We had a very well attended meeting of 62 people at Dargaville last night and it is a shame that you could not be at the meeting yourself. 

Although similar in its purpose and goal to the meetings organized by John Boscawen, this was not an ACT meeting, but a meeting organized by Northlanders and for Northlanders.  We wanted to create a platform to discuss the highly contentious issue of Sue Bradford’s Anti-Smacking Bill, the Referendum and the Government’s unacceptable response to the will of the over 90% of Northlanders voting NO to the question ”Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand!” 

It became clear that every person in the room understood that the issue has moved on from the Anti-Smacking Bill and is now really an issue of how our democratic processes are applied and safeguarded by our elected representatives. John, I think it would be foolish of you, the National Party and the Government to believe that this issue will go away by a bit of “window dressing” in the form of reviews and inquiries as suggested by John Key. How many reviews and inquiries did we have during Labour’s reign? Even the most placid and uninformed person has realized by now that these reviews are not worth the paper they are written on. What we want and why we voted for you are clear and decisive actions in line with the will of the vast majority of New Zealanders.

Although I can understand to some degree that John Key and the Government and maybe even you are scared of the small, but often ferocious minority of demagogues pushing for these anti-freedom and anti-family laws (these people are often ruthless, foulmouthed and not the least interested in democratic processes) you must not underestimate the power of the “silent majority” – there is only so much we can and will take.

John, people were disappointed that you did not take a stand and you did not answer the questions we put before you. One day you will have to make a clear stand and be rest assured that the eyes of your Northland constituents will be on you watching whether you represent our clearly expressed will or not.

Like most people, I am realistic about the political processes and although my clear preference would be to reinstate the well working Section 59 as it was before 2007, I realize that might be considered not possible, even in the current political landscape. Supporting the Boscawen Amendment, which has its origin in National’s own Burrows Amendment which John Key claimed would have been his choice back then had he had the numbers, is possible – you have the numbers now (most likely even for both options)! 

This is not a time for cowards. For the sake of our freedom, for Democracy and the future of our children and grand children we want our elected representatives, like yourself, to show backbone and stand up against the small group of anti-democratic political activists and we want to know that you are representing us, the vast majority of Northlanders  – if not, there is no point in voting for you or National ever again, is there?

With kind regards,
Peter

You have a good reputation up here, but you can imagine that with 90% of Northlanders voting “NO” in the Anti-Smacking Bill referendum and John Key and the Government trying to ignore this overwhelming majority, “showing utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process”[John Key, March 2007] , the electorate is curious what our elected Member of Parliament believes and is planning to do in order to represent us. I have talked to quite a few people about this issue in the last few weeks and have not found one person that supported John Key’s / the Government’s approach – everybody I spoke to wanted Section 59 changed and the Anti-Smacking Bill abolished.

Based on my talks I have compiled a list of questions for you, which I believe your constituents want to have answered by you. In case you can’t be in person at the Public Meeting on Monday 12 October in Dargaville, I would like to ask you to give me your answers to the questions below, so I can read them out at the meeting. Even better would be, if you could make a short video with an address to the meeting and answer these questions for us which we could play on a projector screen.  

Here are the 5 Questions:

•  1. Do you personally believe that good parents should be criminalized for smacking their children for discipline or correction?
• 2. How are you planning to demonstrate to the 90% of Northlanders, who voted  that they do not want to see parents being criminalized for smacking their children, that you are taking us seriously and you are working on  our behalf?
• 3. Are you going to use your influence and make a stand for MPs to be allowed to represent their constituents rather than do what you are told by your leader? If not, why not?
• 4. Do you agree with PM John Key that the law is a “dog’s breakfast”, and if so, are you prepared to support a move to change it in parliament, so that New Zealanders can have certainty and clarity as to what the law is?
• 5. Are you going to support John Boscawen’s Private Members Bill, champion a complete repeal of Section 59 to pre 2007 status or are you going to tell your constituents in Northland that “the law is working” like John Key says?

 John, like many of your Northland constituents, I believe that you are committed to the “democratic process” and that deep down you are as horrified as we are that the vast majority of New Zealanders is currently ignored or fobbed off by John Key and the National Government. Please show courage and represent the will of the people who elected you.

Thank you,
Peter

What is Your Idea of Democracy?

