I find it hard to take in Luxon's nerve, saying he can't trust Winston after the election, given his history of going 50% Labour and 50% National in the past.
Listen mate @chrisluxonmp, people voted for one of the coaltion partners because they did not want Labour in again in 2023. We did not want them influencing NZ's future. So what have you just done? You brought them in to get your India FTA through. We didn't want them having a say in anything. But you brought them in to get your filthy immigration bill through!
You are a dirty traitor to the people who put you in power! It's YOU who cannot be trusted!
@AgentSmith_NZ@ListerLawrence he suckered you into falling for his engagement trap though bro
he knows damn well it's not a spitty, and that he'd also get a heap of comments pointing it out
One of the most important functions of the state is not just to punish crime. It is to reassure ordinary people that they do not need to take justice into their own hands.
That is the social contract. Citizens surrender the right to personal vengeance and vigilante justice in exchange for the state providing a fair, effective, and impartial system of law. We agree not to take matters into our own hands because we trust that serious wrongdoing will be dealt with appropriately by the courts.
But this trust is not automatic. It has to be earned and maintained.
When people see violent offenders receiving absurdly lenient sentences, when victims are treated like shit, or when different groups are treated differently under the law, confidence in the system breaks down.
The social contract is far more fragile than people realise. Most people obey the law not because they fear punishment, but because they believe the system is pretty fair and legitimate. If that belief disappears, the restraint that holds society together weakens.
History is full of examples of what happens when large numbers of people conclude that the authorities either cannot or will not uphold their side of the bargain. Parallel systems of justice emerge and communities start protecting themselves. People also become more willing to excuse behaviour they would previously have condemned.
Governments, especially Britain, should be extremely concerned about declining public confidence in justice systems. It’s so much bigger than individual sentences. It about the fundamental legitimacy of the state.
A society where people trust the justice system is peaceful because citizens believe justice will be done.
Britain is headed to chaos and the awful attacks in Scotland today are evidence. Large numbers of people have come to believe that the institutions governing them are unwilling or unable to enforce rules consistently.
A fundamental duty of government is to maintain public confidence that the law applies equally, serious crimes are punished appropriately, and justice is not a privilege reserved for some but a guarantee owed to all.
The BBC continues to ignore our rape gang inquiry when it’s convenient. But please read this to understand how the bent establishment weaponises its institutions against us…
When a malicious complaint was made to Parliament about our fundraising efforts for the inquiry last year, the BBC were leaked it. Obviously. They gave us ten minutes to respond, and then published the story insinuating we had done something wrong.
We hadn’t.
It was immediately cleared by Parliament, and the BBC was forced to issue an apology.
Not before the lie had spread around the country.
But.
When we held our hearings, zero coverage. Silence.
Same for our report now. Nothing. The most comprehensive and honest analysis of the rape gang scandal. Ignored.
It clearly is of public interest, because the covered the negative story with such enthusiasm. So can you tell me why they won’t report our findings?
The entire establishment wants us to fail.
We will not.