Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Relieving Ambiguity

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  • Ian MacKay,

    Russell I tried to send this via the on-line system to you directly, but it does not seem to send. I just thought it might be of interest:
    The NZIER Poll June 08 paints a very different picture re Party support (page 13)
    http:/www.nzier.org.nz/includes/download.aspx?ID=95649
    Summary: 24% Labour,
    30% National
    27% don't know

    Bleheim • Since Nov 2006 • 498 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    Finlayson has definitely been making encouraging noises. Those with plenty of free time should read his inaugural arts speech from last yea

    Although I fear our views diverge on a number of social issues, Finlayson is probably my favourite National MP. He's intelligent and he knows what he's talking about. It will be interesting to see how many lesser talents he gets to vault if National has the opportunity to choose a Cabinet.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Russell Brown,

    The judge had to make a call on balancing the message sent by a DWC against the potential for great loss to IT security. Punishments handed down by the courts for relatively insignificant crimes aren't meant to turn into a lifetime sentence that has detrimental effects on wider society, but that's what you appear to be demanding.

    I assume the fact that both the defence and the police supported a DWC had a lot to do with the decision.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 22850 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Maybe National should change its slogan to "vote for change! Elect the status quo!" ?

    Gee, Idiot/Savant, maybe you should change your slogan to 'The End Is Nigh-ish'? :)

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    A conviction would make working for the Police an impossibility

    He could work for the police with a conviction, but he'd be very unlikely to become a police officer. A non-sworn staff member - which would be a lot of the IT security people - he could have become, but they'd have to work around the conviction. Not difficult to do if the police really wanted him.

    I presume his crime wasn't eligible for the 'clean slate' legislation.

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Stanley Pointen,

    Russell, it seems some folks, mostly those on the extremes, simply cannot get their heads around judicial independence. Maybe it's time for some of the old battles to be re-fought, before the basic principles of a free, pluralistic society are lost to the mob? Mind, it makes for nice easy headline politics for the right. What was that Dick Nixon said, 'keep 'em riled up because they vote out of fear, not love?'

    Auckland • Since May 2008 • 26 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Maybe it's time for some of the old battles to be re-fought, before the basic principles of a free, pluralistic society are lost to the mob? Mind, it makes for nice easy headline politics for the right.

    Sigh... Which explains why the Criminal Procedure Bill passed its third reading 108-11.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Luke Williamson,

    Heard Chris Finlayson on Radio B today and I was rather underwhelmed. Spent a lot of time firing off cheap shots at Labour and justifying funding standing still under his watch (should he get to watch). No increase in funding means going backwards relative to inflation. Not convinced by this man yet but that's my first time hearing him. It's about vision for me and what has happened with arts in NZ over the last 10 years is a great thing. We have discovered an identity in film, music, theatre and art, and this has helped NZ build on the standard sport identity. I want to hear someone who is going to tell me how they will capitalise on this wonderful ground work and what they will do to further encourage the arts community. Tell me about the money later.

    Warkworth • Since Oct 2007 • 297 posts Report Reply

  • Luke Williamson,

    Wrt Owen Walker, it's meant to be about reform. Yes he needs to be responsible for the results of his actions but this is an 18-year-old man who has enormous potential, given the right direction and signals. Everyone needs to see a way out of the sticky situations in which they find themselves. The police and judge have shown him a way out, and slapped him with some significant penalties for someone of that age.

    Warkworth • Since Oct 2007 • 297 posts Report Reply

  • Jackie Clark,

    <quote>Everyone needs to see a way out of the sticky situations in which they find themselves. <quote> Weeeeellllllllll.........

    Mt Eden, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 3136 posts Report Reply

  • Luke Williamson,

    Yes, agreed. That statement is too generalised.

    Warkworth • Since Oct 2007 • 297 posts Report Reply

  • Graeme Edgeler,

    I presume his crime wasn't eligible for the 'clean slate' legislation.

    No - it would have been eligible.

    You are entitled to clean slate your convictions 7 years after your last conviction if you have never received a custodial sentence, never had a conviction for a specified (sexual) offence, and never lost your licence indefinitely.

    [Now if someone would like to explain to me why rape under the Crimes Act 1961 isn't one of the specifies sexual offences ineligible for clean-slating, I'd be a ver happy man]

    Wellington, New Zealand • Since Nov 2006 • 3215 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    He could work for the police with a conviction, but he'd be very unlikely to become a police officer. A non-sworn staff member - which would be a lot of the IT security people - he could have become, but they'd have to work around the conviction. Not difficult to do if the police really wanted him.

    Good point. I didn't think about the distinction between sworn and non-sworn hiring requirements. His Asperger's would probably make him unsuitable to be sworn, anyway, even if he was inclined to try for a uniformed role.

    I presume his crime wasn't eligible for the 'clean slate' legislation.

    That's only of significance for private-sector employment. Police and NZSIS checks return everything, and everything is considered. It also doesn't apply for international travel.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Lucy Stewart,

    Wrt Owen Walker, it's meant to be about reform. Yes he needs to be responsible for the results of his actions but this is an 18-year-old man who has enormous potential, given the right direction and signals.

    I think it's fairly self-evident that he didn't really comprehend the extent of the criminal activity going on using his coding, either - the crown prosecutor described him as "frank and co-operative" with regards to helping shut down the botnet. It was probably more an intellectual exercise than anything else for him.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2006 • 2105 posts Report Reply

  • Matthew Poole,

    It was probably more an intellectual exercise than anything else for him.

