Sue Bradford - our first political assassination?

[Swoop]

She even has parliamentary dispensation to not have her address on the electoral roll.

On the morning news, it was stated that "she" has had to move houses three times.

It must take a lot of doing, to be that hated in society.

What was the point if it wasn't binding? Why wasn't it done at the election?

Simply because of the additional damage it would have done to the Looney Labourite Sect and their campaigning.

[MikeL]

any politician who can push forward their agenda from a minority position is worthy of respect. Especially if you are one of those people, like myself, who find it disheartening how politicians seems to be getting nothing done and by how the daily agenda is dictated by popular opinion.

1st point: a politician with intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he or she genuinely believes is the good of the nation deserves respect, regardless of ideology. The personal abuse heaped on Sue Bradford (and Helen Clark) - particularly references to their appearance and perceived lack of femininity - demean the political debate and say more about the mentality of those who make those comments than they realize.
2nd point: if popular opinion had been paramount we would never have abolished slavery, given the vote to women, outlawed child labour or decriminalized homosexuality. Social progress is only possible when a minority opinion is brave enough to stand up and say "this is not right". Whether a particular cause is right may well be debateable - but it has to be debated intelligently and without descending to ad hominem arguments.

[Hitcher]

Death threats are an unfortunate fact of life for those in or near public office. After a while you get to know which ones are serious and which are frivolous. I hope.

[MisterD]

Death threats are an unfortunate fact of life for those in or near public office. After a while you get to know which ones are serious and which are frivolous. I hope.

Indeed, can we say "media beat up"?

What do gobshite idiots with twatter accounts and Sue Bradford have in common? They should both be ignored and denied the attention and publicity they crave.

[Mully]

"The only thing worse than getting death threats is not being talked about at all"

[Ixion]

1st point: a politician with intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he or she genuinely believes is the good of the nation deserves respect, regardless of ideology. The personal abuse heaped on Sue Bradford (and Helen Clark) - particularly references to their appearance and perceived lack of femininity - demean the political debate and say more about the mentality of those who make those comments than they realize.
2nd point: if popular opinion had been paramount we would never have abolished slavery, given the vote to women, outlawed child labour or decriminalized homosexuality. Social progress is only possible when a minority opinion is brave enough to stand up and say "this is not right". Whether a particular cause is right may well be debateable - but it has to be debated intelligently and without descending to ad hominem arguments.

Skirting carefully around Mr Godwin, I could raise an eyebrow toward a gentleman whose "intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he genuinely believed was the good of the nation" caused a good deal of mischief. But in deference to Mr G I will point instead to Mr Enoch Powell .

[riffer]

Skirting carefully around Mr Godwin, I could raise an eyebrow toward a gentleman whose "intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he genuinely believed was the good of the nation" caused a good deal of mischief. But in deference to Mr G I will point instead to Mr Enoch Powell .

Skirting around Godwin is like being a little pregnant Les.

[Oscar]

A silver bullet would be needed.

But where?

If you aimed at the head, what damage would you do?
Its full of woolly socialist concern for fellow persons, recipes for yogurt and hemp alternate fuel and plans for social engineering - not much of a target. You could aim at the ego I suppose, huge but gaseous...

[Oscar]

1st point: a politician with intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he or she genuinely believes is the good of the nation deserves respect, regardless of ideology. The personal abuse heaped on Sue Bradford (and Helen Clark) - particularly references to their appearance and perceived lack of femininity - demean the political debate and say more about the mentality of those who make those comments than they realize.
2nd point: if popular opinion had been paramount we would never have abolished slavery, given the vote to women, outlawed child labour or decriminalized homosexuality. Social progress is only possible when a minority opinion is brave enough to stand up and say "this is not right". Whether a particular cause is right may well be debateable - but it has to be debated intelligently and without descending to ad hominem arguments.

OK.
Would like to elucidate on what she has actually done?
As far as I can see her sole contribution is to take a confusing piece of legislation and make it even more so.

[inlinefour]

A silver bullet would be needed.

Roger that, Ive got the weapon, just awaiting the projectile (some rotten eggs could be the go), for that perfect shot.

[MisterD]

but it has to be debated intelligently and without descending to ad hominem arguments.

Tell that to La Bradford, who seems happy to paint anyone who dislikes the government interfering in the way they bring up their children as "violent", "child beaters", "christian fundamentalists"..etc etc etc.

[MisterD]

I will point instead to Mr Enoch Powell .

A very great man, unfairly demonised on the basis of one speech...

[firefighter]

1st point: a politician with intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he or she genuinely believes is the good of the nation deserves respect, regardless of ideology. The personal abuse heaped on Sue Bradford (and Helen Clark) - particularly references to their appearance and perceived lack of femininity - demean the political debate and say more about the mentality of those who make those comments than they realize.

I agree with a lot of what you've said here.

However, a politician who can't be bothered brushing her hair/or having at least a slight pride in her appearance, gets no respect from me. She has no right to my respect looking like a bum.

Would you put up with much more lowly paid uniformed personnel presenting themselves like this? No fucken way. Never mind taking them seriously.

As a politician she is representing N.Z. And she presents herself like that? How embarrassing for N.Z.

[MikeL]

Skirting carefully around Mr Godwin, I could raise an eyebrow toward a gentleman whose "intelligent, clearly thought-out and sincerely held principles acting for what he genuinely believed was the good of the nation" caused a good deal of mischief. But in deference to Mr G I will point instead to Mr Enoch Powell .

You could argue that the particular gentleman's principles were not intelligent and clearly thought out. Nevertheless the merits or otherwise of his political principles should have been (and at the time were) the focus of debate, not whether he only had one ball or was a vegeterian or spoke with an Austrian accent or other irrelevancies.
And as for Enoch Powell, there are many intelligent people in the U.K. who sincerely believe in the principles which he espoused. He was brave enough to speak up for something that he felt strongly about, not for himself but for the nation as a whole, and deserves respect for that.

[MikeL]

I agree with a lot of what you've said here.

However, a politician who can't be bothered brushing her hair/or having at least a slight pride in her appearance, gets no respect from me. She has no right to my respect looking like a bum. Would you put up with much more lowly paid uniformed personnel presenting themselves like this? No fucken way. Never mind taking them seriously FFS.

As a politician she is representing N.Z. And she presents herself like that? Get the fuck out of my nation's government!

Presumably you had no respect for David Lange either, whose appearance, at least in his first few years of political life, exactly fits the description above.