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Thread ID: 114567	2010-12-08 08:42:00	Whats your guys take on this ?	mOOseCaNNoN (13319)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1159920	2010-12-10 17:23:00	+ ''The Purple Onion Coffee Lounge'' Wgtn. Vivien st. Ah, those were the days.	Cicero (40)
1159921	2010-12-10 20:33:00	The Treaty of Waitangi was a British Con-trick, that has backfired on us, the ones who keep on paying and paying and paying. By entering into the Treaty, the first Govenor Captain William Hobson, used an amazingly vague document, that equates to less than a page of A4 typescript, to cede sovereignty to Queen Victoria and her heirs and successors, thus beating by a few days the French from doing the same. As an aside, the Maoris can thank their lucky stars that the British got in before the French. By conning the Maoris with this vague and very brief treaty, Britain gained possession of New Zealand, without the high and unacceptable cost of a military campaign at the end of a 6 month supply line. Mission accomplished - or so everyone thought. The trouble is that this less than an A4 of typescript of nineteenth century roughly and inexpertly drafted treaty, has been subject to umpteen legal interpretations as to what it means by modern lawyers out to garner as many quick bucks as they can, or better still build a career on it. If we take a clear cold look at nineteenth century Europe, Britain was probably the most enlightened of the European nations, but life was far from crash hot for those who did not make up the ruling classes - it was no joke being one of the lower social orders. It was even worse in France, Germany, Austria, etc. By way of example, the Highland Clearances don't give one an impression of a fair caring society, the Irish potato famine suggest little or no concern for British subjects, not too much social concience. Protest about your working conditions - it didn't work out too well for the Tollpuddle martyrs - being an active trade unionist could mean an all expenses paid permanent emigration to Australia. There was 742 offences on the Statute books for which an offender could dance on the end of a rope at Tyburn. Those who were not deemed sufficiently serious offenders got a similar emigration deal to Irish trouble makers and trade union activists. This was the reality of Britain in the early nineteenth century, not a sharing caring society, and the Maoris signed a treaty with the representative of the British Government of those times - was it their intention to suddenly become all kindness and light - probably not. However, the fact of the matter, is that by the ruling standards of the time, the Maoris got an outstanding deal, far better than the British dealt to their own home grown subjects, and far better than they would have gotten from any other European Power - it was positively enlightened if the vague intentions of the treaty were anywhere near genuinely meant. If Maori think they are hard done by, then look at what happened to Australian Aborigines, North American Indians, African Blacks, and that was done by the British , and their record appears to be outstandingly fair and humane compared to the Germans, Dutch, Belgians, French et al. What the treaty did achieve, was to further the colonial ambitions on the British, and give them the breathing space to get sufficient people on the ground in New Zealand to confirm their governance, and to do so at a very reasonable cost. The Treaty is an interesting early nineteenth document, the much vaunted "Spirit of the Treaty", is a late 20th century interpretation by lawyers who were trying to make a case for todays Maori on the basis of what happened 150 years previous. Isn't it time this document was consigned to history where it belongs and everyone gets on with being one nation of New Zealanders and moving forward as such. Faint chance of that happening when the treaty is being used as a shortcut to a lifetime of professed victimhood, and endless compensation to past real and imagined wrongs.	KenESmith (6287)
1159922	2010-12-10 20:37:00	Couldnt fault anything here.	prefect (6291)
1159923	2010-12-10 21:07:00	Couldnt fault anything here. Apart from the fact, that once on the band wagon it is hard to get the buggers off. PC rules and I can't see it changing.	Cicero (40)
1159924	2010-12-10 21:11:00	Just need an extreme rightwing government that could make some changes. This why: www.stuff.co.nz	prefect (6291)
1159925	2010-12-10 21:16:00	It also does not help that there were several versions of the Treaty as well. Where do Maori get off claiming radio and TV frequencies citing the Treaty BTW?	Snorkbox (15764)
1159926	2010-12-10 21:44:00	Just need an extreme rightwing government that could make some changes. This why: www.stuff.co.nz Like I said, PC rules, so don't hold your breath waiting for change.	Cicero (40)
1159927	2010-12-11 05:32:00	Just need an extreme rightwing government that could make some changes. This why: www.stuff.co.nz The battle to evict three gang-linked women from a Lower Hutt street looks set to go another round – despite it already costing Housing New Zealand more than $550,000. How the **** did that happen?! It's getting to the point where it would be cheaper to burn the house down. It would seem to me to be no great loss if there was anyone in there. Like my old sig: It would seem that changes are afoot. Major changes.	ubergeek85 (131)
1159928	2010-12-11 06:03:00	Abolish ACT as well they're a bunch of ****stirrers. The only reason they're there is to whinge (like most pakehas). If you watch parliament, you'll know what I mean. Thats exactly what they may do, change the constitution. I spose you're right with Maori land. Since its Maori land, they dont usually sell it (if whoever owns it dies, it goes to their family / son/s / mokopuna (but not the wives) from a whinging pakeha, to a lazy maori (like most maoris)	plod (107)
1159929	2010-12-12 01:10:00	Where do Maori get off claiming radio and TV frequencies citing the Treaty BTW? WTF!!!!! Then again nothing would surprise me :stare: Someone once told me that the whiteman got here 100 years to Early!	coldfront (15814)
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