GUEST BLOG: Ross Meurant – ARE OUR RIGHTS BEING TRASHED?
It started off, a bit of a mess – cruise ships in port and people walking through the international airport gates.
Jacinda steps up. A little late for some, but nevertheless; she produced a sort of, “restrictions on our behaviour” – regime. Then she moves to a Lockdown: Level 4 – a good move in my view.
However, defining level 4 lockdown, presented a few problems: imprecise descriptions of what we can and cannot do lingered for some time (and still do in some cases). It starts off with former police commissioner Mike Bush adopting what I considered to be, a, Clint Eastwood approach. Like: “Make my Day” – and try going to the beach!
From this intimidating posture to every day, widening ill-defined powers to arrest – for what? People who did not, obey? Arrested! Then we have the new commissioner rock up and, Oh! What a pleasing change of attitude.
Jacinda emerges as the champion of NZ – and many off-shore nations pine for her style of leadership. Jacinda, who two months ago, was (in my assessment) leading Labour to a first term defeat, roars back to highly popular – and (again in my view), a sitter position to win the General Election in October/November.
But as I have cautioned in several of my recent blogs, Jacinda will lose the General Election if she delays Voting day – because the longer she waits the worse the economic pain is going to get – and at the end of the day, voters vote with their hands on their wallets. Voters forget the good – really quick. Voters feel the pain – every day.
It’s not only economic pain, that lurks in the bushes waiting to pounce.
Abuse of process. Abuse of my rights. Unconstitutional (we don’t have a constitution but we have various Law delineating civil rights and we have, conventions)!
In Australia, mobile phone tracking apps are being test driven.
Testing the technology will be a far simpler process than convincing Aussies to accept this spying device.
Kiwi original European “core stock”, was largely English and Scottish immigrants who paid for their own passage. “Downstairs dwellers” who knew their best chance of getting a foot onto the bottom rung of the ladder – was to know one’s place in society and never rock the boat.
Original Aussie European stock, was from a totally different ‘boat’ – if you’’ excuse the pun. Criminals served the death penalty in England, had their sentences commuted to transportation to Australia. This horde of non-conformists, many of whom were Irish Catholic, had a totally different view of the, “Ruling Class”. The Parramatta Rebellion was but one of many manifestations of rebellion.
In my view; Aussies are not likely to take kindly to draconian government edicts.
In Germany, experienced specialist on medical law- Beate Bahner, slammed (government) measures as “blatantly unconstitutional” and said they violated Germans’ “fundamental rights” to an “unprecedented extent.” Bahner even filed a lawsuit with the German Constitutional Court last week, demanding it overrule every single order by the German federal and regional governments related to the lockdown, since they “are capable of endangering the existence of the Federal Republic of Germany, its rule of law, democracy and the liberal-democratic basic order in particular.”
On 15 April she was sent to PSYCHIATRIC WARD after mounting serious resistance to ‘unconstitutional’ Covid-19 lockdown.
On 17 April in New Zilind, The Prime Minister is being sued over the lockdown, with two applicants making multiple claims at the High Court in Auckland today – including it being, “all for her political gain”.
They also asked for a writ of habeas corpus, which seeks to rule an imprisonment unlawful and release the applicants.
Of course; the residue of the “core (European) stock” I refer to above, may abhor this local version of what happened in Germany, as unacceptable.
However, it would seem that the actions of Beate Bahner in Germany, actually had some substance. On 16 April, German court rules blanket ban on demonstrations ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’.
“Activists in Giessen, a town in the federal state of Hesse, had planned a protest march to denounce new rules that ban gatherings of more than two people in public, arguing that they were in breach of the country’s constitution and citizens’ right to free assembly. “
The court agreed, saying that an outright ban on such gatherings would be unconstitutional and asked authorities to review the measures.
And now we have America objecting to lockdowns – possibly on the verge of civil disobedience to match the 1968 Detroit riots.
THE QUESTION IS? How subservient is the Kiwi generation who must pay the cost of the largess of LOCKDOWN and economic suffocation, which until now- has been accepted by most Kiwis?
NB My French great great geat grandfather was one such convict sentenced to death in England but transported to Aussie on a commuted sentence: Ferdinand Meurant. Often, I speculate that this is where I got the rebelliousness and non-conformist behaviour, manifest in my attitude.
Ross Meurant; a former high-ranking police officer, former Member of Parliament, formerly with commercial interests in Syria and Iran and currently Honorary Consul for an African state.
I think Bomber has the answer: https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/04/18/dear-attorney-general-you-have-to-release-the-covid19-lockdown-advice/
And in the case of PM Morrison saying; “tracking phones are a matter of national security”, Voltaire would say: :Beware of the words “internal security,”
for they are the eternal cry of the oppressor.
I say, PM Jacinda, beware that you are not remember in history as the Prime Minister who took NZ into a POLICE STATE – for once we are in, we will never get out.
