When the messages become so blurred, disparate and even meaningless, surely it’s time to retire the brand. Such is the case with the “Occupy” movement in this country.
There was a time and place for “Occupy” in our civic precincts, but it has now totally lost its legitimacy. The individuals involved in the tatty remnants of “Occupy” are entitled to their views and free to express them, but their encampment is no longer acceptable.
In Auckland, the Council’s limp and long drawn-out treatment of this issue has become a disgrace. John Minto has maintained that the illegal camp in Aotea Square was no more messy than other New Zealand campsites. I don’t know where he’s been, but I’d suggest it’s not to any Council or DOC parks around the Auckland region this summer.
The proper functioning of the city depends on the observance of a whole raft of bylaws, of which the “no camping” in Aotea Square is one. How do you respect a council which is penalising parking breaches on a daily basis, yet vacillating over the illegal presence of a few flimsy tents?
Perhaps Occupy is not the only blurred brand here.