Yes, neoliberal attack on all fronts. We need the opposition parties to highlight this at every opportunity and to commit to undoing any changes to legislation, without compensation
1. Large scale, full frontal assault on opposition - closer to 2026 but coming
2. Contracts signed under existing law that allow for compensation cannot be unilaterally ripped up by future governments without repercussions i.e. oppositon cannot make that claim because it's not true.
3. The opposition should absolutely rip it up - but make no mistake - the full force of the right wing press and mouthpieces like TPU will be there to tell Kiwis that doing so is ruining the economy, reckless, damaging our growth etc. Whether it works or not will be subject to the propaganda machine - and we will have to think about it akin to the last election (was it effective or not?) I'm not saying they shouldn't - I'm saying the force will be formidable and we will NEED an opposition or government that can stand its ground against increased extremism in the community....
4. Look at the recent news - a kid sedated as a mental health patient, ram raids, gun crime etc, WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? What is the difference? It's the mouthpieces, the media, the TPU affiliate, the social media ads.
Health NZ's demise is unknown to large parts of the population - how do I know? When I was on Facebook 90% of the people there had no clue because Stuff and NZME weren't telling them the story.
I don't disagree with what you say - I just want everyone to be prepared for the **** show this really is.
If somebody tells you to calm down, could never get that bad here, then I would remind them people were saying that last year in the US before Trump was elected. Complacency will lead us in a bad direction. I appreciate you keeping these issues alive.
While I understand people may raise issues that are most immediately pressing to them, it always surprises me that Climate Change, with the likelihood of impacting in an adverse manner all the other things people are now concerned about, is languishing at 15%.
Same. I was shocked at that. Also, concerns about crime have fallen - yet the statistics are the same or worse (putting aside Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith using random Twitter accounts to lie about crime statistics)
This is the immense power of media at work. I read a comment yesterday that said NZME's impending takeover isn't a big deal - it is.
Also, Stuff is highly suspect - today spending time writing puff pieces about how goood Brooke Van Velden is.
Public interest journalism outside of places like RNZ and Newsroom appear dead.
I think too many people conflate climate with weather.
And ppm of CO2 is a rather abstract concept but it dominates media coverage along with temperature rises. But what is happening in the living world that is important.
Alexander von Humboldt described development causing local impacts of human-induced climate change in the late 1700s/early 1800s but the industrialists won.
One of the defining characteristics of Atlas Network and their right wing buddies is intense anti-climate and anti-environment policies. It's visceral and predicated on the immense money and partnership of fossil fuel companies and figures such as Koch and Rinehart.
When Australia had a cyclone Facebook "mistakenly" blocked all news about it. This is a deliberate ploy and apparently fossil fuel has spent billions sowing climate skepticism and doubt - so much so that it is ingrained in Western culture.
🙋 Just reading on Nicks Korero about the John Campbell interview of pretend-PM on Breakfast, & it seems John should get to demolish Seymour, Brown, Bishop et al - except they are too smart/cowardly/arrogant to talk to a real journalist 99.9% of the time 🤷 that one was mainly about gangs, guns, failure to increase Police #s etc (something else the govt is failing the people of Aotearoa miserably about - but less obviously policy than gross incompetence⁉️)
🥹 As for the deliberate destruction of the public health system such that people are literally dying NOW & will accelerate into the future if access to diagnostics & treatment is reserved for those who can pay? The horrible-nogood-terrible "upside" of this is wider awareness as families & friends experience the fallout - perhaps they might think it is a one-off, but hopefully enough people will care & share so it becomes public outrage, whether corporate media highlight it or not. Of course, I hope our heroic Drs/Nurses/backroom Health staff can overcome the obstacles in the short term to minimise the harm, but they are already largely unable to safely deal with the existing situation this govt has exponentially worsened, let alone a further deterioration. 🥹
I have been aware for a long term of the actual cycle of Health funding attributable to different govts over decades, but seeing the current graph with NEGATIVE relative spending is enraging 🤬🤮
Personally, I appreciate our ACC set up (with all it's flaws) but would love if families were able to sue these politicians who provably knowingly impose harmful policies on the public 🤬 They no doubt have immunity anyway by being Ministers or Parliamentarians or whatever, and I hate the litigious nature of US society, but sometimes... 🤔
Dr Payinda had a really good long interview on BHN YouTube the other day - glad he & others are speaking out with facts & stories to back them up 💪- courageous in view of the chances they might be targetted, including losing their jobs 👀
Yes on all fronts - and why, oh, why must the courageous people step out. Because in the worst of times, we rely on these people, yet they are often scapegoated while the majority hide under self interest.
