Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri

Match Offical Pundit, specialising in Rugby & Cricket - Former NZ Cricket Umpire Manager, Former First Class NZ Rugby Referee. [email protected]

[Cam Slater @kaiviti_cam]

https://t.co/vYmtbwND1V

[Winston Peters @winstonpeters]

It has been reported that police have recently visited Renee-Rose Schwenke about a so-called 'offensive' social media post she posted. Not threatening, not inciting violence, just that it allegedly offended someone.

If this report is true, this is '1984 thought-police' level overreach. It should seriously frighten every New Zealander who believes in freedom of speech.

This is not about whether this particular post was offensive or not. There will always be personal responsibility and consequences for people voicing their opinions that are viewed by some as tasteless or gormless or offensive - but those consequences should not be by way of a police visit.

No one has the right to not be offended, nor do they have the right to be protected from having hurt feelings. In fact it is precisely the right to be able to offend which is the foundation of freedom of speech in our country.

This has happened overseas with more regularity where social media posts, opinions, views, expressions, and even jokes are now deemed offensive by some authoritarian power and have been met with threats from police, arrests, or even convictions in court.

We never thought we would see this happen here and it has a chilling effect on where we are going as a country.

As Oliver Wendall Homles Jr said, freedom of speech also comes with responsibility of speech - you cannot falsely yell 'fire' in a crowded theatre without there rightly being a consequence. We already have laws around 'responsibility of speech' ranging from defamation to incitement of violence, and that is important - but people's freedom to have their own free opinion is something which should be aggressively defended.

We don't all have to agree with each other's opinions, but we should all fight for each other's right to have them. This is the essential foundation of our free democracy.

If we start to accept this kind of overreach by police to curtail individual freedom of speech, our democracy will fall into the type of totalitarian oblivion that will destroy our country.

[Rafe Heydel-Mankoo @RafHM]

The puritanism of the Greens. Infused with as much zealotry as the killjoy Roundheads

Is this odious woman trying to curry favour with her Islamist overlords?

Enjoying booze is the cultural prerogative of every Briton - including Parliamentarians.

That's why pubs near Parliament have division bells.

Long may it continue.

Cheers! 🍺🍹🍸🍷🥂🍾

[Winston Peters @winstonpeters]

Four years ago in 2022, a full year before the last election, we ruled out working with the Labour Party.

We did that because the left are full of woke self confessed communists who would turn our country into a basket case.

Nothing has changed. In fact they are even worse. No, we won’t do a deal with Labour or their Marxist and separatist mates.

It is astounding the amount of time this has been spent living rent free in some people’s heads - including media who keep asking the same stupid question that I have already answered multiple times.

Anyone who says anything otherwise is ‘mischief making’ and ‘scaremongering’ who need to start focussing on things that kiwis care about most instead of personal petty rekons.

[Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri @Sheldy85]

@Alexarmstrong Clip this with that British comedian show Last one laughing

[New Zealand First @nzfirst]

Shane Jones @mangonui08: The less I say about that, the better for the mental health of my critics.

[Secretary Marco Rubio @SecRubio]

Met with New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters today to discuss cooperation on critical minerals supply chains, the Iran conflict, and ways to advance security and prosperity in the Pacific Islands.

[Holyhekatuiteka @2ETEKA]

You’d think that by now Luxon’s advisors would have told him to knock the corporate speak off.. but no, here he is describing himself as the “CEO of NZ”

Te Gimp won’t last the week. His magical internal polling has hit the shit and Nats are just barely smart enough to know that this guy has garbage support now, imagine how it will be at election year with the economy in the toilet.

Good riddance.

[David Davis MP @DavidDavisMP]

For those of you interested in jury trials, this is Parliament at its best. 👇

[Ted Cruz @tedcruz]

I asked Netflix and Warner Bros. executives if we are on “stolen land.”

They, apparently, have “no idea the history of this land.”

Worrisome is an understatement.

[New Zealand First @nzfirst]

We are not wasting our time with a bunch of unreformed losers.

[Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 @PaulineHansonOz]

Barnaby sums it up perfectly.

Don’t be comforted by the government dropping parts of its bill. Next week with the Greens, Labor will try to demonise law abiding firearm owners.

They’ll do anything to distract from the actual problem, radical Islamic terrorism.

[Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh]

🚨 HOLY CRAP. This actually just happened on Capitol Hill.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

LIBERAL DR. VERMA: "I'm not sure what the goal of the question is."

HAWLEY: "The goal is to establish a biological reality. Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I take care of people with many identities."

HAWLEY: "Can men get pregnant?"

VERMA: "Again, as I'm saying-"

HAWLEY: "You said science and evidence should control. Can men get pregnant? You're a doctor, I think."

VERMA: "Science and evidence should guide medicine."

HAWLEY: "Do science and evidence tell us that men can get pregnant?"

VERMA: "I think yes-no questions like this are a political tool."

WOW. 🤯🤯🤯 @HawleyMO

[Daniel Di Martino @DanielDiMartino]

A lesson about "international law" and power

[Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri @Sheldy85]

Finally an umpire with some balls - makes a run out decision live on field @7Cricket @FoxCricket @cricketontnt @triplemcricket @SEN_Cricket @bbctms

[Sheldon Eden-Whaitiri @Sheldy85]

How good - Finally an umpire (Gaff) with some balls gives a run out on field @collinsadam @beastieboy07 - keeps the game flowing… not another 4min stoppage

[Jomboy @Jomboy_]

Fixing the Snicko problem in cricket is very simple

[The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee]

Groundbreaking New Study Finds Islamophobia May Be Partially Caused By Muslims Killing People All The Time https://t.co/m47fiHMLPA

[New Zealand First @nzfirst]

. @winstonpeters delivers fiery end of the year speech - calls out Labour, Greens and Te Pati Māori.