Debate over Archibald Baxter continues

Honours

THANKS for listing the honours that Vanessa van Uden, contestant for Todd Barclay’s seat, has acquired on her CV (ODT, 17.7.17). They include: former Queenstown mayor, appointment to the NZ Taxpayers Union board, to the NZ Transport Agency board and Officer of the NZ Order of Merit for services to local Government. To me they are symptomatic of the present Government’s habit of showering honours on its own members at the public expense.

Coincidentally, on the same day, I received an unsolicited email from the NZ Taxpayers Union, promoting the launch of a BribeOMeter ‘‘to keep track of all the political promises to spend your money in the leadup to polling day’’. It claims that ‘‘the BribeOMeter is the most comprehensive independent policy costing project

Letters related to Election 2017 are to be published in a special ‘‘soapbox’’ section on this page leading up to polling day on September 23.

Letter writers are reminded our policy of one letter by the same writer published each fortnight, except for ‘‘to the point’’ contributions, will apply.

Correspondents writing for consideration in this section are asked, for context, to declare any political affiliations, or their candidacy, which will be included at the bottom of their letters. GERRARD Eckhoff’s wellpresented and thoughtprovoking article on Archibald Baxter (ODT10.7.17) means he will doubtless be subjected to abuse from the ‘‘post truth’’ brigade for daring to question their redefinition of the term ‘‘war hero’’. Their reason for foisting this outrageous untruth upon the public can only be to garner publicity for the opera War Hero, which does them no credit. I publicly challenge the composer of this work, or any of his acolytes, to justify their use of the term war hero in this context. Personally, I fail to see how it could possibly be applied to a man who, for whatever reason, refused to take a position where he could threaten the life of an enemy soldier, as it must be remembered that this stance also put him in a position where no enemy soldier could threaten his own precious existence. War hero? No.

Tony Newton

Mosgiel [Emeritus Prof John Drummond replies: ‘‘I’m sorry Tony believes the title of my opera War Hero is a publicity stunt. For the record, Baxter was forcibly taken to France, came under enemy fire and was gassed, in addition to being beaten, starved and given field punishment No 1. He did not regard his own existence as precious: he was willing to die for his country, but not to kill for his country. I encourage Tony to attend a performance of the opera, and see Baxter’s story for himself.’’]

Minimum flows

GEOFF Clouston (ODTletters, 18.7.17) is correct saying the farmers harnessed the water of Falls Dam in the first place. But, what he needs to remember is water is a public resource, which is being harvested for private benefit. The public is therefore entitled to expect a reasonable amount of that water is returned to the river, in the form of a decent minimum flow, in order to provide a public benefit.