    This is where a lot of highly-tech-savvy teens get into trouble. They do it "because they can", and without a full understanding of the consequences. Whether it's from straight naivete or, as seems to have been the case with Walker, retarded social development leading to an incomplete appreciation of potential nefarious intent of others, it's not because they're malicious.

    Auckland • Since Mar 2007 • 4097 posts Report Reply

  • Kyle Matthews,

    That's only of significance for private-sector employment. Police and NZSIS checks return everything, and everything is considered. It also doesn't apply for international travel.

    Man, now you tell me. I clean slated my convictions when I travelled to the US two years ago.

    And, probably will again next time I go there, despite this information ;)

    Since Nov 2006 • 6243 posts Report Reply

  • Shep Cheyenne,

    Peter Hausmann is obviously a Vulcan (look at the ears) and used some type of Vulcan mindmeld to get out of that. That story never really had the smoking gun though.
    That the Govt is dispensing with the SFO seems sensible governance if there wasn't really that much for them to do.

    My comments about Kiwiblog were too general, but as I get scared if I stay there too long, I didn't really want to be too specific either.

    Since Oct 2007 • 927 posts Report Reply

  • Peter Ashby,

    The US 'Justice' system does have an unhealthy strain of OTT punishment running through it. So it was indeed good to see that our police saw right through it. Also good that we decided to prosecute Owen Walker ourselves and not just put him on a plane to the US.

    There are three bankers from the UK languishing in Houston and facing long jail time after being extradited. Their doing were technically a crime here in the UK too but pc plod threw them to the sharks instead. That did not look good, nice to see NZ looks after its own, including those off the rails.

    Ignorance of the law should be no defence, for fully competent adults. Others should get consideration and their reactions noted. Walker showed he was not malicious and helped clear up his mess. Good call.

    Dundee, Scotland • Since May 2007 • 425 posts Report Reply

  • henry.hollis,

    "and rein in the Ministry of Culture and Heritage to its "core" roles"?

    As a history teacher I find the nzhistory.net site a hugely valuable resource for me and my students. Is this a 'core' role or not? From my point of view this is core to C&H and should be encouraged or even extended - I believe they have only one person working on the site at the moment.

    Wellington • Since Nov 2007 • 2 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    It's about vision for me and what has happened with arts in NZ over the last 10 years is a great thing. We have discovered an identity in film, music, theatre and art, and this has helped NZ build on the standard sport identity.

    Um, Luke, I don't know if you're been paying attention but there was actually culture in New Zealand before 1999 -- jus' saying. And I find it rather ironic that people keep citing a multi-national corporate funded adaptation of a fantasy written by an Oxbridge professor half a century ago is cited as some great expression of national identity.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    There was so much culture before 1999...we go back to about 1250? And we work forward...my definition of culture is very broad: it includes everything from furniture to cooking and all kinds of poetry;domestic arts (by which I mean embroidery, weaving, knitting, taniko(have you ever seen black-on-black taniko? Waua!)) and architecture, carving,rock-art, playwrighting, storytelling of other kinds,including film-making and other stuff that newer techologies enable artists to explore. And I'd whack in strange (to outsiders) sports - dog-trialling for instance.

    I would emphasise that ARTISTS of every kind are not well-supported
    (every arts administrator I know of earns more than I do) and so, as we grow older, more tired at trying to establish the usefulness of what we do, we give up in our various unsupported ways...excuse me while I go slosh down another whiskey-Mac...

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Islander,

    "I would emphasise that ARTISTS of every kind are not well supported"

    by any political party's policies so far-

    an example: in 2006 anonymous people within Creative NZ decided
    that illustrators should have the same funding rights as writers: the net result was writers' payments fron the AUTHORS fund were diminished by over a third. Great hoohah recently that because of a $500000 increase to the Authors' Fund (that was was really nice of the Government, wasnt it?) we will now get a payment in 2008 that
    IS STILL LESS THAN WE GOT IN 2006...

    I am an established writer. I've brought a lot of business into Aotearoa-NZ. I earn less than the average wage and I resent bureaucrats & academics using what I do, and have done, to live fatly whilst me & mine - dont.

    Big O, Mahitahi, Te Wahi … • Since Feb 2007 • 5643 posts Report Reply

  • Idiot Savant,

    [Now if someone would like to explain to me why rape under the Crimes Act 1961 isn't one of the specifies sexual offences ineligible for clean-slating, I'd be a ver happy man]

    To hazard a guess: teenagers. Which seems fair enough, when you think about it.

    Meanwhile, I'm more interested in knowing why those persecuted for their sexuality pre-1986 are ineligible. Surely this is simply continuing their persecution?

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report Reply

  • Craig Ranapia,

    Are people who dig up graves and desecrate corpses eligible for clean-slating? Really, Idiot/Savant, when you drop the first two letters from class you don't sod around.

    North Shore, Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 12370 posts Report Reply

  • Idiot Savant,

    Craig: Yes, unless they go to jail; its not a specified offence, you see.

    As for Thatcher, I stand by every word of that. She's a criminal, who deserves to be reviled, not honoured with a state funeral when she dies. And given the depth of hatred there still is for her in the UK, she would probably be wise to take precautions to prevent people from taking their revenge after she's dead. These things happen to despots - and while the right love her, in reality Thatcher is as hated as any despot ever was.

    Palmerston North • Since Nov 2006 • 1717 posts Report Reply

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