Peter Boshier said the heads of agencies such as Health NZ SHOULD be held accountable - but if it happens, it won't be under this right wing govt. What's worse is if a left wing govt comes into power, and they implement 'accountability' the right will stir endless trouble.
It's the values and resources we should be really afraid of. I didn't watch the BHN interview but have no doubt it's as good as you say.
Thank you Tūī. This article is a very valuable contribution for looking at the bigger picture and the ways the different threads weave together so coherently. I'm wondering what the difference actually is between ACT and National quite often these days...
Not much unfortunately. I think they play to different segments and voter groups but when one looks under the covers, I personally believe they are working for similar interest groups.
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful, in-depth article, Susie! There are so many great minds who understand the impacts of what is occurring. I hope that one day it will genuinely be common knowledge too.
Quote from your article:
"In the social sphere, the neoliberal position is that individuals usually make the
best ‘choices’ for themselves, with regulatory approaches characterised as ‘nanny state’.
The entire apparatus of ‘health promotion’ appears to have lurched in this individual
direction, despite evidence that education alone may not be particularly effective in
areas such as alcohol consumption, injury prevention, tobacco control and dietary
change. This is another instance of trying to change ‘downstream’ behaviour instead
of working on ‘upstream’ determinants of health inequalities or taking a responsible
approach to providing a regulatory environment that can support behaviour change."
I think that when you hear the libertarians talk about cutting red and green tape (as Chris Bishop and David Seymour and Luxon and Shane Jones do) it's really selectively about cutting costs & maximising profits for businesses - while leaving society and taxpayers to pick up the mess.
These days I am trying to distil the concepts behind the marketing.
Such a pity that our media is weakest at the time when we need them the most. Mind you weakest = corporately aligned in the case of the largest ones, in my view.
Thank you for your doggedness in researching and informing us about what is going on in the seedy back rooms of business.
I am really concerned about just what the coalitions mean by “property rights” and why the Eight Percenters rage on, and on and on, about them.
They seem hell-bent on attacking what Land Information NZ says our property rights system’s most important connections are with:
- The resource management system, which is applied by local authorities, sets rules for how land can be used, thereby constraining the rights of individual property owners in specific ways (for example, what can be built on the land).
- The Crown land system must be managed within the rules set by the resource management system, but as property owner the Crown may set other conditions on the use of its land in accordance with its priorities.
- The building/construction system sets rules to ensure that homes and buildings are safe and healthy to live and work in, which in turn generates important information for potential buyers and tenants.
- The Māori land system acknowledges that special protections not available within the general property system are appropriate in respect of much land that is owned by Māori individually or collectively.
- The housing and tenancy system recognises the right of all New Zealanders to be able to live in a house that is healthy, affordable and meets their needs – whether that be through privately owning or renting a house or through public provision and investment in housing.
They are snipping away at all of the above, but only in a way that allows ‘owners’ to do whatever they want without any consideration for the future or consequences for the community.
The coalitions must have huge teams working in their back offices, perhaps aided by the back rooms of business, to simultaneously attack our way of life on so many fronts!
"They are snipping away at all of the above, but only in a way that allows ‘owners’ to do whatever they want without any consideration for the future or consequences for the community.
The coalitions must have huge teams working in their back offices, perhaps aided by the back rooms of business, to simultaneously attack our way of life on so many fronts!"
