Daily review 01/04/2019

46 comments on “Daily review 01/04/2019 ”

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1. Kat 1

   1 April 2019 at 5:53 pm

   Finally the fish wrap might be seeing the writing on the wall. Reading it of course is another matter.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218211
   • Cinny 1.1

     1 April 2019 at 6:15 pm

     Thanks for the link Kat, that was well worth a read…..

     David Cormack: The hopeless week of Simon Bridges

     “We want an inspirational leader who can take us there. And we have one. It’s not you.”

     LMFAO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2. alwyn 2

   1 April 2019 at 6:01 pm

   I have been overseas for the last fortnight or so. While away I saw almost nothing about New Zealand, except for sports, in the news and I was left in a happy state of thinking that the Government was going to bite the bullet and do a proper job on arms control by banning ALL semiautomatic weapons.

   Instead I arrive back to discover they have completely lost their nerve and are only to ban things like AK47s and the US M4 (or M16) assault weapon equivalents.
   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=12218242

   Even then it appears that there will be exceptions to the ban.
   “The Government plans to ban on military-style semi-automatic (MSSA) weapons and assault rifles, though there would be exemptions for guns commonly used by farmers for pest control, as well as hunters.”.

   Why didn’t they have the guts to follow John Howard’s example of 20 years ago and to ban all semiautomatics? There is no need to have any semiautomatic outside the Military and the Police.
   This was the chance to do something meaningful and instead they have simply bowed down before the members of the Gun Lobby.
   Why have they turned out to be such cowards? Has Tsar Winston simply trod on the other two parties again?

   Oh well I suppose it will get one soon to be illegal weapon out of “dickhead” Davis’ possession.
   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12215729

   I realise that Lprent coined the description for all such owners but it seems truly appropriate for Kelvin.
   I mean to say. What did a schoolteacher need an AK47 equivalent for? Is he so scared of the pupils that he needs to man up like Rambo just to get from the classroom to the staffroom and back each day?

   Is it really to late for the Government to actually do something meaningful about guns or is it just another case of “all hat and no cattle” as that wonderful Texas phrase describes it.
   • Cinny 2.1

     1 April 2019 at 6:23 pm

     Edit.. rubbish, we will have the same as Aussie, currently the law in Aussie is….

     Category D – All self-loading centrefire rifles, pump-action or self-loading shotguns that have a magazine capacity of more than 5 rounds, semi-automatic rimfire rifles over 10 rounds, are restricted to government agencies, occupational shooters and primary producers.

     And Nash is proposing the same, as far as I’m aware, which is….

     “Are any semi-automatic firearms exempted from the changes?

     A small number of firearms owners have a legitimate use for weapons with a larger capacity. Semi-automatic firearms which are commonly used for hunting, pest control, stock management on farms, and duck shooting will not be affected. These are:
     • Semi-automatic .22 calibre rimfire firearms with a magazine which holds no more than ten rounds
     • Semi-automatic and pump action shotguns with a non-detachable tubular magazine which holds no more than five rounds ”

     Anyways, discussion in the house tomorrow if you are interested….

     “The Arms Amendment Bill will have its first reading tomorrow, and be referred to a Select Committee for a swift public submissions process. It will return to Parliament next week to pass through its remaining stages. It is intended to come into force on 12 April, the day after the Royal Assent.”

     http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1904/S00005/tighter-gun-laws-to-enhance-public-safety.htm
     • alwyn 2.1.1

       1 April 2019 at 9:02 pm

       The debate is really about what New Zealand is doing.
       However there are a few things you should note about what happened in Australia.

       When Howard got these reforms through the banned weapons included ALL semiautomatic rifles. That included all rimfire weapons as well. We aren’t doing that.

       The seizure/buyback was about 650,000 guns. That was estimated to be 20% of all the privately owned weapons in Australia.
       https://www.vox.com/2015/8/27/9212725/australia-buyback
       We aren’t talking anything like that number.

