thedailyblog--2020-06-04--On The Attempted Distraction Of George Floyd’s Autopsy Toxicology Results

Saw some people posting about the ( family ) autopsy toxicology results for George Floyd .
Specifically , 11ng/ml fentanyl , 5.6 ng/ml norfentanyl , 0.65 ng/ml 4-ANPP , and 19 ng/ml methamphetamine .
It ’ s easy to take a look at those , and just make an auto-leap ; in fact , a series of auto-leaps .
Either to the obvious “ so that ’ s what killed him ” , if you ’ re looking for an alternate causation that ’ s not knee-on-neck prime ; or , more insidiously , “ no great loss , then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less bothered a man ’ s dead because that ’ s what the tox-screen says was in him .
Except here ’ s the thing .
Those numbers are just that .
Numbers .
There ’ s no context to them – and no real way of checking , in the absence of better data , what they actually tell us or hide from sight .
They don ’ t necessarily support the conclusions some people are quite keen to jump to .
And the fact that people citing them aren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look before speaking , is concerning .
For a start – unless I ’ m mistaken , levomethamphetamine containing decongestants are still over-the-counter available in the U.S .
If he was suffering from Covid-19 , it ’ s not unreasonable to presume he might have made use of just such a medication .
Even though it ’ s the other isomer from dextroamphetamine , it ’ ll still show up as meth in a lot of tox-screens .
Funnily enough , a few years back , an actress called Brittany Murphy had something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and initially due to tox-screen results , it was also chalked up to polydrug intoxication .. with the usual “ actress ODs ” type inferences .
Except that wasn ’ t really what happened – everything that turned up in the tox-screen was legally there , including the ( levo ) methamphetamine .
She ’ d had an illness , taken something over-the-counter for it [ in addition , to be sure , to several other medications for other conditions she was also suffering from at the time ] … and yet @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of methamphetamine in her system without understanding why it was there , you ’ d come away with the conclusion that she was a recreational practitioner of the glassware barbeque .
The level of meth stated to have been found in his blood – 19 nanograms per millilitre – is pretty low .
However , in the absence of more and better data , we can ’ t really determine much more about this , in terms of why it might have been in his system , whether it ’ s a false @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing what it was supposed to do .
Although what I will say is that the lack of amphetamine ( as opposed to methamphetamine ) detected in his bloodstream , would support either a very low recent dose , or a somewhat larger dose some time ago ( like , days ) ; either because there ’ s been insufficient time for the meth to metabolize to amphetamine in the former possibility , or because enough time has passed that the meth metabolized to amphetamine has been eliminated from his system to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residual meth .
As applies the fentanyl … there are further potential complications .
There are several legitimate psychiatric medications that can cause false-positives in tox-screens for fentanyl ; although given the presence of norfentanyl and 4-ANPP , that ’ s perhaps less likely ( but still not impossible ) .
Assuming that it ’ s not a false-positive , 11 nanograms fentanyl per millilitre of blood would be notably at the higher end of the therapeutic use spectrum ( although significantly within the range wherein if it were to come up at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be ‘ incidental ’ to cause of death ) .
However , this is considerably complicated by a number of factors – including the way in which fentanyl ( particularly if patch administered ) stored in fat , muscle , skin etc .
can start to leach into the bloodstream as tissue breaks down post-mortem .
Which effectively means there ’ s no definitive way to tell post-mortem how much fentanyl was actually in the deceased ’ s bloodstream pre-mortem .
What ’ s peculiar is the relatively low presence of norfentanyl @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this … is because the vast majority of fentanyl in somebody ’ s system is reasonably quickly metabolized to norfentanyl – so unless it had been significantly recently administered , you shouldn ’ t be expecting to see , post-use about half the level of norfentanyl in somebody ’ s system that there is fentanyl .
All up , it ’ s a finding that probably doesn ’ t indicate what either ‘ side ’ were hoping for ; but which again – is too ambiguous in multiple senses to be heavily read @ @ @ @ @ @ @ noted that there are some further issues with the precise reliability for quick-return post-mortem drug-screening .
So if I was actually particularly interested in the contents of George Floyd ’ s blood-stream , I ’ d be awaiting a more full and comprehensive workup using better assessment techniques .
But frankly , I ’ m not that bothered about it – because I think that regardless of whether or not there ’ s a literally microscopic residue of an illicit drug in the man ’ s system … that wasn ’ t the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pretty bizarre extended knee-on-neck there wouldn ’ t even have been a post-mortem tox-screen for us to pour over through the press .
And frankly ( further ) , it feels kinda ghoulish for that to happen in the first place – the contents of a man ’ s blood as a substitute for the man ’ s being .. being sifted through by people looking to turn a sample-slide into a two-dimensional cut-out for an agenda .
There isn ’ t much dignity to be had in dying , face into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can perhaps be argued that thousands chanting your name turning you into a symbol … may or may not possess a dignitas all its own ) ; and having total strangers on the internet idly prognosticate as to whether you might have been on several kinds of psych meds , or run through a half a dozen other potential explanations for your blood-stream contents ( up to and including the dreaded and dehumanizing label of “ addict ” ) .. feels like a set of degradations further .
I wouldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that – as I say – I ’ ve already seen a number of people do so , and far less critically ( or , if you prefer , far less ‘ charitably ’ to other potential narratives , other potential explanations than the ‘ easy ’ and convenient one for some ) .
There may be ( partial ) answers to the underpinnings of George Floyd ’ s death to be found in this autopsy report .
Of course there are .
It would be difficult to deny that possessing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ improve one ’ s odds of coming away unscathed from spending eight minutes plus with your neck weighed down under a full-grown man ’ s knee .
But that ’ s just precisely the point .
Now that another autopsy ’ s out , people looking to distract from that curious knee which now protrudes through our current affairs and future history books – people are going to latch on to various ‘ displacement narratives ’ which can be even semi-feasibly extrapolated out therefrom .
Because , I suppose , the idea is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compassion for somebody who theoretically ‘ brought it upon themselves ’ .
Except not by , say , having a high-fat diet like many Americans .
There ’ s still too much for much of the audience to empathize with there .
Instead , it ’ s back to the 1980s by fitting the victim into a pre-designed bete-noir role in the story of the “ man on drugs ” .
Something that would have been ( and was ) said regardless of whether there was any proof of anything in his system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ m a soft touch – but I still don ’ t think anything contained in that autopsy report means that he should have died like that .