Bill, your thoughtful comment ends with an accurate synthesis.
Last year David Seymour put in ECE changes that his own Ministry said were "confusing" and put children at "unacceptable risk of harm".
Yet I haven't seen any of the analysis or outrage over it. They don't really care what they are doing in my view (as demonstrated by school lunches). They are only getting through whatever their real objectives are - and leaving public servants and the community to pick up the pieces.
This is a shameful government lined with politicians that only seem to care for their self interest, which means the interest of their backers and ideology. From memory, Chris Finlayson also pointed out National is presently full of figures with low levels of integrity (how I synthesised what he said)
But my point also is - this is not an ACT only thing. This is fully endorsed by National in every single way - and they are attacking the same central point using different approaches - but nevertheless aiming for the same bullseye.
What we're working toward is a very Big Showdown at the OK Corral & at the moment our guys and gals with the White Hats are shooting Blanc's in this seemingly endless fight against Gangsters with Tommy Guns mowing us all down on St. Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Independence Days et al.... Gucci for me and Concrete Shoes for Thee!
We're outnumbered, not in gross numbers, but in Legislative Fire Power, since our chosen leaders have chosen to legislate for the Gangsters, as long as they share their loot as part of the Deal they make.
Stick with me and I'll set you free is the unspoken Clause in the Deal they make with Mr. Devil, who owns the Fiat currency Printing Presses, regardless of who runs the Governments in the Countries they operate within, spreading their Freedom around in large denomination Notes, or Digital Dollars.
Yes Sir, things are moving toward a Finalé at an increasingly rapid pace, as time is money that waits for no one...You snooze and you lose...That's it! You're either for us , or for the Terrorists bangin on our big Gold Impregnable Gate!
Commit, or be trampled by our thundering .01% Herd of mindless Drone, Meritocraptic Worker Bee's collecting our Honey for us from the Sick, Elderly, Young, or Old, it doesn't matter! You work for us, Kapish??? Working otherwise is a big waste of Efficient time that only waits for us as we tighten the noose around your necks as quickly as we deem necessary.
Stop our flow to the top of our Grand Pyramid, even to a Trickle and you'll pay dearly with your life by holding us back from achieving our Self interest Goals in which YOU dear Bottom Feeder aren't a participant in.
The attitude is really a bottom feeders one and so long as they can keep middleish NZ distracted with PR lines and vague opaque news that no-one can easily dissect (e.g. RMA reforms), and scare enough Kiwis with tax threats come 2026, supported by friendly media, they are banking on a win.
On property rights too, not only that to elevate property over social/cultural/environmental wellbeing and other cherished values is shocking, but I'd like a lawyer's take on how it would affect Maori or anyone who has communal land title. This is all about INDIVIDUAL property rights. Neoliberalism is all about the individual. "There is no such thing as society", and all the rest of that.
I just lazily Googled "How would Maori be affected by laws that only protect individual property rights?' I won't paste here the very long, very bad news AI conveyed.
Their law changes what is acceptable and what isn't. If Maori own land they will have the same property rights that allow anyone interested to make decisions irrespective of community/environment etc. but their rights under Te Tiriti appear to be being wiped out at the same time.
'moving lower cost, public health procedures to private facilities is tantamount to' theft when you are actively defunding public services to do it. Where did they magic up the $50 million (or whatever it finally costs) from? Will private companies be charged for the patients they dump back into the public system if things get 'too complex', i.e.unprofitable, for them?
I think in this instance it appears the government "saved" money by not hiring the doctors / clinical practitioners / support staff (leading to almost an entire year of headlines about freezes that were hurting)
And they then took these "savings" to redirect to the private industry.
Of course by doing this they are also hurting the public health system - contributing to burn out, health practitioners would rather work in private, wait lists ballooned, more people leaving overseas - this is exacyly what we saw too BTW
At the end of it all we must come to terms with the fact fhat capitalism does not in fact benefit all. That capitalism is in fact the root problem and we must come to terms wit the implications of that. All of us. The degrowth. The doing without. For a fairer and more equitable world for all.