       Howard had, of course,to get the laws accepted and passed by all the states and territories. That is a hell of a lot harder than we have here.

       The laws have been eased up in the last 20 years as State Governments bow to the pressures of the Gun Lobby and Howard is no longer around to provide the moral impetus.
       For example in NSW we have
       “A 2008 amendment to the firearms act, passed by the Labor government and Shooters and Fishers Party, allowed people to enter a gun club and begin shooting without a licence and the previous 28-day background check”
       https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/gun-control-eroded-since-port-arthur-20160427-gog5u5.html

       No, it is no use making excuses. Our Government has the chance to do something meaningful and they have morally collapsed from fear of the Shooting Lobby. Gutless, the lot of them.
       They are all talk and no trousers.
       • mickysavage 2.1.1.1

         1 April 2019 at 9:22 pm

         This is the urgent part of the reform. There will be a lot more happen later.
         • alwyn 2.1.1.1.1

           1 April 2019 at 11:25 pm

           No Micky. This is the only chance we have. If all the semi-automatic weapons aren’t banned right now it is never going to happen.
           Look at the history of the last 20+ years since the Thorp Report.
           Nothing at all from either Labour or National Governments. And as the immediate memory of the affair in Christchurch fades the chances of anything significant happening in the future fades with it.
           If the Government can’t find the courage to do it now it will never happen.
   • Peter 2.2

     1 April 2019 at 9:16 pm

     Now you’re back in the country, maybe instead of writing about lost nerve on here you write to the men in the linked article.

     There are a lot of mental midgets who think they should have all the guns of any type they want. All the pressure in the world mightn’t change their self-obsessed cowboy mentality but is it only Ardern’s job to fight a battle with them. Expect her to have the nerve which we don’t?

     You don’t want certain guns here? A childish rant about Kelvin Davis is easy. What else have you got, what constructive things are you going do, or are you “all hat and no cattle”?

     https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204
     • Jilly Bee 2.2.1

       1 April 2019 at 10:55 pm

       OK guys, what about this – I found it totally gobsmacking, just putting it out there.
       https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204
       • The Al1en 2.2.1.1

         1 April 2019 at 11:03 pm

         “most gun owners were “pretty responsible I would imagine”.”

         And there’s the nub.

         You’d have been as dumb as a sack of mssa to advocate in print for gun ownership now, when you can’t even be certain gun owners aren’t more than “pretty responsible, I would imagine”.

         Someone’s lacking a laser (in)sight.
     • alwyn 2.2.2

       1 April 2019 at 11:19 pm

       “but is it only Ardern’s job to fight a battle with them. Expect her to have the nerve which we don’t”.

       YES I DO expect her to fight the battle.
       She is the Prime Minister. She can do something about it. I’m not an MP. I can only comment on the subject and tell the people who are in office what I want them to do. Well, quite consistently I believe, I have.
       Ban all semiautomatic weapons. NOW.
       That is about all I can do in response to your question “what constructive things are you going do”. What other options do I have?

       If they don’t have the guts to do it now it will never happen.
       Howard had the courage to do it, even with threats to his life. There was at least one meeting where he was persuaded to wear a bullet-proof vest because his life was believed to be in danger. Luckily the people involved were only talking about killing him.

       Ardern is the PM right now. I can offer you another Americanism about what she has to do. It is “there is a time when you either have to piss or get off the pot”. Nixon even said it to Eisenhower. Well sorry Jacinda. This is the one and only chance we have to get rid of automatic and semi-automatic weapons in the general public’s hands. Do it NOW.
       • Peter 2.2.2.1

         2 April 2019 at 9:19 am

         Thanks for the reply. I get it.

