Kiwpolitico:the murky politics of repealing S59
20/01/2009
Anita at Kiwipolitico has raised the issue of Section 59 again, specifically with regard as to why the politics of the debate became so charged.
The post has sparked some debate as no doubt you can imagine.
Worth taking a look.
For Adam one of the most unappealing aspects of the debate at the time were all those people lining up to demand the right to ‘chastise’ their children, usually quoting phrases such as ‘spare the rod, spoil the child’, whilst all the while proclaiming their deep rooted Christian beliefs. Singularly unappealing.
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The Inquiring Mind 
Anita is talking about the props and the lighting at the show being out of place and inadequate, but the real reason the show failed was it was a dog.
Having Bradford, a noted brawler in her time, telling ordinary parents with all due contempt they were child beaters isn’t the way to win hearts and minds, and this coming from a Govt that was clearly out of time, corrupt and contemptuous of it’s public.
Equally damning for it’s chances was that the stats on excessive punishment over the last 14 years, as judged by citizen juries, was that there were only a handful of cases. That lack of evidence forced the Coalition into promoting the exceptional cases of abuse and virtually accusing the public of this.
Put all this together with increasing examples of a Govt desperate to retain power, exhibiting Muldoon excesses and poor judgment and the Bill became a rallying point for the public.
Finally, there was the irony of the Lefts own weapon of street activism and “activists” turned against it.. but with thousands.. not the Rent a Mob.
JC
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I must agree, Adam. Speaking as a Christian, I am appalled by the number of Bible-believing Christians who quote this verse as a kind of command to use physical discipline on children. The “rod” of discipline is a symbol of guidance in the OT, not something to be used for beatings. A more modern rendition would be “if you don’t give your children guidance and let them do what they like, you will ruin them”. This is sound advice and light years away from “beat them or they’ll go bad”.
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