Post by Kiwi Frontline on Mar 17, 2021 12:30:54 GMT 12
A SLIPPERY SLIDE TO TOTALITARIANISM – by Dr Muriel Newman.
If Jacinda Ardern decides to combine the Royal Commission’s draconian plan to criminalise free speech with her proposal to protect not just race and religion, but gender, disability and sexual orientation as well, New Zealanders should be very afraid.
If those speaking out against such radicalism as religious fundamentalism, feminist extremism, or Maori supremacy are muzzled for their efforts and thrown in jail, New Zealand really would be on a slippery slope to totalitarianism.
The point is that expressing opinions, no matter how undiplomatic or clumsy, is the essence of a free society and the very reason why free speech is protected in law.
The freedom of expression epitomised by Barry Crump, Bill T James and other Kiwi heroes, has always been a bedrock New Zealand value. It is the lifeblood of democracy and the cornerstone of a free and liberal society. The very last thing this country needs is the chilling effect of hate speech police monitoring our every utterance, telling us which words we can and cannot use. As George Orwell warned, ‘If you control the language you control the mind.’
With so many constraints already existing to restrict speech which is deemed to be objectionable, there is no justification for introducing more punitive law changes – unless, of course, the underlying objective is to use free speech regulations for political advantage.
In reality, the censoring of free expression in this country is already well underway without any need for new laws.
Just last month Magic Talk’s John Banks was essentially sacked because he referred to Maori as a Stone Age culture. The truth that they were a Stone Age culture before Europeans arrived with their metal tools, utensils, and weapons, did not appear to matter!
Magic Talk presenter Sean Plunket, who expressed support for John Banks’ right to free expression, also left the station – before he too was removed.
Peter Williams, the only surviving high-profile conservative host at Magic Talk, is also coming under pressure – he is being undermined by the Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who is now refusing to continue his weekly interview slot, after being asked whether the Government intended supporting the “Great Reset”.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has now also joined in, cancelling her weekly interview slot with Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, another conservative host, supposedly for rescheduling reasons, but more likely because she does not like tough questions.
Many newspapers have already banned commentary challenging United Nations’ climate change socialism, even though their doomsday predictions are so totally inaccurate that their only purpose must be to scare the public into compliance. Stuff, astonishingly, is now also refusing to publish anything that challenges Maori sovereignty, preferring to promote their radical agenda to control our country, instead of the truth.
Earlier this month, the Herald also caved in, cancelling historian and former Labour cabinet minister Michael Bassett, by publishing then removing a column of his from their website that outlined how a Maori cultural takeover of New Zealand is underway.
It is in this environment that the Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi has announced that a further $55 million of taxpayers’ money will be given to the media – on top of the $50 million they received last year during the Covid downturn. While the Minister claims the additional money is to ensure the viability of “public interest journalism”, it would be naive to imagine it will not be used for influence.
Opinion is divided on how far Jacinda Ardern will go in criminalising free speech.
Some, like journalist Graham Adams, believe a free speech crackdown “risks igniting a firestorm that could engulf her and her government”, and he suggests Jacinda Ardern may back off to avoid controversy: “She is no stranger to backing away from promises made on the campaign trail if fulfilling them might harm her preferred prime minister ratings.”
Others, however, are of a view that the PM will use her majority to bulldoze through the changes under the pretext of preventing another Christchurch attack.
At times like this it is important to realise that other countries are working on strengthening free speech, rather than undermining it........
Read Muriel’s full weekly NZCPR newsletter here > www.nzcpr.com/a-slippery-slide-to-totalitarianism/
If Jacinda Ardern decides to combine the Royal Commission’s draconian plan to criminalise free speech with her proposal to protect not just race and religion, but gender, disability and sexual orientation as well, New Zealanders should be very afraid.
If those speaking out against such radicalism as religious fundamentalism, feminist extremism, or Maori supremacy are muzzled for their efforts and thrown in jail, New Zealand really would be on a slippery slope to totalitarianism.
The point is that expressing opinions, no matter how undiplomatic or clumsy, is the essence of a free society and the very reason why free speech is protected in law.
The freedom of expression epitomised by Barry Crump, Bill T James and other Kiwi heroes, has always been a bedrock New Zealand value. It is the lifeblood of democracy and the cornerstone of a free and liberal society. The very last thing this country needs is the chilling effect of hate speech police monitoring our every utterance, telling us which words we can and cannot use. As George Orwell warned, ‘If you control the language you control the mind.’
With so many constraints already existing to restrict speech which is deemed to be objectionable, there is no justification for introducing more punitive law changes – unless, of course, the underlying objective is to use free speech regulations for political advantage.
In reality, the censoring of free expression in this country is already well underway without any need for new laws.
Just last month Magic Talk’s John Banks was essentially sacked because he referred to Maori as a Stone Age culture. The truth that they were a Stone Age culture before Europeans arrived with their metal tools, utensils, and weapons, did not appear to matter!
Magic Talk presenter Sean Plunket, who expressed support for John Banks’ right to free expression, also left the station – before he too was removed.
Peter Williams, the only surviving high-profile conservative host at Magic Talk, is also coming under pressure – he is being undermined by the Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who is now refusing to continue his weekly interview slot, after being asked whether the Government intended supporting the “Great Reset”.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has now also joined in, cancelling her weekly interview slot with Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking, another conservative host, supposedly for rescheduling reasons, but more likely because she does not like tough questions.
Many newspapers have already banned commentary challenging United Nations’ climate change socialism, even though their doomsday predictions are so totally inaccurate that their only purpose must be to scare the public into compliance. Stuff, astonishingly, is now also refusing to publish anything that challenges Maori sovereignty, preferring to promote their radical agenda to control our country, instead of the truth.
Earlier this month, the Herald also caved in, cancelling historian and former Labour cabinet minister Michael Bassett, by publishing then removing a column of his from their website that outlined how a Maori cultural takeover of New Zealand is underway.
It is in this environment that the Minister for Broadcasting Kris Faafoi has announced that a further $55 million of taxpayers’ money will be given to the media – on top of the $50 million they received last year during the Covid downturn. While the Minister claims the additional money is to ensure the viability of “public interest journalism”, it would be naive to imagine it will not be used for influence.
Opinion is divided on how far Jacinda Ardern will go in criminalising free speech.
Some, like journalist Graham Adams, believe a free speech crackdown “risks igniting a firestorm that could engulf her and her government”, and he suggests Jacinda Ardern may back off to avoid controversy: “She is no stranger to backing away from promises made on the campaign trail if fulfilling them might harm her preferred prime minister ratings.”
Others, however, are of a view that the PM will use her majority to bulldoze through the changes under the pretext of preventing another Christchurch attack.
At times like this it is important to realise that other countries are working on strengthening free speech, rather than undermining it........
Read Muriel’s full weekly NZCPR newsletter here > www.nzcpr.com/a-slippery-slide-to-totalitarianism/