         I like it when some scream, “Do it, do it now, be decisive, have the balls!” And then from the same camp, “Why weren’t we consulted, are we living in a dictatorship and then a rallying call of the next election is about ploughing ahead and doing dictatorially what the electorate didn’t want, ignoring their rights.

         https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/29/asia/new-zealand-guns-intl/index.html
3. Dennis Frank 3

   1 April 2019 at 7:16 pm

   Fun politics in Ukraine: “A comedian with no political experience has won the most votes in the first round of Ukraine’s presidential elections, early results indicate.
   With half the ballots counted, Volodymyr Zelenskiy – who plays the president on TV – got about 30%, with current leader Petro Poroshenko on 16%.”
   https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47767440

   “The two – who have expressed largely pro-EU opinions – are set to take part in a run-off election next month. Former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko appears to have been eliminated.”

   So now they have to choose whether or not to dump a billionaire. Gee, tough choice?? I doubt it, if they wonder whether to be controlled by an oligarch, or entertained!

   “Mr Poroshenko aimed to appeal to conservative Ukrainians through his slogan “Army, Language, Faith”. No, no! That will freak them out! “Mr Poroshenko, a chocolate magnate and one of Ukraine’s wealthiest people, was elected in a snap vote after former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was toppled in the February 2014 Maidan Revolution, which was followed by Russia’s annexation of Crimea and a Russian-backed insurgency in the east.” There you go, all he needs to do is offer voters a free chocolate fish each. Election bribes normally work well.
   • Pat 3.1

     1 April 2019 at 9:26 pm

     may pay to consider the last TV personality to be elected President….and reflect
4. Muttonbird 4

   1 April 2019 at 8:13 pm

   Happy to agree with Bingles here. He’s even borrowed from our Prime Minister.

   This law will make New Zealand a dangerous place for people who are young and suicidal or old and think they’re a burden, or people with disabilities.

   “If they have a bad day, where they wish they weren’t alive, we should be offering them kindness – but what we’re going to offer is to kill them.

   https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2019/04/end-of-life-choice-bill-will-make-new-zealand-a-dangerous-place-sir-bill-english.html
   • Psycho Milt 4.1

     1 April 2019 at 9:29 pm

     Can you point to the bit in the proposed legislation that bans offering kindness and replaces it with killing people? Specific clauses, please.
     • Sabine 4.1.1

       1 April 2019 at 9:33 pm

       +1
     • Muttonbird 4.1.2

       1 April 2019 at 9:33 pm

       You well know you can’t legislate for kindness nor against it. The law is impersonal like that. People do kindness and people withhold kindness.
       • Psycho Milt 4.1.2.1

         1 April 2019 at 9:38 pm

         Then why bleat about kindness when referring to legislation?
         • Muttonbird 4.1.2.1.1

           1 April 2019 at 9:46 pm

           The legislation wouldn’t ‘ban’ kindness but it does offer to kill people.

           Like a majority of Kiwis I just worry that very ill people’s lives will be seen as burdensome. You can’t safeguard against that in the legislation.
           • The Al1en 4.1.2.1.1.1

             1 April 2019 at 10:00 pm

             Faced with getting to the stage of having to have my kid wipe my arse and wipe my drool, or (and not to diminish the good work loads of carers do), leave it to a minimum wage employee who may beat me and steal my possessions, rather than be what I would consider to be a burden, I might well take up the option of legally ending my life.

             I would never say a woman shouldn’t have the right to choose abortion, likewise it’s not anyone’s business but my own should I opt to end my life when the prognosis is dire and or very painful. Taking any liability away from those assisting me would be a cherry on top of the icing on the cake.
             • Muttonbird …

               1 April 2019 at 10:13 pm

               I’m not sure state care not being good enough is a good reason to introduce assisted dying.

               I do think a shrinking of state care services is high on the list of outcomes for the member who introduced this bill. He has form in this area.
               • The Al1en …

                 1 April 2019 at 10:17 pm

                 The point isn’t state care, about which I amended in an edit to reflect the good work some wonderful people do, but the fact I would consider it burdensome to be so cared for by family or strangers.

