Less from Little

When he tackles world social media about breaching New Zealand suppression orders in the Grace Millane case, does Justice and Treaty Negotiations Minister Andrew Little know what’s what? Well at least the district court judge got it right when refusing name suppression, but then the accused attracted most of the publicity himself by appealing that decision, which will simply delay the inevitable until late January.

Really, it makes little difference whether the accused’s name is published now or later, and it’s absurd to suggest that his right to justice has been prejudiced in any way.

Little has already shown by his recent farcical offenders-only Justice Forum (victims input excluded), attended by 600 malcontents costing $1.5 million (twice the budgeted cost) that he has scant regard for what the public think. Then of course he just splurged another $9 million, along with the obligatory fawning political apology, on the Pirihaka Maori nonsense, in my view based on mistruths and a creative rewrite of history, notwithstanding Kiwis (the irrelevant majority) are heartily sick of this stuff too.

Likewise Little has little public support for the Pike River re-entry plan, costing $36/40 million, which simply rewards consultants and contractors, with the likely outcome achieving nothing. To be fair, Little is just the willing messenger because this lunacy was of course NZ First/Labour/Greens policy.

The pressing question is, do nontransparent unaccountable leftists and socialists displaying their usual ignorance/arrogance while ignoring reality ever get it right? Frankly, to be honest, the duplicitous National Party are currently no better. ROB PATERSON

Matapihi