National is going low on law and order issues

Written By: - Date published: 7:48 am, February 27th, 2020 - 10 comments
Categories: Andrew Little, crime, electoral systems, law, law and "order", national, prisons, same old national, Simon Bridges, uncategorized - Tags:

The thing that really annoys me about Simon Bridges is that he is meant to be a hot shot former crown lawyer but his response to law and order issues is so simplistic.  And it seems to be motivated by the Trump/Dutton model of how to dog whistle and enrage conservatives over law and order issues rather than an attempt to improve things.

A recent example is Bridges’ proud claim that to counter Australia’s totally inhumane treatment of kiwis who had in some cases lived in Australia for decades but never obtained Australian citizenship and then transgressed some petty arbitrary rules we should do the same.

The Australian Government is engaging in the weaponised brutality of Kiwis for political gain.  When Andrew Little accused them of showing a venal political strain they threw a massive tantrum.  Time will tell if they are upset with Simon’s brinkmanship.  Somehow I suspect they will not.

The particularly brutal aspect of the Australian policy is that people can be extradited if they failed the good character test.  It is one thing to extradite people who commit offences, but to extradite people because they belong to a group that the Minister does not approve of is to give that Minister huge amounts of power.

And this policy hurts kiwis.  People who have built a life in Australia and had a family suddenly find themselves imprisoned and transferred to a country they have no links to.

So what should a responsible leader do?  How about promise to do the same.

From National’s press release:

Opposition Leader Simon Bridges says a National Government will look at amending the law to allow Australians convicted of serious crimes in New Zealand to be deported.

If elected, National will explore a policy based on amendments to Australia’s Migration Act in 2014 which allows for people to have their visas cancelled on character grounds.

“It’s the legal right of the Australian Government to deport Kiwi criminals, however we have the same rights and it’s my view that New Zealand needs to explore how a reciprocal policy could work here.

“While Jacinda Ardern has labelled this issue as corrosive to our relationship with Australia, I don’t agree.

“In principle, if it’s right for Australia, it’s worth exploring whether it’s also the right position for New Zealand and our interests.

How can a lawyer, particularly a hot shot Crown prosecuting lawyer be so sloppy with their language or their analysis?

New Zealand already has the ability to expel holders of residence class visas if they commit offences.  But don’t just take it from me, take it from Graeme Edgeler.

So if Bridges wanted to be accurate he should have said that National would look at amending the law to allow for the deportation of Australians for breaching character requirements such as belonging to certain organisations, not for committing offences which is already covered.

His language is so sloppy.  It is almost as if he does not care and is only interested in creating an impression that he is a tough ex Crown prosecuting hombre, not that he is someone who actually understands what is happening. Or maybe he wants the controversy so that the dog whistling effect can be spread over days.

A second example is National’s response to the Government’s proposal to rescind a law that has been held by the High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court to be a breach of fundamental human rights.  The statement was issued by Mark Mitchell but Bridges has endorsed the message.

Here is the press release:

Losing the right to vote is a consequence of serious offending and National will oppose any law that changes this, National’s Justice spokesperson Mark Mitchell says.

“Labour, the Greens and NZ First have just introduced a Bill that will allow prisoners to vote. It’s clear they want to ram this through before the election.

“National strongly opposes allowing prisoners to vote. It’s difficult to be sentenced to prison and you have to have committed serious crimes to get there.

“Prisoners who have received sentences of up to three years aren’t petty criminals. They are people who have committed serious assaults, robberies, family violence and sexual offences.

“Losing the right to vote is consistent with the loss of other freedoms when going to prison. Once offenders come out of prison and have re-joined society then they will have the right to vote returned to them.

“It is apparent this soft on crime Government is putting offenders’ rights ahead of victims. Just yesterday a man was released from prison on bail because he was on a hunger strike. In another absurd move, Corrections has also taken to renaming prisoners ‘men in our care’ or ‘clients’.

Here is what is proposed:

People sentenced to less than three years in prison will have their voting rights restored, Justice Minister Andrew Little has announced.

