🙋As I have said before, why haven't "WE" taken to the streets? 🤷 The answer I got was carers for the disabled, health care workers, Maori health & welfare practitioners, teachers, beneficiaries et al are so beaten down & discouraged and so busy trying to continue supporting the people who depend on them, that they have neither the time nor the energy to march. 🧐 The other part is that there are so many different branches on the tree of egregious policy, that co-ordinating under one canopy would be a challenge. I believe it is deliberate strategy learned from other jurisdictions to "flood the zone" with so much change/proposed change that it overwhelms the ability to effectively fight back. 🤬
Yes and also we have to be very very careful because this government is backed by an ideology and network that introduced prison / criminality for protests.
They are probably just looking for an excuse to start it here.
BUT the key point remains - I believe - it's a combination of apathy, "they know best", and not understanding what is really happening i.e believing the problems are Maori, cycleways and the like.
This Saturday Dunedin is marching but I assume they won't care too much about the lefties "down there."
Today someone said they wanted to protest and also even get a little angry. And I said to them they had to be very careful.
This government is aligned with the network that created - criminalizing peaceful protests.
People like Bishop and Brown would use any excuse to bring that here in my opinion - and yes their thugs like Destiny Church members and Youth National etc. would also help I imagine.
WHEN!!! When will media AT these deliverances from the pulpit ask the question, in real time, WHY that amount is too much for PUBLIC health, but treble that is ok for PRIVATE landlords and billions more ok for PRIVATE charter schools, etc, etc???!!! And yes, I'm yelling and I couldn't even bring myself to read your piece yesterday because I knew rat-faced Seytoomuch would be mentioned and I would hear his voice in my head and I just cannot go there anymore and I think teachers should only work 40 hours a week and tell government to stick it and their sanctimonious edicts, and, and, and... 😡😠🤬😤👹
Virtual hugs to you Lynette. I often have to leave reading until later these days too. There’s only so much upset anyone can take. There are plenty of good journalists in Aotearoa but sadly many have left mainstream outlets. Those that haven’t and still work for the mostly privately owned media are simply not free to report what they want. There has always been ‘editorial slant’ but now it’s totally dictated by those whose interests fund the media outlet. I’m done arguing with people. These days if I engage it’s usually to ask a lot of awkward questions. I do allow myself to get some satisfaction when credible answers cannot be supplied 😉 and who knows maybe at a later time someone may remember to think critically and shift their perspective. I hope so.
🤬It seems the long term answer is to kick this govt out in 2yrs, & agitate/support the (current) opposition parties to adopt a more realistic govt debt goal - on the basis that it is demonstrably cheaper to build hospitals & houses, & buy ferries, NOW than at any time in the future. And of course demonstrate wide electorate support to expand the tax base by addressing charitable exemptions for blatantly commercial enterprises, and the introduction of a CGT/Wealth tax of some description. 🧐
There is going to need so much catch-up & correction that I would hope it could be "sold" - if you can "sell" austerity policies based off blatant misinformation, surely we will be ready to "buy" recovery policies off facts & proven historical evidence.🤷
The short term answer is to fight back where & when we can, but also keep track of ALL of the harms & lies & let them KNOW we won't & don't forget & forgive. 🤬
I had a quick peruse of the review report. It seems a sensible analysis, but the reaction to it shows incompetence. My partner has/is involved in a $500M project that has been underway since 2019 for planning and design and is now nearing completion. If there is one thing I have learnt from him, it's that interference from thems that don't know higher up the chain is what costs $$. The review struck me as saying that a bit of a tighter, cohesive overview/project control and governance structure would be a good idea, and, just because of time and Covid- influenced supply chain costings, it was unlikely to meet projected budget, including contingencies. That doesn't mean you fuck about with it, thinking that a bit job is going to save money. Reconfiguring a system, such as a hospital, where parts are based on the assumption of connection to other parts, will probably cost more than the "blowout" this blowhard of a government think they're saving. It's the inter-island ferry fiasco all over again. The problem is them.
And I also know - it's all just a pre-text Lynette. As with Kainga Ora, they needed an excuse to stop social housing builds. For the bargain price of $500,000 Bill English did it. For Kiwirail, they needed an excuse to move it towards privatization, and made up lies and lost $1bn for it. Now the health budget, this is not a surprise. From the start, Reti started ooohhing and ahhhing and making noises about unaffordability of budgets. And that's about prioritisation.
It's just all such utter bullshit, isn't it. The interview last week with Dan Braid from Mainfreight was so great to listen to - describing the cancellation of the ferries as "swipe across the top of the desk" approach to decision making. He was scathing of their understanding about anything and pretty pissed off at the bullshit. I was peeved that rnz's summary was so blandly sterilised. Edited beyond recognition.
There just doesn't seem to be any end to this wrecking ball of a govt. As I've said before more steps to serfdom
There really isn't outside of mass protests at this point. Or getting Newstalk listeners to change their mind. Two options at hand.
