National endanger lives with law rammed through under urgency

Court cells to be used for prisoner overflow
The Government has pushed through legislation allowing court cells to be used for prison overflow. However, Corrections is concerned the move may cause problems. The move is part of Government plans to address the burgeoning prison population. In August, a record 8300 prisoners were housed in 20 prisons. Total prison capacity is currently 9131. Police cells are already used for emergency prison overflow. There are also about 100 court cells that can be used as temporary prison cells. However, the Resource Management Act (RMA) prevents them from being used as overnight prisoner accommodation. Corrections believed planning permission moves would cost about $200,000, and the Government may not win the case.

So instead of upgrading the cells or fight the case, National just rammed through under urgency law that simply allows them to hold people at Police cells that are utterly incapable of being used as over night prisons.

When hatred twists social policy in the manner it has in NZ, this is the result. Ill thouight out shit rammed through that will make those forced to be held in police cells less safe and allow more attacks to occur within them.

It is not just the bullshit National are ramming through, it is the manner and process they are doing it by that is truly horrifying. It doesn’t matter what part of the political spectrum you come from, the fact that National has spent 35% of the time passing Bills in Parliament under urgency is a shocking disgrace for democracy. You would need to go back to Rodger Douglas for a comparable example of this abuse of process.

If Labour had pulled shit like this, if they had read bills straight into law, then there would be riots within the mainstream media, National passes 35% of legislative time under urgency, no select committee oversight, no public debate, bills read straight into law.

Who ever you voted for, this is an abuse of democratic procedure, all done with the smirking John Key out front letting National off the hook.

Disgusting.