                 If I thought for one minute I’d get dementia I hope I’d have the fortitude to end it at a time of my choosing with family and friends around me.
                 It’s a cold heart to deny that to someone whose fate is so awful and condemn them to one worse than death.
                 • marty mars …

                   1 April 2019 at 10:21 pm

                   A big long article worth reading on this subject.

                   “Van Baarsen’s scruples have crystallised in the country’s first euthanasia malpractice case, which prosecutors are now preparing. (Three further cases are currently under investigation.) It involves a dementia sufferer who had asked to be killed when the “time” was “right”, but when her doctor judged this to be the case, she resisted. The patient had to be drugged and restrained by her family before she finally submitted to the doctor’s fatal injection. The doctor who administered the dose – who has not been identified – has defended her actions by saying that she was fulfilling her patient’s request and that, since the patient was incompetent, her protests before her death were irrelevant. Whatever the legal merits of her argument, it hardly changes what must have been a scene of unutterable grimness.”

                   https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/jan/18/death-on-demand-has-euthanasia-gone-too-far-netherlands-assisted-dying
                   • The Al1en …

                     1 April 2019 at 10:23 pm

                     That’s sad, but like I wrote, I hope I’d get to make that call before I was incapacitated or deemed incapable.
               • Gabby …

                 1 April 2019 at 11:09 pm

                 Just think what it would do for the property market.
             • greywarshark …

               1 April 2019 at 10:40 pm

               Thanks Allen for putting up points relating to assisted dying. It is a
               hard one with numbers of different needs, ideas and ideals to consider.

               Of
               • The Al1en …

                 1 April 2019 at 10:46 pm

                 Obviously it’s a very personal subject, and no doubt there are good arguments on both sides of the divide, but I honestly believe it should be a personal choice to end a life with dignity in the face of a horrible, debilitating ending.
                 Taking away any stigma and bringing that decision within the law, is in my mind, a compassionate, humane act.
                 • greywarshark …

                   1 April 2019 at 11:10 pm

                   True. At present I would have to send my unhappy family away to have a coffee or such to ensure that they wouldn’t be charged and have to appear in Court as to whether they had helped me or killed me. And I think they would have to sit somewhere in public where they could call on a witness as alibi if needed.

                   The various concerns raised could be controlled with legislation.
                   There would be a required model or models to follow to ensure that the matter was done in a responsible way.
                   • The Al1en …

                     1 April 2019 at 11:18 pm

                     I fully get that.
   • The Al1en 4.2

     1 April 2019 at 10:09 pm

     “This law will make New Zealand a dangerous place for people who are young and suicidal or old and think they’re a burden”

     We’ve all seen the horrendous rates of suicide in NZ. 100% not being insensitive, but clearly these people don’t need an assisted dying law.
     • marty mars 4.2.1

       1 April 2019 at 10:23 pm

       Uncalled for that.

       Often people who commit suicide are desperately unhappy and want the pain to stop. Temporary pain permanent solution.

       Please don’t try to be flippant about the horrendous suicide rates in this country – it is a sign that people are being pushed too far and nothing whatsoever to do with assisted dying.
       • The Al1en 4.2.1.1

         1 April 2019 at 10:26 pm

         I don’t think it’s uncalled for, and certainly not flippant. I thought I’d made that quite clear. It’s a valid point.
         Besides, I’m sure any law would involve input from medical staff, and the grounds for assisted death would probably include terminal disease as the only criteria, and would exclude suicidal people with mental issues, temporary of otherwise.
         • marty mars 4.2.1.1.1

           1 April 2019 at 10:34 pm

           Great you know it all.
           • The Al1en 4.2.1.1.1.1

             1 April 2019 at 10:34 pm

             To your edited out comment…

             I hear you, I just disagree with your understanding and interpretation of what I’ve written. No biggie

             To the edited version…

             Without the bill in front of us, everything in conjecture.
             • marty mars …

               1 April 2019 at 10:40 pm

               It is a challenging subject.
               • The Al1en …

                 1 April 2019 at 10:41 pm

                 Very confronting, for sure.
       • Skunk Weed 4.2.1.2

         2 April 2019 at 4:37 am

         We need a good Mental Health System which is compassionate towards people with Mental Health Issues, we did have a Mental Health System which may not have been perfect, but we did have one.

