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I think part of the comfort we should take around the so-called "rabid outbreak" of free speech this week is that words don\u2019t automatically lead to anything.

You've got your two prime examples: Chloe Swarbrick and her outburst on Palestine, and Willie Jackson and his outburst on a potential vote over the Treaty.\xa0

The difference is one has an implied threat and the other doesn\u2019t. Swarbrick should never have said what she said, it's inflammatory.\xa0

You have a responsibility as an elected member of Parliament to try and be at least a little bit moderate. But the upset is about her comments specifically, not what might come out of them because little, if anything, will come out of them.\xa0

You could argue she adds to the fear that Jews may be feeling right now. So yes, it's highly irresponsible and the fact she doesn\u2019t apologise, or get it, makes it worse. But can I ask - what else do you expect?\xa0

But with Willie, and might I add that Debbie Ngarewa-Packer of Maori Party and Marama Davidson of the Greens might have suggested something similar, they are talking action.\xa0

"Civil disobedience five or ten times worse than the Springbok tour". Now, the trouble with that is that is a straight up-and-down threat.\xa0

There is no disguising what that is.\xa0

What we are actually talking about here is a vote, a referendum. A question for the people of this country as to how we deal with the Treaty.\xa0

The Treaty has been interpreted in a way by the previous Government that many don\u2019t like. You could actually argue their treatment of the Treaty may well lead to the sort of result they fear, if it ever got put to a vote.\xa0

But that is the insidious thing, isn't it? It never got put to a vote. Things like He Puapua were secret, so have they dug their own grave.\xa0

Could it be different if they had been more inclusive? Either way the threat is against democracy. They don\u2019t like democracy.\xa0

These are people to be feared. Not because they may hit the streets, but because they don\u2019t want the rest of us to have a say and they hope before they hit the street they can scare us into submission.\xa0

Democracy thrives in sunlight free speech and the exchange of ideas, not anger, bitterness and fear.\xa0

But that is what they are selling.\xa0

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