Prince Harry, left, has a shot of tequila with host Stephen Colbert during a taping of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert". Photo / Scott Kowalchyk, CBS via AP
Prince Harry, left, has a shot of tequila with host Stephen Colbert during a taping of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert". Photo / Scott Kowalchyk, CBS via AP
Letter of the week: Denis Edward, Pāpāmoa Beach
If Prince Harry’s bucketing his way across the media landscape is a roaring opening in the drama of his new life in California, we are about to see whether F Scott Fitgerald’s wisdom that “there are no second acts in American lives”holds. Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby and an alcohol-driven spin through Hollywood scriptwriting, knew a thing or two about fame. It ate him, and now as Prince Harry’s talking points (his mother’s death, the evils of the tabloid press and the Royal family) lose freshness in the combination of hot spotlight and seemingly endless repetition, concern builds. If Harry’s reservoir of indignation, dramatic and often heartrending as it is, isn’t getting topped up with new material, the question peeps through: Is that it? Early signs are worrying, given he has arrived at sharing the effects of frostbite on a sensitive part of his body with a late-night talk show host. While we were spared a viewing we wonder if his well is drying. The good news is he is in Los Angeles, with its legions of world-class scriptwriters available to help his march into a second act. We shall see.
Implausible prosecution
Law and order is shaping as a major issue in this year’s election. The unsuccessful prosecution of farmer Bill Burr (Weekend Herald, January 7) raises the question of why he was prosecuted when the Solicitor General’s Prosecution Guidelines states that “the evidence which can be adduced in court is sufficient to provide a reasonable prospect of conviction”. The combative and weaponised 140kg offender and his girlfriend accomplice presented an ongoing threat and Burr clearly had a genuine and justifiable fear for his life, which continued following the arrival of his son. This is not the first time the victim of a home invasion has been put before the courts for protecting themselves and property. In 2005 a Northland farmer (unlike Mr Burr) had not been assaulted, but in defending his property he shot and injured one of the offenders and was charged. This case was also thrown out by the jury. The facts clearly support the view that Mr Burr was not seeking vigilante justice and retribution during the home invasion, but simply fighting for his life after being assaulted with a bottle. By refusing to give up the weapon, he remained a serious threat.
I found the story of Bill Burr’s defence of his home and life by Belinda Feek an extraordinary piece of journalism. A principal in English common law well established in 1604 by the English judge Sir Edward Coke is the right of a homeowner to defend his home. “But if thieves come to a man’s house to rob him, or murder and the owner or his servants kill any of the thieves in defence of himself and his house, it is no felony, and he shall lose nothing”. This legal principle is commonly referred to as “your home is your castle” defence. In my opinion, Bill Burr showed extraordinary restraint in not shooting the thug and his moll. We can only give praise to the jury that found Burr not guilty, and express derision at a legal system that persecuted him by prosecution. A man suffering assault, mayhem and under threat of death, as was Burr, deserves praise as a superb example of a “homesteader” standing tall against outrageous criminality.
William Bruce Burr, known as Bill, on his Piopio farm. He and his son, Shaun, faced charges after allegedly attacking a teen who broke into their home. Photo / Mike Scott, File
Political year
I got a lot of enjoyment from reading Claire Trevett and the Gallery’s political predictions for 2023 (Weekend Herald, January 7). Methinks the team had a few laughs and occasionally wrote with tongue in cheek . One would agree with most of the predictions but, as we know, sometimes a week can be a long time in politics. I can’t see Jacinda over-imbibing on the top shelf, so there will be no snap election. To be a good government requires the ability to make good decisions and manage implementation. Where the problem lies is that bad decisions often last a lot longer than the tenure of the people making them. The general public relies heavily on the media to sort the wheat from the chaff so that they can make informed decisions. Election year is always a lolly scramble. It’s a matter of working out whether they are giving with one hand and taking with the other. I have gone through 20 prime ministers in my time and still haven’t worked it out.
Reg Dempster, Albany.
Face time
May I suggest that your article (Weekend Herald, January 7) about current scams doing the rounds should include impersonation attempts on Facebook? There’s a real flurry of them at present. One common giveaway clue is receiving a “friend request” from someone whom you haven’t heard from for a while but who is actually already one of your Facebook “friends”; a sure sign your Facebook page has been hijacked. Then of course, there are all the other common features of other scams, such as personal appeals for help — through Facebook Messenger particularly — along with friend requests from exotically attractive strangers from foreign countries, etc.
A. J. Forster, Mt Eden.
Life bites
Bad teeth aren’t always a parent’s fault (Weekend Herald, January 7). Sometimes life deals out a poor hand. My mum was child number 10 and my grandmother was 46 when mum was born in 1903 with rickets. She wasn’t expected to survive and she didn’t walk until she was 5. She had me when she was 41. As a result, with little calcium to pass on to me, I was constantly having dental treatment and was told at 16 that I would lose my teeth before I was 30. I was 29. It wasn’t what I ate either. Food, including lollies, was severely rationed in the UK during the 40s and early 50s. The first chocolate I had was at 9. Lemonade was for Christmas only. And no, poor nutrition was not the case. Mum’s food included beef stews, rabbit stews, steak and kidney pies, fish, eggs from our chickens, rhubarb, asparagus, beans, raspberries, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, etc., from the back garden.
Regarding the letter from Marie Kaire, (Weekend Herald, January 7), in my neck of the woods there are numerous high-value private vehicles with expired registrations along with many trade vehicles parked outside some high-value properties under renovation that are likewise without current registration. It is not always the poor or socially disadvantaged who flout the law by not having street-legal vehicles on the road.
James Archibald, Birkenhead.
A quick word
Regardless of age, and without seeming heartless, juvenile offenders must be constrained and their freedom confiscated - the age-old solution. P. J. Edmondson, Tauranga.
Has Sir John Key been appointed as an ambassador for China? K. S. Agar, Onehunga.
Is there any reason why dental care is not part of the health system? Peter Thomas, Hillcrest.
Yes Minister recommenced on the Sky 8 Jones Channel on January 10. The NZ version will not appear on Sky 86 until February 14. Nick Nicholas, Greenlane.
Interesting to observe that Prince Harry has joined the swollen ranks of those who have written more books than they have read. Graeme Lay, Devonport.
Rumour has it that it was Prince Andrew’s idea to write the book. Dave Miller, Matua.
Is Harry, in fact, the Duke of suffix? J. Davidson, Birkenhead.
If Harry genuinely wanted some sort of reconciliation he would stop making revelations, real or imagined. Picking at sores only makes them worse. Greg Cave, Sunnyvale.
I find the ubiquitous Royal Family rulebook very confusing, as surely its proviso would state that departing from the fold (along with nose-thumb), Harry and Meghan should have already lost their Duke and Duchess titles, along with the associated entitlements. Colleen Wright, Botany Downs.
Every family has its ups and downs and we have to either live with it or get out. So what? Ailsa Martin-Buss, Glendowie.
A lightweight, see-through, plastic, retractable, roll-out, roll-in “Weathermaster roof” might be a cheap solution to Stanley St’s centre court rain problem. Bruce Tubb, Devonport.
As my car crashed into a large pothole near the Papakura off-ramp, damaging the suspension, I mused to myself: Are these roads fit for purpose and why are we paying for this ridiculous situation to continue? Brian Todd, Glendowie.
Law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from increased police surveillance. What we do fear are out-of-control crime, under-resourced police, and bleeding-heart judges. Ray Gilbert, Papamoa Beach.