This will return the law to how it was pre-2010 when a National Party Bill removed voting rights from all sentenced prisoners.

“We plan to make this change in an Electoral Amendment Bill before the next election, so that people sentenced to less than three years imprisonment can participate in the 2020 election,” Andrew Little says.

The announcement follows a report from the Waitangi Tribunal that the 2010 law disproportionally impacts Māori prisoners and is inconsistent with the Treaty of Waitangi. It also follows the High Court’s declaration (upheld by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court) that the current law is inconsistent with the right to vote in the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990.

“This threshold of a three-year jail sentence means those prisoners will be able to vote on the Government that will be in power when they are released.”

The 3700 prisoners in remand already have the right to vote. This law change will affect around 1900 people in prison.

“It is right that someone who is going to be released back into the community during a Parliamentary term should have the right to have a say on who leads them during their time of freedom,” says Andrew Little.

If you want to learn the background read my post here.  My anger levels in writing that post were really high.

The High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court all said that the blanket ban was arbitrary and in breach of the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. Before the bill was passed then Attorney General Chris Finlayson warned Parliament that it breached fundamental rights and could not be justified.

For Bridges to be willing to give the middle finger to New Zealand’s judicial system for political advantage shows how low he will stoop.

This is Trump and Dutton quality base politics for political advantage.

And, just like Trump and Dutton, it appears that Simon did not even understand what is happening.

From Emma Hurley at Newshub:

Before his first appearance on Newshub Nation as National leader, Simon Bridges thought some prisoners could vote.

Mr Bridges was asked on Saturday by host Lisa Owen whether prisoners should be able to vote.

“It depends on the level. I think the answer that we came to in Government was under, is it two or three years? Yes. Where they’re in for really serious lags and really serious offences, no.”

Ms Owen told him in fact, at the moment no prisoners can vote, and asked if Mr Bridges was proposing a change.

“Well I thought that was the Bill we had put in place,” he replied.

Asked if he supported prisoners with sentences under three years being able to vote, he said: “Well no, I support the position we had. I thought I had that right.”

Bridges is correct.  We did have it right.  He is now willing to wreck attempts to restore that situation for political advantage.

The bill has been introduced and should be for first reading soon.  Prepare for an ugly, divisive debate.

 

10 comments on “National is going low on law and order issues ”

  1. DirkDirkin 1

    The most amazing thing about Bridges "extradite Aussies" plan is that he said if he was PM he wouldnt extradite the ChCh mosque shooter [Deleted].

    Im not exactly sure why he said that, but if thats where his heads at, i worry that he will ever be PM – or part of a Govt

  2. Sanctuary 2

    Bridge's entire political proposition and is that by doubling down on an aggressive culture war to energise the right wing base and mobilise non-voting angry whites he can a) replicate the success of Trump/Scott Morrisson/Boris Johnson and b) achieve that by getting an absolute majority in an MMP environment.

    Personally, I don't think this is possible here but we shall see.

  3. mac1 3

    One of the problems with taking the vote off prisoners, which I oppose, is that a second class of criminals who get sentenced to home detention still may vote. Yes?

    Like the former president of the North Otago Federated Farmers sentenced to home detention for years of sexual abuse. I just hope that there are satisfactory reasons for such a soft sentence, allowing him still to vote btw, that the judge took into consideration.

    Not just his former community status or powerful role. For that would point to a huge inequity in the way that justice is served here- white collar criminals, people of social substance get off lighter.

    America has a wide spread disenfranchisement of voters for having had convictions. Millions of poor folk disenfranchised, enough to influence election outcomes in swing states like Florida.

    10,000 votes in NZ lost to prisoners is about half a list MP.

  4. swordfish 4

    .
    Public Opinion

    Colmar Brunton (October 2019)

    Legalising Prisoner Voting

    Q: “Currently, prisoners cannot legally vote. There have been calls to change the laws around prisoner voting. Which of these options best describes your view on whether prisoners should be allowed to vote?”

