Yes, there’s a virus crisis — by our socialist government

Our civil rights rescinded

Did you notice? Four days ago our civil rights were unceremoniously rescinded. Jacinda the Rescinder (openly communist) accomplished it without consultation, without advance notice, without apology and rammed through the House in a week.

She even told us she was doing us a favour, saving us from COVID-19, in the best tradition of power-grabbers everywhere.

Here’s my letter to the Herald (h/t Barbara McKenzie).

Sirs,

Would you please, if you can find time and space for this supreme of all possible political problems, alert our citizens to the monstrous legal assault on our civic freedoms, so long envied around the world, in the recent passage of the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020, passed just four days ago?

You might begin with this striking summary of recent public statements on the provisions of the Bill, then use your stable of excellent journalists to add their own analyses of the extraordinary damage Jacinda Ardern has just done to our country’s civil rights.

Yours, etc.,

Richard Treadgold
Te Puke

Extract from the BFD website for your information.

The Labour Coalition is creating a dystopian totalitarian state on the back of the cold virus.     https://thebfd.co.nz/2020/05/16/jacinda-ardern-creates-a-totalitarian-regime-on-the-back-of-a-cold-virus/

‘This Bill places unprecedented limits on rights and freedoms of association and movement‘, Nicola Willis, MP, speaking to the Bill.

‘This is a great failure of our democratic process. The new legislation [..] will result in sweeping police powers unseen in this country for many years’,  Paul Hunt, Chief Human Rights Commissioner

‘Congratulations New Zealand. We are officially a police state’, Winston Smith@saltyreign

‘We are witnessing a totalitarian takeover of the world in real time, yet there are some people who still think this is about a virus‘, Tony Heller@Tony__Heller

With the COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020 the government bypassed due process to create, in fact if not in name, a state of emergency that will last at least three months, with provision to be extended a number of times, up to a maximum period of two years.  

The Act  gives the government extraordinary powers

The government can now legally make orders that limit freedom of association and of movement, require quarantining, require intrusive testing – even though there is no known reliable test for Covid-19 – and make decisions based on that unreliable testing.

The World Health Organisation has indicated that Covid-19 (like the common cold …) may never be eliminated, so this bizarre state of affairs will almost certainly continue as long as Jacinda stays in power, with the constant threat of returning to level 3 if we don’t behave.

The Act gives the police, health officers and ‘authorised persons’ extraordinary powers, including powers of entry

‘The Director-General may authorise a suitably qualified and trained person […] to carry out any functions and powers of an enforcement officer under this Act.’  In his speech to the Bill, Simon O’Connor MP referred to such authorised persons as ‘state-sanctioned vigilantes [..]. They will have the power, not only to watch and report on what you do, but to shut you down’.

Any ‘enforcement officer’ can enter place or vehicle without a warrant, with the exception of private dwellings, if they have ‘reasonable grounds’

Non-compliance

Jacinda craps on about how we are all behind her measures, that we’re all in this together.  In fact half or more of the population has been brainwashed into a state of fear, and the rest of us are being very careful not to be seen breaking the law, bearing in mind the threats last year to imprison people for 10 years for watching a video, and the changing role of the now armed police.   Non-compliance renders the culprit liable to:

(a) imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months; or
(b) a fine not exceeding $4,000.’

Robots monitoring public spaces – and this is not dystopia?

Singapore has been trialling the use of a large insect-like robot to monitor public spaces, to make sure everyone respects ‘social distancing’.  The EU Commission has now recommended that robots and drones equipped with infrared cameras patrol holiday destinations and enforce social distancing rules ‘to save the summer break’ [sic].  (In the UK drones have been used to harass people in the Peak District National Park) https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8318971/Robots-equipped-infrared-cameras-patrol-holiday-destinations-new-EU-plans.html

Clearly, an open advance on the Parliament is required. A fortnight to organise it, I’ll say more shortly.

Views: 0