New Zealand Conservative

The Greens think that the Government's proposed legislation to limit councils to funding only core services is "evil". Green MP Denise Roache told the House that it is evil for the Government to be revoking councils' legal responsibility to ensure the economic, social, cultural and environmental wellbeing of their ratepayers. Sorry, no. How the government is organised in New Zealand, when it doesn't suit the Green's ideas of how it should be, is not evil. I wouldn't trust the Greens to identify real evil if they tripped over it. Especially evil dressed up as good, such as what is happening in Britain with regards to dehydrating even child patients to death: Sick children are being discharged from NHS hospitals to die at home or in hospices on controversial ‘death pathways’. Until now, end of life regime the Liverpool Care Pathway was thought to have involved only elderly and terminally-ill adults. But the Mail can reveal the practice of withdra...

This is one of the real problems of mixing Church and State. In Britain, it looks like it's going to get messy. Our rulers hold democracy in contempt. In Parliament yesterday, Sir Tony Baldry announced that the new Archbishop of Canterbury would be summoned to Westminster in the coming weeks and told that MPs will not wait for a new vote on women bishops. He will be instructed to organise another vote ahead of the agreed five-year timetable. The Church of England will be expected to choose women bishops this time, and they will vote again and again until they get it right . As I read somewhere, it's kind of weird that women bishops are a big deal in a church that has at it's head, a woman, ie the Queen. Related link: Parliament has no respect for democracy. The 'people who know best' are taking over our lives

Last Friday (23 November, 2012) I phoned up the Sean Plunket Morning Show on NewsTalkZB to add my bit on whether or not churches should get dispensation from having to marry two people of the same sex, if the same-sex marriage bill by Louisa Wall passes, that is. Please excuse the first 10 seconds or so. I was told that I'd have to wait 5 minutes, so when they put me on within 30 seconds or so of waiting, I was not ready, to say the least. LOL, anyway, Sean Plunket was very good and jumped in and gave me a chance to recollect myself by introducing the subject. Speaking is not really my thing, I prefer the time to think that is available in blogging.  However, I've been thinking I'm going to have to practice speaking on the radio, because there are so few Catholics that do it.  And the ones that do, fall into the camp of being pretty much heretics, which is not a good look, really. I talked about the need for churches to get dispensation, though I didn't get t...

Apparently, in the UK, calling a Kiwi “Australian” is considered a racial slur and punishable by fine, and a woman was convicted in court for doing just so. According to Fairfax Australia – Hurling abuse wasn’t the problem for Petra Mills. But a court ruled that calling her New Zealand neighbour an Australian was racist and against the law . Czech-born Mills, 31, has been found guilty of racially aggravated public disorder after a rant at her New Zealand-born neighbour in Macclesfield, south of Manchester. Chelsea O’Reilly, who has dual British and New Zealand citizenship, said: “She called me a stupid fat Australian b****. Because of my accent there can be some confusion over my nationality. She knew I was from New Zealand. “She was trying to be offensive. I was really insulted. She said she would kill my dog. Bizarrely she then blew raspberries at me like a child.” The incident happened when O’Reilly was giving a statement to police about a domestic incident between Mil...

So many bad arguments are being put forward to the select committee looking into Louisa Wall's same-sex marriage bill. One of the first couples in New Zealand to have a civil union say that was a compromise and only being able to marry would give them equality . I'm sorry to have to inform these two men that in order to gain full equality, in the way that they define it, is to have the ability to bear children. Interesting that they are not arguing that, as they are in France . “As a lesbian couple, me and my partner can’t just wake up in the morning and say, we’re going to have a baby,” she said. “But without [Medically Assisted Procreation - MAP for short], procreation is near impossible . It would be terribly hypocritical for the Socialists to introduce an ‘equality’ bill without allowing us the same parenting rights as our heterosexual peers . Half-hearted equality is not equality.” Even then, true equality is not there, as heterosexual couples will still be able t...

It might end tomorrow, however. :) Related link : Pope calls on faithful to ignore doomsday warnings

Some real hatred going on at Whale Oil's blog against priests . It's disturbing, makes me think that wholesale persecution is not that far off. It all started from this story on Confession: Prime Minister Julia Gillard says using the seal of the Catholic confessional to cover up child abuse is a ‘‘sin of omission’’ because all adults have a duty of care towards children. Ms Gillard says the terms of reference for the federal royal commission announced on Monday haven’t been set, and nor has the way evidence will be gathered and witnesses questioned. ‘‘That is going to be a matter for the royal commissioners we appoint,’’ she told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday. She said all parties including institutions and victims would be consulted carefully on the terms of reference. Advertisement When asked if the commission should examine the Catholic Church’s seal of the confessional, the prime minister agreed that it wasn’t good enough that some adults had been ‘‘avert...

A policeman whistle blower thinks his career prospects are over, given what he's been telling the media on sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia, and now there is going to be a royal commission of inquiry. However, given the allegations in the media of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox, there is this feeling that the Catholic Church is being singled out. SYDNEY — The Church should not be made the scapegoat in an Australian inquiry into child sex abuse, the country's most senior Catholic cleric said Tuesday as victims welcomed the paedophilia probe. Cardinal Archbishop George Pell (source: 3 News ) Prime Minister Julia Gillard ended more than a decade of growing pressure by ordering a royal commission on Monday to investigate the responses of all religious organisations, schools and state care to allegations of abuse. Sydney Archbishop George Pell said he welcomed the inquiry , which will also examine the responses of not-for-profit organisations and the ...