    (1) I don’t think any prisoners should be allowed to vote … 44%

    (2) I think only prisoners serving a sentence of

    three years or less should be allowed to vote … 28%

    (3) I think all prisoners should be allowed to vote … 26%

    (2) + (3) (Total support for allowing prisoners serving sentences

    of three years or less to vote … 53%)

    (4) Something else … 1%

    (5) Don’t know / Refused … 2%

    Demographic Breakdowns / Crosstabs:

    Above Average (2) + (3): 3 Years or Less (incl. those who chose ALL prisoners + those who chose 3 Years or Less):

    ▪Green party supporters (76%)

    ▪Voters aged 18-34 (72%)

    ▪Māori (71%)

    ▪Asian New Zealanders (68%)

    ▪Labour party supporters (65%).

    Above Average (3): ALL Prisoners:

    ▪Green party supporters (50%)

    ▪Men aged 18-34 (40%)

    ▪Asian New Zealanders (39%)

    ▪Māori (38%)

    ▪Labour party supporters (34%)

    Above Average (1): NO Prisoners

    ▪National party supporters (60%)

    ▪Voters aged 55+ (55%)

    ▪New Zealand Europeans (49%)

  5. Wensleydale 5

    This is Bridges all over. When you have the moral high ground and are looking like the party to the dispute who isn't petty and vindictive, start digging and claim it's time to begin being petty and vindictive. Because that always works. "But Mum! They started it!" Bridges could save himself the effort of press releases and just punch himself in the face once a day. He'd get roughly the same result.

  6. WeTheBleeple 6

    Those serving short sentences are meant to be being rehabilitated for reintroduction to society. The hope/expectation is that these people become functioning members of society upon release. I would argue that you cannot reasonably expect people to participate in society when you refuse them said participation.

    What actually requires attention is the massive failure rate of punitive measures for rehabilitation of anyone. Recidivism is of course attractive to the cronies of capitalism who see black men in cells as money in the bank. Not persons, and definitely not voters, as they're not going to vote for National aka sponsors of Serco.

    Let's not forget Serco. National should butt right out of 'law and order' as they got nothing – except mates who want to turn it into a racket.

    https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2016/10/serco-insists-there-was-no-cover-up-at-mt-eden-prison.html

  7. Craig H 7

    Bit of a technicality, but the term is deport, not extradite – extradition is sending people to other countries to face criminal prosecutions there (think Kim Dotcom).

    • McFlock 7.1

      heh

      deportation is "we don't want 'em" as the motivation, extradition is "we want 'em" as the motivation.

  8. JustMe 8

    Here is a thought.

    Kiwi parents emigrate to Aussie in say the late 1970s and into the 80s.

    They are law abiding and work hard and pay Australian income tax.

    Their children are born in Aussie and have Aussie accents.

    One or two of their children commit crimes and because they are from Kiwis they are deported to NZ even though the ONLY link they have with NZ is because their parents were born or grew up in NZ.

    Perhaps we should suggest Aussie deports all those crims who descended from convicts sent to Australia in the 1800s back to England. See how the UK would feel about that sort of action???!!!