Ever since Sue Bradford took it upon herself to impose the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill” on New Zealand the debate about the merits of this law has never died down.

Despite a relentless campaign by pressure groups to promote the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill’ and regular vilification of anybody who opposes it, the vast majority of New Zealanders have consistently and steadfastly said ‘NO’ to this law. Every opinion poll conducted before the Anti-Smacking Bill was ratified in Parliament showed without fail above 80% of New Zealanders opposed to outlawing smacking to correct and discipline a child. And how did our elected representatives in Wellington react to this overwhelming display of opposition? They ignored it! Even John Key, as leader of the opposition, declared in March 2007: “The Labour Government has shown utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process with its plan to railroad the anti-smacking bill through Parliament…”  As we all know, Labour lost big in the last election because Kiwis got fed up with their ‘nanny-state-politics’ and Phil Goff just recently stated in the NZ Herald that “Labour made mistakes” and that the Anti-Smacking Bill was one of them.

Now, we even had a Citizens Initiated Referendum and despite all the politicking and manipulations, a huge majority of New Zealanders said “NO” again. Over 87% of voters do not believe that a ‘Smack as part of good parental correction should be a criminal offence’ – which according to the law, it is. But in an astonishing twist, it is now National and our Prime Minister John Key who are ignoring this strong conviction of New Zealanders “displaying contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process”. As a coincident, only a few days after the referendum results were published, John Boscawen’s (ACT) Private Members Bill, which seeks to repeal Section 59 as it stands and allow parents to ‘lightly smack their children for correction & discipline’ was pulled out of the hat to be read in Parliament. Regrettably, only hours later our Prime Minister declared that National would not support this bill, missing an opportunity to support what is right in the view of the vast majority of New Zealanders and why he and National were elected to form our Government.

By now, it is not about the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill’ anymore, but about successive Governments ignoring the will of the people and the democratic process in general. If we, the people of New Zealand, let the Government get away with this, pandering to a small, albeit pushy and loud minority, we need not be surprised if we are getting more and more ignored by our elected representatives, who just say the right thing before an election and then renege on their promises in the hope we have forgotten about it when the next election comes around.

As concerned Citizens of Northland, where over 90% voted “NO”, we are holding a Public Meeting in the Town Hall in Dargaville on 12 October 2009 at 19:00 demanding to be taken seriously by our elected representatives and the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill’ to be changed. We have invited our local MP John Carter, as well as the Hon John Boscawen to present his Private Members Bill and Larry Baldock, the initiator of the original referendum and an advocate for strong, principle based families. If you voted “NO” in the referendum and feel ignored by our politicians, this is your opportunity to make a stand. But even if you voted “YES” in the Referendum you should be concerned, as next time, you could be part of the majority that is ignored.

For more details contact Peter on 021 685 597 or email info@kiwis4democracy.co.nz

…….I hear aunty Helen shouting from New York and I am sure our Prime Minister John Key will get a few encouraging pats on the back at the UN Meeting this week, when he also meets Helen Clark, who is now heading the UN Development Program, after faithfully, albeit against the will of most Kiwis, introducing UN laws and policies to New Zealand.

“Well done, what?” – you may ask. Well done for finally coming out and adopting Labour’s (and the Greens’) position on the Anti-Smacking Bill.

Despite stating only 2 years ago, while in opposition, that  “The Labour Government has shown utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process with its plan to railroad the anti-smacking bill through Parliament, ..” he now uses the same misleading rhetoric the likes of Helen Clark, Phil Goff or Sue Bradford have used before to justify this unwanted law. At last week’s NZ Forum on the Family he defended the law by saying: “…the 2007 ban on any use of force against children for “correction” was important to “send a message” that violence against children was unacceptable.”  Never mind that 87.4% of New Zealanders don’t agree with you and want you to change the law, Mr Key, you now have officially attained the same level of “Nanny-State-Arrogant-Politician” that was your predecessor’s downfall! Mind you, being promoted to the post of UN Head of Development Program (UNDP) for your “good work” can hardly be called a “downfall”, can it?

