On August 6, Chris Bishop the NZ Attorney General gave a speech at the Law Society in which he reasserted ‘Parliament’s role as the supreme law-making body in New Zealand’. He continued by saying that ‘the judiciary had to avoid attempts to use the courts to re-litigate Parliament’s choices’. In other words, he laid out a parliamentary agenda which appeared opposed to a traditional role of the courts to act as a last resort defence of our human right to ‘fairness’ and ‘reasonableness’. This traces its origin back to the Magna Carta which in essence limited the power of the head of state over their subjects (us). Thus, courts in the UK have from time to time in history reigned in the power of parliament by passing judgements that take account of what ‘right thinking individuals consider to be fair between a person and the state’. Apparently Chris Bishop wishes to ensure that this doesn’t happen here in NZ.
There is no doubt that the events of the last six years have to a great extent emasculated any power of the courts in NZ to defend the provisions of our Bill of Rights (see our 2021 article “Where did our rights go?”). Under pressure, and in some cases out of a sense of fear, the courts, regulatory and professional bodies appear to have meekly deferred to the will of parliament over enforced medical mandates. A growing body of reputable scientific evidence shows that their rulings were weak, misguided and detrimental to public health. The decision of parliament to enforce Covid mandates overrode human rights to medical choice, bodily autonomy and informed consent. In this way, parliamentary law directly and adversely impacted the lives of many individuals. The courts have so far failed to acknowledge or rectify these mistakes.
Particularly as a consequence of the past failings of parliament and the courts, as we head into the November elections, many are feeling that parliament routinely ignores the provisions of our Bill of Rights. Some politicians are taking the concept of parliamentary supremacy to its extreme of absolute control. Therefore there is a fear that the next parliament could reinstate the concept of medical hegemony that was used during the pandemic. This is especially concerning because the US FDA, whose rulings NZ mostly follows, has just given the green light to the Moderna mRNA flu vaccine which in trials had a significantly higher rate of serious adverse effects when compared to traditional flu vaccine formulations (you can read the full story in an article by Dr. Maryanne Demasi). Any decision to roll out this vaccine widely in NZ in 2027 will be ultimately overseen by our next parliament.
This article will discuss the reality of sovereignty and lay out a road map forward, a way ahead out of the mess that our once proud nation faces.
First we take issue with the reality of parliamentary sovereignty. Scientifically speaking, the governance of the nation is largely in the hands of natural law rather than national law. This is an established understanding found in the work of ancient Greek philosophers. An analogy will make this clear. In the human body there are trillions of cells performing trillions upon trillions of tasks. Human initiated or voluntary actions form a tiny fraction of these. In the same way, throughout the nation, the air, earth, water, sun, animals and plants perform uncountable tasks every second whose outcomes sustain human life. This support of natural law dwarves any actions of parliament. All of nature’s actions are under the direct sway or rule of the laws of nature which have been investigated by modern science. It is natural law not parliamentary law that is the real sovereign power in the nation.
Unfortunately the actions of governments, corporations and individuals often violate the natural order of life. The widespread use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and synthetic fertilisers ends up depleting the fertility of the soil. Our oceans and rivers are being polluted and chemicalized, posing dangers to health and food sources. Air pollution in our cities impacts respiratory health and reduces lifespan. Ubiquitous use of food additives and processing aids has undermined health and exposed populations to a range of largely modern illnesses and cancers at earlier and earlier ages. As we have discussed in our many articles (see here and here), these trends are exacerbated by novel biotechnologies which pose serious risks to the stability of life itself including our reproductive capacity.
Political pressure does sometimes result in positive change. This week, US Health Secretary R F Kennedy Jr. implemented a plan which tightens a decades-old loophole that allowed food companies to put certain chemicals in their products without first notifying the nation’s food regulators. The rules surrounding the GRAS or ‘generally recognised as safe’ food designation have been tightened. Companies now need to submit evidence of safety to the FDA, whereas previously they were able rate their own products as safe without oversight. But such progress is generally rare, thousands of novel chemicals are added annually to the list of food additives and chemicals in common use. The chemicals in cosmetics for example remain largely unregulated. Soil, air and ocean pollution are on the increase. It is hard to escape the notion that natural law needs protecting and that parliament is not about to do that for us.
How do you vote for natural law?
The answer can be stated simply. Every time we buy clothing made of natural untreated fibres we are voting for natural law and a reduction in microplastics. Every time we buy fresh produce or read the labels in the supermarket and make a healthy choice we are voting for natural law. Every time we buy organic produce we are voting to phase out harmful agrichemicals. Our many daily choices matter and they directly affect what is sold and used. It is no good advocating chemical free food if our pantry and refrigerator are stuffed full of conventional produce or our clothing and houses contain forever chemicals. We have to live the life we espouse, otherwise we are whistling in the wind and helping to create a future we don’t want.
You would be justified in saying that sometimes we appear to have no choice, many traditional food ingredients and other natural technologies are being phased out. Because of this, we have to look deeper into the structure of natural law itself. As we have discussed in numerous articles the universe is awake (see here for example), consciousness lies at the heart of the cosmos. In our article The Sacred Cell and Conscious Genes we explained how consciousness is at the nexus of cellular organisation and function. In our article The Structure of Consciousness, we examined research that shows practicing meditation enhances both individual and collective consciousness as evidenced by reduced city crime, conflict and other problems.
It is no good feeling helpless in the run up to the election. There is a lot we can do to bolster the chances of nature having a greater say in our future. Nature is also our nature. Thus there is a broader political dimension to the practice of meditation, the government is a reflection or innocent mirror of the collective consciousness of the nation. High levels of stress and disharmony in the general population will naturally result in an ineffective government. Conversely multiple studies show that even small rates of participation in meditation practice as low as 1% (I in a 100) stimulates economic growth.
The practice of meditation is a means to reduce stress in individual and collective life which will improve public health. The wider benefits of natural approaches to health are described by the ancient system of Ayurveda and many other cultural traditions like it. Exercise, herbal foods, yoga postures, breathing exercises, fresh air and sunshine all have a vital role to play in ensuring our relationship with the laws of nature remains supportive. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you want to find out more about Ayurveda, there is a new book out in our NZ bookshops: Practical Ayurveda—Find Out Who You Are and What You Need to Bring Balance to Your Life.
We are currently living in a world where knowledge is being challenged by illusion. There are a great many opinions being tightly and widely held that are contrary to fact. This has led to polarisation and conflict. Aligning our life more closely with natural law will provide an entry point to a more harmonious and understanding world. Knowledge has organising power and the knowledge we need is the knowledge of natural law. This is not foreign knowledge, it is the knowledge of our own consciousness, summed up in the phrase ‘knowledge is structured in consciousness’. Supporting natural law in the run up to the election will ensure there is a better outcome for everyone. There is no time to lose. A transformation in our behaviour will require persistence and conviction, but the reward will be an effect of greater understanding and rejuvenation.
We need to start today while choices are still available to us, before we are overtaken by the uncertain events of tomorrow. For those who want to improve the world we live in, natural law is not an optional strategy. We must start choosing to operate in harmony with the natural world. Otherwise we will be perpetuating the mistakes of yesterday and the new parliament will fail by default.
