The right to free speech must be cherished

JOSS Miller’s letter about the need to cherish free speech (ODT, 29.10.18) was right on the button.

We Kiwis are so naive that our freedom could slipslide away leaving us lock step marching to a single tune at great human cost.

Remember the Critic magazine closedown, the ‘‘bong’’ control, the holocaust deniers article in a Canterbury University publication that resulted in the destruction of the entire print run a few years ago?

As A.R.D. Fairburn wrote in his book We New Zealanders (1941, p14): ‘‘Our national vice is stupidity.

‘‘It is not that individually we are more stupid than other people.

‘‘The trouble is that we have such a solid respect for stupidity.’’

The reason for low election turnouts is that so many voters believe public bureaucrats actually run everything. That their vote will make ‘‘diddlysquat’’ difference.

In order to achieve selffulfilment people must be permitted freedom. A free press, warts ’n’ all is essential. Jim Moffat

Caversham

Cycleway criticism

WHOEVER designed and authorised the work on both north and southbound oneway cycle lanes should be dismissed.

The total desecration of perfectly good roads, reduced to chaos.

The cost exaggerated beyond belief and an obstruction of freeflowing traffic. An absolute travesty.

This could have been done properly — for a fraction of the cost — in about two weeks with no disruption to traffic and no loss of car parks.

What a disgrace.

Abortion

Bob Harris Green Island A SURGEON in a public hospital kills a 3monthold child. A pillar of the community.

If the same person kills a child of 10 months, the same people call it murder. D.S. Boyes

Liberton

Wilding pines

REGARDING the New Zealand Wilding Conifer Group conference (ODT, 27.10.18). I believe it was Aristotle who said ‘‘Nature abhors a vacuum’’. This fact seems to elude the wilding conifer industry.

Pine trees, or any tree for that matter, will always fill a gap in the landscape where no other trees grow. These wilding conifers are establishing themselves where there is no competition.

One place where pines don’t appear to flourish is in native bush.

Rather than dousing the country in tonnes of toxic herbicides that make glyphosate look like barley water, perhaps these ‘‘environmentalists’’ would be better looking at establishing an appropriate native species that will suppress the pines.

One look at the Bendigo Ranges would suggest that kanuka does the job.

[Abridged] Jerry Lynch

Dunedin