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Look at us! Dr the Hon Lockwood Smith pointed out that this agreement which we are now legislating into our books was actually drafted and signed on 4 December 1989 and that one of the signatories to that agreement was Libya. Members should stop and think for a moment. How much credibility does one place on a piece of legislation outlawing mercenaries that was signed by Libya when on 21 December 1988 that country blew an aircraft out of the skies over Lockerbie? Yet here we are—accepting the Libyan signature as some sort of badge of honour and as something we should aspire to represent. I would say: “You are joking; you are seriously joking!” And on 17 April 1984 Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead by Libyans. So I am expected to stand here and accept Mr Gadaffi with his administration as my guiding light and mentor and as the architect of this legislation—which I should endorse because he complies? We are not serious surely! This legislation is a piece of politically correct nonsense. It is unenforceable. 
Let us go through clause 7 “Recruiting person to be mercenary”. Does this Government seriously believe that those recruiters who come to New Zealand—looking to recruit former members of the police’s Special Tactics Group to go and work in Iraq—will front up to the Customs Service and say they are here to recruit people “for the purpose of taking part in hostilities in an armed conflict—”? Of course not! Recruiters will say they are here to recruit people to go and do some security work and if those people happen to be tied up in armed conflict then so be it. But no one will admit to it; everyone will lie. 
But the real tragedy is that the work those members of the New Zealand Police are currently doing in Iraq is dangerous good work. If we expect the Iraqi people to come out of that horrible mess which we witness every night on television then it will be through the hard work and dedication of men and women in uniform and of other men and women—international citizens—who are prepared to put their lives on the line for the free world and for democracy and who are paid to do so. I take huge offence at the bunch of trendy-wendy pathetic liberals who stand in this Chamber and criticise those people yet who have never once in their entire lives ever—or ever intended to—put on uniforms picked up rifles and gone out there to do the very same work that guarantees them the freedom to sit in this Parliament and pass the stupid sorts of nonsensical laws they pass. [ 
Interruption 
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Mr Benson-Pope tries to interject but I challenge him as to why he has never put on a uniform or served his country in a conflict. Mr Nandor Tanczos laughs. He enjoys the freedoms espousing his rather interesting views on life because the opportunity to do that was given to him with the blood and on the backs of men and women whose names are represented by the battle honours around the walls of this Chamber. I say to Mr Benson-Pope: “Don’t preach to me about wanting to serve New Zealand. Your track record is one of pacifism and peacenik activism.” 
That is what this legislation is all about. It is nothing to do with protecting New Zealand’s security interests. It is about politically correct nonsense—something that will make sure Helen Clark is a front contender for Kofi Annan’s job when the position becomes available because she will be able to go out there to campaign and say: “Look at all the wonderful legislation I passed in New Zealand when I was Prime Minister.” This bill is truly nonsense and rubbish from the Dark Ages. Yes we want to get rid of the Mike Hoares of the world and there are ways of doing that. I give the Government a clue: it should go and look at what the British Government is doing in respect of regulating the international industry that provides contract officers and personnel.