Today is the union protest day.
A few of us explored a health privatisation protest which I felt would be positive, but the logistics and resources available to us was miniscule - and after some discussion, we felt joining the union one was best and would support the unions too.
That gave me the opportunity to learn more about unions - and understand the many constraints and handcuffs our laws put on them.
Which is a pity - because now would be a time when the heel of the capitalist oligarchy crunch can’t feel louder. And a strong and unleashed union movement would be incredible.
Remember - 1/3 of Dunedin turned out for their Dunedin hospital protest: “Do it once, Do it Right” - but this government didn’t even blink, and most media downplayed how big a deal it was.
So given how this government - and our corporate funded system - operates - the solidarity is now key.
Standing together no matter what our concern - and the concerns are numerous under this government.
Is it the live export ban which is cruelty to animals?
Is it the fact that they created a fast track process to intentionally bypass all environmental and community checks - and overrule at least a decade of court rulings?
Is it the fact that they are going to bring in wide scale commercial sea bed mining to decimate our wildlife and environment?
Is it their systematic attack on the disabled community?
Is it the privatisation of our water, education, roads, prisons, and hospitals / health care?
Is it telling GPs that to survive they should lump increased costs on sick Kiwis?
Is it playing games with school lunches, taking away nutritional components and role modelling - so David Seymour can get his hobby project to privatise education?
Is it their insistence to lecture and take away research backed Maori policies and outreach - including playing politics with Section 7AA which had nothing to do with incorrectly placing Maori children in care - and everything to do with better outcomes for tamariki?
Is it the persistent and pathological liar of Prime Minister Luxon, or the nefarious arrangements of Chris Bishop on everything he touches, or perhaps the $500,000 hatchet job Bill English did on Kainga Ora?
Is it their torpedoing of our climate and environmental progress - in worshipping the dying fossil fuel industry which they try to sell as a super hero, when it is the incarnate of destruction?
Is it their wholesale ignoring of workers - teachers, doctors, nurses, Uber drivers?
Or maybe just their wholesale adoption of a tried failed Tory playbook - run by the same neoliberal junk tanks that fund politicians like David Seymour and Chris Luxon?
Which is it? Because there’s a lot more and today is just about standing together in solidarity. Kiwi to Kiwi, and shoulder to shoulder.
Tui
Yes Hope we get a great turn out. This government is harming so many families, and what they have done will cause a miserable time for the huge number unemployed underemployed and newly redundant. Their policies are cruel racist and divisive. One term, out out out.
I’ll be at the New Plymouth one. The fast tracking of Seabed Mining is awful. We have fought for years against this decimation of our seabed and all that lives there. And the employees and the company are Australian - I don’t know how they can lie about the economic returns to NZ there aren’t any!