Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Does Labour have a vision, and if so, what is it? Colin James gives some thoughts.
Is this just arrogance, or is it a sign of Labour's agenda to kill democracy? To quote Steve Maharey: "We see this as an historic election. It's the one we hope when we decisively put to bed the conservative vote in this country." (quoted by Colin Espiner)
The Herald in editorial says the government is mistaking human rights for social welfare. The Human Rights Commission has issued what it calls an "action plan for human rights". Among the items on the plan are proposals to tackle poverty, give every child and disabled person an adequate standard of living, and development of schools and preschool centres as "human rights communities". "The commission has taken it upon itself to uphold the right of parents to refuse to pay school fees. Nothing could better illustrate the minefield the commission is entering. Human rights are typically rights that everyone can enjoy equally at no cost to others. Society can recognise and uphold certain rights and freedoms because they can be applied equally to everyone; they do not require some people to be awarded rights at the expense of others. Social rights are quite the opposite. They can be awarded only at the expense of others."
Paul Buchanan says human rights considerations should not be dragged into the Ahmed Zaoui case. They will only cloud the issue. "The real issue in the Zaoui case is one of actual and imminent threat in the determination of risks to national security, not his human rights."
Legal, doctor-assisted suicide in Britain moved a step closer after a parliamentary committee overturned a decade-long policy that there should be no change in the law. A "substantial majority" supports the concept of allowing terminally ill patients to kill themselves, a report by a House of Lords special select committee concluded yesterday. Although the 12 peers stopped short of recommending that the law be overhauled, their conclusions were a significant shift from a 1994 report saying it would be impossible to legalise euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Should "evolving standards," the "weight of international opinion" and good ideas determine court decisions? Walter Williams's discussion is in the context of the US Constitution, but still contains some important considerations for NZ. Particularly important is the notion of the Constitution as a "living document" (sound familiar?)
University faculty are more liberal than first imagined. A study conducted by Smith College, George Mason University, and the University of Toronto indicate that 72 percent of professors on America's campuses call themselves "liberal," whereas just 15 percent label themselves as "conservative."
The Ministry of Social Development has just released it's 2003/2004 Statistical Report, which shows that expenditure on the DPB is higher than ever before. "The annual expenditure for 2003/04 has risen to $1.777 billion," said Lindsay Mitchell. "To put this into perspective, in 2003 we spent less on Law and Order at $1.734 billion and less on Defence at $1.199 billion."
The Australian economic party is over and might even end up in a recession, one of the country's most respected forecasters has warned.
A new government policy to fund sex change operations has got Rakaia MP Brian Connell hopping mad. The government quietly introduced funding of around $170,000 a year for the operations (including sending people to Australia for operations not possible here). How many cataract operations could be done for that money (but won't be)?
Is this just arrogance, or is it a sign of Labour's agenda to kill democracy? To quote Steve Maharey: "We see this as an historic election. It's the one we hope when we decisively put to bed the conservative vote in this country." (quoted by Colin Espiner)
The Herald in editorial says the government is mistaking human rights for social welfare. The Human Rights Commission has issued what it calls an "action plan for human rights". Among the items on the plan are proposals to tackle poverty, give every child and disabled person an adequate standard of living, and development of schools and preschool centres as "human rights communities". "The commission has taken it upon itself to uphold the right of parents to refuse to pay school fees. Nothing could better illustrate the minefield the commission is entering. Human rights are typically rights that everyone can enjoy equally at no cost to others. Society can recognise and uphold certain rights and freedoms because they can be applied equally to everyone; they do not require some people to be awarded rights at the expense of others. Social rights are quite the opposite. They can be awarded only at the expense of others."
Paul Buchanan says human rights considerations should not be dragged into the Ahmed Zaoui case. They will only cloud the issue. "The real issue in the Zaoui case is one of actual and imminent threat in the determination of risks to national security, not his human rights."
Legal, doctor-assisted suicide in Britain moved a step closer after a parliamentary committee overturned a decade-long policy that there should be no change in the law. A "substantial majority" supports the concept of allowing terminally ill patients to kill themselves, a report by a House of Lords special select committee concluded yesterday. Although the 12 peers stopped short of recommending that the law be overhauled, their conclusions were a significant shift from a 1994 report saying it would be impossible to legalise euthanasia or assisted suicide.
Should "evolving standards," the "weight of international opinion" and good ideas determine court decisions? Walter Williams's discussion is in the context of the US Constitution, but still contains some important considerations for NZ. Particularly important is the notion of the Constitution as a "living document" (sound familiar?)
University faculty are more liberal than first imagined. A study conducted by Smith College, George Mason University, and the University of Toronto indicate that 72 percent of professors on America's campuses call themselves "liberal," whereas just 15 percent label themselves as "conservative."
The Ministry of Social Development has just released it's 2003/2004 Statistical Report, which shows that expenditure on the DPB is higher than ever before. "The annual expenditure for 2003/04 has risen to $1.777 billion," said Lindsay Mitchell. "To put this into perspective, in 2003 we spent less on Law and Order at $1.734 billion and less on Defence at $1.199 billion."
The Australian economic party is over and might even end up in a recession, one of the country's most respected forecasters has warned.
A new government policy to fund sex change operations has got Rakaia MP Brian Connell hopping mad. The government quietly introduced funding of around $170,000 a year for the operations (including sending people to Australia for operations not possible here). How many cataract operations could be done for that money (but won't be)?