🙋As I have said before, why haven't "WE" taken to the streets? 🤷 The answer I got was carers for the disabled, health care workers, Maori health & welfare practitioners, teachers, beneficiaries et al are so beaten down & discouraged and so busy trying to continue supporting the people who depend on them, that they have neither the time nor the energy to march. 🧐 The other part is that there are so many different branches on the tree of egregious policy, that co-ordinating under one canopy would be a challenge. I believe it is deliberate strategy learned from other jurisdictions to "flood the zone" with so much change/proposed change that it overwhelms the ability to effectively fight back. 🤬
Yes and also we have to be very very careful because this government is backed by an ideology and network that introduced prison / criminality for protests.
They are probably just looking for an excuse to start it here.
BUT the key point remains - I believe - it's a combination of apathy, "they know best", and not understanding what is really happening i.e believing the problems are Maori, cycleways and the like.
This Saturday Dunedin is marching but I assume they won't care too much about the lefties "down there."
Beware the changes to the firearms legislation.
Tory parties have brought in armed thugs to put down strikes/protests in Aotearoa earlier in our history.
I don’t doubt that seymour, peters and their bully-boy supporters would enjoy inflicting pain on any commie/leftie/greenie protestors.
Today someone said they wanted to protest and also even get a little angry. And I said to them they had to be very careful.
This government is aligned with the network that created - criminalizing peaceful protests.
People like Bishop and Brown would use any excuse to bring that here in my opinion - and yes their thugs like Destiny Church members and Youth National etc. would also help I imagine.
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2024/03/man-claims-he-was-abused-threatened-with-bashing-after-heckling-nicola-willis.html
Very very stark truths Tui.
WHEN!!! When will media AT these deliverances from the pulpit ask the question, in real time, WHY that amount is too much for PUBLIC health, but treble that is ok for PRIVATE landlords and billions more ok for PRIVATE charter schools, etc, etc???!!! And yes, I'm yelling and I couldn't even bring myself to read your piece yesterday because I knew rat-faced Seytoomuch would be mentioned and I would hear his voice in my head and I just cannot go there anymore and I think teachers should only work 40 hours a week and tell government to stick it and their sanctimonious edicts, and, and, and... 😡😠🤬😤👹
Virtual hugs to you Lynette. I often have to leave reading until later these days too. There’s only so much upset anyone can take. There are plenty of good journalists in Aotearoa but sadly many have left mainstream outlets. Those that haven’t and still work for the mostly privately owned media are simply not free to report what they want. There has always been ‘editorial slant’ but now it’s totally dictated by those whose interests fund the media outlet. I’m done arguing with people. These days if I engage it’s usually to ask a lot of awkward questions. I do allow myself to get some satisfaction when credible answers cannot be supplied 😉 and who knows maybe at a later time someone may remember to think critically and shift their perspective. I hope so.
Yeah yesterdays column was pretty bad. So it's good you didn't read it!
The media - well. I bet some of them are frustrated too but it's just not flowing through.
🤬It seems the long term answer is to kick this govt out in 2yrs, & agitate/support the (current) opposition parties to adopt a more realistic govt debt goal - on the basis that it is demonstrably cheaper to build hospitals & houses, & buy ferries, NOW than at any time in the future. And of course demonstrate wide electorate support to expand the tax base by addressing charitable exemptions for blatantly commercial enterprises, and the introduction of a CGT/Wealth tax of some description. 🧐
There is going to need so much catch-up & correction that I would hope it could be "sold" - if you can "sell" austerity policies based off blatant misinformation, surely we will be ready to "buy" recovery policies off facts & proven historical evidence.🤷
The short term answer is to fight back where & when we can, but also keep track of ALL of the harms & lies & let them KNOW we won't & don't forget & forgive. 🤬
This CoC, anger me beyond belief.
The plan is to privatise the health system in NZ. Pure and simple.
I had a quick peruse of the review report. It seems a sensible analysis, but the reaction to it shows incompetence. My partner has/is involved in a $500M project that has been underway since 2019 for planning and design and is now nearing completion. If there is one thing I have learnt from him, it's that interference from thems that don't know higher up the chain is what costs $$. The review struck me as saying that a bit of a tighter, cohesive overview/project control and governance structure would be a good idea, and, just because of time and Covid- influenced supply chain costings, it was unlikely to meet projected budget, including contingencies. That doesn't mean you fuck about with it, thinking that a bit job is going to save money. Reconfiguring a system, such as a hospital, where parts are based on the assumption of connection to other parts, will probably cost more than the "blowout" this blowhard of a government think they're saving. It's the inter-island ferry fiasco all over again. The problem is them.
Fully agree.
And I also know - it's all just a pre-text Lynette. As with Kainga Ora, they needed an excuse to stop social housing builds. For the bargain price of $500,000 Bill English did it. For Kiwirail, they needed an excuse to move it towards privatization, and made up lies and lost $1bn for it. Now the health budget, this is not a surprise. From the start, Reti started ooohhing and ahhhing and making noises about unaffordability of budgets. And that's about prioritisation.
It's just all such utter bullshit, isn't it. The interview last week with Dan Braid from Mainfreight was so great to listen to - describing the cancellation of the ferries as "swipe across the top of the desk" approach to decision making. He was scathing of their understanding about anything and pretty pissed off at the bullshit. I was peeved that rnz's summary was so blandly sterilised. Edited beyond recognition.