Saw some people posting about the (family) autopsy toxicology results for George Floyd. Specifically, 11ng/ml fentanyl, 5.6 ng/ml norfentanyl, 0.65 ng/ml 4-ANPP, and 19 ng/ml methamphetamine.
It’s easy to take a look at those, and just make an auto-leap; in fact, a series of auto-leaps. Either to the obvious “so that’s what killed him”, if you’re looking for an alternate causation that’s not knee-on-neck prime; or, more insidiously, “no great loss, then”, if you’re suddenly less bothered a man’s dead because that’s what the tox-screen says was in him.
Except here’s the thing. Those numbers are just that. Numbers. There’s no context to them – and no real way of checking, in the absence of better data, what they actually tell us or hide from sight.
They don’t necessarily support the conclusions some people are quite keen to jump to. And the fact that people citing them aren’t taking a bit more of a critical look before speaking, is concerning.
For a start – unless I’m mistaken, levomethamphetamine containing decongestants are still over-the-counter available in the U.S.
If he was suffering from Covid-19, it’s not unreasonable to presume he might have made use of just such a medication.
Even though it’s the other isomer from dextroamphetamine, it’ll still show up as meth in a lot of tox-screens.
Funnily enough, a few years back, an actress called Brittany Murphy had something like this happen. Died of pneumonia, and initially due to tox-screen results, it was also chalked up to polydrug intoxication .. with the usual “actress ODs” type inferences. Except that wasn’t really what happened – everything that turned up in the tox-screen was legally there, including the (levo)methamphetamine. She’d had an illness, taken something over-the-counter for it [in addition, to be sure, to several other medications for other conditions she was also suffering from at the time] … and yet if you just looked for the presence of methamphetamine in her system without understanding why it was there, you’d come away with the conclusion that she was a recreational practitioner of the glassware barbeque.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Back to George Floyd.
The level of meth stated to have been found in his blood – 19 nanograms per millilitre – is pretty low. However, in the absence of more and better data, we can’t really determine much more about this, in terms of why it might have been in his system, whether it’s a false positive, or simply an over-the-counter decongestant doing what it was supposed to do.
Although what I will say is that the lack of amphetamine (as opposed to methamphetamine) detected in his bloodstream, would support either a very low recent dose, or a somewhat larger dose some time ago (like, days); either because there’s been insufficient time for the meth to metabolize to amphetamine in the former possibility, or because enough time has passed that the meth metabolized to amphetamine has been eliminated from his system to a point below a detectable level leaving only residual meth.
As applies the fentanyl … there are further potential complications.
There are several legitimate psychiatric medications that can cause false-positives in tox-screens for fentanyl; although given the presence of norfentanyl and 4-ANPP, that’s perhaps less likely (but still not impossible).
Assuming that it’s not a false-positive, 11 nanograms fentanyl per millilitre of blood would be notably at the higher end of the therapeutic use spectrum (although significantly within the range wherein if it were to come up at an autopsy it would ordinarily be held to be ‘incidental’ to cause of death).
However, this is considerably complicated by a number of factors – including the way in which fentanyl (particularly if patch administered) stored in fat, muscle, skin etc. can start to leach into the bloodstream as tissue breaks down post-mortem. Which effectively means there’s no definitive way to tell post-mortem how much fentanyl was actually in the deceased’s bloodstream pre-mortem.
What’s peculiar is the relatively low presence of norfentanyl. Now, the reason I mention this … is because the vast majority of fentanyl in somebody’s system is reasonably quickly metabolized to norfentanyl – so unless it had been significantly recently administered, you shouldn’t be expecting to see, post-use about half the level of norfentanyl in somebody’s system that there is fentanyl.
All up, it’s a finding that probably doesn’t indicate what either ‘side’ were hoping for; but which again – is too ambiguous in multiple senses to be heavily read into.
Now it should also be noted that there are some further issues with the precise reliability for quick-return post-mortem drug-screening. So if I was actually particularly interested in the contents of George Floyd’s blood-stream, I’d be awaiting a more full and comprehensive workup using better assessment techniques.
But frankly, I’m not that bothered about it – because I think that regardless of whether or not there’s a literally microscopic residue of an illicit drug in the man’s system … that wasn’t the but-for causation for the death.
But-for a pretty bizarre extended knee-on-neck there wouldn’t even have been a post-mortem tox-screen for us to pour over through the press.
And frankly (further), it feels kinda ghoulish for that to happen in the first place – the contents of a man’s blood as a substitute for the man’s being .. being sifted through by people looking to turn a sample-slide into a two-dimensional cut-out for an agenda.
There isn’t much dignity to be had in dying, face into the pavement, on camera (although it can perhaps be argued that thousands chanting your name turning you into a symbol … may or may not possess a dignitas all its own); and having total strangers on the internet idly prognosticate as to whether you might have been on several kinds of psych meds, or run through a half a dozen other potential explanations for your blood-stream contents (up to and including the dreaded and dehumanizing label of “addict”) .. feels like a set of degradations further.
I wouldn’t be indulging in it, except for the fact that – as I say – I’ve already seen a number of people do so, and far less critically (or, if you prefer, far less ‘charitably’ to other potential narratives, other potential explanations than the ‘easy’ and convenient one for some).
There may be (partial) answers to the underpinnings of George Floyd’s death to be found in this autopsy report. Of course there are. It would be difficult to deny that possessing an already-impaired cardiovascular system … would hardly improve one’s odds of coming away unscathed from spending eight minutes plus with your neck weighed down under a full-grown man’s knee.
But that’s just precisely the point. Now that another autopsy’s out, people looking to distract from that curious knee which now protrudes through our current affairs and future history books – people are going to latch on to various ‘displacement narratives’ which can be even semi-feasibly extrapolated out therefrom.
Because, I suppose, the idea is it’s easier to feel less compassion for somebody who theoretically ‘brought it upon themselves’. Except not by, say, having a high-fat diet like many Americans. There’s still too much for much of the audience to empathize with there.
Instead, it’s back to the 1980s by fitting the victim into a pre-designed bete-noir role in the story of the “man on drugs”. Something that would have been (and was) said regardless of whether there was any proof of anything in his system to begin with.
Perhaps I’m a soft touch – but I still don’t think anything contained in that autopsy report means that he should have died like that.


thedailyblog--2020-06-04--Christchurch City – Taking abuse of low-income families to a new level

Most of us are used to councils coming up with proposals to shift the cost of council services onto the poor but today ’ s water charging proposal from Christchurch City Council takes abuse of people on low incomes to another level .
It ’ s unbelievable .
The council proposes to allocate water on the basis of the value of the rates paid by property owners .
Using above that allocation you will have to pay .
This means wealthy residents will get higher allocations of water before they have to pay extra than low-income families living in lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s head of three waters and waste , Helen Beaumont , said a home priced at $ 500,000 has an allocation of 800 to 900 litres per day , whereas a $ 1 million dollar home gets about 1700 litres.
” Watering gardens in flash suburbs will be subsidised by large families in low income areas .
Getting “ user-pays ” policies for water in Christchurch has been a cherished desire for neo-liberals .
They have tried several times in recent years but the irony is that each time it has been defeated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lot of water to irrigate their gardens and who would be stuck with high water bills .
This new proposal is designed to get around the opposition from the wealthy by giving them extra allocations of water and loading the costs of the policy onto large low-income families .
It ’ s a classic case of “ disaster capitalism ” – using the Covid 19 pandemic to push a despicable , unethical policy which favours the rich .
The councillor speaking out in favour of this policy today , Sara Templeton , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Green Party endorsement .
Go figure .
It ’ s less surprising to see the mayor promoting this , despite the fact she never raised it during the election campaign , because Lianne Dalziel has spent her entire political career promoting neo-liberalism as a former Labour government minister .
We have to stop this policy in its tracks .

Most of us are used to councils coming up with proposals to shift the cost of council services onto the poor but today’s water charging proposal from Christchurch City Council takes abuse of people on low incomes to another level. It’s unbelievable.
The council proposes to allocate water on the basis of the value of the rates paid by property owners. Using above that allocation you will have to pay. This means wealthy residents will get higher allocations of water before they have to pay extra than low-income families living in lower value houses.
“The council’s head of three waters and waste, Helen Beaumont, said a home priced at $500,000 has an allocation of 800 to 900 litres per day, whereas a $1 million dollar home gets about 1700 litres.”
Watering gardens in flash suburbs will be subsidised by large families in low income areas.
Getting “user-pays” policies for water in Christchurch has been a cherished desire for neo-liberals. They have tried several times in recent years but the irony is that each time it has been defeated by residents in wealthier suburbs who use a lot of water to irrigate their gardens and who would be stuck with high water bills.
This new proposal is designed to get around the opposition from the wealthy by giving them extra allocations of water and loading the costs of the policy onto large low-income families.
It’s a classic case of “disaster capitalism” – using the Covid 19 pandemic to push a despicable, unethical policy which favours the rich.
The councillor speaking out in favour of this policy today, Sara Templeton, was first elected to council with a Green Party endorsement. Go figure.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
It’s less surprising to see the mayor promoting this, despite the fact she never raised it during the election campaign, because Lianne Dalziel has spent her entire political career promoting neo-liberalism as a former Labour government minister.
We have to stop this policy in its tracks.