This is a longer topic - capitalism. There are attributes that we have benefited from or it would not have gone on for as long as it has. But I think that the extreme imbalance of wealth which is precipitated by that wealth buying up influence, power and rules in their favour has come to a true tipping point, and it must be stopped. Alternatively it could take everything down with it. I do not know which way this will all go for now...
We are outnumbered in this game between compliant and complicit Media that give us the Slant on our News, after their being told by our Government Media Funding Ministry Arm to either climb on board their Policy Bus and report what the Funder tells them to with the approved "Political, or Policy Slant", or face Cuts in their Staff numbers and threatened with being sold to Media conglomerates that will most likely asset strip them in Privatisation.
So, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, the Media can only do what their told in how to report, or not to report news stories that support the Libertarian Story line the current coalition are pushing & want the public to digest!
The Public only see, or hear what the Funding authority of the day decides they should see, or hear.
The Public is none the Wiser to how this works in promoting Personal & Political Party Interests over Public interest through the Backroom approach to tightly control Narrative.
It seems to me the only media person pushing back on this Speak, See & Hear No Evil thing is John Campbell, which works to the Government and Media Bosses Favour as they can single John out and Rubbish his work as Woke BS & move on through their hand picked "You'll do this or Die" reporters covering these select stories.
Luxon plays this game by packing up Teams of TV1 & RNZ, reporters on his Tour Bus, or broken down Plane & briefs them on how they will report on his Sojourns around the planet and shortening his Media spots to 5 minutes a week on RNZ.
The Public don't have much of a clue about all this Back Room BS for Narrative Control going on and the majority have never studied Ethic's, Civic's, or Political Sciences to know the difference, so these BS games continue unabated, or debated unless somebody like Campbell, or Jack Tame put a spotlight on these things in their Program's.
I used to think Guyon Espriner was in the same league as Campbell & Tame, but his demotion from Morning Report following the change in plans on the Merger showed me that he had become to much of a threat and needed to be removed because he was a bit too close to the Bone on his interviews with Luxon, Peters, Seymour, Collins, Bridges et al of the political Talking heads musical Chairs game. I used to look forward to Morning Report with Guyon asking the more difficult questions!
Corin is the right kind of Stupid & Ingrid is too intimidated to do, or say anything that might upset somebody that could cause her to lose her job. So we end up with compliant wee Mushrooms, afraid of the Light on National Radio...
Has Espriner gone Independent these days and is now selling his Podcast Stories and Deep Dives into Politic's to RNZ???
It seems there were a lot of rewritten Contracts when the Z-Team came to power and started their Slash & Burn game.
With the change in plans on the Merger, followed by Nicolas' Slashing of the Public Service Jobs, including decimating the Publicly owned NZ Media Administration positions & Winston's threatening of Jack Tame and others during the '23 Campaign, is this their idea of shutting the Media Down unless they follow orders from Headquarters in clouding issues that might otherwise cause a stir in the Public???
Yes, neoliberal attack on all fronts. We need the opposition parties to highlight this at every opportunity and to commit to undoing any changes to legislation, without compensation
This is what will happen Keith.
1. Large scale, full frontal assault on opposition - closer to 2026 but coming
2. Contracts signed under existing law that allow for compensation cannot be unilaterally ripped up by future governments without repercussions i.e. oppositon cannot make that claim because it's not true.
3. The opposition should absolutely rip it up - but make no mistake - the full force of the right wing press and mouthpieces like TPU will be there to tell Kiwis that doing so is ruining the economy, reckless, damaging our growth etc. Whether it works or not will be subject to the propaganda machine - and we will have to think about it akin to the last election (was it effective or not?) I'm not saying they shouldn't - I'm saying the force will be formidable and we will NEED an opposition or government that can stand its ground against increased extremism in the community....
4. Look at the recent news - a kid sedated as a mental health patient, ram raids, gun crime etc, WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? What is the difference? It's the mouthpieces, the media, the TPU affiliate, the social media ads.
