I’m arguing for an independent police complaints authority. How is that at all related to PC?

Everything you disagree with is labeled PC. Heard of the word vocabulary? I’d imagine not because it has more than three syllables. Vocabulary does have the acronym “VC” which I though you might like, as it rhymes nicely with PC.

Bit of an esoteric argument Toad. In all honesty I find it a bit of waffle…
Aren’t young thugs powerful?
If decisions were made locally law breakers would be in the stocks.

Bradford was not praising the police she was scoring cheap political points, the child in question was not “assaulted” at all.

But seeing as you raised the issue, can we expect to hear an apology from Bradford in the near future?, despite the lies and half truth she told about the smacking bill the deaths just keep on coming.

(Will this post make it past the censor)

What would you have our police do then?, of course they need a macho culture, they deal with the scum of the earth on a daily basis, i would rather have Grimstone catching these scum bags than playing silly PC games.

And if some on this blog are challenging the Green for being too authoritarian, and others challenging them for being too authoritarian, maybe the Greens do have the balance you talk about.

Sure, ban advertising targeted at kids, prohibit parents from hitting kids, and have an industrial relations framework that requires employers to bargain in good faith.

But let’s not give State agencies like the Police, SIS, GCSB, Fisheries, Customs etc the power to intrude into every aspect of peoples’ lives because they might more easily catch one or two or twenty people breaking the law.

The intrusion on the privacy of the innocent majority outweighs making the guilty (and thankfully, in this country small) minority accountable for their actions.

Intrusive State power breeds disrespect for the State, and therefore breeds an increasing number of “criminals” who will be prepared to give the big finger to all legislative provisions, whether they are justified or not.

Because they are not the Labour Party or the National party, JH.

And because it is true to the Green appropriate decision-making charter principle, jh - “For the implementation of ecological wisdom and social responsibility, decisions will be made directly at the appropriate level by those affected.”

That means the State intervenes only when it is necessary to protect and nurture the environment and those who are vulnerable within society because of imbalances of power and/or wealth - not to advance the interests of those who are already powerful. It also means that local decisions should be made locally, rather than imposed by the State, and that all decision-making should allow for input from those affected, or potentially affected, by the decision.

“Libertarian outlier” you may call it, but a good number of New Zealanders support that view, and the Green Party represents them. Strangely, I’ve seen others on this blog complain that the Greens are too authoritarian for supporting the State being involved in protecting the vulnerable (employees, children etc) by imposing rules on how they can be treated.

The Greens have rallied against macho police culture, and sought to establish an independent complaints authority. We’re keen to establish systems which ensure our Police protect the public interest.

I’ve known too many police officers and been exposed to too many inadequate investigations to allow the police the free reign which many people clamor for.

Then again who can predict how people will react. I take it you don’t think highly of the average police recruits IQ or social intelligence … Makes me think of the smacking thing (same assessment… people can’t be trusted so we must ban it)