thedailyblog--2020-06-05--The cancer of racism is bad for all of us

I often get caught by surprise at the depth of racism in our society .
At the same time we see so many generous acts of solidarity and support regardless of race .
As a young man I was somewhat infected by a belief that things would always get better .
That seemed true for living standards and democratic rights for the 1960s and 1970s and continued into the 1980s .
Racism appeared to be challenged , women ’ s rights being advanced , gay rights would inevitably follow .
The Springbok Tour and its aftermath appeared to shatter the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Muldoon led National Government .
Maori in particular seemed on the march .
The Land march in 1975 , Bastion Point and Raglan occupations , the Hikoi to Waitangi .
But that progress has been reversed in many real respects or given a conservative twist as the establishment opened the doors to some Maori while excluding the vast majority from the fruits of its “ civilisation ” .
In the last few decades working people as a whole have been pushed backwards .
Levels of poverty have doubled from 10-20 % of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poverty rates are nearer 25 % of all children .
Unemployment rates of 5 % are considered a “ success ” when the rate was virtually zero for most of the half century from 1935-85 .
At the same time Maori and Pacific unemployment rates are more than double those of workers who are Pakeha .
Paying a miserly billion dollars over a 20 year period to “ settle ” all outstanding claims is a joke .
The loss by Maori in real terms is many hundreds of times that figure .
$ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % of this years government expenditure .
Over the 20 year period since it began it would equal 0.1 % or less .
Maori were victims of a colonial holocaust that sought to extinguish them as a people with their own land , language and culture .
But Maori refused to go away .
The system that was established by the colonial settler state also found it useful to have Maori as a cheap , reserve agricultural labour force .
After world war two Maori and Pacific workers joined the new factories of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ factories and jobs were destroyed again in the 1990s .
Out of exploitation and oppression a new resurgence of Maori emerged .
But racism remains real and pervasive .
A small but telling example was provided on Campbell Live recently when they got a Maori male and a Pakeha male to try and buy petrol from 5 pre-pay petrol stations .
Same clothes and car .
The result was infuriating but we knew it was coming .
The Maori was asked to pre-pay in 4 of the 5 stations .
The Pakeha was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 without pre-paying .
The daily humiliations and indignities like the petrol station episode are bad enough .
But then there is the institutionalised racism that sees Maori make up 50 % of the prison population but only 15 % of the general population .
Maori know why .
You are much more likely to be stopped on the street by a cop if you are Maori .
Once stopped you are then much more likely to be arrested for some reason .
You are then more likely to be charged and go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or diversion ) .
You are then more likely to be convicted .
You are then more likely to be given a custodial sentence rather than a fine or home detention .
The same ( but opposite ) is true for the health system .
Rather than more attention you get less .
For example – Maori males are much more likely to suffer heart disease but get treated at a rate that is far less than the prevalence of the disease would indicate .
Capitalism has an extraordinary ability to use each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unequal treatment ( and of course pay ) .
Insofar as working people accept the prejudices used to justify this inequality they do themselves a disservice .
I do not mean that workers who are white don ’ t get a “ better ” deal than workers who are brown .
That is a fact in life .
I have a “ better ” chance of getting a job .
I have a “ better ” chance of being given a flat .
But if I start thanking my boss or my landlord @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will end up on the wrong side of history .
But more than that even in the more short to medium term I believe we damage our own economic and social interests by thinking the privileges are worth “ protecting ” by siding with our masters against our fellow workers who are struggling against inequality .
It is not by sucking up to our “ betters ” that we move society forward .
It is only by unity and struggle by ordinary people against all reactionary ruling classes – including our modern-day capitalist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Only struggle progressively brought the working day down from 12 to 10 and then eight hours .
And it is our failure to struggle that has seen the working day put back to 12 or more for many workers while many others can ’ t even get 8 hours work .
Only struggle forced a welfare state to be established .
Only struggle gave the right to vote to women .
The reason we are going backwards today is because the union movement ( and the broader labour movement ) was housebroken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1990s ) even became an instrument for our enemies .
Demoralised and disoriented we often fell into the trap of blaming someone easily at hand for the trouble we faced rather than the system .
We are not taught to think in class terms by our education system and never will be .
It has to be learn ’ t through struggle .
If we can ’ t see who is profiting from unemployment , recession , slashing wages , and cutting welfare – the ruling rich- then we will fall for what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ common sense ” that if I don ’ t have a job it was taken by an immigrant .
It seems “ common sense ” that If my kid can ’ t get into University it is because someone else ( maybe a Maori on a Ngai Tahu scholarship ) who got there ahead of my child .
Why does the Maori kid have “ more rights ” than my kid I am encouraged to ask .
While I am blaming someone else for my problem I am treating it as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a job or my kid has missed the education he deserves .
It may be because someone else has a “ unfair ” advantage but it is still personal problem .
I aren ’ t blaming “ the system ” .
Where this leads is demonstrated by the position of working people who are white in the southern United States and occupied Northern Ireland .
The poorest sections of the working class of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is that situated in the North of Ireland .
One section is Catholic and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which is Protestant .
They are both in that abysmal situation because the working class which is Protestant thanks that defending its “ privileges ” over it Papist enemy means it must support the British imperial order and its state rather than fight together with the even poorer Catholic neighbours against the rotten system that is condemning them both .
Imperialism ’ s ability to cut off this northern enclave also held back progress for the liberated southern part of the island .
The same has been true in the Unites States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets $ 20 an hour under a union contract .
A worker in Mississippi and other “ right to work ” states in the southern USA is lucky to get $ 5 an hour and no union representation .
The reason for the difference was a system of racial separation and terror that was allowed to be established in the South after the defeat of the slave holders in the civil war .
In the process chances of interracial unity and struggle was set back for generations .
With adult male suffrage after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blacks and a similar number of poor whites registered for the elections .
Prior to the Civil War , landowners were the only social group who had the privilege to vote , excluding the majority of poor , landless whites from active political participation .
Freed slaves and poor whites cooperated in establishing radical regimes in the South that began to pass laws in favour of labour rights , free public education , hospitals , roads and modest welfare measures .
These regimes were eventually overthrown by force once federal troops were withdrawn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a terrorist militia to enforce racial segregation .
It is this legacy that still lives in the continuing inability of the US trade union movement to ever establish itself as a serious presence in the former slaveholding states in the South .
The overthrow of radical reconstruction was a gigantic defeat for Black people in the USA but it was also the biggest defeat suffered by the US workers movement and has crippled or restricted its progress ever since .
The left has to take these prejudiced views seriously .
They are wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Genetics has confirmed we are all essentially the same .
Ignoring prejudices however will not make them go away .
But we can only really defeat them when we are struggling together .
It ’ s hard to hold a grudge against the Maori , Islander , Immigrant or “ welfare cheat ” : who is holding a placard beside you on the picket line and getting battened by the same copper who is battening you .
But if we don ’ t struggle then the cancer will keep eating away at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human character – solidarity .
It is solidarity that will lead us out of this dog eat dog system that is capitalism .
It is solidarity that will bring an end to the shallow , mean , selfish morality that goes with capitalism .
It is solidarity that will recreate a value system that sees everyone as a human being of worth and value that should be treasured until they have met their full potential .
But if the human and social organism is not nourished by solidarity then cancerous mutations – fascism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerge victorious .