The sun feels a lot colder right now as I write this at 10:40 am. Here in New Zealand, just north of Wellington, we are not experiencing a total eclipse as the lucky people in Cairns, Australia have. However, the moon covering most of the sun is causing quite a dimming of light that is significant and it feels physically colder. I had a chat with my children last night about whether or not they could look at the eclipse without protection, and I told them they could, but only a glimpse and it would be better not to look. When I was growing up I was told not to look at eclipses at all, otherwise I'd go blind. However, telling children that they will go blind is more harmful that telling them to be cautious, according to the article from Mental that I quote below. There are no extra-ordinary rays that come out of the sun during an eclipse, but it is still the sun and looking at the sun for too long will damage your eyes, so treat it the same way. Wouldn’t It Be Easier Just ...

I keep hearing on the radio that Romney didn't win in the US because the votes are in the middle, and he was too far to the right. Especially those talking heads yesterday would bring this nugget of wisdom up, a nugget that strikes some sort of chord here in NZ. Though, I think it's more a way of forcing politicians to stay left since we are really a leftist country by telling them what they should do to stay onside with the media. Anyway, the New York Times has a chart showing how in this latest election, the United States has moved more right, just not enough. The graphic of moving dots is cool. If Romney had done what the leftists wanted him to do, I doubt he would have got as many votes, as the point of difference would have been far less. Go and have look: How Obama Won Re-election ~ New York Times

My measure of a politician is how they feel about new human life. Anyone who can turn a blind eye to defenceless babies being murdered in their mother's wombs (ie Obama, who also opposed looking after babies who survived their abortions) is not a person that can be trusted. With the number of abortion clinics being closed down the US, here's hoping that America will choose a president who will advance the culture of life, rather than one pulling everyone down the slippery slope of death. UPDATE: Damn ... Obama's re-election celebrated around world ~ AP

Complete disconnect between those who champion same-same marriage and reality. Gay marriage has strengthened Canadian society, a visiting Anglican leader says. The Very Rev Dr Peter Elliott, Rector of Christ Church Anglican Cathedral in Vancouver, preached in St Paul's Cathedral in Dunedin yesterday. His visit is part of the Anglican Consultative Council underway in Auckland. Dr Elliott, who is gay, said that while he did not believe in commenting on a country's domestic politics, legalising gay marriage had increased respect and tolerance in Canada. Riiiight. From Same-Sex Marriage Ten Years On: Lessons from Canada (hattip Protect Marriage ): What has happened in Canada as a result of same-sex marriage is "restrictions on free speech rights, parental rights in education, and autonomy rights of religious institutions, along with a weakening of the marriage culture." For example, with regards to free speech: Much speech that was permitted before same-...

Well, NZ Prime Minister, John Key, has caused quite a stir by saying that a red top a radio announcer was wearing was "gay".  An internationalout cry, hot on the heels of the unfortunate David Beckham comment . Even prominent same-sex attracted, Sir Ian McKellen, has called for John Key to be careful about what he says. "Mr Key should watch his language," he said. "I'm currently touring secondary schools in UK, attacking homophobia in the playground and discouraging kids from the careless use of 'gay' which might make their gay friends (and teachers) feel less about themselves. "So even as he supports the proposal to introduce same-gender marriages in New Zealand, I do hope John Key listens to his critics and appreciates their concern. Careless talk damages lives, " he said. Sir Ian is very much against the word "gay" being used in negative way, as it may make others feel less about themselves. It's a pity he's ...

Both KiwiBlog and Whale Oil Beef Hooked have posts up today on the unpopularity of the newly elected socialist Government in France. Both only mention economic issues, but I need to point out that the French government is also implementing same-sex marriage in Spring 2013, and that they've manage to annoy both conservatives and homosexual persons in the process. How the French Socialists have annoyed conservatives with same-sex marriage is self-explanatory, just use my gay marriage tag at the bottom of this post for a whole slew of articles on that topic if you need help, but you've got to wonder how on earth the homosexual persons would be put out by having marriage redefined so that they can pretend to be married as well. One French lady explains: “As a lesbian couple, me and my partner can’t just wake up in the morning and say, we’re going to have a baby,” she said. “But without [Medically Assisted Procreation - MAP for short], procreation is near impossible. It ...

Legality is often the modern test of morality. If it's legal, it should be fine. Auckland's first high-rise brothel could be a magnet for crime and drugs yet that is no reason to ban it because prostitution is legal . So says the official Auckland Council report from lead senior planner Jennifer Valentine, who backed the application and rejected moral and religious opposition, raising the ire of Monsignor David Tonks, pastoral assistant to the Catholic Bishop Pat Dunn, who opposes the brothel. "I'm seriously disappointed," he said, noting how the area drew families and tourists and wondering what message people would get from the massive brothel with giant lit display sign. "These places are often associated with importing women for the sex trade and it's a tragedy," he said. But Jennifer Valentine told how because activities within the proposed 15-level tower were permitted, she could not consider "moral or religious objections, nor ...

I just got around to seeing Lucia's post on mental health and same-sex marriage, including the response by Moira Clunie of the Mental Health Foundation. Well, Moira, I think that questions around the issue might perhaps be given some clarity when the issue is looked at in countries where same sex marriage has been legalized. One of these is Canada, which legalized same-sex marriage in 2005. So, how have they been doing, as regards mental health? Not too well it seems. This is taken from gay magazine Xtra in 2009 - Over the past 10 years [Government] have contracted with experts on gay, lesbian, bisexual health to produce studies ... issues affecting queer Canadians includes lower life expectancy than the average Canadian, suicide, higher rates of substance abuse, depression , inadequate access to care and HIV/AIDS... all kinds of health issues that are endemic to our community... higher rates of anal cancer in the gay male community, lesbians have higher ...