Well it’s obvious that virtue signalling and political correctness is alive and well in this country, and it’s not where you expect it.

As we rampage our way at great haste towards a new gun regime where military style and modified weapons are illegal, National’s police spokesperson Chris Bishop has rumbled into life.

He’s brought up a private members bill that he drafted and presented to Parliament back in the old days when National was the government.

It would bring in Firearm Protection Orders and warrantless searches and he thinks that’s necessary at this time.  With the gangs already saying you’ll be lucky to see us handing in our illegal weapons, Chris Bishop thinks that the police need more powers to target the gangs.

The Firearm Protection Orders would allow Police Commissioners to designate certain gang members with violent offending histories to be subject to orders and allow the Police greater powers to search their cars and search their houses for illegal firearms, without having to seek a warrant.

Now this was defeated last time it was presented to parliament and I can see why.  It makes the Police  judge, jury and executioner without legal oversight. 

Police already have the powers to search gang member houses and cars for illegal weapons, but they do have to get a warrant to establish they have a valid concern.  If Police Commissioners were given the power to search anyone they designate then we’re veering dangerously close to a police state.  We might be happy enough about that but civil rights campaigners and lawyers would have a field day.

Chris Bishop was asked whether he was grandstanding which he denied.  But it did seem to me like a bit of empty virtue signalling to show that National is tougher on crime than the government who are currently running a type of crackdown that National never did.

Meanwhile, the Crusaders and Steve Tew from the Rugby Union are now being accused of being politically correct. Who ever thought that rugby heads could be PC?

It is difficult to see who is advocating a name change for the Crusaders other than the Crusaders themselves, but that’s their business.

As I’ve always said, everyone is politically correct and everyone virtue signals, it’s just that the actual politics and virtues that differ.

On a relared note, yesterday when we had some talkback on the Crusaders decision, we had some vehement and horrific texts and calls from people that could be described as Islamophobic, despite the fact that the Muslim community had never asked for a name change or been involved in the decision.

As another emailer said; it didn’t take long for a veneer of unity to fall off and expose the dark heart of religious intolerance that runs in a sizable number of people in our country.