I often get caught by surprise at the depth of racism in our society.
At the same time we see so many generous acts of solidarity and support regardless of race.
As a young man I was somewhat infected by a belief that things would always get better. That seemed true for living standards and democratic rights for the 1960s and 1970s and continued into the 1980s. Racism appeared to be challenged, women’s rights being advanced, gay rights would inevitably follow.
The Springbok Tour and its aftermath appeared to shatter the crusty old colonial racism of the then Muldoon led National Government.
Maori in particular seemed on the march. The Land march in 1975, Bastion Point and Raglan occupations, the Hikoi to Waitangi.
But that progress has been reversed in many real respects or given a conservative twist as the establishment opened the doors to some Maori while excluding the vast majority from the fruits of its “civilisation”.
In the last few decades working people as a whole have been pushed backwards. Levels of poverty have doubled from 10-20% of the population using a consistent measure. Child poverty rates are nearer 25% of all children. Unemployment rates of 5% are considered a “success” when the rate was virtually zero for most of the half century from 1935-85.
At the same time Maori and Pacific unemployment rates are more than double those of workers who are Pakeha.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Paying a miserly billion dollars over a 20 year period to “settle” all outstanding claims is a joke. The loss by Maori in real terms is many hundreds of times that figure. $1 billion is a little over 1% of this years government expenditure. Over the 20 year period since it began it would equal 0.1% or less.
Maori were victims of a colonial holocaust that sought to extinguish them as a people with their own land, language and culture. But Maori refused to go away.
The system that was established by the colonial settler state also found it useful to have Maori as a cheap, reserve agricultural labour force. After world war two Maori and Pacific workers joined the new factories of South Auckland and Porirua – before those factories and jobs were destroyed again in the 1990s. Out of exploitation and oppression a new resurgence of Maori emerged.
But racism remains real and pervasive. A small but telling example was provided on Campbell Live recently when they got a Maori male and a Pakeha male to try and buy petrol from 5 pre-pay petrol stations. Same clothes and car. The result was infuriating but we knew it was coming. The Maori was asked to pre-pay in 4 of the 5 stations. The Pakeha was allowed to fill their car at all 5 without pre-paying.
The daily humiliations and indignities like the petrol station episode are bad enough.
But then there is the institutionalised racism that sees Maori make up 50% of the prison population but only 15% of the general population. Maori know why.
You are much more likely to be stopped on the street by a cop if you are Maori. Once stopped you are then much more likely to be arrested for some reason. You are then more likely to be charged and go to court (rather than a warning or diversion). You are then more likely to be convicted. You are then more likely to be given a custodial sentence rather than a fine or home detention.
The cumulative impact is obvious.
The same (but opposite) is true for the health system. Rather than more attention you get less. For example – Maori males are much more likely to suffer heart disease but get treated at a rate that is far less than the prevalence of the disease would indicate.
Capitalism has an extraordinary ability to use each and every difference between people to justify unequal treatment (and of course pay).
Insofar as working people accept the prejudices used to justify this inequality they do themselves a disservice.
I do not mean that workers who are white don’t get a “better” deal than workers who are brown. That is a fact in life. I have a “better” chance of getting a job. I have a “better” chance of being given a flat. But if I start thanking my boss or my landlord for my good fortune in life I will end up on the wrong side of history. But more than that even in the more short to medium term I believe we damage our own economic and social interests by thinking the privileges are worth “protecting” by siding with our masters against our fellow workers who are struggling against inequality.
It is not by sucking up to our “betters” that we move society forward. It is only by unity and struggle by ordinary people against all reactionary ruling classes – including our modern-day capitalist ones that social progress has been made. Only struggle progressively brought the working day down from 12 to 10 and then eight hours. And it is our failure to struggle that has seen the working day put back to 12 or more for many workers while many others can’t even get 8 hours work. Only struggle forced a welfare state to be established. Only struggle gave the right to vote to women.
The reason we are going backwards today is because the union movement (and the broader labour movement) was housebroken. Our party (Labour in the 1990s) even became an instrument for our enemies. Demoralised and disoriented we often fell into the trap of blaming someone easily at hand for the trouble we faced rather than the system.
We are not taught to think in class terms by our education system and never will be. It has to be learn’t through struggle. If we can’t see who is profiting from unemployment, recession, slashing wages, and cutting welfare – the ruling rich- then we will fall for what seems “common sense.”
It seems “common sense” that if I don’t have a job it was taken by an immigrant. It seems “common sense” that If my kid can’t get into University it is because someone else (maybe a Maori on a Ngai Tahu scholarship) who got there ahead of my child. Why does the Maori kid have “more rights” than my kid I am encouraged to ask.
While I am blaming someone else for my problem I am treating it as a personal failure that I don’t have a job or my kid has missed the education he deserves. It may be because someone else has a “unfair” advantage but it is still personal problem. I aren’t blaming “the system”.
Where this leads is demonstrated by the position of working people who are white in the southern United States and occupied Northern Ireland.
The poorest sections of the working class of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is that situated in the North of Ireland. One section is Catholic and is marginally poorer than the other section which is Protestant. They are both in that abysmal situation because the working class which is Protestant thanks that defending its “privileges” over it Papist enemy means it must support the British imperial order and its state rather than fight together with the even poorer Catholic neighbours against the rotten system that is condemning them both. Imperialism’s ability to cut off this northern enclave also held back progress for the liberated southern part of the island.
The same has been true in the Unites States. A hotel housekeeper in New York state gets $20 an hour under a union contract. A worker in Mississippi and other “right to work” states in the southern USA is lucky to get $5 an hour and no union representation.
The reason for the difference was a system of racial separation and terror that was allowed to be established in the South after the defeat of the slave holders in the civil war. In the process chances of interracial unity and struggle was set back for generations.
With adult male suffrage after the Civil War hundreds of thousands of blacks and a similar number of poor whites registered for the elections. Prior to the Civil War, landowners were the only social group who had the privilege to vote, excluding the majority of poor, landless whites from active political participation. Freed slaves and poor whites cooperated in establishing radical regimes in the South that began to pass laws in favour of labour rights, free public education, hospitals, roads and modest welfare measures. These regimes were eventually overthrown by force once federal troops were withdrawn and the Klu Klux Klan established as a terrorist militia to enforce racial segregation. It is this legacy that still lives in the continuing inability of the US trade union movement to ever establish itself as a serious presence in the former slaveholding states in the South.
The overthrow of radical reconstruction was a gigantic defeat for Black people in the USA but it was also the biggest defeat suffered by the US workers movement and has crippled or restricted its progress ever since.
The left has to take these prejudiced views seriously. They are wrong. They can be refuted with facts. Genetics has confirmed we are all essentially the same. Ignoring prejudices however will not make them go away.
But we can only really defeat them when we are struggling together. It’s hard to hold a grudge against the Maori, Islander, Immigrant or “welfare cheat”: who is holding a placard beside you on the picket line and getting battened by the same copper who is battening you. But if we don’t struggle then the cancer will keep eating away at what I believe is our more fundamental human character – solidarity.
It is solidarity that will lead us out of this dog eat dog system that is capitalism. It is solidarity that will bring an end to the shallow, mean, selfish morality that goes with capitalism. It is solidarity that will recreate a value system that sees everyone as a human being of worth and value that should be treasured until they have met their full potential.
But if the human and social organism is not nourished by solidarity then cancerous mutations – fascism being the worst historical example – can emerge victorious.


thedailyblog--2020-06-07--Toxic US politics, a brutal killing and the messengers become the target

Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd ’ s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week .
The Boston Globe ’ s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “ Make America Great Again ” and a Covid Is A Hoax tee-short dangling his face mask while declaring : “ You ’ re violating my freedom – I can ’ t breathe ” .
On the other side of the frame is the accused policeman with his knee on Floyd ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You ’ re violating my freedom … I … can ’ t breathe !
” READ MORE : US press freedom tracker records more than 300 incidents against journalists in the George Floyd protests An unnamed Greek cartoonist shared by Elena Akrita showed the Statue of Liberty bearing the flame of freedom while extinguishing a life with a jackboot .
At the other end of the globe , in the South Pacific , New Zealand Herald ’ s Rod Emmerson depicted President Trump holding aloft a petrol can in his right hand instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the legend : In God We Trust : In Trump We Just Shake Our Heads .
His speech bubble says : “ I ’ m completely out of my depth , and I ’ m not afraid to prove it.
” The disturbing week led the Herald to play on the infamous callousness of Emperor Nero as Rome burned with a digital update in its editorial : “ Trump tweets while his country burns.
” ( The online version of the heading was much milder ) .
‘ Darkest time for America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now more diverse than ever , yet America ’ s racial problems are deep-seated and there is a palpable impatience with incremental change , ” lamented the Herald .
“ It is probably the darkest time for America since 1968 when , amid the Vietnam War , Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated , riots rocked the country , and Richard Nixon was elected.
” Amid the chaos , the savage treatment being meted out to the messengers was also unprecedented , with many media freedom watchdogs and news organisations condemning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most dramatic incidents was the arrest and handcuffing of a CNN news correspondent and his crew in Minneapolis – captured live on television – with the black reporter pleading what he had done to “ deserve ” being detained .
It was an outrageous violation of human rights and the US First Amendment .
CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were freed an hour later with a police apology but the harm had been done right in front of a global audience .
As he told a journalism colleague , his mother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manhandled him .
And because he hadn ’ t been charged with anything there was no record of where he had been taken .
Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) condemned this and many other attacks in the strongest possible terms and called for immediate measures to protect journalists .
Trump ’ s ‘ demonisation ’ of media It also blamed President Trump for his “ demonisation ” of the media for the attacks .
“ Protests in at least 30 cities across the US following the police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violent attacks from police and protesters alike against journalists , ” RSF stated .
“ Dozens of incidents have been reported so far , ranging from threats to serious physical assaults.
” At the time of a public statement on June 1 , RSF said at least 68 incidents had been documented of attacks by police and protesters on media .
Since then the US Press Freedom Tracker has recorded at least 300 incidents against journalists , including 44 attacks , 19 arrests , 17 case of damaged equipment and four examples of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been shot by rubber bullets and pepper balls , exposed to tear gas and pepper spray , beaten , threatened and intimidated and had their news vehicles vandalised , simply for doing their jobs , ” said RSF .
“ President Trump ’ s demonisation of the media for years has now come to fruition , with both the police and protesters targeting clearly identified journalists with violence and arrests , ” said RSF ’ s secretary-general Christophe Deloire .
“ It has long been obvious that this demonisation would lead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the consequences of this blatant hostility towards the media , and we are now witnessing an unprecedented outbreak of violence against journalists in the US .
“ RSF calls on all US authorities to ensure the full protection of journalists and honor the country ’ s founding principles in respecting press freedom.
” Among serious attacks Among the most serious attacks cited by RSF and circulated by Pacific Media Watch : • “ In Minneapolis , Linda Tirado , was left permanently blind in one eye after being struck by what she believes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officers as she photographed protests .
• “ In Pittsburgh , Ian Smith – a photojournalist for KDKA TV – posted to Twitter that he had been “ attacked by protestors downtown by the arena .
They stomped and kicked me .
I ’ m bruised and bloody but alive .
My camera was destroyed .
Another group of protesters pulled me out and saved my life.
” • “ In Phoenix , CBS reporter Briana Whitney was tackled live on air as a protester made a grab for her microphone .
• @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News reporter Leland Vittert and his crew were punched , hit by projectiles , and chased by protesters who had gathered outside the White House .
• “ In Minneapolis , Australian 9News US correspondent Tim Arvier was detained by police at gunpoint.
” In some “ fresh horrors ” reported by the independent Australian media website Crikey : • “ Austin police have shot three protesters with “ less lethal ” ammunition .
These protesters included a pregnant woman , who was shot in the abdomen , and a man currently in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deployed pepper spray and fireworks on a crowd in what ended up looking like a war zone .
Arkansas police were filmed doing much to the same to kneeling protesters .
• “ Military helicopters were filmed by a New York Times journalist flying low enough around DC to kick up dust and break tree branches.
” Down Under rallies Crikey also reported that “ on the home front ” , the ABC had reported that NSW police were investigating an officer after he was filmed “ kicking the legs out of an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes as Nine reports that over a thousand people marched in Sydney last night ahead of even more protests this weekend , while CNN lists a number of other solidarity protests across countries , including New Zealand , England , Mexico , Syria and more .
However , the week has ended with some media good news after the covid-19 shakedown and huge loss of jobs in both Australia and New Zealand – AAP Newswire has been saved at the 11th hour with a promised buy-out by a group of investors and philanthropists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Peter Tonagh .
Between 75 and 90 jobs may be saved as a result .
As the Australian media union MEAA says , the proposed purchase is a “ crucial recognition ” of the role AAP plays in the Australian – and Pacific – media ecosystem .
• RSF and 13 other groups call on US governors and mayors to ensure safety of journalists

