Phil Heatley MP for Whangarei

13 October 2004

Meningococcal B 'PC censorship' won't protect our kids

Whangarei MP Phil Heatley is appalled at the Northland District Health Board's edict to have meningococcal B vaccination posters withdrawn from Northland doctors' clinics because the photos may be 'culturally unsafe'.

"It's not just the waste of health resources that disgusts me, but the fact that our health professionals are scampering around expending their energy on something of no practical consequence when our kids lives are on the line."

Mr Heatley called for the meningococcal B vaccination programme to be brought forward from the November 22nd start date after an outbreak of the deadly disease in a Whangarei childcare centre.

"Why aren't they working to bring the vaccination start date forward, instead of wasting time on political correctness?" Mr Heatley asked.

"Their focus and energy should be on looking after our kids' health, not on PC public relations," Mr Heatley said.

ENDS

© 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>>