Libertarianz Deputy Leader Richard McGrath today revealed his party's mental health strategy. "Like all our other policies, the emphasis is on individual responsibility. We believe each person should fund their own health costs through savings, insurance or the willing efforts of family, friends or private charity. The costs involved in treating psychiatric illness should be no exception."

Dr McGrath and his party believe people afflicted with mental illness must still be held fully responsible for their actions. "Disturbed people who murder others must be locked away for life," he said. "This may mean initial placement in a forensic hospital ward. Upon improvement, they should be transferred to a state prison and made to serve out the rest of their sentence there."

"Mental health problems are not an excuse for murdering and maiming others," said McGrath. "particularly when many of these problems are precipitated by the use of alcohol and drugs. Discharging forensic patients into the community after serving token sentences for violent offences is irresponsible and unjust."

"Libertarianz believe in equality before the law," added McGrath, "which means if you do the crime, you will serve the time. Preferably until full restitution has been delivered to the victim or their family."

ENDS

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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>>