PACIFIC PANDEMIC DIARY: David Robie also blogs at Cafe Pacific
Three cartoonists had especially poignant takes on the tragic and toxic political aftermath of martyr George Floyd’s brutal killing under the knee of a white American policeman in Minneapolis last week.
The Boston Globe’s Christopher Weyant featured a split frame contrasting a red-capped “Make America Great Again” and a Covid Is A Hoax tee-short dangling his face mask while declaring: “You’re violating my freedom – I can’t breathe”.
On the other side of the frame is the accused policeman with his knee on Floyd’s neck as he gasps: “You’re violating my freedom … I … can’t breathe!”
READ MORE: US press freedom tracker records more than 300 incidents against journalists in the George Floyd protests
An unnamed Greek cartoonist shared by Elena Akrita showed the Statue of Liberty bearing the flame of freedom while extinguishing a life with a jackboot.
At the other end of the globe, in the South Pacific, New Zealand Herald’s Rod Emmerson depicted President Trump holding aloft a petrol can in his right hand instead of the Bible. In the background is the legend: In God We Trust: In Trump We Just Shake Our Heads.
His speech bubble says: “I’m completely out of my depth, and I’m not afraid to prove it.”
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
The disturbing week led the Herald to play on the infamous callousness of Emperor Nero as Rome burned with a digital update in its editorial: “Trump tweets while his country burns.” (The online version of the heading was much milder).
‘Darkest time for America’
“City and police officials are now more diverse than ever, yet America’s racial problems are deep-seated and there is a palpable impatience with incremental change,” lamented the Herald.
“It is probably the darkest time for America since 1968 when, amid the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, riots rocked the country, and Richard Nixon was elected.”
Amid the chaos, the savage treatment being meted out to the messengers was also unprecedented, with many media freedom watchdogs and news organisations condemning the attacks on reporters.
Among the most dramatic incidents was the arrest and handcuffing of a CNN news correspondent and his crew in Minneapolis – captured live on television – with the black reporter pleading what he had done to “deserve” being detained. It was an outrageous violation of human rights and the US First Amendment.
CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were freed an hour later with a police apology but the harm had been done right in front of a global audience.
As he told a journalism colleague, his mother and grandmother were watching as the police manhandled him. And because he hadn’t been charged with anything there was no record of where he had been taken.
Paris-based global media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned this and many other attacks in the strongest possible terms and called for immediate measures to protect journalists.
Trump’s ‘demonisation’ of media
It also blamed President Trump for his “demonisation” of the media for the attacks.
“Protests in at least 30 cities across the US following the police killing of George Floyd have resulted in violent attacks from police and protesters alike against journalists,” RSF stated. “Dozens of incidents have been reported so far, ranging from threats to serious physical assaults.”
At the time of a public statement on June 1, RSF said at least 68 incidents had been documented of attacks by police and protesters on media. Since then the US Press Freedom Tracker has recorded at least 300 incidents against journalists, including 44 attacks, 19 arrests, 17 case of damaged equipment and four examples of searched or seized equipment.
“They have been shot by rubber bullets and pepper balls, exposed to tear gas and pepper spray, beaten, threatened and intimidated and had their news vehicles vandalised, simply for doing their jobs,” said RSF.
“President Trump’s demonisation of the media for years has now come to fruition, with both the police and protesters targeting clearly identified journalists with violence and arrests,” said RSF’s secretary-general Christophe Deloire.
“It has long been obvious that this demonisation would lead to physical violence. RSF has warned about the consequences of this blatant hostility towards the media, and we are now witnessing an unprecedented outbreak of violence against journalists in the US.
“RSF calls on all US authorities to ensure the full protection of journalists and honor the country’s founding principles in respecting press freedom.”
Among serious attacks
Among the most serious attacks cited by RSF and circulated by Pacific Media Watch:
“In Minneapolis, Linda Tirado, was left permanently blind in one eye after being struck by what she believes was a rubber bullet fired by police officers as she photographed protests.
“In Pittsburgh, Ian Smith – a photojournalist for KDKA TV – posted to Twitter that he had been “attacked by protestors downtown by the arena. They stomped and kicked me. I’m bruised and bloody but alive. My camera was destroyed. Another group of protesters pulled me out and saved my life.”
“In Phoenix, CBS reporter Briana Whitney was tackled live on air as a protester made a grab for her microphone.
“In Washington, D.C., Fox News reporter Leland Vittert and his crew were punched, hit by projectiles, and chased by protesters who had gathered outside the White House.
“In Minneapolis, Australian 9News US correspondent Tim Arvier was detained by police at gunpoint.”
In some “fresh horrors” reported by the independent Australian media website Crikey:
Down Under rallies
Crikey also reported that “on the home front”, the ABC had reported that NSW police were investigating an officer after he was filmed “kicking the legs out of an Indigenous teenager”.
“The news comes as Nine reports that over a thousand people marched in Sydney last night ahead of even more protests this weekend, while CNN lists a number of other solidarity protests across countries, including New Zealand, England, Mexico, Syria and more.
“Just remember to wear your covid-19 masks, comrades!”
However, the week has ended with some media good news after the covid-19 shakedown and huge loss of jobs in both Australia and New Zealand – AAP Newswire has been saved at the 11th hour with a promised buy-out by a group of investors and philanthropists headed by former News Corp chief executive Peter Tonagh. Between 75 and 90 jobs may be saved as a result.
As the Australian media union MEAA says, the proposed purchase is a “crucial recognition” of the role AAP plays in the Australian – and Pacific – media ecosystem.


thedailyblog--2020-06-08--The Cost Of Compromise

The Cost Of Compromise

IF THE GREENS are to survive 19 September , they ’ ll need to draw inspiration from – of all people – the Nazis .
Preposterous ?
Only if you refuse to understand that both the national-socialist and green movements have at their core an unwavering conviction that if they fail , then everything they hold dear will be lost .
What separates the Greens from the Nazis is , of course , what they hold dear .
Hitler and his followers were fighting for a myth – the German volk .
The Greens are fighting for the survival of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But what sort of inspiration could possibly be drawn from the political tactics of the most evil political party in human history ?
The answer can be summed-up in a single word : compromise .
If you believe yourself to be in the midst of an existential struggle ; and that every day which fails to bring you closer to absolute victory brings you one day closer to absolute defeat ; then compromise isn ’ t just ill-advised , it ’ s morally indefensible .
The goal must be power .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ power alone .
Power that can be wielded without reference to anybody else .
Absolute victory – the salvation of the biosphere – can only be secured by winning absolute power .
This was Adolf Hitler ’ s crucial insight .
He looked at the Weimar Republic , with its pure system of proportional representation , its multitude of competing parties , its fragile and ineffectual coalitions , and he bet his entire movement on the German electorate growing increasingly impatient with the political paralysis in Berlin .
For a few years , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Great Depression in late-1929 , it looked as though he would lose his bet .
But the collapse of the German economy , the descent of millions into poverty and despair , and the complete failure of “ democratic ” politics to meet the crisis , saw the Nazi ’ s share of the vote skyrocket .
Hitler ’ s contemporaries expected him to do what any other party leader would do in the face of such unanticipated electoral success : cut a deal .
But the Nazi leader wasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enter into a coalition with the very parties who had proved themselves so incapable of doing anything to alleviate Germany ’ s suffering ?
Openly contemptuous of his electoral rivals , he didn ’ t promise to work with them , he promised to abolish them .
Only one party , he said , could rescue Germany : the National Socialist German Workers Party .
It would govern alone , or it would not govern at all .
As conditions in Germany grew steadily worse , and as the political centre crumbled and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearer to the state bureaucracy , the army and the large capitalists , that if the Nazis were not given what they wanted , then an increasingly desperate German electorate would shift its support to the Communist Party .
Rather than make a red revolution inevitable , the powers-that-be made a brown revolution possible .
On 30 January 1933 , Hitler was appointed Chancellor .
Within six months his National Socialists were wielding absolute power .
It was given to them to save Germany , but tragically they came close to destroying it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fanatical pursuit of racial purity was colossal and its ultimate failure inevitable .
Why ?
Because the German volk wasn ’ t real .
But anthropogenic global warming – climate change – is very real .
And every day that is lost to compromise and drift does indeed bring global ecological catastrophe closer .
Whether they are willing to admit it or not , everything human-beings hold dear is at risk of being overwhelmed by a disaster greater than any which has hitherto confronted human civilisation .
To avert this impending global @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A global movement which absolutely refuses to compromise with the political , bureaucratic and corporate entities whose failure to take decisive action to combat climate change imperils human survival – along with that of just about every other life form on the planet .
The leaders of green parties around the world have largely chosen to turn their faces from this most urgent of political priorities .
Rather than take a bet on the peoples of the world growing increasingly willing to throw their support behind an uncompromising international movement dedicated to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Green New Deal ” to redirect the world economy away from fossil fuels and exploitative industrial production , these green leaders have opted to “ do a deal ” .
They have joined hands with the very people who created the crisis and who have consistently declined to end it .
New Zealand ’ s Green Party has proved to be no exception in this respect .
Its co-leader , James Shaw , not only refuses to bet on the people coming round to the need for urgent and ruthless change , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” to the point where any attempt to draw a line in the sand is met with a rolling of eyes and statements like : “ Finding the path of least resistance .
There ’ s that horrendous phrase about politics being the art of the possible , which can be read two ways .
“ You can do things , it ’ s a really expansive notion .
And there are some moments where we have changed things .
“ And then there are others where you can only do what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experience is being able to live in both those worlds at the same time.
” Unfortunately for Shaw , humanity has only one world to live in , and it is running out of time .
As the climate crisis deepens , and the failure of democratic politics to adequately address the need for radical change opens the way for more uncompromising parties , the politicians who continue to throw in their lot with the problem , rather than the solution , will be swept aside .
For Shaw and his increasingly irresolute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unnerving speed .
Over the past three years , all the voters have received from the New Zealand Greens are pallid non-solutions .
These , the fruit of the party ’ s craven unwillingness to call Labour and NZ First ’ s bluff , have been justified as the best outcomes available from a dispiriting range of “ realistic ” options .
Together , they have brought the Greens ’ nothing but a steadily declining share of the Party Vote .
Political “ realism ” is Labour ’ s brand .
If all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ choice between compromises of ever-decreasing effectiveness , then many Green supporters may elect to make no choice at all .
The only virtue to which the Nazis may lay claim is their willingness to risk everything for the opportunity to put their ideas to the test .
Their unwillingness to compromise with reason cost humanity dearly .
How supremely tragic ( and ironic ) it will be if the Greens ’ willingness to compromise with greed and selfishness ends up costing humanity everything it ’ s got .

