Posts by Rosemary McDonald

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  • OnPoint: What Andrew Geddis Said, But…, in reply to Sacha,

    I doubt the RIS is Curran’s responsibility at all

    You could be right....and it is not immediately obvious who/which entity is responsible.

    However....Curran did jump onto this particular instance of nefarious government practise back in 2013, and has scored her 'dream' portfolio of Associate Minister for State Services(Open Government)....

    So, until some other MP is identified as the responsible party....

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • OnPoint: What Andrew Geddis Said, But…, in reply to Sacha,

    Ms Curran does have responsibility for 'Open Government', and she did have much to say about the Regulatory Impact Statement....

    We have written to the Ministers of Justice, Health Disability Issues, and I understand others have written to the PM about the Public Health and Disability Amendment Act(2)...what Peter and I chose to do was to write to all the current Government MPs who spoke out against the Bill in the House back in 2013.

    There are only seven. Which is a bit of a worry...but one of them is Grant Robertson.

    Of course what they are going to say is 'We can't just repeal the Bill, we'll have to look into it...." Part of 'looking into it' will be, no doubt, hopefully, if there is any hope of justice here, will be to reveal what was under all those blacked out pages in the RIS.

    Which is Clare Curran's department.

    This will be a test of just how 'progressive' this Government is compared to the last.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • OnPoint: What Andrew Geddis Said, But…,

    Evening all.

    Just in case y'all thought this was a forgotten outrage, a vague scar in our memories of the Previous Administration That Wrought This Shit...

    I have written to the New Minister in Charge of Restoring the Voters' Trust in Government, to wit, Clare Curran.

    And I'm publicising the fact here...because way back then, Clare Curran cited this sterling post of Keith's in her blog on the Labour party website (which appears to have disappeared, but thank goodness, it has been preserved for prosperity by Scoop )

    And I have this really unreasonable expectation that politicians should do the hounourable thing and stand by their words and keep their promises.

    Just a few weeks ago Clare Curran took the opportunity to bask in the media spotlight and she shared her feelings on the issue of open government...

    Critics have said the OIA no longer functions properly and is widely manipulated to control information for political purposes.

    Ms Curran was somewhat half-hearted when asked if she agreed with that, saying oversight of the Act had improved under new Chief Ombudsman Judge Peter Boshier.

    She said the Labour-led Government would be more open than the previous government.

    ``A different approach to official information is going to ensue.

    ``Openness and transparency and doing things differently is important, so we've got to practise what we preach and actually do it.''

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Legal Beagle: On citizen’s arrests; or…, in reply to Rich of Observationz,

    Well, whew!

    Just as well I do travel at such a speed and following distance that I have hitherto been able to stop when some fwit decides the best place to stop is right in the middle of the road.

    And yes, thank god, I do take blind corners at stop dead speed...else on one more than one occasion there would have been at least 5 tonnes of Bus firmly inserted in rear of a rental car.

    Now, how to manage the road rage of the fuckwit behind me who is clearly prescient and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that my precautionary approach to cornering is a complete and utter overreaction to the remote possibility that there could be said obstacle just around the bend.

    So, of course, this fwit passes me...because, like, I was driving too slowly... and any head-on fwit has with oncoming vehicle is my fault for forcing him to pass...

    And so it goes...

    And...to top it off...I further provoke other motorists by having named my Bus "Patience". Acts like a red rag....

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Legal Beagle: On citizen’s arrests; or…,

    Okay, so no citizen's arrest/car key confiscations however great the provocation...oops...still no defense...

    Is there perhaps some Law that states failure to prevent a crime from happening is in itself a crime????

    "Oh, yes Officer, I nearly ran up the arse of that car that's now part of that tangle of broken bodies and scrap metal. Twice actually. When the driver simply stopped in the middle of the road. Both times on blind corners. And since I had to stop, and it takes me a bit more time to get the old Bus's diesel engine back up to 90 ks, the same car driven by the same fuckwit didn't even slow down when he caught up with me further along the Lake. No, he just pulled into the opposing lane...forcing the vehicle legally occupying it to take evasive action. Yes, Officer I did have an opportunity to speak with the driver of that car when we again met up in Otematata, but by this time I was beyond furious. Having had three near death experiences within 1/2 an hour. I may have taken extreme measures such as taking the keys out of the car....which would have been a crime..."

    (This is nearly a true story. We travel heaps, and on the whole we find that Kiwi drivers by far display worse driving habits than (obvious) tourists. This 'rule',however, does not hold true in the Waitaki/McKenzie Basin/Twizel/Tekapo/Aoraki Mt Cook region where it is the complete reverse. We have seen some seriously homicidal/suicidal driving from tourists. There ought to be immunity from kidnapping charges under such circumstances, just in that part of the country.)

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Hard News: The new medical cannabis law…, in reply to Katharine Moody,

    older persons membership would be supportive of prescription natural pain relief that actually works where opioids often don’t?

    Its an actual thing....bloody old people, (as my kids would say)

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Hard News: The new medical cannabis law…,

    SSDD

    Well, maybe not...

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Hard News: The new medical cannabis law…,

    Stuff appears to have the best coverage at the moment... including a tortuous interview with Clark...a transcript would be nice.

    The comments section makes a good read...

    MaxKelly
    Really Labour/Greens/NZ 1st?! What a cop out and what a disappointment to all those non-terminal patients who gain relief from Cannabis products such as balms. That included my Sister, Helen, she swore by the balms and was lucky enough to have a steady supply of them up till the time she died.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Hard News: The new medical cannabis law…, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Protection for growers would have good too. Too far?

    For now, yeah. I was specifically told that it’s not there because they didn’t have the numbers to get it through.

    According to that bastion of sound journalism TVNZ...

    The scheme also allows for the domestic cultivation and manufacture of medicinal cannabis products, including oils and balms.

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

  • Hard News: The new medical cannabis law…, in reply to Russell Brown,

    Bill English allows his caucus a conscience vote.

    He ought to...wasn't there a poll or somesuch...?

    When Clark's Bill is published, I guess I'll find it here?

    Waikato, or on the road • Since Apr 2014 • 1346 posts Report

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