David Shearer posted this on Facebook:
There’s currently 340 comments, ranging from this:
Meegan Edwards What a blatant waste of taxpayers money once again. I’m sure they would rather be elsewhere too. Paula Bennet is a self righteous unpleasant user who is where she is not because of hard work but because she got a hand up…and then some. Disgusting human.
And:
Jonathan Taylor Good man. Show these cowards for what they are. If she needs body guards she needs to hire them. Members of the public would struggle to get that kind of protection. I wonder what dairy owners think when they know the respond times for serious crime then see this.
To:
Mark Unsworth I have huge respect for David Shearer but that comment was total nonsense .David’s caucus colleague Phil Goff needed a similar police presence when he was Minister of Education and bravely faced protestors at Vic University.His former leader Helen Clark needed the same at Waitangi. Were they out of touch ? No- just doing their job
Jared Gibbs Also I doubt very much that the minsters themselves organise their own security detail.
I’m disappointed with this from Shearer. He should know that the Police decide what protection MPs require and provide it accordingly.
It is an ugly but essential sign of our democracy that MPs are seen to need Police protection.
Shearer is adding to a blame and inflame campaign against Bennett that has resulted so far in the claimed need for police protection – I don’t know who else was at the meeting and what it was about, nor whether the protection was specifically for Bennett.
Pat Allen I used to think Shearer was smart and had potential. But now I think he’s stupid. Doesn’t he see the correlation between his statement and Donald trumps promotion of violence. He should be condemning the people who threaten his fellow politicians, not blaming the politicians, whoever they are.
Blaming and inflaming can contribute to mad people doing bad things, like what happened in Orlando.
Newshub in March: Paula Bennett condemns Facebook shooting threat
Despite a violent social media post calling for her death, Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett says she doesn’t want to have constant police protection while out in public.
Ms Bennett today revealed someone on her Facebook page said she should be shot dead at her next public outing.
The post in question says: “People own guns out there i dare any1 2 shoot the b**** dead at hr next public appearance [sic].”
The person goes on to say they hope the Prime Minister is standing behind her so it’s “2 birds 1 bullet”.
It’s very sad to see this sort of thing in New Zealand politics, and Shearer should be well aware of the risks.
Newshub yesterday: Why the extra security for Paula Bennett and Nick Smith?
In an unusual move, a police bodyguard provided close protection for Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett and Building and Housing Minister Nick Smith at a public meeting in Auckland on Monday night.
The plainclothes police officers stood beside the ministers as they addressed the crowd at the housing meeting in Blockhouse Bay.
Usually only the Prime Minister requires the protection of the Diplomatic Protection Squad and his ministers travel freely.
Prime Minister John Key says the amount of police and security at the event was “standard”.
“When we have public meetings sometimes if the issue is particularly hot and we’re aware through social media you’re likely to get a significant number of protesters then the police attend those meetings and that’s a logical thing to do.”
But it’s not just the former Labour leader who is taking cheap political shots over police protection.
But Labour leader Andrew Little says security detail was required because the Government has angered the community over its failure to address the housing crisis.
“Ministers have been doing community meetings since time immemorial and last night they turned up with a security detail. Nick Smith did not speak without a security person being there within spitting distance of him.
“That tells you ministers are under siege, people are angry, they are concerned and they hold this Government responsible.”
Little is also guilty of excusing and legitimising the threat and blaming the Ministers.
It’s very sad to see the need for police protection for our Ministers.
And it’s sad to see Little and Shearer indulging in what looks like a blame and inflame campaign.
Nelly Smickers
/ 15th June 2016Blazer
/ 15th June 2016Shearer is a recalcitrant liability.Has the political instincts of a mosquito.
Pete George
/ 15th June 2016He seems to have been following the example of his leader Little.
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016Who has the political instincts of a lemming.
Alan Wilkinson.
/ 15th June 2016And it’s sad to see Little and Shearer indulging in what looks like a blame and inflame campaign.
Not sad, just vile.
Brown
/ 15th June 2016Politicians on the supposed right are quite safe from lefties because WINZ don’t give these losers grants to purchase firearms and ammunition.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th June 2016It’s news to me that WINZ gives grants for this.
traveller
/ 15th June 2016This degree of ethical subjectivity served up daily by the opposition only impresses the blindly partisan. I suggest that this type of opposition is exactly what works against them and ever narrows their appeal to thinking members of society. To say that Labour’s general tone encourages hatred and violence is not stretching it too much.
Halliver
/ 15th June 2016she’s the second most likely politician to be a target for assassination, ahead of jerry browneye and behind shonkey. So I think the number of police is about right.
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th June 2016I seem to remember you getting banned for saying something like that.
Dougal
/ 15th June 2016You really didn’t learn your lesson do you “Halliver”?
