Monday, July 20, 2020

Two a penny scandals

My God I get sick of the 'scandals'. I put the word in inverted commas because who knows whether an action merits the word or not? Their occurrence is a plague across parties.

All I want is someone to tell their version of the truth directly and publicly. Politicians exist at our expense and our patronage.

But no. We get political management, employment law, the circling of self-interested wagons, despicable mental health excuses, all resulting in a vacuum fostering fertile imaginations and gossip.

While titillation and gratification consume and divert, we are being sucked down a debt vortex the likes of which we have never seen.

5 comments:

Brendan McNeill said...

Lindsay

I empathize. You are confronting the public display of the human condition. We are all subject to what Christians call sin; a predisposition to behave in ways that are defined by self interest, and moral failure. This is our default setting.

The Christian message is that Christ offers us the free gift of mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness, and the hope of redemption resulting in a transformed life through the power of His Spirit.

Now I accept that this message has been 'lost in translation' and the church, which is his vehicle here on earth, has failed miserably in making this impossible good news known. But none the less, it is objectively true, and his redemption is available to all who avail themselves of it.

We need therefore to view the moral and political failures of our politicians no differently than those of our own. Literally there we go but for the grace of God.

I do appreciate your blog for its rigorous demand for truth and objectivity, particularly in the sphere of unintended consequences of 'entitlement' welfare.

All the very best,
Brendan

Mark Wahlberg said...

Lindsay, court suppression orders are another area where reality gets hidden behind the veil of anonymity to protect guilty people who claim "frail mental health" issues may endanger their well being if the truth is told.
In my experience its generally people with influence who benefit most from these flaws in our contemporary system of justice.
As they say, "Truth doesnt need defending, set it free and it will look after itself."

Oi said...

Mark, I dont know if you are advocating identification at the point of being charged, but I believe no accused should be named before conviction.
I also believe no accused should remain un-named after conviction.

Too many accused have had their lives, their families lives and their future prospects ruined by being named prior to being found not guilty, just as too many victims lives have been ruined by offenders remaining unidentified after conviction.

Lindsay Mitchell said...

Oi, NZ seems though to be particularly egregious in suppressing names of people who have been arrested for witnessed crimes. Obvious example the man who recently shot and killed the police officer. His 'accomplice' was named in the media, and then 'unnamed' by a suppression order. The laws around this practice need some fine tuning I think. Generally I agree with the principle you espouse.
Mark, I'd back your assertion that money buys anonymity. Sadly. The justice system has parallels with the health system. If you can afford 'private' services then you'll get a more favourable and timely outcome.

Mark Wahlberg said...

Oi, Innocent until proven guilty, "I also believe no accused should remain un-named after conviction." Agree with your sentiment, but with some very specific fine tuning. .
Lindsay, unfortunately its not only money which buys influence.For right reasons or wrong,a police officer who has reason to support a particular individual in court and the officer has a quiet word with a judge who then endorses a suppression order, manipulates the system and not necessarily in the interest of justice.
Happens all the time and I have in the past, suffered the consequences of such actions.