Family members are about to have a job
Outrageously, our present government has passed almost half of our new laws under urgency, resulting in there being no chance for us to have any say, and ignoring the treasured checks and balances of our parliamentary system.
The Disability Support Services Bill was at least put out to a very short consultation process. I missed it.
But phew, hopefully there was the opportunity for some informed people to do so as some of it is incredulous.
The Bill focuses on the care of disabled people throughout their lives, and states whom the government considers should take the responsibility for their care.
Under the Bill there is a "family first" principle. Family members would have responsibility for the lifetime care of a disabled person.
Hmm. Ok. But let’s look at just who the government plans to consider is a family member?
The Bill defines a "family member" as "a person’s spouse, civil union or de facto partner, child, tamaiti whāngai, stepchild, grandchild, sibling, half-sibling or step-sibling, parent or step-parent, a person who acts as a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, and first cousin. It also includes any other member of the person’s family, whānau or culturally recognised family group who is in a close relationship with them".
Just think about who that would be in your family. Name them if you can.
If this Bill were to be passed and become law these family members would be expected to care for a disabled family member. Throughout that person’s whole lifetime. Only once these "family members" were financially exhausted might your disabled family member be eligible for basic care.
Imagine the possible impact on both the disabled person and the unreasonably broadly defined family. Surely they don’t actually mean what the Bill says? Or do they?
We used to have pride that New Zealand was a caring society, often way ahead of the rest of the world in our social justice policies. What has happened to the people in our government that they have proposed such a Bill?
BSA or not BSA
To understand what the consequences of abolishing the Broadcasting Standards Authority would be, it is instructive to look at what happened in the United States.
President Ronald Reagan abolished the "Fairness Doctrine" which removed the requirement that opposing viewpoints be presented on controversial issues. In other words, this was a requirement to present both sides of the story. Its removal unleashed a "Wild West" of unbalanced and inaccurate propaganda and political attack programmes.
Paul Foster-Bell (Opinion ODT 16.6.26) suggests the answer is to replace the BSA with the voluntary, media-run Media Council. This would only see the worst offenders refusing to join it. Instead, the role of the BSA should be updated to cover the multiplicity of current broadcasting platforms.
[Bill Southworth is a former executive director of the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation.]
Oath
Top marks to Jim Sullivan for his perceptive insights on vulgar language today in New Zealand (Opinion ODT 16.626). It has become quite noticeable how standards have dropped in recent times.
I find it particularly offensive when the name of Jesus Christ is used in a vulgar and irreverent way.
One is reminded of the quote often attributed to Oscar Wilde: "The overuse of profanity is a sign of a limited vocabulary".
Just what is the right kind of political appointee?
There has been a lot of debate on Māori appointments to councils and their right to vote. Many call it undemocratic and say only elected members should have voting rights.
The government has announced it would legislate to remove all voting rights for all unelected members on council committees.
This has not gone down well with Māori, as you would expect.
All our political parties have a list of people, who regardless of a loss at the ballot box, get into Parliament, depending on their ranking.
Some are "list" only and do not stand in an electorate.These people are therefore appointed and not elected.
A list MP doesn’t represent anyone, and when you look at who is on what list, it is people the party wants to keep safe and have them returned to Parliament.
The parties would argue that MMP has a party vote and this gives them the right to appoint who they want on their lists.
Bearing in mind you don’t have to give a party vote, or vote at all, but the party vote is the one that decides who the government will be at election time.
Appointing Māori to councils with a right to vote is not much different to unelected politicians.
How to stay clean, green
While sewage is being deposited daily into the Shotover, emissions from farm animals are unchecked, some rivers are in a disgusting state and there is the ongoing saga of about 10-15% success when it comes to recycling. We have severely tainted our image of a clean and green country.
Electricity supply and cost has become ridiculous in a country that abounds with numerous options to mitigate issues, for reasons of greed few are taken to the maximum. Meanwhile, stating we are nuclear-free as some sort of badge of honour that helps the clean and green image we project, it no longer does.
It's time to be realistic about the energy supply problems we have, especially as proposed overseas company data centres being built here can use more power than a large town, not to mention the water they need.
One or two nuclear power stations could supply most all our power needs. The problem being, those who benefit financially from the current electricity supply system will do anything to protect their back pockets. Have the conversation about nuclear power supply and stop hanging on to the 1970s flotilla of boats harassing an American warship that refused to say whether they were nuclear powered or capable. We need to start a conversation to allow us to properly start looking after Godzone
Surrender monkey
Republican presidents are fond of insulting people who are not sufficiently sycophantic. George Bush Jr infamously called the French "cheese-eating surrender monkeys" for one real or imagined transgression. Now that Donald Trump has given Iran $24 billion in unfrozen assets, $300b in reconstruction funds and lifted sanctions for a reopened Strait of Hormuz, the world can legitimately call Trump a "cheeseburger-eating surrender monkey".
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