Eva Bradley: Common sense essential for true human rights

Eva Bradley

Hands up if you believe the tail is wagging the dog in this country? It seems a day doesn't go by when we can't read about the "human rights" of society's social misfits being violated and some pity-party hearing being held at the taxpayer's expense to address the "problem".

This week, our current sympathies are with a group of boy racers who apparently had their human rights breached in an "unlawful and disrespectful" way by police after a large gathering of vehicles prompted concerns for public safety. The media didn't define what a "boy racer" was but my own personal definition goes a little something like this: a driver who uses a car in an unlawful and disrespectful way.

Have another go at me if you're in that boring PC minority that puts the rights of the community's subversive few above the law-abiding many. You're probably the same ones who also think criminals who rape and murder deserve the court wins and thousands of dollars in compensation for "violations" such as sleeping on a thin mattress, having a small towel and having too much time in solitary confinement.

Heaven forbid while there they reflected on the human rights they denied others, including the right to life itself.

Once upon a time, a generation or two ago, a certain level of respectful behaviour was required of those living within the borders of a civilised community. Our fathers and grandfathers were expected to pull their socks up in public and hold doors open for ladies. Respect was something given to people in authority (such as police) and those same authority figures were trusted to get on with their jobs in the way they saw fit without the fear of an enquiry every time a difficult judgment call came their way. In what I call "boy-racer-gate", the police admit that, with the benefit of hindsight, things could have been done better. They've apologised to those involved, it should be end-of-story.

When you are dealing with a fast-developing situation that has the potential to escalate out of control, sometimes the needs of a few must be sacrificed for the safety and well-being of the many.

My sympathies are with the majority of drivers in this incident who were playing the game according to the rules and ultimately in the name of a good cause. Sadly, there are always the idiots who let the side down, escalate a problem and create a situation where innocent people get inconvenienced. But to say their human rights were breached? To launch an enquiry? Two-hundred and fifty people were involved in the Christchurch boy racer gathering. Thirty-one complaints were made. Doesn't that suggest something?

Several unsafe vehicles were pulled from the road, including one with a drunk driver behind the wheel (which to me isn't much different from a guy roaming the streets with a loaded gun). If a bunch of others couldn't go to the loo for a while and had to skip a meal as a consequence, the total benefit versus harm still comes out in favour of the police action.

In my opinion (and let's remember, folks, this is my opinion and I don't expect everyone or even anyone to share it), it's about time the thinkocrats who sit about writing rules on what constitutes a breach of human rights took a deep breath along with a large dose of common sense and focused their attention on increasing protections for those that need it most, instead of investing time and money on those who don't really need it at all.