Mr Goff and his Labour Party lost big in last year’s election as a result of this, as New Zealanders are fed up with the level of state intrusion in their everyday life, arrogant politicians “who know better” and majority views and values being trampled over with utter contempt by our elected representatives.  If you really want to study the level of the frustration and opposition of New Zealanders to this kind of politics, just look at the detail results of the referendum on the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill’ on the Election New Zealand website. The only electorates with a NO vote below 70% were Auckland Central 69.69% and Wellington Central 61.94% (hmmm?!) – most electorates had high 80s and early 90s as a NO-Vote percentage.

It’s a little bit late for Mr Goff to reflect on Labour’s sins now, but it should be a timely reminder for John Key that even the most arrogant politician consistently ignoring the wishes of the electorate will fall eventually and might have to eat humble pie.

The thing that bugs me most in the whole “Anti-Smacking Bill” episode is, that only 2 years ago, when in opposition, our now Prime Minister John Key condemned Labour’s stance and handling of the issue and articulated precisely what many people are feeling about how he is dealing with this issue now. If you haven’t seen John Key’s criticism of  Labour about the repeal of Section 59, which he called a “cynical abuse of power”, you can still read it on his blog: “The Labour Government has shown utter contempt for New Zealanders and the democratic process with its plan to railroad the anti-smacking bill through Parliament, says National Party Leader John Key……” Read the full article here.

It seems our politicians only come to their senses when in opposition. Prime Minister, you should listen to what Phil Goff is saying – and for a change, do the right thing while you have the opportunity!

He also stated, that the Salvation Army “is pleased the Prime Minister is not supporting attempts to prolong the debate”.

What an utterly hypocritical and misleading statement: John Key and his refusal to listen to the 87.4 percent of Kiwis who have voted NO in the referendum is the reason this debate is being prolonged!

We would not have the “distraction of this debate” in the first place, had our elected representatives listened to the loud and clear voice of the majority of New Zealanders who never wanted this bill, instead of bulldozing it through under urgency and strict party vote rules, showing us, the majority of New Zealanders their dirty middle fingers!

Yes, Major Roberts, I agree, we need to address  “..family violence, inadequate housing, lack of jobs and the abuse of alcohol and drugs” , but none of these issues are solved by criminalizing good parents who want to be able to raise their children and discipline them if necessary, without the state interfering.

If we just shrug our shoulders now and “move on” as you suggested, Major Roberts, democracy in New Zealand would have received a heavy blow, proving the fact that a small, but loud and ruthless minority and a bunch of gutless politicians can impose their brand of social engineering on the majority of New Zealanders – NO, we are not having it.

Let’s fix the ‘Anti-Smacking Bill’ mess first – and then move on!

I would like to express my total condemnation for your response to the result of the Citizens Initiated Referendum on the Anti-Smacking Bill, which I find unbelievably arrogant and the kind of “We know best what is good for you” attitude we were accustomed to under the Labour Government and Helen Clark. It just shows that it does not matter anymore which party is in Government, but that the agenda for laws and policies in New Zealand is set in New York by the UN and other Globalist Organizations, rather than by the New Zealand people and in the Beehive. Your predecessor has been “rewarded” for her excellent work for the “team” – are you trying to earn yours?

Consistently, 80 – 90 percent of New Zealanders have declared their opposition to this law, even before it was pushed through by professional activist Sue Bradford on behalf of the UN and despite all the manipulations and coercions of the Government, Press and the Anti-Smacking Lobby (e.g. the YES-Tick on the TV Ad for the Referendum; Chris Rankin being silenced by you but at the same time the aggressive taxpayer funded promotion of the YES Vote by the NZ Families Commission and a tax payer funded pamphlet to promote the YES-Vote in the Referendum etc!)

I could never understand how “your compromise” to give the police discretion over whether to press charges or not did improve this legislation and 87.4 percent of the people who voted in the Referendum cannot follow your logic either! It is not a matter of whether YOU or the Police or Sue Bradford thinks the law works or not – the majority of New Zealanders does not want this law at all!

At first I was frustrated by your high-handed and arrogant approach, but thinking about it – it’s probably the best that could happen to New Zealand! Kiwis are renowned for their easygoing and often placid attitudes, until they are pushed too far – and I think, Prime Minister, you have pushed us too far. This issue is not going away as the last 3 years have clearly demonstrated, no matter how you want to spin it. I believe you have woken a sleeping giant, the people of New Zealand, who are starting to realize that apparently not even this Government and this Prime Minister can be trusted to represent New Zealanders and New Zealand values!