IF THE GREENS are to survive 19 September, they’ll need to draw inspiration from – of all people – the Nazis. Preposterous? Only if you refuse to understand that both the national-socialist and green movements have at their core an unwavering conviction that if they fail, then everything they hold dear will be lost. What separates the Greens from the Nazis is, of course, what they hold dear. Hitler and his followers were fighting for a myth – the German volk. The Greens are fighting for the survival of a very real and very vulnerable biosphere.
But what sort of inspiration could possibly be drawn from the political tactics of the most evil political party in human history?
The answer can be summed-up in a single word: compromise. If you believe yourself to be in the midst of an existential struggle; and that every day which fails to bring you closer to absolute victory brings you one day closer to absolute defeat; then compromise isn’t just ill-advised, it’s morally indefensible. The goal must be power. Not power in combination with others, but power alone. Power that can be wielded without reference to anybody else. Absolute victory – the salvation of the biosphere – can only be secured by winning absolute power.
This was Adolf Hitler’s crucial insight. He looked at the Weimar Republic, with its pure system of proportional representation, its multitude of competing parties, its fragile and ineffectual coalitions, and he bet his entire movement on the German electorate growing increasingly impatient with the political paralysis in Berlin. For a few years, from the mid-1920s until the onset of the Great Depression in late-1929, it looked as though he would lose his bet. But the collapse of the German economy, the descent of millions into poverty and despair, and the complete failure of “democratic” politics to meet the crisis, saw the Nazi’s share of the vote skyrocket.
Hitler’s contemporaries expected him to do what any other party leader would do in the face of such unanticipated electoral success: cut a deal. But the Nazi leader wasn’t interested in deals. Why would he enter into a coalition with the very parties who had proved themselves so incapable of doing anything to alleviate Germany’s suffering? Openly contemptuous of his electoral rivals, he didn’t promise to work with them, he promised to abolish them. Only one party, he said, could rescue Germany: the National Socialist German Workers Party. It would govern alone, or it would not govern at all.
As conditions in Germany grew steadily worse, and as the political centre crumbled and fell apart, it became clearer and clearer to the state bureaucracy, the army and the large capitalists, that if the Nazis were not given what they wanted, then an increasingly desperate German electorate would shift its support to the Communist Party. Rather than make a red revolution inevitable, the powers-that-be made a brown revolution possible. On 30 January 1933, Hitler was appointed Chancellor. Within six months his National Socialists were wielding absolute power. It was given to them to save Germany, but tragically they came close to destroying it. The human cost of Nazism’s fanatical pursuit of racial purity was colossal and its ultimate failure inevitable. Why? Because the German volk wasn’t real.
But anthropogenic global warming – climate change – is very real. And every day that is lost to compromise and drift does indeed bring global ecological catastrophe closer. Whether they are willing to admit it or not, everything human-beings hold dear is at risk of being overwhelmed by a disaster greater than any which has hitherto confronted human civilisation. To avert this impending global tragedy an international political movement is required. A global movement which absolutely refuses to compromise with the political, bureaucratic and corporate entities whose failure to take decisive action to combat climate change imperils human survival – along with that of just about every other life form on the planet.
The leaders of green parties around the world have largely chosen to turn their faces from this most urgent of political priorities. Rather than take a bet on the peoples of the world growing increasingly willing to throw their support behind an uncompromising international movement dedicated to radically reducing greenhouse emissions and implementing a “Green New Deal” to redirect the world economy away from fossil fuels and exploitative industrial production, these green leaders have opted to “do a deal”. They have joined hands with the very people who created the crisis and who have consistently declined to end it.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
New Zealand’s Green Party has proved to be no exception in this respect. Its co-leader, James Shaw, not only refuses to bet on the people coming round to the need for urgent and ruthless change, but he has also fetishized “compromise” to the point where any attempt to draw a line in the sand is met with a rolling of eyes and statements like:
“Finding the path of least resistance. There’s that horrendous phrase about politics being the art of the possible, which can be read two ways.
“You can do things, it’s a really expansive notion. And there are some moments where we have changed things.
“And then there are others where you can only do what is possible. Maybe moving from naivety to experience is being able to live in both those worlds at the same time.”
Unfortunately for Shaw, humanity has only one world to live in, and it is running out of time. As the climate crisis deepens, and the failure of democratic politics to adequately address the need for radical change opens the way for more uncompromising parties, the politicians who continue to throw in their lot with the problem, rather than the solution, will be swept aside. For Shaw and his increasingly irresolute colleagues the electoral broom is approaching with unnerving speed.
Over the past three years, all the voters have received from the New Zealand Greens are pallid non-solutions. These, the fruit of the party’s craven unwillingness to call Labour and NZ First’s bluff, have been justified as the best outcomes available from a dispiriting range of “realistic” options. Together, they have brought the Greens’ nothing but a steadily declining share of the Party Vote. Political “realism” is Labour’s brand. If all they are offered in September is a choice between compromises of ever-decreasing effectiveness, then many Green supporters may elect to make no choice at all.
The only virtue to which the Nazis may lay claim is their willingness to risk everything for the opportunity to put their ideas to the test. Their unwillingness to compromise with reason cost humanity dearly. How supremely tragic (and ironic) it will be if the Greens’ willingness to compromise with greed and selfishness ends up costing humanity everything it’s got.


thedailyblog--2020-06-08--A Tsunami of layoffs will happen – the government must respond