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016Oh I think this one is less inflammatory than that last one that got him into trouble.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016Regardless – how many user names is he up to now?
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016I’ve only been posting here since end of March. #3 I think since I started.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016Oliver, Hall, Halliver……he also got busted with at least one other user name by PG and told to go back to Oliver.
Dougal
/ 15th June 2016The difference is you have become desensitised to it.
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016No, there’s a difference between speculating on relative risk & appearing to endorse a call for it.
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th June 2016I don’t think that even Olihalliver would go that far.
He seems to think that his derogatory names are wildly original and that we have never heard them before.
traveller
/ 15th June 2016Proving me right there. Partisan or violent ?
Zedd
/ 15th June 2016Looks like ‘Team Key’s’ private army/defence MOB ? 😀
PDB
/ 15th June 2016Still ‘hearing’ things? Need to lay off that stuff……….
Zedd
/ 15th June 2016@pdb
still ‘trolling’ I see, maybe you should lay off that ‘stuff’ ? 😀
PDB
/ 15th June 2016As they say – takes one to know one……..
PDB
/ 15th June 2016…so I heard
Zedd
/ 15th June 2016@pdb
‘takes one to know one’
Trust me.. I have no idea who you are, NOR do I wish to.. based I ‘what i read/hear’ 😀
PDB
/ 15th June 2016Zedd “Trust me.. I have no idea”
There, fixed it for you.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016So labour stir things up through a compliant MSM (that fails to do even the most basic of background checks on the ‘down & out’ people they are pimping daily) and then attack ministers for having to protect themselves from the nutters that Labour have stirred?
Similar to the WINZ shooting which many on the left suggested was somewhat justified due to current govt policy.
traveller
/ 15th June 2016It’ll be on the media and Labour/Greens heads if she is attacked. Where are the voices of moderation and common sense on that side. It’s bleeding disgraceful.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016Strangely enough Shearer is meant to be an example of the common sense side of the left………he has lost his bottle since being told to toe the party line on the TPPA.
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016Perhaps he’d just found one and opened it?
traveller
/ 15th June 2016Turning him into a WRP Esquire (hic)🙀
Dougal
/ 15th June 2016He’ll need to tow the line if auntie Hullun heads the UN. He’ll be off to a cushy job in New York after the next election.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016http://grammartips.homestead.com/toetheline.html
Joe Bloggs
/ 15th June 2016I tried towing that line…bloody ute: all torque and no traction
Kitty Catkin
/ 15th June 2016Toe.
Joe Bloggs
/ 15th June 2016@KCK
whoosh…the sound of a couple of gentle puns whizzing over your head…
Nelly Smickers
/ 15th June 2016Camel. 😛
bjmarsh1
/ 15th June 2016There used to be a consensus of all politicians to refrain from public comments about security. Labour obviously now permits such comments. I leave the stupidity of such a policy to others to judge. Security 101, NEVER draw attention to the nature of protection and security arrangements. Media keep out!
Gezza
/ 15th June 2016( … service and receiver of … )
PDB
/ 15th June 2016If the gay night club shooting happened in New Zealand and was actually a shooting at a right-wing convention then Labour would blame the govt for their policies………
dave1924
/ 15th June 2016Labreen have been cultivating the extreme nutters for awhile via the social media messaging and rumour pushing. There is anger out there in the cohort who are struggling for wages that allow them to save and get ahead. Unfortunately many of them are easily lead.
I had a mate who posted support for the scumbag killer of WINZ staff – WINZ are so hard to deal with, invite it type comments…. pretty sick stuff. But it was just echoing Sue Bradfords comments really
Shearer should know better than this – he has worked in dangerous locations, he knows how important it is keep things calm….
jamie
/ 15th June 2016“I’m disappointed with this from Shearer. He should know that the Police decide what protection MPs require and provide it accordingly.”
Regardless of whether you agree with Shearer, the idea that the police have decided that Bennett needs this level of protection in order to go about her business only lends weight to the assertion that she is out of touch.
PDB
/ 15th June 2016So because Labour have stirred up some loose units who may cause Bennett harm then this proves she is ‘out of touch’ – that is a nonsense.
John Key is our most popular PM of all time and has always had a security detail.
duperez
/ 15th June 2016Is someone to publish a list of what is acceptable in taking cheap political shots at politicians? Is someone to publish a list of what is an acceptable subject for a blame and inflame campaign against a politician?
Maybe the politicians themselves could draw up lists of what is and isn’t acceptable. Under the leadership of, well of course, The Leader. Do you think his appreciation of cheap political shots and blame and inflame campaigns are honed well enough for such a task?
Alan Wilkinson
/ 15th June 2016Publishing lists of what people are allowed to do is what Lefties are best at. They are much shorter than the lists of what they are not allowed to do.