We read Finlay Macdonald's column in the SST this morning, and wondered if an important event had passed us by - read on:
When was the drinking age raised Finlay? Cabinet has yet to consider the Law Commission's report, and as far as we are aware, no decisions have yet been made. And isn't any proposal to raise the drinking age a CONSCIENCE issue, to be decided by the whole Parliament?
Then it dawned on us. Finlay McDonald views the world through red-tinted glasses. And just like TV3, he obviously has a licence whereby he doesn't have to let the facts get in the way of a good story.
If there's one card the National Party won't be able to play in next year's general election it's the nanny state accusation. Having raised the price of fags, the drinking age and the driving age, it'd be a brave spin-doctor who tried to paint them as champions of individual choice and personal responsibility.
When was the drinking age raised Finlay? Cabinet has yet to consider the Law Commission's report, and as far as we are aware, no decisions have yet been made. And isn't any proposal to raise the drinking age a CONSCIENCE issue, to be decided by the whole Parliament?
Then it dawned on us. Finlay McDonald views the world through red-tinted glasses. And just like TV3, he obviously has a licence whereby he doesn't have to let the facts get in the way of a good story.
4 comments:
It is because the media cannot tell the difference between a cabinet report, a law commission report, a stock take report on minerals etc... and approved cabinet papers for proposed changes.
They seem to think report=cabinet approved law now in place.
Maybe the Writer expects these things to have come to pass by the next election?
But that's not to say they're right ;)
Fair point Ciaron. Let's not forget though that Finlay Macdonald is a staunch supporter of the left, and couches his so-called "opinion pieces" in such a way as to discredit the other side wherever possible. In this case he seems to have been premature in his condemnation.
He also fails to mention that Parliament raised excise on tobacco by a margin of 118 to four, with only Act MP's (minus Boscawen) dissenting. Labour and the Greens are a party to that decision of the House.
"the media cannot tell the difference between a cabinet report, a law commission report, a stock take report on minerals etc..."
And NO ONE can tell the difference between a drinking age and a purchase age. There is NO legal drinking age in NZ, however there is an age at which it is legal to purchase alcohol.
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