The story went something like this: After 10 years of “socialist experiment”, a rationalist government sweeps in a saves the day. That is how conservative governments form – around a need for the “rational”, the “bloody obvious”. Things like giving the police bigger and sharper teeth in the “war on drugs”. In NZ the main attention seems to have swung from the net effect of drugs to the money – and cracking only 10% of P importers is not a reason to think that the police need more resources when their current resources are simply failing to solve issues. Clogging up the court system with the endless victims of drug crime (the users) rather than those making billions dissolving the brains of others is an endless task.

Take it the other way around. After ten years of trying to educate kiddies about the dangers of drugs and observing huge growth in the use of drugs, now we must police those young people who seek pleasure from a pill, a snort or a smoke.
“What is wrong with them, they should be out drinking like normal kids!” and the voters bring back a conservative government. And this worked for a while, but twenty years ago a successful conservative government taught the left a lesson in being a decent government.

The left hit back with ten years of the most PC and decent evening of the divide between generations to a point of being fastidious and almost odious at times, at least to the throbbing right waiting for power. Unfortunately, the consequences of having a great leader for too long is the polarisation of its opposition. The resultant distortions in political thinking must long enough for a swing to occur.

Then a confident right-wing government springs up all proud that it has the confidence of the people. And immediately starts to do things that it had not planned to do, by appearing not to the the opposite. “We shall not sell the loss making Accident Compensation Corporation – but it is going to cost the taxpayer to keep it – so we will make sure you want us to sell it by raising the cost of it to everyone.”

Next, the candidate for Mt Albert (Helen Clark’s vacated seat) is up for grabs and the ignoble National candidate suggests a motor way was a good way to keep the criminals from South Auckland from stopping off in her electorate which was seen as racist and stupid even by the Prime Minister who is stepping in to save her campaign. Diagnosis: even if she gets a handful of votes, the PM will be seen as “effective”.

The Police Minster, Judith Collins is bringing into our hyperactive police force 720 Taser weapons no doubt as a sop to the right as now the police can more effectively deal with crime as they can punish the criminals, directly. A quick sting from the stun gun will teach those kids who is boss.

Meantime the UN calls the offensive weapon an implement of torture and you have to hand it to them. The New Zealand National zealots are becoming more fascist and less democratic by the hour.

There is no credible left wing as the Maori party got into the sack and collaborate with National. Talk about strange bedfellows.

Except for Keith Locke of the Green Party – one lone voice criticizing the slide into extreme policing – it has no place in a country that has a poor record of standing by unsound convictions of the wrong people, random acts of police violence and convictions for gang rapes.

And a raising chorus of voices asking that the Government “get tough” on the P industry. A sort of “round up the bad hats” mentality to combating drug crime does not inform the police who have higher standards of proof collection for the safety of convictions. Proving someone is manufacturing P is probably easier than proving intent in a murder case.

But a 10 year record that has seen a “epidemic” or P use shows that police action may be not all that is required to combat the users. A girl who has a raging habit two months on was introduced to the drug by her father. Are we are dealing with a zombie making drug? Why do people want to profit from hurting others?

Because it is the human state. That of tamed carnivore. We are the fiercest of the ape family by far. We are deadlier than any other animal (except maybe the bubonic plague virus). Our intelligence extends beyond the need to satisfy urges. For this reason we kill perceived enemies who are merely potential causes of harm to us. We do not hesitate to take the life of a buzzing fly because it may harm our children. Eradication of “pests” is seen as a necessary component of a “Western lifestyle”.

We seem to prefer to combat with problems rather than prevent them. P is simply and quickly stopped. For the addicted allow addicts to come forward and be quarantined in a government facility for detoxification and recovery. It will cost as much as imprisoning them. But three to six months may be long enough to give them a skill which they can use instead of prostituting themselves to a lucrative career exploiting the need they know is easily awakened to enslave another person.

When there is not enough to go around it teaches people to be dishonest if they are not rewarded for being themselves, there is nothing to attach themselves. Victimising others becomes a source of capital.

It is part of our nature to hurt others if it is necessary to protect our own. For this reason the “war against drugs” works against human behaviour and is for that rather ineffective.

For a strategy work you simply have to rescue the lives of people afflicted to provide hope, and to imprison those who make P to stop it being made.

Threats of confiscation or death penalties for the cash behind the operations do not seem to deter, because they are not exposed. Take away the bottom half of the pyramid and they are.

Execute them and they are easily replaced. There is money to be made in the future, and some one else will be trying to take their place.

The Police need a better strategist to solve this one. Arming themselves with Tasers police will make the problem more intractable. For example, I would definitely now hesitate to call the police when I witness a petty car thief in operation because there is a danger the police could use their lethal weapon.

It becomes less moral to involve the police unless there is absolutely no choice.