         Under the Lange/Douglas Labour Government and the Neoliberal Agenda under Harold Titter an Englishman imported for the job, they dismantled the Mental Health System and released a lot of Mental Health patients back into the community. Then proceeded to sell off the Assets held by the Health Department ?
   • millsy 4.3

     1 April 2019 at 11:47 pm

     Bill English has no right to bleat about kindness when his track record is anything but ‘kind’.
5. ScottGN 5

   1 April 2019 at 9:03 pm

   Erdogan has lost Ankara in the local body elections and his party’s claim to have won Istanbul is being challenged by the opposition. Adds some context to the recent furore over Winston’s trip to Turkey and just what Erdogan was playing at.

   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/01/erdogan-party-loses-ankara-in-turkish-local-elections-blow
6. marty mars 6

   1 April 2019 at 10:28 pm

   so funny

   https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2019/apr/01/the-cures-robert-smith-offers-blunt-response-to-overzealous-tv-host-video
   • WeTheBleeple 6.1

     2 April 2019 at 6:05 am

     From that I’d almost swear he’s a high functioning Aspie.
7. marty mars 7

   1 April 2019 at 10:39 pm

   Audit them forensically and then prosecute to the full extent of the law if appropriate.

   Fishing and Outdoors editor Graham Carter stood by an article in his paper today which called out Ardern and Police Minister Stuart Nash.

   “Our Dumb-as-a-Plank New Zealand Prime Minister and lapdog New Zealand Police Minister have announced a ban on assault rifles that are and have been banned for the last ‘thirty-five years’.

   “Comments made by our PM are disingenuous and misleading the general public.”

   The article, written by John McNab, goes on to say that it was already illegal to fire any rifle which was “full-auto” even if it was a defence force firearm.

   https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12218204
   • alwyn 7.1

     1 April 2019 at 11:31 pm

     Would you care to expand on what you really mean by your first sentence?
     You sound as if you propose to use the IRD as a Government controlled police force who will aim their powers at anyone who says nasty things about members of the Government.
     You aren’t serious are you?
     • marty mars 7.1.1

       2 April 2019 at 7:41 am

       I’d like to know that these guys comply totally with the law and all legal requirements in regards to their firearms licence and any weapons they may have. I don’t want someone to kill other people because of hate. These people have put their heads up with their comments therefore they are first in line. Simple enough even for you. I don’t care about their money or whether they pay enough tax – you’re back here now alwyn get up to speed will ya ffs.
8. greywarshark 8

   1 April 2019 at 10:54 pm

   End of Life Choice Bill will make New Zealand a ‘dangerous place’ – Sir Bill English…

   “It’s worse than a slippery slope… once you start saying ‘we’ll drop the ban on killing, some people can choose to be killed’ – how do you stop more and more and more?”

   What else would he say? He is conservative through and through, with his mind totally religion-controlled. NZ will find one excuse after another to avoid any reasoned process on this. And why would more and more rise exponentially? Did he ever worry about the amount of depression in NZ when he was PM and provide better conditions for all people, and for depressed more talking help and widening the scope of therapies? As more people are living longer there may be a growing number wanting to limit the length of the journey – so there may be a growing number. Nothing to worry him though, it’s just a growth in the demographics and I suppose he knows what that means.

   We will be fortunate to get compassionate assistance for the terminally ill, or people who are sick of being sick with constant pain. And I would like for myself the ability to organise arrangements with my family for my own death when I want, and also I would talk to my doctor if willing to be called to give a death certificate. I certainly don’t want anyone else to have the burden of deciding for me when ‘the time is right’. I would like a ‘managed demise’. That is all hypothetical anyway, I don’t expect much from NZ legislators now and if I am wrong in that then that will be a nice surprise.

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