Q+A this Sunday
July 24th, 2010 at 1:21 pm by David FarrarTVNZ says:
On Q + A this Sunday:
Guyon Espiner interviews Police & Corrections Minister Judith Collins about guns and prisons. Recent shootings have re-ignited the gun debate. Is it time to clamp down? And as our prison muster hits new heights, are National’s policies making our communities safer?
With unions and bosses at odds once again, Paul Holmes is joined by Council of Trade Unions General Secretary Helen Kelly and Employers & Manufacturers’ boss Alasdair Thompson. Will 90-day trials, union access and more sick notes create jobs and improve productivity or just create more tension in the workplace? How big could this fight get?
Dr Therese Arseneau is joined on the panel by ACT leader and cabinet minister Richard Prebble and Unite Union head Matt McCarten.
Q + A is broadcast live 9-10am Sunday on TV ONE and repeated at 9.10pm on Sunday nights and 10.10am and 2.10pm on Mondays on TVNZ 7.
(TVNZ 7 screens on Freeview Channel 7 and Sky TV Channel 97).
Prebble and McCarten could be an interesting mix on the panel.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:54 pm
“Arseneau”
How do you pronounce this?
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Don’t even ask JG.
You get in the shit here if you talk about arse’s and the way they are used.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
The panel is balanced with common sense in the middle… Holmes will be hoging the lime light in favour of the 90 day trial against a predicted left stance. What can I say about Judith Collins barr she is to cosy with the corrections boss… i’m sure they’re in bed together… and gun’s are only a problem when they’re put in the hands of someone police or citizen… and thats what I will email Q + A tomorrow.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
“Is it time to clamp down?” Why. All the gun owners I know are upstanding citizens like my good self. But of course we will get the knee jerk reaction from wet, pussy wiped politicians. Leave the gun laws alone, they are working, it’s the criminals that are the problem. But I suspect once again we will get government to the lowest common denominator.
The problems lie with the type of firearm now entering the country, high powered air rifles, some restriction will have to be placed on these weapons. But forcing people to become licensed will only make matters worse as many will moved straight to high powered firearms. Safer to have the townie idiots and stupid crooks running around with air rifles.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Q+A is about as interesting and informative as sesame street. No, no, sorry the “grouch” is a scholar in comparison.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
regarding guns .. I was really uncomfortable seeing the guns the cops found during the money laundering raid .. fk me.
Vote:I think the unions, and I am in favour of unions, are picking a real fight over lame issues here. The hand of Andrew Little is all over the place .. is he a Union Leader, Labour Party Pres or upcoming List MP?? To be all 3 is crazy.
As Pres, if he goes to Companies looking for cash (contributions) and they tell him to sod off, the threat of industrial action against the company is possible. I’m not saying is does or will happen BUT the possibility to accuse is there.
July 24th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Andrew Little said he will resign from Labour Party President and Secertary of the EPMU if he gets elected constituent MP for NP.
Vote:But we don’t know and he hasn’t said if he doesn’t get elected NP MP if he will keep his other jobs all drop one or still resign from all if he becomes only a list MP.
July 24th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
To my knowledge the ACT leader is Rodney Hide and Richard Prebble hasn’t been a minister since Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Is owning a gun a bit like saying ‘I have a really, really small cock’?
Guns are far to freely available in this country, apart from Farmers I can think of very few others who should be permitted to own them.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
Most people who legally own firearms do so for sport or necessity – target shooting, hunting or pest control. I don’t know anyone, and don’t know why anyone would get one as a phallic enhancer. And I don’t know any women who would be impressed by one either.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
“Arseneau” …pray tell me what light a left wing (arent they all?) “teacher” can shed on matters? She will advocate more research – by over paid academics, no doubt – to produce a “plan”.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
But but but but it’s the pholmes show
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 6:11 pm
“Arseneau” …pray tell me what light a left wing (arent they all?) “teacher” can shed on matters? She will advocate more research – by over paid academics, no doubt – to produce a “plan”.
She’s a political commentator.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 6:23 pm
side show bob suggests:
Agreed ssb, but you’ll find enthusiasm for clamping down on gun ownership (and indeed any of the freedoms we enjoy) just as strong amongst drys keen to be seen as “tough on law ‘n’ order” as amongst wets who think gang members will queue up to hand in their unregistered girearms if only we ask politely.