Cobaka
As the former officer in charge of Auckland police Criminal Intelligence section; believe me when I say: Any chance to inflate their importance, extend their powers (and their pay), is an ingredient implanted in recruits as they move through the ranks – Tuhoe- was a classic manifestation of police abuse of Terrorist Powers- until the Solicitor General had to concede the actions of the police had been -UNLAWFUL.
This is a different scenario but the same mentality lurks in the darkness of security agencies.
It seems your are accurate in your assessment of Australians, Mr. Meurant.
“Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce says he will refuse to download the official COVID-19 app”
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/mps-refuse-to-download-official-covid-19-app-and-demand-privacy-guarantees-20200418-p54l1k.html
“Politicians are refusing to download the official COVID-19 contact tracing app, while Liberal MPs are demanding data privacy guarantees, as the government tries to convince Australians the software is key to the nation’s coronavirus recovery.”
Kia ora Ross, some people are moaning about losing their democratic rights and freedoms, and that it is all some giant conspiracy to impose some sort of monstrous totalitarian dictatorship.
When people are worried and stressed, it is sometimes easy to imagine the worst.
But, New Zealand is still a liberal capitalist democracy.
We are still having an election at the end of the year.
Unions haven’t been banned.
The internet hasn’t been shut down.
We still have freedom of speech.
And if we succeed in beating the Covid-19 menace we will be free to move into those “Sunlit uplands” that Winston Churchill spoke of.
“….and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.
But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new dark age…..
….Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves….
……for a thousand years, men [women] will still say, “This was their finest hour.”
Winston Churchill Finest Hour Speech. [amended]
Two points may I address:
Re Winston Churchill
Unquestionably lead Britain from defeat at Dunkirk to Victory over Europe
In spite of the magnificent achievement; before Japan was defeat; so to as Winston.
Dumped by the voters- who quickly forgot the achievements.
Re Police State:
SO its OK if Labour does this?
Imagine if National had done this?
What is this?
As Bomber blogs: Dear Attorney-General – you have to release the Covid19 lockdown advice
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2020/04/18/dear-attorney-general-you-have-to-release-the-covid19-lockdown-advice/
So, it seems I am not alone.
Ill transfer a response I received from a lawyer- pertaining to my blog:
Parker’s reasoning for non disclosure on the grounds of client/lawyer confidentiality is seriously flawed.
We, the people of New Zealand, are not conducting litigation against the crown.
The Government is violating our civil rights which have been secured over centuries. Consider the Magna Carter, the Bill of Rights Act 1688 and numerous Court decisions not to mention wars.
Transparency on the grounds for removing these hard earned rights, even temporarily, is vital for accountability which requires close scrutiny.
The public needs to know what has been conceded in the name of this emergency so that it can also scrutinise the restoration as soon as possible.
Lord Sumption speaks eloquently on this subject on BBC 4 if you haven’t heard him already.
Where are our champions on this matter? Where is Geoffrey Palmer?Where is the Opposition and all the other civil rights academics?
Seymour needs support on this matter.
The above is devoid of the lawyers name – but he/she exists.
The above is also supportive of Bomber’s plea to Parker.
a good round up of events .
if america’s lockdown’ objections get to anything like a pro’ gun rally , it’s gonna get a little crazy .
https://abcnews.go.com/US/authorities-brace-massive-gun-rights-rally-richmond-virginia/story?id=68328504
international trade is good , it also mean’s the ability to impose sanctions on , any one corrupt , until they comply .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctions_against_North_Korea
it it also forcing , banning on the consumption of dogs / cats in cities of china along with the way they are brutally treated .
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/world/2020/04/coronavirus-another-chinese-city-bans-residents-from-eating-dogs-cats.html
other countries need timber , NZ has it and so can profit .
mo money mo problems
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUhRKVIjJtw&feature=youtu.be&t=3m03s
THE QUESTION IS? How subservient is the Kiwi generation who must pay the cost of the largess of LOCKDOWN and economic suffocation, which until now- has been accepted by most Kiwis?
We have to watch authoritarianism. But are we to be forced to be externalities to business interests? This is an unusual one-off event – we can’t return to BAU even if we tried. Let’s not use emotional language about it.
And interesting about arrest in Germany. I found in a USA Hoover organisation a Policy Review that talked about people wanting change as being ‘domestic terrorists’. Rather alarming to read. I can’t give source just now have to find it.
I correct my comment of Apr.19/20 above – the wording was ‘secular’ not domestic. This was in a paper about terrorism and the background to it and so discusses religious and secular. The excerpt for anyone who is interested was: (I have inserted a paragraph break to add clarity)
Religious terrorists view violence as an end, not a means to political or economic ends. The secular terrorist views violence as a means to a political end. The religious terrorist sees himself engaging in the destruction of a system, a system that he does not identify with but, rather, is alienated from.
By contrast, the secular terrorist seeks to renovate the system, not to totally destroy it. For the religious terrorist, the situation calls for no compromise — “Our attitude is dictated by our religious beliefs” — whereas the secular terrorist is utilitarian (violence as a means to an end).
https://www.hoover.org/research/religion-and-economic-developmentg