Posts by Russell Brown
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While we're discussing Chester Borrows' amendment, Barnados' amendment, Barnado's has an interesting briefing on what it thinks is wrong with it.
Objections range from a lack of legal clarity (we'll all have our own idea of what "transitory and trifling" means, won't we?) to the fact that it still allows children of any age (babies included) to be hit in the head -- but only, of course, in a transitory and trifling fashion.
It simply is not the solution people like to think it is.
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I think a better point is that the entire game of rugby consists of actions that would be considered assault off the field.
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I'd note that this line is also that adopted by Family First ... They don't want to defend what was happening under the old law any more that most people here.
Well, they've got a very strange way of showing it. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that that statement is quite unsustainable on the evidence.
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The Billy Idol story was, I think, a few years earlier, at Zanzibar, I'm really not sure but don't think it was us.
No, it was in 1985 I think, and the club was whatever club was occupying the floors under Toto at the time.
I wasn't there, but I saw him earlier in the evening -- he was in full regalia, with fashion ripped jeans, fingerless leather gloves and chains. Legend has it that one of his own songs was playing inside while he was being refused entry by a bouncer who didn't know who he was.
Mind you, Billy and his guitarist Steve Stevens were utterly off their chops for the entire duration of their promotional visit. Just wildly.
There were stories ... including the tale of a friend of a friend who was roused at 6am and opened the front door to find Billy Idol standing there. Apparently he'd heard there might be drugs to be had. That would be a very weird experience.
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A friend of mine has put up a really good photo-set of the Hikoi. Worth a look.
That's a brilliant set of photos.
But am I the only one who's not greatly comfortable with people wearing scarves over their faces? If you're going to march in a protest, put your damn face to it.
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So, what did the ffunnell exercise achieve? Did we feel we got tangible answers?
Well, it hasn't finished yet, and I think it's been useful. Just approach it in good faith. It's extremely unusual for a large corporate to take the leap into a forum like this.
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My point was that I didn't really like being referred to by Russell as a pro-smacker ...
I wasn't meaning to refer to you personally.
1. That I did not think that a light smack was sufficiently serious that the criminal law should be implicated in dealing with it; and
So you'd have favoured a change to Section 59 that dramatically reduced latitude in the meaning of "reasonable force"? Because I think it's quite clear that abusive parents have been able to use the defence.
As I explained above, I understand your point, but it does not sway me, for the reasons I gave. Frankly, there are too many parents out there who cannot be left to exercise their own version of "reasonable force".
2. That, given that Parliament clearly did not think parents who lightly smack are criminals, it shouldn't have passed a law making them criminals.
But corporal punishment is only a custom, no more. Customs change. If the prevailing custom was for parents to beat their children with implements, would you simply allow for that in the law?
The actual justification for hitting a child at all as a form of parenting is extremely meagre on the evidence -- that's why nearly all expert groups say it's a bad idea. I'm not sure why, on that basis, it should be enshrined in its own special defence in law.
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To be fair, Graeme's raised it recently as well. I think it's actually their best point.
I think so, and I think Graeme's making it in good faith. It certainly gave me pause when I thought about it. But, as I explained, it was trumped for me by other factors.
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Heh. Very tempted to link a certain son by Ian Dury and the Blockheads... thwack..
Hilarious.
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OK I dont mind disagreeing with people but I don't tolerate that. If thats the stuff Russell tolerates in his blog, and he doesnt delete it, then I don't engage with such idiots.
It was unnecessary, and I deleted it. That does not reduce my disgust with what you've said.
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