law

The smell of corruption

Written By: Mike Smith - Date published: 11:23 pm, May 16th, 2012 - 32 comments

The Jackal raised the issue of corruption in relation to John Banks in a comment here and has written more about it on his blog. It appears on the evidence of DotCom’s lieutenant that  when he was a Member of Parliament Banks was offering to accept a financial consideration in respect of any act to be done by him in his capacity as a member of Parliament. This makes Philip Field look like a Good Samaritan. Banks has to go.

Participate: a better criminal trial?

Written By: Ben Clark - Date published: 10:55 am, April 9th, 2012 - 4 comments

The Law Commission is reviewing trial process. Can we have a fairer justice system?

Resignation-watch: Suit cash a confidence vote on Collins

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 8:16 am, April 2nd, 2012 - 61 comments

Cabinet today will decide whether the Crown will pick up the tab for Judith Collins’ defamation suits. The suit against RNZ, whose offence was to do live interviews, is particularly egregious and calculated to chill media comment. It will be unprecedented for the public to pay for a minister to take defamation suits. But we will. Anything less will be a vote of no confidence in Collins by her colleagues.

Not with a bang but a whimper

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 7:14 pm, March 20th, 2012 - 86 comments

So, from a 300 police raid and headlines screaming ‘Police foil paramilitary plot’ to, 5 years later, 4 people convicted of half a dozen firearms possession charges each. I’ll admit, the SIS and Police carved a compelling narrative from their video footage but the evidence just wasn’t there and clearly the jury, like the public, just don’t trust the SIS given its track record.

Disconnect in Urewera case

Written By: Zetetic - Date published: 9:21 am, February 16th, 2012 - 128 comments

If the evidence against the Urewera 4 is so strong and what they were planning to do so serious, how come they’ve only been charged with a handful of minor offences? And how come the others had the charges dropped? Where are the treason and conspiracy charges? After 4 years of delays, lies, secrecy, and official fuck-ups, do we trust the cops’ evidence?

Dotcom

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 1:51 pm, February 9th, 2012 - 82 comments

There’s a few interesting threads to the Kim Dotcom saga. Should merely providing a tool that can be used for piracy be a crime? Did the alleged offences justify a 70-strong armed police raid or was this more heavy-handed showing off by the cops? And, if Dotcom really is such a bad guy, why did National let him come to live in New Zealand in the first place?

ImperatorFish: Spears Into The Sea

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 6:54 pm, January 31st, 2012 - 3 comments

Scott at Imperator Fish has kindly given us permission to syndicate posts from his blog – the original of this post is here

We need better answers than just “stricter enforcement” to solve the copyright debate – we need some fresh ideas.

What a riot.

Written By: Bill - Date published: 11:16 am, December 17th, 2011 - 14 comments

A quick post on sentences handed down in the wake of riots in England.

Tape hearing

Written By: notices and features - Date published: 1:13 pm, November 22nd, 2011 - 53 comments

According to reporter Derek Cheng (#dchengnzh) inside the courtroom “Judge reserved decision til 215 tomoro #votenz #ambrose“.

Let the courts decide

Written By: the sprout - Date published: 9:46 am, October 11th, 2011 - 59 comments

The threat of invoking defamation is a standard tactic to intimidate those who can’t afford the legals bills to shut their mouths. Such threats are sometimes known as strategic lawsuits against public participation or SLAPPS. My understanding of Lange v. Atkinson (2000) and the qualified privilege afforded to political commentary that it enshrines, suggests there is no way […]

Nats’ retrospective surveillance backdown

Written By: Anthony R0bins - Date published: 7:22 am, October 5th, 2011 - 27 comments

The Nats most recent attack on democracy – the Video Camera Surveillance (Temporary Measures) Bill –  was outrageous in many ways.  It was almost universally condemned, and now Labour has secured significant concessions.

Ecocide Mock Trial

Written By: Guest post - Date published: 9:22 am, September 29th, 2011 - 5 comments

The crime of ecocide will be tested, as if it is already law, by barristers before a judge and jury, at the UK Supreme Court in London.

ACT, the continuing implosion

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 6:27 am, September 27th, 2011 - 34 comments

On Sunday, Don Brash decided to muse on decriminalising cannabis. It’s not ACT policy, we’re meant to understand, it’s just the Party Leader making a speech and saying ‘this would be a good idea’. In classic Brash style, he hadn’t told John Banks, who gave Brash a public smacking on the idea. Now the question is: why would the people of Epsom vote for these two?

Why’s Boscawen really quitting?

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 12:38 am, September 25th, 2011 - 43 comments

Out of the blue, John Boscawen has announced he is withdrawing from ACT’s list. It’s an odd departure from an odd man. ‘Family reasons’ is the line. Not exactly creative. Is the real reason National’s ‘fixit’ Bill? Boscawen is a true believer in ACT’s libertarian principles and doesn’t do compromise. Was being asked to sign a retrospective blank cheque the final straw?

Stand up for the rule of law

Written By: Eddie - Date published: 10:55 am, September 21st, 2011 - 44 comments

Your Police knowingly acted illegally to spy on your fellow citizens. No-one’s saying those being surveilled are angels. It’s not about them. It’s about whether the agents of the State, who are ultimately meant to be your agents, should be allowed to act illegally. Should the ends justify the means or do we believe in the rule of law as the only way to constrain those with power from abusing it?