Health NZ's demise is unknown to large parts of the population - how do I know? When I was on Facebook 90% of the people there had no clue because Stuff and NZME weren't telling them the story.
I don't disagree with what you say - I just want everyone to be prepared for the **** show this really is.
👍💯 We "woke" people have to be ready, willing & able should a future govt do the right thing 👏 (or is it the "left thing" now⁉️)
Exactly!
If somebody tells you to calm down, could never get that bad here, then I would remind them people were saying that last year in the US before Trump was elected. Complacency will lead us in a bad direction. I appreciate you keeping these issues alive.
While I understand people may raise issues that are most immediately pressing to them, it always surprises me that Climate Change, with the likelihood of impacting in an adverse manner all the other things people are now concerned about, is languishing at 15%.
Same. I was shocked at that. Also, concerns about crime have fallen - yet the statistics are the same or worse (putting aside Mark Mitchell and Paul Goldsmith using random Twitter accounts to lie about crime statistics)
This is the immense power of media at work. I read a comment yesterday that said NZME's impending takeover isn't a big deal - it is.
Also, Stuff is highly suspect - today spending time writing puff pieces about how goood Brooke Van Velden is.
Public interest journalism outside of places like RNZ and Newsroom appear dead.
I think too many people conflate climate with weather.
And ppm of CO2 is a rather abstract concept but it dominates media coverage along with temperature rises. But what is happening in the living world that is important.
Alexander von Humboldt described development causing local impacts of human-induced climate change in the late 1700s/early 1800s but the industrialists won.
One of the defining characteristics of Atlas Network and their right wing buddies is intense anti-climate and anti-environment policies. It's visceral and predicated on the immense money and partnership of fossil fuel companies and figures such as Koch and Rinehart.
When Australia had a cyclone Facebook "mistakenly" blocked all news about it. This is a deliberate ploy and apparently fossil fuel has spent billions sowing climate skepticism and doubt - so much so that it is ingrained in Western culture.
Thanks for putting this together MT.
Welcome. 🙏
🙋 Just reading on Nicks Korero about the John Campbell interview of pretend-PM on Breakfast, & it seems John should get to demolish Seymour, Brown, Bishop et al - except they are too smart/cowardly/arrogant to talk to a real journalist 99.9% of the time 🤷 that one was mainly about gangs, guns, failure to increase Police #s etc (something else the govt is failing the people of Aotearoa miserably about - but less obviously policy than gross incompetence⁉️)
🥹 As for the deliberate destruction of the public health system such that people are literally dying NOW & will accelerate into the future if access to diagnostics & treatment is reserved for those who can pay? The horrible-nogood-terrible "upside" of this is wider awareness as families & friends experience the fallout - perhaps they might think it is a one-off, but hopefully enough people will care & share so it becomes public outrage, whether corporate media highlight it or not. Of course, I hope our heroic Drs/Nurses/backroom Health staff can overcome the obstacles in the short term to minimise the harm, but they are already largely unable to safely deal with the existing situation this govt has exponentially worsened, let alone a further deterioration. 🥹
I have been aware for a long term of the actual cycle of Health funding attributable to different govts over decades, but seeing the current graph with NEGATIVE relative spending is enraging 🤬🤮
Personally, I appreciate our ACC set up (with all it's flaws) but would love if families were able to sue these politicians who provably knowingly impose harmful policies on the public 🤬 They no doubt have immunity anyway by being Ministers or Parliamentarians or whatever, and I hate the litigious nature of US society, but sometimes... 🤔
Dr Payinda had a really good long interview on BHN YouTube the other day - glad he & others are speaking out with facts & stories to back them up 💪- courageous in view of the chances they might be targetted, including losing their jobs 👀
Yes on all fronts - and why, oh, why must the courageous people step out. Because in the worst of times, we rely on these people, yet they are often scapegoated while the majority hide under self interest.
