• Haircuts justify illegal behaviour by politicians

Police car blocking parking for disabled people

This is from Stuff:

Wellington City Council will not issue parking tickets to drivers of Bill English’s convoy for parking on yellow lines and across a mobility area while he was getting a trim [haircut].

The council initially said it would issue tickets to Mr English’s security detail but, after discussions with its lawyers and the diplomatic protection squad, it concluded that Mr English’s drivers were within the law.
[…]
Council chief executive Garry Poole said police could park anywhere, as long as it was in the course of their duties. And a haircut for the acting PM is a valid excuse.

“While we do have the legal right to issue infringement notices to any vehicle parked unlawfully, police vehicles are exempt from parking restrictions if they are used by officers in the course of their duties.

“We have examined the circumstances of this particular case and I am satisfied that the exemption applies.”

Mr English had his haircut at the upmarket Haight Ashbury salon in Johnston St, in the city centre, on November 26. His BMW Crown limo was parked on yellow lines and a Holden Commodore used by members of the DPS [police Diplomatic Protection Squad] was parked partially across a mobility zone.
[…]
The cars were parked for about 45 minutes, until a freshly trimmed Mr English emerged from the salon.

“In this case, I am satisfied that the diplomatic protection squad were using their judgment and that no road user was inconvenienced,” Mr Poole said. “They are aware of the need to stay clear of mobility parks unless strictly necessary for operational reasons.”

Despite the fact that a cop car was blocking a space reserved for disabled people Poole the council man is “satisfied…that no road user was inconvenienced”. How exactly does he know that not one disabled person wanted to park there during those 45 minutes?

From this episode we can conclude that…

1. Haircuts for politicians are “strictly necessary for operational reasons” and a “valid excuse” for illegal behaviour (style before substance is their motto, which is a good thing because if politicians had any substance you and I would be completely stuffed).
2. Politicians can’t be bothered with parking legally and walking to a salon.
3. Those who write the laws are above the laws.

What do you think about blocking mobility parking and parking on yellow lines for the sake of a haircut?

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• Disabled man forced to urinate in classroom due to state hypocrisy

The comments button is at the bottom right of this post.

The NZ Herald is reporting that a wheelchair-using student at the Unitec Institute of Technology was forced to go into a corner of a classroom and urinate into a bowl because his wheelchair wouldn’t fit into the toilets. Furthermore, staff and students have been carrying him up and down stairs. I have two comments to make about this:

1) I have a numerous disabled friends and I am certain that they would be disgusted but not surprised by this. I have helped a good number of wheelies (wheelchair users) and I have seen that their life has enough unavoidable indignities and immodesties without adding avoidable ones.

2) The worst aspect of this is the hypocrisy of the state. We have laws that require buildings to be accessible for disabled people, and those laws violate property rights by telling people what they can and cannot do with their private property. Meanwhile, a state educational institution does not comply with those laws and a man is forced to urinate in the corner of a classroom. “Do what we say, not what we do”.

It is bitterly ironic that this man is training in order to get a job and get off ACC*, yet the state gives him a kick in the privates during that training.

What do you think about this situation and the points that I have made?

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*Accident Compensation Corporation: state welfare for those who receive accidental injuries

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