Free speech

Red lights are signalling we have entered George Orwell’s 1984. The American Associated Press, in its annual guide to journalists, has advised against the use of words like: ‘‘pro-life’’, ‘‘migrant’’, ‘‘refugee’’, ‘‘Islamist’’ and ‘‘terrorist’’.

Legendary resource investor, Doug Casey, in an essay on the limiting of language and the decline of journalism, focuses on the straight jacket being imposed on free thought and expression. There is no doubt that the PC police are rampant. In applying a shrink wrap to expression and vocabulary the faceless selfappointed ‘‘conscience’’ of our society is attempting to seal our language into a shape they desire, for whatever reason. If we aspire to a free society we need to overturn this and take back our choice of words and ideas from an increasingly suffocating section of our world. It is as important as cleaning our polluted and dwindling rivers, polluted and dwindling education system, and carbon loaded atmosphere.

We think in words. We communicate ideas and innovation in words. Our freedom depends on language and our opportunities to develop and grow are at risk. Do we have the gumption to stand up and defend it? Chris Purdon Hawera

More of the same?

We have only one opportunity every three years to decide who governs for the following three years. We must decide whether to stay with our existing government or change to an alternative which promises new policies and new ideas for the future of New Zealand. The present government is unimaginative and offers nothing except more of the same. More pollution of our rivers, more house and farm sales to overseas owners, more greenhouse gas emissions, more people living in cold, damp houses, more benefits for the wealthy and less for most of us. We have a government which is incompetent and uncaring.

The achievable alternative is a Labour/Green coalition which, although far from perfect, offers real changes and intentions to tackle the problems listed above, and many other problems which currently get inadequate attention from government. Jacinda Ardern will be a good Prime Minister and will lead a government of change.

The recent problems within the Green party are a minor issue which will soon be largely forgotten. People who are unhappy about our present government should be supporting the Labour/ Green alternative. There is no other realistic choice. Colin Bell New Plymouth

Water meters

Regarding the news item regarding water meters volunteers, if I was Mr Handley I would not be too enthusiastic. We were living in Auckland when they were fitted there and it was not much later when we were then hit with a further charge to take 75 per cent of what went in away and, of course, over the years it kept rising. Further to the article I find the figure of 336 litres a day per person typical scare mongering, I would like to see proof of some of these statements that governments, both local and central, make willy-nilly. Jack Garthwaite Waitara

Farm by consent

I note from the Taranaki Daily News on July 31 that the Taranaki Regional Council director Gary Bedford has been extolling the virtues of the riparian planting programme to a conference in Europe.

His statement that the programme was voluntary is at odds with the letter recently received by Taranaki farmers from the TRC chairman advising that ‘‘those farmers who haven’t made significant progress will require a resource consent. This will require completion of both fencing and planting and will incur additional costs associated with compliance’’.

I’m sure that I am not alone in that my definition of voluntary differs from that of the TRC’s broad interpretation.

Perhaps someone in the TRC could inform us what percentage of the riparian plans drawn up courtesy of TRC staff have been completed to date.

Obviously not enough and thus the big stick approach.

After 150 years of farming history in Taranaki, the intention is clear that we will soon require a consent to farm at the TRC’s discretion. Mark Washer Manaia