Adams backs Western Springs

United Future’s Paul Adams has wholeheartedly puts his support behind Auckland's Western Springs speedway and called on the Government to sort out “the ridiculous situation that has been created by the Environment Court’s decision on the noise levels at this great venue”.

“For years the speedway has been great family entertainment that has been loved and appreciated by absolutely thousands of New Zealand families,” Mr Adams said.

“To have a situation created by idiots who choose to buy a home close to a speedway circuit that has been operating for years to find they don’t like the sound of it, and then lodge complaints, defies all logic and my suggestion is they sell up, move out and let someone who loves the smell and excitement of speedway move in.

“I might have some sympathy with them if they were there first, but they bought into a known commodity. And now they are griping about it.

“Before they buy next time, I suggest they do their homework and don’t buy near an airport, railway line, motorway or a multitude of other noisy areas.

“And if they go for some rural lifestyle block, they might like to check that the smells and sounds of farmyard animals don’t offend them either, or next thing we know they’ll be griping in the Environment Court to put the farmers out of business too.

“Some people’s complaints defy all logic and, frankly, they’re nothing short of kill joys. Sadly we have to many of them and we have set up a bureaucracy that feeds off these kill joy complaints.”

© 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>>