Thursday 30 June 2011

QUOTE OF THE DAY: On RWC Bans [updated]

Just for the record, folks, it’s not a ban if the public boycotts another work of fiction by a blowhard. But it would be a ban if the govt decided to outlaw it. Alright? Great.  Just wanted to clear that up.

Because while the whole country gets itself all in a lather about a non-ban on a boorish book, the government continues to pass laws, without opposition, that will impose an actual ban on economic activity around or anywhere near a sporting event.

Latest result of them over-reaching themselves: no-fly zones, no-sign zones, a battalion of jackbooted clipboard wielders warming up to fan out around the country to say “No!” … and now a  New Plymouth school offside with the govt's Rugby World Cup laws because they want to do the same thing they’ve done for every major rugby event at Yarrow Stadium  since time began, which is park a few cars on its sports field to raise a bit of dosh for the school.

What insanity.

I loved this quote by friend Daniel Bell on a Facebook thread discussing this:

It's quite silly really. The tournament is running at a loss, pretty much everyone has admitted this now, but the original reason the Government decided to do this was apparently because of the economic benefits it would provide, yet now they're passing laws saying you can't benefit economically from the Rugby World Cup.

We really are a pathetic authoritarian backwater.

In fact (with that first paragraph in mind) make that a pathetic and confused authoritarian backwater.

Wish hard.

UPDATE: See, it’s not difficult to understand: A boycott is not a ban.

13 comments:

Reggie said...

"Just for the record, folks, it’s not a ban if the public boycotts another work of fiction by a blowhard. But it would be a ban if the govt decided to outlaw it. Alright? Great. Just wanted to clear that up."

Intimidating businesses into not stocking the books is alright is it ? Depriving others the chance to go and buy it?

I thought you bozos supported "capitalistic acts between consenting adults?"

You have been on a downer on Wishart for years Peter, most likely due to the fact that your atheistic worldview is the overarching driver of your emotions and opinions.

Peter Cresswell said...

No, Reggie, it's because he's a clown.

Anonymous said...

No, a self-opinonated tabloid clown!

Chris R.

Anonymous said...

That school should offer free parking vouchers to everyone who makes a $10 donation prior to the game. That way it would be mainly their townspeople who got all the parking spaces and only visitors and tourists who would have to park miles away.

They also wouldn't have to deal with cash on the day.

me

Anonymous said...

The RWC act is a complete loss of rights - I'm in Eden Park "clean zone" - they only need a court registrar to approve a search warrant - noy even a judge, and they can come into my house and take whatever they want - thsi is IMG a company or MED - and don't have to charge me for 3 years!

I think even Stalin had less power......

Christian Libz said...

Ian Wishart has been doing a good job in exposing the hypocrisy by Hulun Clark and the Labour (Fucking) Party.

Peter Cresswell said...

@Xtian Libz: Wish Hard "exposed" nothing. All he did was publish two-hundred pages of innuendo and unsupported supposition about something that would be nobody's business even if it were true--while ignoring virtually everything of consequence the harridan did out in public.
The man's an opportunistic blowhard.

Peter Cresswell said...

@Anonymous 11:42: Couldn't agree with you more. Fortunately, I'm about ten metres outside the Eden Park "clean zone." At the moment.

justinraine said...

Did anyone really expect anything else from the Department of Economic Development.

I think we've seen this story before ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En4lu_1bcsI&feature=related

Andy said...

article published pretty good to read & add new value to me

James said...

What Wisharts saying is that threats of assault and arson have been made against booksellers who were going to stock "Breaking Silence" so when he says "ban" this is what he's really meaning...the threatened use of coercive force....not by the state but by members of the public...or criminals as they are usually called.

Peter Cresswell said...

@James: Threats, my arse. The man's delusional.

Anonymous said...

Not a ban, just mob rule.