Please do the decent thing and prove us wrong.

Yours sincerely,

Peter

Thanks again for your call the other day in response to my mail.

I must say that John Key’s response to the result of the Citizens Referendum, although not quite unexpected, is still  utterly disappointing!

It just shows that this National Government and in particular the Prime Minister have the same arrogant disregard for the people as  your predecessors displayed.  An enormous majority of New Zealanders told the Government and Mr Key that they do not want this piece of legislation. It is not a matter of whether the Prime Minister “thinks the law is working” or not – the majority does not want it at all, full stop!

87.4 % of the Voters said: “NO – to the question:  “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?” And the only thing the Prime Minister has to say, is: “I believe the law is working” – Unbelievable! The result is consistent with ALL the surveys before this law was changed and despite the misleading campaigns of the YES-Camp, who painted everybody who said NO to the law as a potential child abuser. It is also an indication that the nine million dollars for the referendum could have been saved if the Government and politicians had listened to the will of the people more closely and not changed the law in the first place!

Just because the Police has not pressed more charges in the last year is NO indication that “the law is working”. The fact is, any good parent who might smack their child might be charged by police at their discretion and, what is even worse, have CYFS on their back – the organization best known for hassling good parents and leaving children like the Kahui twins at the mercy of their tormentors!

You asked me during our phone conversation how I think the law should be changed if the NO vote would win. My answer: Restore it to what it was before Sue Bradford got her grubby fingers on it! The law was working! There were enough safeguards to charge any parent for assault if they physically harmed their children. And if a jury found in favour of a parent, because the force used was in their opinion reasonable – then so be it.

It is interesting to note that the introduction of the Anti-Smacking Bill has done nothing to quell child abuse in New Zealand. The deprived people who abuse their children habitually do not care about laws  – but good parents are now at the mercy of police, CYFS or even spiteful neighbors, no matter what the Prime Minister thinks. Well done!!!!

If a light smack by a parent is so “inconsequential” as Mr Key, Ms Bradford, the leftish Social Engineers, the Police etc want us to believe, then WHY THE LAW?

John, I am totally outraged about John Key’s and the Government’s arrogant reaction to the result of the Referendum. I know that my single voice won’t make much of a difference, but although I have voted National for the last 27 years I could not vote again for a National Party that displays this kind of arrogance and supports these kind of socialist ‘anti-family’ laws – and I hope many more New Zealanders who have consistently opposed this law will come to the same conclusion.

I think what you and your colleagues are overlooking is the fact that it is not just about the “Anti-Smacking Law’ anymore, but how Governments react to the clearly expressed will of the people – and 87.4% of the voters disapprove of how John Key and this Government are handling it!

If you are interested in other opinions supporting my stance, you might want to check out this fantastic article:
http://www.grownups.co.nz/read/money/politics/politics-change-the-law

 Yours sincerely,

Peter

A lot of comments have been made about the “low” voter turnout of 56.09% and some “mathematics geniuses” (Sue’s cousins?) came up with the formula that 87.4% of 56.09% voters really only meant 49% of New Zealanders said NO – yeah right, so everybody who didn’t vote, would have voted YES !??! But then the same people spout out that whoever did vote NO didn’t understand the Referendum question – yep, I can see where you are coming from.

Just to put the 56.09% of voter turnout into perspective:

• only 55% of voters turned out to change our voting system to MMP (and gave us Sue Bradford as a result!)
• only 41% of voters turned out for the recent local body elections, electing their councilors and mayors 

Sue Bradford said in the NZ Herald on 21 August 2009: “I would have a much greater respect for the referendum result if it was based on a clearer question,” well Ms Bradford,  there was nothing unclear about the referendum question: “Should a smack as part of good parental correction be a criminal offence in New Zealand?”and the majority of New Zealanders answered it loud and clear: NO, a smack as part of good parental correction should NOT be a criminal offence in New Zealand!  Stop insulting us by regurgitating the notion that voters did not understand the question – they did, it’s just that you don’t like the answer.

It is high time for our elected representatives to act now and change this stupid law according to the will of the people, so we can move on and deal with the real issues of child abuse in this country.

For the referendum results by Electorate go to:  http://tinyurl.com/mwzbdn