Peter Boshier said the heads of agencies such as Health NZ SHOULD be held accountable - but if it happens, it won't be under this right wing govt. What's worse is if a left wing govt comes into power, and they implement 'accountability' the right will stir endless trouble.
It's the values and resources we should be really afraid of. I didn't watch the BHN interview but have no doubt it's as good as you say.
Thank you Tūī. This article is a very valuable contribution for looking at the bigger picture and the ways the different threads weave together so coherently. I'm wondering what the difference actually is between ACT and National quite often these days...
Not much unfortunately. I think they play to different segments and voter groups but when one looks under the covers, I personally believe they are working for similar interest groups.
Thank you Tui, this is such a good article, and that is a splendid frog.
Just to share this bit of deep reading too. It's educative, gives a great history and concludes everything that we're concluding. It appeared in the New Zealand Medical Journal just a few years ago (sorry about the long link, that's how it pasted) https://nzmj.org.nz/media/pages/journal/vol-133-no-1512/neoliberalism-what-it-is-how-it-affects-health-and-what-to-do-about-it/91b3937839-1696477103/neoliberalism-what-it-is-how-it-affects-health-and-what-to-do-about-it.pdf
Thank you for sharing this thoughtful, in-depth article, Susie! There are so many great minds who understand the impacts of what is occurring. I hope that one day it will genuinely be common knowledge too.
Quote from your article:
"In the social sphere, the neoliberal position is that individuals usually make the
best ‘choices’ for themselves, with regulatory approaches characterised as ‘nanny state’.
The entire apparatus of ‘health promotion’ appears to have lurched in this individual
direction, despite evidence that education alone may not be particularly effective in
areas such as alcohol consumption, injury prevention, tobacco control and dietary
change. This is another instance of trying to change ‘downstream’ behaviour instead
of working on ‘upstream’ determinants of health inequalities or taking a responsible
approach to providing a regulatory environment that can support behaviour change."
I think that when you hear the libertarians talk about cutting red and green tape (as Chris Bishop and David Seymour and Luxon and Shane Jones do) it's really selectively about cutting costs & maximising profits for businesses - while leaving society and taxpayers to pick up the mess.
These days I am trying to distil the concepts behind the marketing.
Such a pity that our media is weakest at the time when we need them the most. Mind you weakest = corporately aligned in the case of the largest ones, in my view.
Thank you for your doggedness in researching and informing us about what is going on in the seedy back rooms of business.
I am really concerned about just what the coalitions mean by “property rights” and why the Eight Percenters rage on, and on and on, about them.
They seem hell-bent on attacking what Land Information NZ says our property rights system’s most important connections are with:
- The resource management system, which is applied by local authorities, sets rules for how land can be used, thereby constraining the rights of individual property owners in specific ways (for example, what can be built on the land).
- The Crown land system must be managed within the rules set by the resource management system, but as property owner the Crown may set other conditions on the use of its land in accordance with its priorities.
- The building/construction system sets rules to ensure that homes and buildings are safe and healthy to live and work in, which in turn generates important information for potential buyers and tenants.
- The Māori land system acknowledges that special protections not available within the general property system are appropriate in respect of much land that is owned by Māori individually or collectively.
- The housing and tenancy system recognises the right of all New Zealanders to be able to live in a house that is healthy, affordable and meets their needs – whether that be through privately owning or renting a house or through public provision and investment in housing.
They are snipping away at all of the above, but only in a way that allows ‘owners’ to do whatever they want without any consideration for the future or consequences for the community.
The coalitions must have huge teams working in their back offices, perhaps aided by the back rooms of business, to simultaneously attack our way of life on so many fronts!
https://www.linz.govt.nz/sites/default/files/pr-system_assessment-recommendations_202008.pdf
"They are snipping away at all of the above, but only in a way that allows ‘owners’ to do whatever they want without any consideration for the future or consequences for the community.
The coalitions must have huge teams working in their back offices, perhaps aided by the back rooms of business, to simultaneously attack our way of life on so many fronts!"
Bill, your thoughtful comment ends with an accurate synthesis.