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    Let’s say it’s 1984,and there's a dreary little nation at the bottom of the Pacific whose name rhymes with New Zealand,and they've just had an election.Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, will you look at the state of these books we’ve opened,cries the incoming government, will you look at all this mountain ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    5 days ago
  • Climate Change: Stopping oil
    National is promising to bring back offshore oil and gas drilling. Naturally, the Greens have organised a petition campaign to try and stop them. You should sign it - every little bit helps, and as the struggle over mining conservation land showed, even National can be deterred if enough people ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • Don’t accept Human Rights Commission reading of data on Treaty partnership – read the survey fin...
    Wellington is braced for a “massive impact’ from the new government’s cutting public service jobs, The Post somewhat grimly reported today. Expectations of an economic and social jolt are based on the National-Act coalition agreement to cut public service numbers in each government agency in a cost-trimming exercise  “informed by” head ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • The stupidest of stupid reasons
    One of the threats in the National - ACT - NZ First coalition agreements was to extend the term of Parliament to four years, reducing our opportunities to throw a bad government out. The justification? Apparently, the government thinks "elections are expensive". This is the stupidest of stupid reasons for ...
    No Right TurnBy Idiot/Savant
    5 days ago
  • A website bereft of buzz
    Buzz from the Beehive The new government was being  sworn in, at time of writing , and when Point of Order checked the Beehive website for the latest ministerial statements and re-visit some of the old ones we drew a blank. We found ….  Nowt. Nothing. Zilch. Not a ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    5 days ago
  • MICHAEL BASSETT: A new Ministry – at last
    Michael Bassett writes – Like most people, I was getting heartily sick of all the time being wasted over the coalition negotiations. During the first three weeks Winston grinned like a Cheshire cat, certain he’d be needed; Chris Luxon wasted time in lifting the phone to Winston ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Luxon's Breakfast.
    The Prime Minister elect had his silver fern badge on. He wore it to remind viewers he was supporting New Zealand, that was his team. Despite the fact it made him look like a concierge, or a welcomer in a Koru lounge. Anna Burns-Francis, the Breakfast presenter, asked if he ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    5 days ago
  • LINDSAY MITCHELL:  Oranga Tamariki faces major upheaval under coalition agreement
     Lindsay Mitchell writes – A hugely significant gain for ACT is somewhat camouflaged by legislative jargon. Under the heading ‘Oranga Tamariki’ ACT’s coalition agreement contains the following item:   Remove Section 7AA from the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989 According to Oranga Tamariki:     “Section ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • BRIAN EASTON:  Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record. Brian Easton writes – 1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is ...
    Point of OrderBy poonzteam5443
    5 days ago
  • Cathrine Dyer's guide to watching COP 28 from the bottom of a warming planet
    Is COP28 largely smoke and mirrors and a plan so cunning, you could pin a tail on it and call it a weasel? Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: COP28 kicks off on November 30 and up for negotiation are issues like the role of fossil fuels in the energy transition, contributions to ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Top 10 news links at 10 am for Monday, Nov 27
    PM Elect Christopher Luxon was challenged this morning on whether he would sack Adrian Orr and Andrew Coster.TL;DR: Here’s my pick of top 10 news links elsewhere at 10 am on Monday November 27, including:Signs councils are putting planning and capital spending on hold, given a lack of clear guidance ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    5 days ago
  • Gordon Campbell on the new government’s policies of yesteryear
    This column expands on a Werewolf column published by Scoop on Friday Routinely, Winston Peters is described as the kingmaker who gets to decide when the centre right or the centre-left has a turn at running this country. He also plays a less heralded but equally important role as the ...
    5 days ago
  • The New Government’s Agreements
    Last Friday, almost six weeks after election day, National finally came to an agreement with ACT and NZ First to form a government. They also released the agreements between each party and looking through them, here are the things I thought were the most interesting (and often concerning) from the. ...
    5 days ago
  • How many smokers will die to fund the tax cuts?
    Maori and Pasifika smoking rates are already over twice the ‘all adult’ rate. Now the revenue that generates will be used to fund National’s tax cuts. Photo: Getty ImagesTL;DR: The devil is always in the detail and it emerged over the weekend from the guts of the policy agreements National ...
    The KakaBy Bernard Hickey
    6 days ago
  • How the culture will change in the Beehive
