It is not like me to miss an opportunity to accuse the ACT party of links to the Nazi party, as fascism is in ACT's gene pool and we all need to be aware of the risk to democracy that Rodney and his fellow travellers pose. However, Gung Ho Garrett's call for a discussion on the sterilisation of parents convicted of child abuse is not in any way close to the German Nazi party's use of sterilisation. Let's face it, given the pathetic standard of parenting in this country, and our track record of child abuse, it is a solution worthy of discussion.

But we also need to discuss the other incidents of child abuse, especially those that are a consequence of government policy, and in cases where these are proven those responsible should be obliged to have a frontal lobotomy and be confined to institutional care for the rest of their sad lives.

Where do we begin? Well, in the first instance we could start with the child deaths on the road, in particular those caused by speed in urban areas. Unlike the excuses given for patently ridiculous highway speed limits (other than the obvious one of gathering revenue) there is research evidence that speeds in excess of 30 kph in urban areas increase the chance of serious injury and death to children by 500%.

Yet there is limited policing of urban speed limits, and these are regularly exceeded throughout the country. Setting speed limits in urban and semi-urban areas above 30kph is blatant child abuse, as is speeding these areas. Those drivers doing so should be charged with child abuse, and prosecuted accordingly. A couple of child abuse guilty verdicts for macho-man accountants and lawyers in Audi's will soon make a difference to the urban toll of child traffic victims.

Think this is crazy? Well, consider the data. 11% of road deaths are pedestrians. Auckland children are twice as likely to be injured in road accidents as pedestrians than their adult compatriots. In 2008 240 children were killed or hospitalised by being hit by vehicles in urban areas. This is above the number of hospitalisations (including death) for child abuse (210).

Add to this call the child abuse perpetrated by economic policies that oblige 30% of New Zealand children to live in poverty. Or the Government's current plan to marginalise a significant sector of children by an education policy that is aimed at scoring votes not at improving education outcomes.

Perhaps we will only get serious concern about our abuse of children in this country if we give them the vote.

In the meantime, let’s discuss sterilisation and political complicity in child abuse.