Wednesday, May 02, 2007

CloseUp: Hone & Bradford vs. Si & Larry Baldock


Hone Harawira & Sue Bradford


Simon Barnett & Larry Baldock

Some quotes from the debate...

hone harawira:
"Maori children were allowed to go wherever they liked"

Oh ok, sweet as, Hone. Just let them run out onto the road if they want - is that what you're saying?

Larry Baldock: "I'ts ridiculous for Sue to go round saying "Husbands can't smack their wives, so why should they smack their children?" Husbands don't send their wives to school or make them eat their vegetables either, there's a different relationship between two adults and parents who are required by society to be responsible for their children and prepare them for adulthood. That's why we have a criminal age of responsibility of 14, Sue would probably want to bring that down to zero, and that would be ridiculous"

Simon Barnett:
"What you're suggesting in that comment is that we openly flout the law. And Sue, again with you, you're saying: "We're going to introduce this bill, it won't ban smacking", the police commissioner disagrees, the police say they will have no juristiction over whether or not they investigate, they will have to investigate. And then you're saying "But look, don't worry, if you give your kid the odd smack, nobody's going to complain: Sue, you said you would complain, and I'm sorry, I can't be prepared with my children on the line, to take your word for the fact that the police won't do it."

Sue Bradford:
(Asked "Why not define in the Bill, so its crystal clear, what exactly constitutes too much force") "That's exactly what Mr. Chester Borrows and John Key from the National Party have been trying to do, and it would be the worst possible thing we could do for our kids. If we had an ammendment to the bill which defined the ways in which it was ok to beat our children, that would be like a state, um, legitimising violence against kids, which would actually be far worse than what we've got now. "

From that debate, and other statements that Bradford has made, it leaves me wondering
Does Bradford actually understand her own bill?
Is defining acceptable forms of physical discipline (ie. smacking) really the worst thing we could do for our children Sue?

all quotes and images from the TV1 website
Click here to watch the footage on the TV1 website

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