Last year David Seymour put in ECE changes that his own Ministry said were "confusing" and put children at "unacceptable risk of harm".
Yet I haven't seen any of the analysis or outrage over it. They don't really care what they are doing in my view (as demonstrated by school lunches). They are only getting through whatever their real objectives are - and leaving public servants and the community to pick up the pieces.
This is a shameful government lined with politicians that only seem to care for their self interest, which means the interest of their backers and ideology. From memory, Chris Finlayson also pointed out National is presently full of figures with low levels of integrity (how I synthesised what he said)
But my point also is - this is not an ACT only thing. This is fully endorsed by National in every single way - and they are attacking the same central point using different approaches - but nevertheless aiming for the same bullseye.
What we're working toward is a very Big Showdown at the OK Corral & at the moment our guys and gals with the White Hats are shooting Blanc's in this seemingly endless fight against Gangsters with Tommy Guns mowing us all down on St. Valentine's Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Independence Days et al.... Gucci for me and Concrete Shoes for Thee!
We're outnumbered, not in gross numbers, but in Legislative Fire Power, since our chosen leaders have chosen to legislate for the Gangsters, as long as they share their loot as part of the Deal they make.
Stick with me and I'll set you free is the unspoken Clause in the Deal they make with Mr. Devil, who owns the Fiat currency Printing Presses, regardless of who runs the Governments in the Countries they operate within, spreading their Freedom around in large denomination Notes, or Digital Dollars.
Yes Sir, things are moving toward a Finalé at an increasingly rapid pace, as time is money that waits for no one...You snooze and you lose...That's it! You're either for us , or for the Terrorists bangin on our big Gold Impregnable Gate!
Commit, or be trampled by our thundering .01% Herd of mindless Drone, Meritocraptic Worker Bee's collecting our Honey for us from the Sick, Elderly, Young, or Old, it doesn't matter! You work for us, Kapish??? Working otherwise is a big waste of Efficient time that only waits for us as we tighten the noose around your necks as quickly as we deem necessary.
Stop our flow to the top of our Grand Pyramid, even to a Trickle and you'll pay dearly with your life by holding us back from achieving our Self interest Goals in which YOU dear Bottom Feeder aren't a participant in.
The attitude is really a bottom feeders one and so long as they can keep middleish NZ distracted with PR lines and vague opaque news that no-one can easily dissect (e.g. RMA reforms), and scare enough Kiwis with tax threats come 2026, supported by friendly media, they are banking on a win.
All I can say about this piece of work is 'Nailed'! And thank you Tui!
Cheers Amy.
On property rights too, not only that to elevate property over social/cultural/environmental wellbeing and other cherished values is shocking, but I'd like a lawyer's take on how it would affect Maori or anyone who has communal land title. This is all about INDIVIDUAL property rights. Neoliberalism is all about the individual. "There is no such thing as society", and all the rest of that.
I just lazily Googled "How would Maori be affected by laws that only protect individual property rights?' I won't paste here the very long, very bad news AI conveyed.
Their law changes what is acceptable and what isn't. If Maori own land they will have the same property rights that allow anyone interested to make decisions irrespective of community/environment etc. but their rights under Te Tiriti appear to be being wiped out at the same time.
Yup
Thank you, Mr. T. Thoroughly agree with all of the above. Thanks for your courage!
Thank you Judith!
'moving lower cost, public health procedures to private facilities is tantamount to' theft when you are actively defunding public services to do it. Where did they magic up the $50 million (or whatever it finally costs) from? Will private companies be charged for the patients they dump back into the public system if things get 'too complex', i.e.unprofitable, for them?
I think in this instance it appears the government "saved" money by not hiring the doctors / clinical practitioners / support staff (leading to almost an entire year of headlines about freezes that were hurting)
And they then took these "savings" to redirect to the private industry.