The first – and indeed only instinct of our politicians when faced with a problem is to seek a freedom to curtail in order to “solve” it, on the basis that us ignorant plebs musn’t be left to make our own decisions and need these exalted intellects like Collins et al to do our thinking for us.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Stephen – Arseneau is an academic.
TVNZ is always wheeling up university teachers as “experts” or “commentators”.
No, she is a CU teacher, clearly sucking on the public purse, and has probably never had a real job (like Helengrad whose empire, according to The Independent, is in danger of collapse). Hands on experience is better than listening to or delivering lectures derived from the works of similarly inexperienced “teachers”.
We know where Alisdair Thomson comes from, we know about McCarten, Prebble and Kelly. Their views and positions are clear.
What do we know about Arseneau other than the fact that she is a teacher at CU ?
As for Espiner, he would survive all of five minutes in Australia or the US.
Vote:July 24th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
“Is owning a gun a bit like saying ‘I have a really, really small cock’?”
No Fot – but being the pissant Labour voter that you no doubt are, you wish that you were man enough to be a hunter
Vote:July 25th, 2010 at 1:04 am
Having had the third emblem ripped from the bonnet of my car, and no person caught nor brought to justice, I’m all for air rifles and their use in instances of petty crime where justice cannot otherwise be served. Want a bit of bling off my car, it will cost you a couple of slugs in the arse. I might even ensure the slugs have bacterial agents on them to cause all sorts of horror.
Vote:July 25th, 2010 at 1:07 am
FOT – who they hell are you to tell hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders whether or not they “need” guns? So you would ban rabbit and varmint shooting, target shooting, clay bird shooting, hunting etc just to make yourself feel a little bit better and on the basis of your rather odd fascinations with penis size?
And you know what? Even if you’re arrogant plan of control over other New Zealanders was implemented you will barely have finished patting yourself on the back when it will become clear that it will not have made a jot of difference to illegal possession and use of firearms. Now brace yourself, because logic is clearly not your thing, but criminals don’t actually follow laws. They don’t tend to go down to a gunshop, having got a licence, and pay large sums of money for firearms. Incredibly they tend to steal them or get them from the blackmarket. (I know, who would have thought). In fact, if your stupid concept of banning guns, was implemented you would find that gun crime would go up because suddenly there would be a massive number of guns floating around that no one can legally own.
Believe it or not the vast majority of licenced gun owners are responsible people – like the majority of knife owners, baseball bat owners, car owners (which are involved in far more deaths than guns).
Still, why let logic get in the way when you can flick out a self-serving sound bite?
Vote:July 25th, 2010 at 9:10 am
The trick to controlling guns that go bang bang really fast is to stop them entering NZ at the border. Clearly the problem is with the competency of Customs and similar organisations, not with farmers shooting rabbits or hunters going after a pig.
Vote:July 25th, 2010 at 11:03 am
COLLINS as usual was very competent . PREBBLE was the star panellist, bit overweight though.
Vote:July 25th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I thought Helen Kelly was hopeless .. she, and McCarten, roll out the “I meet workers all the time who have been fired for no reason blah blah blah”. A little like the claim when the 90 day trial, or as the unions call Fire at Will bill, that would name and shame Employers who abuse the new law. ZERO.
Vote:Kelly even resorted to quoting and example in the US for gods sake.
July 25th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Jaba,
Helen Kelly gave the party line- generic left wing stuff, but Paul Holmes was hopeless. He never questioned anything she said. He needs to shut up let the guests speak. Poor old Alasdair Thompson was reduced to saying- “Thats right Paul”
In contrast Prebble, McCarten and Arseneau were really good. They praised Collins for her thoughtful answers.
Vote:July 26th, 2010 at 1:42 am
By coincidence the classic Simpsons episode on Gun Ownership played on Saturday night. Love this line by Homer: ‘If I didn’t have this gun the King of England could just come in here and start pushing you around. Do you want that, well do ya?’ oops … too late here. I’d argue the firearm is a sacred taonga. A founding symbol of free trade in Aotearoa.
I enjoyed Prebble. He seemed very patient & I appreciated his determination on the drugs issue in the face of Holmes assertions.
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