Party pocket to no longer see daylight).
Bishop is a Has-been Tobacco Lobbyist. The very same sort of low-life that existed in America during the time when those sort of characters denied a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer.
Bishop, when all things considered, is nothing short of a bully. Just the ideal sort of person that National would be attracted to. And so birds of a feather flock together because for some reason that perhaps ONLY National seems to know is they attract bullies into their fold.
No amount of Christian pampering by Chris Luxon will change what National is and has become through-out its all too numerous bullying style leaders.
Another day, another foot in the mouth moment and why?, more political point scoring, go on holiday Chris for fucks sake, your better than this.
Sounds like the blogger Slater has had to switch allegiances from Judith Who, to Chris Bishop.
Same old Dirty Politics from National, who can’t get any traction with four-letter words like idea, nice, kind, fair, true.
So, they resort to their core values with other four-letter words like spin, muck, rake, crap, shit, lies.
No matter how much bald spin you put on it Luxon, you can’t sprinkle your John Key fairy-dust Teflon glitter on Chris Bishop’s dirty politics.
A turd is a turd is a turd, no matter how much it sparkles with glib smile, lies and deflection.
National should change its colours from blue and white, to brown and sparkly!
Well Martyn, I might know a guy…
NK, ‘wishes’ in a democracy are just ‘wishes’, 49% is not 51%.
I voted for the change simply because of the hypocrisy between cannibis and alcohol rules.
However he is on the money about DJ Omicron (and more human than lux flakes and see more) https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/covid-19-omicron-scare-chris-bishop-says-eyebrows-raised-over-call-to-not-prosecute-dj-dimension/TMYHGSOXEJ7JB2EXN5WUMOUFYM/
gin hag, yes a few raised very frustrated eyebrows; but shouting from the sidelines is easy. Pragmatism is essential when your decisions have on-going consequences. Personally I prefer the hands off approach our Police adopted to the Auckland Domain protest to the Melbourne Police response to the protests there.
Yes imagine the NZ of today if the police went in all guns blazing. I don’t want to see another springbok tour scenario. And how do you disperse 100+ gang members going to a funeral, bring in the army? No thanks.
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