GUEST BLOG: Willie Jackson – Response to Paula Bennett recent statements
No one wants to see meth in our community, no one wants to see organised crime flourish – but Paula Bennett’s absurd suggestions that we allow Police to conduct unreasonable searches on ‘gang members’ has so many loopholes and counter productive outcomes it smacks of desperation rather than intelligent and well thought out social policy to solve complex issues.
Fresh from attempting to claim that homelessness was some sort of positive sign of New Zealand’s immigration ‘success’, Paula has managed to announce a policy to rob civil rights from gang members that barely 12 hours later Bill English was having to try and denounce.
All morning today Bill was trying to tell every news show that Paula Bennett was wrong to push the claims of taking civil rights from New Zealanders in an effort to crack down on P, which just shows how old and tired National have become when they are dragging out law and order policy that is already old and tired.
You can’t protect the human rights of New Zealanders by taking away the human rights of others, that’s not the kind of country our fathers fought and died for in two world wars.
National have had 9 years to combat P, yet they haven’t, despite John Key declaring a war on p in his first term!
Key stopped taking reports on the war against meth 2 years ago because the reports were showing that he was losing the war. The truth is that National have reduced the total number of Police just focused on drugs and that has had an impact on their ability to proactively investigate.
Paula has simply regurgitated up some stupid ‘get-tough-on-crime’ crap because punishing gang members sounds like a vote winner.
It’s garbage policy from a Government who have lost touch.
If we are going to be successful in minimising the impact of meth in society, it takes a far more holistic approach to those who are addicted with smarter policing of the entry points for the drug.
Allowing Police to become unreasonable with gang members sounds like a good idea, but a democracy prides itself on being a civil society where everyone is afforded basic human rights. The challenge of true political leadership is working on the problem within the rules rather than push for police state powers to solve domestic issues.
Labour has the ability to turn this around and use social policy to repair, heal and bring justice to people rather than play to our angriest voices.
… ” intelligent and well thought out social policy to solve complex issues”…
I’m not sure you can use that sentence with anything to do with Sweetie the motel lady,…and as for this ,… ”National have had 9 years to combat P, yet they haven’t, despite John Key declaring a war on p in his first term!”…
The exact same thing can be said for homelessness, the housing crisis, low wages , polluted rivers, overstuffed prisons , sagging health and education …. except for one thing ,…. National have managed to keep up the lie about a rockstar economy despite all the above and much , much more !
In that much they have succeeded, … and in reducing so many , many New Zealanders into poverty and hardship.
Roll on September 23rd.
The eyes are the mirror to the soul, and Willie if that is true that picture of Paula Bennett is one of pure evil.
Quite scary actually.
Good article that easily depicts the evil empire national have bestowed on us all.
I fully agree with your position.
Sweetie, the hotel lady! Love it…
There is much wrong with this policy as you have stated above.
Also I would add that Police powers should not be increased given their recent abuse of the powers that they have now.
Nicky Hager/Martyn Bradbury searches and bank; roadblock outside a euthanasia meeting; Kim DotCom raid; Kawerau siege with Rhys Warren;Operation 8 etc etc. The proposed policy is dangerous, we would be walking slowly towards a police state.
Bennett shouldn’t criticise or condemn anybody. Her past could come to bite her on the backside anytime, just once a certain person has the intestinal fortitude to do so.
Why not go the whole hog Paula and allow the police to shoot on sight and do away with the pretence of being a 1st world democracy.
Sweety, some of your verbalized musings are just plain stupid.
Politics is the ‘art of the possible’. This government is still in kindergarten, working with crayons.