    Perhaps the biggest change that will come to the Beehive as the new government settles in will be a fundamental culture change. The era of endless consultation will be over. This looks like a government that knows what it wants to do, and that means it knows what outcomes ...
    PolitikBy Richard Harman
    6 days ago
  • No More Winnie Blues.
    So what do you think of the coalition’s decision to cancel Smokefree measures intended to stop young people, including an over representation of Māori, from taking up smoking? Enabling them to use the tax revenue to give other people a tax cut?David Cormack summed it up well:It seems not only ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    6 days ago
  • 2023 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #47
    A chronological listing of news and opinion articles posted on the Skeptical Science  Facebook Page during the past week: Sun, Nov 19, 2023 thru Sat, Nov 25, 2023.  Story of the Week World stands on frontline of disaster at Cop28, says UN climate chief  Exclusive: Simon Stiell says leaders must ‘stop ...
    7 days ago
  • Some of it is mad, some of it is bad and some of it is clearly the work of people who are dangerous ...
    On announcement morning my mate texted:Typical of this cut-price, fake-deal government to announce itself on Black Friday.What a deal. We lose Kim Hill, we gain an empty, jargonising prime minister, a belligerent conspiracist, and a heartless Ayn Rand fanboy. One door closes, another gets slammed repeatedly in your face.It seems pretty ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    7 days ago
  • “Revolution” is the threat as the Māori Party smarts at coalition government’s Treaty directi...
    Buzz from the Beehive Having found no fresh announcements on the government’s official website, Point of Order turned today to Scoop’s Latest Parliament Headlines  for its buzz. This provided us with evidence that the Māori Party has been soured by the the coalition agreement announced yesterday by the new PM. “Soured” ...
    Point of OrderBy Bob Edlin
    1 week ago
  • The Good, the Bad, and the even Worse.
    Yesterday the trio that will lead our country unveiled their vision for New Zealand.Seymour looking surprisingly statesmanlike, refusing to rise to barbs about his previous comments on Winston Peters. Almost as if they had just been slapstick for the crowd.Winston was mostly focussed on settling scores with the media, making ...
    Nick’s KōreroBy Nick Rockel
    1 week ago
  • When it Comes to Palestine – Free Speech is Under Threat
    Hi,Thanks for getting amongst Mister Organ on digital — thanks to you, we hit the #1 doc spot on iTunes this week. This response goes a long way to helping us break even.I feel good about that. Other things — not so much.New Zealand finally has a new government, and ...
    David FarrierBy David Farrier
    1 week ago
  • Thank you Captain Luxon. Was that a landing, or were we shot down?
    Hello! Here comes the Saturday edition of More Than A Feilding, catching you up on the past week’s editions.Also in More Than A FeildingFriday The unboxing And so this is Friday and what have we gone and done to ourselves?In the same way that a Christmas present can look lovely under the ...
    More Than A FeildingBy David Slack
    1 week ago
  • Cans of Worms.
    “And there’ll be no shortage of ‘events’ to test Luxon’s political skills. David Seymour wants a referendum on the Treaty. Winston wants a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Labour’s handling of the Covid crisis. Talk about cans of worms!”LAURIE AND LES were very fond of their local. It was nothing ...
    1 week ago
  • Disinformation campaigns are undermining democracy. Here’s how we can fight back
    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Misinformation is debated everywhere and has justifiably sparked concerns. It can polarise the public, reduce health-protective behaviours such as mask wearing and vaccination, and erode trust in science. Much of misinformation is spread not ...
    1 week ago
  • Peters as Minister
    A previous column looked at Winston Peters biographically. This one takes a closer look at his record as a minister, especially his policy record.1990-1991: Minister of Māori Affairs. Few remember Ka Awatea as a major document on the future of Māori policy; there is not even an entry in Wikipedia. ...
    PunditBy Brian Easton
    1 week ago
  • The New Government: 2023 Edition
    So New Zealand has a brand-spanking new right-wing government. Not just any new government either. A formal majority coalition, of the sort last seen in 1996-1998 (our governmental arrangements for the past quarter of a century have been varying flavours of minority coalition or single-party minority, with great emphasis ...
    1 week ago

  • New Zealand welcomes European Parliament vote on the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement
    A significant milestone in ratifying the NZ-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was reached last night, with 524 of the 705 member European Parliament voting in favour to approve the agreement. “I’m delighted to hear of the successful vote to approve the NZ-EU FTA in the European Parliament overnight. This is ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    1 week ago
  • Further humanitarian support for Gaza, the West Bank and Israel
    The Government is contributing a further $5 million to support the response to urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, bringing New Zealand’s total contribution to the humanitarian response so far to $10 million. “New Zealand is deeply saddened by the loss of civilian life and the ...
    BeehiveBy beehive.govt.nz
    2 weeks ago

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