Access to a pincer move
In a release put out this morning, National’s “Spokesman for Disability Issues” Dr Paul Hutchinson said:
The Clark/Peters Government must act on the recommendations of a Human Rights Commission report and improve access to public transport for the disabled…
Yet this morning on Morning Report and then on NZPA, “Spokesman for Political Correctness Eradication” Dr Wayne Mapp said:
Dr Mapp said today the Human Rights Commission was at the top of his agenda.
[snip]
“You can’t have organisations that have both prosecution powers and advocacy roles…it’s this prescribed way of thinking that’s really got peoples’ goat,” he said on National Radio.
Hmm, a report on the disabled minority being able to get on to public transport, which is only used by a minority, sounds like advocacy to me.
So we can expect that if the Government defends the HRC report, they can get slammed by Mapp. If they don’t, they can get slammed by Hutchinson.
Nice.
October 27th, 2005 at 3:32 pm
The last three years has seen a two pronged attack against Labour. It’s based on either taking the centre off Labour (using a mainstream front), or if Labour defends it, slamming Labour for not being true to its own inclusive liberal lelt idealism (thus trying to drive Maori and Greens away from Labour).
Thus they try and cannibalise fellow right wing parties while trying to divide the centre-left.
Of course if Labour and Maori and Greens hold the line they can be seen off - however the fact we have Labour in coalition with United and NZ First, rather than Greens and MP shows that they have had some success with their tactic. Here aided and abetted by the media’s hostility to the Greens (NZ Herald Sept 16).
October 27th, 2005 at 3:52 pm
Hey, woah there, careful not to ascribe thoughts to the right. Craig will get offended…
October 28th, 2005 at 4:48 pm
Hmmm. Don’t the Police have combined prosecution powers and advocacy roles? So will they be next up in Wayne’s World after the HRC?