Sutton plans private property impingement

“A Government proposal to open up farm access to the public is a serious erosion of private property rights,” says National’s Agriculture spokesman, David Carter.

Details of the proposal, which could see private land opened up to enable public access to and along waterways, have been leaked to the media.

The leaked documents indicate the Government is acting against the advice of officials.

“This is nothing but a retrospective land-grab of private property,” says Mr Carter.

“Farmers need certainty over land access and must have the right to control who can access their land and under what circumstances.

“Jim Sutton should come clean and tell us what his proposal entails rather than leaking select details to test the water while the rest of the country is busy watching the Olympics.

“Making private land more available for public access leaves farmers vulnerable to vandalism and theft and puts their livestock in danger.

“If urban property rights were subject to the same proposal there would be a huge public outcry.

“I suspect Helen Clark wouldn’t be too happy if farmers began picnicking on her front lawn in Mt Albert.

“The next National Government will repeal any legislation that significantly impinges on private property rights,” says Mr Carter.

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>