Of course by doing this they are also hurting the public health system - contributing to burn out, health practitioners would rather work in private, wait lists ballooned, more people leaving overseas - this is exacyly what we saw too BTW
At the end of it all we must come to terms with the fact fhat capitalism does not in fact benefit all. That capitalism is in fact the root problem and we must come to terms wit the implications of that. All of us. The degrowth. The doing without. For a fairer and more equitable world for all.
This is a longer topic - capitalism. There are attributes that we have benefited from or it would not have gone on for as long as it has. But I think that the extreme imbalance of wealth which is precipitated by that wealth buying up influence, power and rules in their favour has come to a true tipping point, and it must be stopped. Alternatively it could take everything down with it. I do not know which way this will all go for now...
Every day I get angrier and angrier 🤬
MT, I got a reply from Kieran McAnulty about anti-corruption. I forwarded it a few days ago to your Substack email, but not sure if you received it?
I did not see that one Angela but I have 9999 unread emails so may have missed it. Let me look out for it tomorrow morning again. Thanks
I’ve told you a million times not to exaggerate 😂
That’s cool. I kinda thought that might be the case. 😊
https://open.substack.com/chat/posts/9ed4a971-dd03-4a02-b89d-38ecd8861237
😃
Wait you think I'm joking!?
I'm going to have to send you the screenshot in chat now!
Wow! No, I didn’t think you were joking. But I was 😊
It did make me laugh 😆
Mission accomplished!
Yes if even 20% of Kiwis would care enough to be active, we'd have more hope. Thank you Gloria!
We are outnumbered in this game between compliant and complicit Media that give us the Slant on our News, after their being told by our Government Media Funding Ministry Arm to either climb on board their Policy Bus and report what the Funder tells them to with the approved "Political, or Policy Slant", or face Cuts in their Staff numbers and threatened with being sold to Media conglomerates that will most likely asset strip them in Privatisation.
So, with the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, the Media can only do what their told in how to report, or not to report news stories that support the Libertarian Story line the current coalition are pushing & want the public to digest!
The Public only see, or hear what the Funding authority of the day decides they should see, or hear.
The Public is none the Wiser to how this works in promoting Personal & Political Party Interests over Public interest through the Backroom approach to tightly control Narrative.
It seems to me the only media person pushing back on this Speak, See & Hear No Evil thing is John Campbell, which works to the Government and Media Bosses Favour as they can single John out and Rubbish his work as Woke BS & move on through their hand picked "You'll do this or Die" reporters covering these select stories.
Luxon plays this game by packing up Teams of TV1 & RNZ, reporters on his Tour Bus, or broken down Plane & briefs them on how they will report on his Sojourns around the planet and shortening his Media spots to 5 minutes a week on RNZ.
The Public don't have much of a clue about all this Back Room BS for Narrative Control going on and the majority have never studied Ethic's, Civic's, or Political Sciences to know the difference, so these BS games continue unabated, or debated unless somebody like Campbell, or Jack Tame put a spotlight on these things in their Program's.
I used to think Guyon Espriner was in the same league as Campbell & Tame, but his demotion from Morning Report following the change in plans on the Merger showed me that he had become to much of a threat and needed to be removed because he was a bit too close to the Bone on his interviews with Luxon, Peters, Seymour, Collins, Bridges et al of the political Talking heads musical Chairs game. I used to look forward to Morning Report with Guyon asking the more difficult questions!
Corin is the right kind of Stupid & Ingrid is too intimidated to do, or say anything that might upset somebody that could cause her to lose her job. So we end up with compliant wee Mushrooms, afraid of the Light on National Radio...
Has Espriner gone Independent these days and is now selling his Podcast Stories and Deep Dives into Politic's to RNZ???
It seems there were a lot of rewritten Contracts when the Z-Team came to power and started their Slash & Burn game.
With the change in plans on the Merger, followed by Nicolas' Slashing of the Public Service Jobs, including decimating the Publicly owned NZ Media Administration positions & Winston's threatening of Jack Tame and others during the '23 Campaign, is this their idea of shutting the Media Down unless they follow orders from Headquarters in clouding issues that might otherwise cause a stir in the Public???