Posts by Steve Barnes
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The Godwin was all your's Craig. Do you really not understand Niemöller?.
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And there are few more offensively stupid than those who view the Third Reich as nothing more than an occasion for cheap and spectacularly ignorant put-downs.
So why do you spend so much time on KiwiBlog?.
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You should be asking:
"What is the compelling state interest to be advanced by removing from associations of students the power to compel others to join them?"
Because that is what the bill is advocating.If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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"What is the compelling state interest to be advanced by giving associations of students the power to compel others to join them?
There is no compulsion to participate, which is where your Church analogy falls down. The association exists for the common good of all students at that institution whether they participate or not, the fact that it costs money to run such an association is beside the point, perhaps we should be looking at Govt. funding instead of abolition by stealth.
"The difference between the left and the right is the left wants freedom for you where as the right wants freedom for me."
Anon. -
Well Craig, there are none so blind as those that refuse to see.
Go and watch Jon Stewart again, you may pick up a few clues. -
I don't know, but certainly not because the New Zealand Parliament passed a law giving him the power to require you to fund him.
FFS Graeme. It is Douglas that is using Parliament to push through yet another of ACT's pet policies. The bill is to make democratically decided compulsory membership ILLEGAL. Earlier up thread you came out with a most astoundingly dumb argument based on "Freedom FROM religion" that is like trying to prove a negative and as a lawyer, you should know where that leads.
I keep thinking of Niemöller here. First they came for the students...You're basing your argument on a fallacy. The right of "Freedom of Association" is there to protect us from those that will not allow us to gather together and fight back against oppression. It is not there to allow us the right to not have to have anything to do with annoying people. Douglas's amendment is oppressive in that it removes power from students by putting that final nail in the coffin they constructed last time they had power.
Your take on "Freedom of Association" has been picked up on by others but you refuse or maybe just can't, to see.
The logic behind your stance would allow schools to refuse admission to "other" kids because "normal" kids would be forced to associate with them.
I still think you're winding us up, you are not that stupid. -
At this point in time you have a choice of attending a university with a fully functioning Student Association. Funded for students, by students. Or a university that doggedly toes the liberal line of freedom for those that grab it.
If Douglas gets his way you will not have that choice. End of friggin' story. -
If a majority of New Zealanders voted in favour of child smacking would that make you support it?
If a political party campaigned on that premise and won, we would have to live with it, whether we supported it or not, until the next election at least. sometimes Democracy sucks, get over it.
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I found a photo of Steve's front lawn if anyones interested ;)
That's the bach at Huntly.
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Do I have a choice in whether or not I pay towards Rodger Douglas' income? No I don't but in spite of representing less than 1% of the population he seems to think he has a right to push his batshit ideas.
The idea of voluntary Student Association membership is a perennial right wing, pseudo liberal, dogma, as is Union bashing. The old divide and rule tactic.The anti-nuclear movement, the anti-Vietnam movement, and the anti-tour movement were all pretty passionate. The Labour Party is pretty passionate. Hell, the VSM movement is pretty passionate. I'm not sure that compulsion would have helped - and even if it would have it certainly wasn't needed.
And which one of those is an organisation that advocates for students?.