This article is an excerpt from Mountain Tui: The tamatha Paul’s pile is unjustified
The green deputy Tamatha Paul received a lot of defeat in the last two days.
Her original comments were part of a discussion panel where she said:
“Wellington people don’t want to see cops everywhere, and for many people it makes them feel less safe. It’s this constant visual presence that tells you that you may not be sure there if there are lots of police.”
The subsequent report reveals a deeper question, but first here are some of the comments she received:
Christopher Luxon:
“I thought it was quite outrageous and insane, to be sincere”
David Seymour:
“It’s just weird, to be sincere”
Chris Hipkins, who was really answering the question of an interviewer about comments from another MP “May people feel safer to see gang members, gang gang members on the street compared to seeing police on the street.” he said:
“[Those] The comments were poorly informed, they were reckless, in fact, they were stupid ”
Why were the hipkins referring to separate comments? We will never know.
Mark Mitchell, a man who has a shape in weapons misinformation, took the opportunity to sow more:
“I didn’t see the exact comments, but basically they are the lines of destabilizing the police …”
Transcript shows that Mitchell’s comments could not be further from the truth.
Grant Duncan, an academic and visiting politician commentator:
“It’s not time for green to focus on their main businesses – how to save the planet or something?”
And here are the main comments of a material article this morning:
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I woke up disappointed with Paul’s treatment.
Luxon calling his comments “Insane” and Mark Mitchell claiming that Paul is in ‘La La Land “is national at his best – using incendiary words and highlights for the media – while inflating a conversation to get political gains.
This and It is true that National’s victory was assisted by frustration by law and order.
It is one of its strongest political processes – punishment and Down tightly.
However, ironically, law and order are not improving in national terms.
In fact, it’s getting worse.
For example:
Although Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith trust an anonymous Twitter account to incorrectly The violent crime claim was improving, the official data shows that it is the same – It is not better.
Serious victimization in retail crime is not improving either – at the same rates as 2023:
The use of methamphetamine in New Zealand is in a record never seen before last year.
Methamphetamine consumption increased by a “96% unprecedented .. when compared to 2023, with consumption increasing on all sites ” According to the police.
Police friction remains significant – which means that the number of government police went from negative last month to +13 compared to when it took office. It is more worrying when you consider that we are losing experienced police because the quality is significant in policing.
The number of gangs continued to rise also + 600 compared to the election period, but this worsened when you consider that this government is actively addressing lists of gang members.
Luxon is angry when asked why the government is removing gangs from lists
Paul’s comments must have been well -being for distraction to National.
But Paul was clearly speaking about his voters and sharing his experience in listening to stories from organizations without -Tetus and the community. Paul regularly visits prisons and respectfully hears his stories in his space.
Contrast with PM Luxon, who says he has not visited a shelter for without -for months (or really years) as homelessness increases by ~ 50% on her clock.
There is dignity in listening to those who are most marginalized in our community and doing their best to give them a voice as well.
Paul quoted police conversations and the police minister. And yet, as the police did not respond to the media, Paul is presented as unbalanced.
Benedict Collins asked how Paul felt about his comments being labeled as “Insane” by the first -minister on TVNz last night. She looked surprised, but it was a good TV.
However, most of the news I VI did not provide an adequate context, as well as sensationalizing the drama.
Paulo’s reports that police are usually working to remove or threaten to remove the belongings from without -tetto seem to play true when we look at reports from Only in recent months –
Mental health is another area that Paul emphasized, saying that the police were not better positioned to deal with mental health.
An example she referenced is the recent and tragic capture, handcuff, detention and double drugs from an 11 -year -old autistic female.
And while last year, the National Instructed the police to retreat from most calls of mental health, it is also true that they do not keep their experience alone. Police acknowledged that reducing their presence in mental health calls can cause more deaths. Health professionals are alarmed because there is no police support and some have given up in response – the risk of damage to everyone is very large.
That is, the formation of units (police and assistants of mental/social health) was appropriate, but was reversed under the National.
None of this is theoretical, but in recent days, the theorist has dominated our landscape.
What is the take -away?
For me, it is that high -payment and media management work consultants work in politics.
The media is not willing and unable to properly contextualize the information sometimes.
This morning, things stacked with more angry comments:
This is why we see politicians like Nicola Willis and Simeon Brown often seem to puppets of public relations, unable and not want to get out of the limits of meticulously prepared statements.
This is also why we see Brooke Van Venden often protected and not wanting to give Ad-hoc interviews (Van Velden also refuses to meet with Union representatives) there is a lot of risk to her.
We have seen David Seymour trained at Atlas, at the Atlas Network, claim several times that their school lunches are praised by principals and schools as “better,” but when asked which, “they would not give school names for privacy reasons.” This seems to be enough to turn it off.
This is much better than Paulo’s honest response about being unable to check the stories he definitely heard:
“When I come into prisons, I have a lot of conversations with people there and I heard a lot of stories.
“I don’t sit and question them. I just hear your stories as a guest in their space.”
We saw Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith use claims from an unnamed Anonymous Twitter account as official evidence of falling serious crimes, but when asked about it, he simply doubled.
This is enough to close the media cycle.
This shows how curated political life needs to be carefully to politicians.
But, because it is so, are we better for this or not? I would discuss the last one.
When I watched Paul, I saw someone speaking unprotected but also representative of the constituents and social workers with whom she contacted.
I heard her say that the police could be better placed on things like sexual aggression and domestic violence, instead of cleaning belongings without -Tet.
It’s easy to be sensational and annoyed, but Paul was talking to a reality where police resources are limited and where their training and background can be best suited to “main businesses” – that is, back to basics – rather than helping to clean or mental health.
The presence of the police is well -being, but for some, much of this can be intimidating and feeling questionable.
He also talks to the experiences of policing differences – and how valid they can be. For example, an article in Spinoff confirms that Maori has about seven times more likely than pākehā to be victims of police violence.
The IPCA found that the police use unjustified strength that results in community deaths or aggression.
These are not new experiences or conversations.
And while most people feel safer with the presence of the police, the underlying nuances of the comments do not deserve recognition and conversations.
I didn’t see Paul talking for nothing but this kind of context – and facilitating a potential and broader conversation. I also appreciated her argument that someone in the corridors of power should not be afraid to blame the police when necessary.
Unfortunately, the conversation was interrupted by the craze of reporting that it did not provide the complete context, and the desired opposition members to thin a young politician leader.
Here is the video of what Paul said:
