In the news

It's trucked through Calais with all the human contact that entails.

UK food is trucked in by drivers from all over Europe. I assume more of the food in NZ arrives in containers or is home grown.

vigorous nodding

A load of rakes stepped on and corruption in the UK of course. I'm just not sure that the NZ approach was really available to us. No European country achieved it, AFAIK.

Ah right. Yes, no food is driven by truck into NZ.

Covid response talk making me think of the refrigerated trailers my mate had to help maintain outside of King’s, because the morgue was overflowing with dead bodies from Covid.

So you think they could have done better because they have a different set of circumstances. I'm not going to go there.

[deleted]

New Zealand has a very well travelled population. IIRC one of the countries with the highest rates of passport ownership. It used to be the case that approx 10% of the population. We’re out of the country at any one time, and half of them were in London, making London the second largest kiwi city.

Do you know why your friends think it was handled so badly?

+1

NZ is a tiny island

New Zealand is 10% bigger than the UK.

NZ is quite clearly 2 small islands.

half of them were in London, making London the second largest kiwi city

That's probably bollocks. A bit like London isn't the 6th biggest city of French people.

ONS estimates in 2015 the New Zealand-born population of the UK stood at around 59,000. That's residents but even allowing for a bunch of tourists it's a long way to go to get to 377,000 to overtake Christchurch.

Pedants assemble! (including me in that group ofc)

The people in New Zealand complaining about COVID response clearly did not directly experience the COVID response of other countries.

I remember seeing a picture of kiwis enjoying the boxing day cricket while we'd just cancelled all of Christmas. The fact it was mid 20s, bright blue skies and they all had boozy picnics was just the icing on the cake.

It is bollocks, just something I was told by a colleague when I used to work for the NZ government.

However the NZ diaspora is approx 13% of the population but the majority of them are in Australia

“While most New Zealanders are resident in New Zealand, there is also a significant diaspora, estimated at around 750,000. Of these, about 640,800 lived in Australia (a June 2013 estimate),[1] which was equivalent to 13% of the resident population of New Zealand. Other communities of New Zealanders abroad are heavily concentrated in other English-speaking countries, specifically the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, with smaller numbers located elsewhere.[2] ”

when I used to work for the NZ government

Pretty much!

Lol

That's just the incontinence

How dare you insinuate that the UK has ties to the EU.

SOVEREIGNTY, FREEDOM.....

I am talking about that yes. And I fully support access to abortion. Thats as far as ill comment on abortion.

I dont agree any safe space is needed, its already illegal to be abusive. Its a way of policing that without having to be present. Its a fob off not a support, imo.

I will never support a thought police in any guise. Who made what thoughts doesnt matter.

Now that weve cleared up my ignorance on human rights (a humble pie dont wory) can we get back to how terribly the police has handled this? Because they have.
Literally just heard the tates are being held for 30 more days. Country doesnt matter under UN law, does it?
That officer should be alive and jailed was always my point, police failings prevented that.

I havent looked but you are probably right, its certainly something I missed.

I mean yes, it was ironic that team "pull up the drawbridge" was also full of lockdown septics (sic) so missed the ultimate opportunity to cut off the Continent.

On abortion/sexual health clinic safe zones: In Belfast a few years back a Marie Stopes clinic opened and that was just for advice...oh, wow. People hanging about, following staff and people coming in for appointments...

Yes, two of these "pro-life" protesters ended up in fined in Belfast for being VERY abusive, but all sorts of non-criminal / borderline criminal behaviour could not be prosecuted.

Having to prove abuse also puts the onus on the people going to the clinic, they have to go the police station with proof etc.

When there is a safe zone, the onus is on people to stay out of it if they have no business being there.

So the onus is now on thee people hanging out there, rather than women/their companies having to deal with extra hassle.

Far easier to enforce.

NZ is quite clearly 2 small islands wearing an overcoat.

FTFY

Fuuuuuuck

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/20/northern-irish-man-british-army-abuse-troubles