Sunday, July 30, 2006

"Blog outrages National"

The blog in question is Tumeke

This will be an interesting test of the blogosphere;

The National Party is outraged an inmate in Auckland's Mount Eden prison has been documenting his time in jail through an e-mail blog. Tim Selwyn was sentenced to time in jail earlier this month for sedition and a range of other offences after his axe attack on the Prime Minister's electoral office.

National Party Law and Order spokesman Simon Power says it is outrageous a prisoner can write what is basically a travelogue. Mr Power says he hopes prison security is not being compromised, and adds that The Department of Corrections has a responsibility to ensure sentences are seen to be done and some liberties denied.


Update; Corrections chief executive says Selwyn is doing nothing wrong. I would have thought writing could be considered rehabilitative. But Simon Power sees it as a further "liberty" of which the prisoner should be "deprived".

The PM says to Paul Holmes on NewstalkZB, "It raises some questions, the blogging. In essence he is writing a letter...do we need to do something to adjust to the internet age? It raises a whole new set of issues."

3 comments:

Oswald Bastable said...

If security issues are not breached, Simon Power is out of luck.

He should look to those inside still running their criminal activities over the very liberal telephone access arangements.

KG said...

Too right, Oswald.
And what about crims being able to order in KFC, play video games etc?
A prison blogger ought to be the least of our worries.

Cactus Kate said...

Simon Power SPEAKS!!

Shame he does not realise being in opposition is about attacking the Government.

I don't see how attacking Tumeke in any way adds to the objective of opposition which is to remove the Government.

Gimp.