Working people in Aotearoa New Zealand will be hit by a Tsunami of layoffs over the next few months like has never been seen before in this country .
Hundreds of thousands of workers who are currently part of the 1.7 million workers receiving a wage support payment from the government will be fired .
This will be the decision of businesses large and small .
The only workers who are safe for the moment are those employed by the central government and those in public health and education services .
The big companies Unite Union deals with in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the wage subsidy that is available from next week for businesses that have lost 40 % of their income .
This is true for the Casino with a 1000 layoffs , hotel chains ( MCK 1000 ) , and cinema chains ( 400 ) .
Big retail chains like Bunnings and the Warehouse are announcing massive redundancies .
This is being repeated across the entire economy .
Air NZ , a company with a majority government ownership , announced 4000 layoffs and have said they will probably need to sack 2000 more to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these companies are taking these steps to restore their profitability .
This is the nature of the economic system we live under – capitalism .
Capitalism is a dog-eat-dog system based on the pursuit of profit .
For private owners of capital , labour is only employed to enhance the profit of a particular enterprise or business .
If that labour is no longer needed it is discharged without a second thought .
Because it is a competitive system , capitalism must produce winners and losers .
Businesses that produce their goods in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advantage through higher profits .
They will be able to capture a bigger share of the market .
Eventually , there are too many goods being produced for the market and a crisis ensues that forces the closure of the excess capacity .
Losers will be taken over by winners at a cheap price .
Workers are simply tools in the process .
They can be replaced by machines at any point when that becomes more profitable .
They may be unlucky to be employed in businesses with too much labour and too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they are forced to close .
The workers will simply be tossed aside without a second thought no matter how many years of service they have given .
In New Zealand , , these workers can ’ t even access redundancy pay usually .
Capitalism also allows capitalists to accumulate vast wealth to be deployed across the globe in pursuit of the highest rate of profit .
For instance , new technology can be introduced that for a time is able to command a very high price for their goods and a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flow into these sectors until production and demand are more or less matched and only an average rate of profit can be expected .
Often the passing of one phase to another is accompanied by a crisis of overproduction that drives out the least efficient .
This has been true for the production of cellphones , for example over the last decade or so .
Capital operates in various forms .
We have industrial capital ( factories , mines ) , merchant capital ( transport , warehousing ) and finance capital ( banking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in all three spheres whilst others specialise in one of the other .
But profit is the sole motive .
Capital flows in search of profit and profit alone .
It does not search to create jobs , be environmentally friendly , promote health , education and welfare unless that aids the search for profit .
If a capitalist has a crisis of conscience about producing nuclear weapons or oil and wants to stop , they won ’ t shut down the oil well or bomb-making factory they will simply sell it at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another owner of capital to take on that painful duty .
Finance capital plays a central role in allowing expansion to occur through the provision and expansion of credit .
They are often in the background organising and disciplining this chaotic accumulation process .
For very small businesses like a restaurant , there will also be an element of personal commitment to the trade or profession .
But in the end , the presence or the absence of profit will decide its fate .
It is possible for society to make a choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by commodity production for profit or not .
Even when commodity production is dominant , like New Zealand , some sectors like education and health care can be done as a not-for-profit service .
In the United States , by contrast , health care and much of education remain in the for-profit sphere of commodity production and sale .
This is true even though , for the US , this makes the system vastly less efficient and cost-effective than a largely state-provided system as we have in New Zealand .
As a society @ @ @ @ @ @ @ run any sector we wanted as a publicly provided service .
Currently , we have three main cinema chains that compete with each other , for example .
If this industry was taken over by the government and run as a public service , we could ensure that all the blockbusters were shown , but also that every centre had a good range of documentaries , art films , a socially conscious cinema that is less profitable but is a necessary and useful part of our lives .
Breaking even in terms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ desperate search for more and more profit from the lowest common denominator film .
The cinema complexes could be part of a broader art and cultural centre in each town that gave access to communities to produce and perform their own film , music , dance other performing arts .
And , of course , workers in this industry could be paid a living wage and have the right to representation in management structures .
Each community centre could be part of a range of non-profit community services and be governed by an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than disempower them as at present .
Under capitalism , capitalists have no choice but to slash jobs during a crisis .
If the did not do that , they would lose access to credit and soon be forced out of business .
In a socialised economy that needs not be the case .
Cuba ’ s economy is largely state-owned .
Whatever criticisms people may have of Cuba , this allowed them to make choices to keep everyone employed , even if often only working nominally when the Soviet Union collapsed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Their economy declined by 25 % , rationing was imposed , but everyone was kept employed .
Foreign income to buy necessary goods was lost and real stress was imposed on Cuban society .
The US escalated its economic war to aggravate the hardship .
The average calorie intake declined significantly but no one starved .
Education and health services actually expanded .
Cuba became a medical superpower supplying thousands of doctors around the world whenever help was requested .
This includes doctors across many Pacific Islands and Timor in our own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people because they were able to do so .
Today they have been able to use that experience to combat and defeat the economic and health impacts of the Covid virus in a similar manner .
New Zealand does not have a socialist economy , but there are some immediate things we need to do to protect working people during this crisis .
The government can ’ t and won ’ t stop capitalists laying off workers .
It appears they won ’ t even do that to Air New Zealand which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of .
The Air NZ board chief executive just talks about sacking staff to return to profitability as soon as possible .
The most important first step form the government is to have a more generous system of income support for those already unemployed or being made unemployed as a consequence of the crisis .
Two tax-free Covid 19 Income Relief Payments have been established for those losing their jobs after March 1 .
This is a tax-free $ 490 a week payment for people working 30 or hours a week and $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
The pluses are that the payment is not affected by marital status if your partner earns less than $ 100,000 .
It is also tax-free so it does not eliminate access to the working for families payment of $ 75 a week which can ’ t be accessed by normal beneficiaries because it an “ In Work Tax Credit ” and you must work to get it .
It also applies to people regardless of age unlike the current benefit with a punitive and discriminatory reduction from $ 250 to $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were working less than 15 hours a week they have to apply for a normal unemployment benefit from WINZ with an after-tax value of $ 250 which is similar to the part-time rate for the new income support payment for those aged 25 plus .
Beneficiaries can also access the weekly winter energy payment of $ 40.91 for singles and $ 63.64 for couples .
This payment also goes to national superannuation recipients .
The government has attracted a lot of criticism , including from me , for creating two classes of beneficiary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 1 and after March 1 .
The level of support is radically higher for full-time workers and there are fewer sanctions for having a partner and they are able to access the working for families tax credit .
There is currently also the absurd situation that a person can lose the entire payment if the get any kind of work .
The government deserves credit for going fast to establish the income support systems for people in work to encourage all employers to maintain the employment relationship during the first stages of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1.7m workers were supported .
It was easily accessible and 12 weeks were paid upfront which assisted businesses with cash flow during the immediate seizing up of credit markets at the beginning of the crisis .
Unlike the USA , the UK and Australia the payments were also made accessible for workers on visas , self-employed and casual workers .
This was much fairer and comprehensive .
The new 12-week income support payment and the new wage subsidy for those with a 40 % loss of business , will end just at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on September 19 .
Come election day the whole society will be looking for the longer-term solutions , rather than temporary band-aids .
Hundreds of thousands of people will have lost lose their jobs and the support payment will be their only means of support .
In the first instance , we need a tax-free payment equal to the current full-time Covid Relief Payment of $ 490 a week available for all the unemployed .
This should remain an individual entitlement and be extended to current beneficiary recipients .
We need a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployed to get work or set up small businesses , become an artist or performer , or volunteer in some way .
Workers may choose to job share as well .
No one getting the new income support payment should lose any income until they are getting at least the living wage – currently $ 800 gross weekly or $ 650 net .
A tax-free threshold of $ 8500 would allow that to happen .
Those receiving a universal income payment should also have all additional income over $ 8500 taxed at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cents in the dollar , for example , and any additional benefit from the $ 490 universal payment would be eliminated once someone was earning $ 72,200 , which is a little above the average wage .
This could even be merged with the current national superannuation payment which is similar to the current tax-free payment of $ 490 once the energy supplement is included .
This new support system would have to be part of a more equitable tax system that targetted all forms of income not just wages .
Wealth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ be brought into the tax net .
We also need a strengthening of the public provision of services that are not under the thumb of a perpetual-growth for-profit commodity production system .
We need to radically expand the provision of health care and education and bring it all into the public sphere , including rest homes and preschool education which was effectively privatised in the past .
We need to empower communities to reconnect with each other and be given the resources needed to ensure no one is isolated , cold , hungry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , leisure , education and culture .
Tens of billions of dollars have been given to employers by the government to pass onto workers .
This has kept them in business when they may well have collapsed without that support as a consequence of the merging of a pandemic crisis with a normal cyclical capitalist crisis of overproduction that we see every decade or so .
A global cyclical crisis was unfolding already in late 2019 and early 2020 which was particularly affecting durable goods like automobiles which were already effectively in recession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mid-September 2019 in what is called the “ Repo market ” which required the US Federal Reserve to intervene on a massive scale .
When the Repo market freezes the system is in meltdown as it is saying that no capitalist is willing to trust another when making trades in a daily market worth trillions of dollars .
It happened again in March this year .
The Covid virus simply enveloped and accelerated the crisis .
It was at that point that the US Fed said it would spend trillions of dollars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ offer , including corporate debt for the first time , to keep the market liquid .
The gyrating stock market simply reflects the initial crisis , then the Federal Reserve ( and other Central Bank action almost everywhere in the world ) rescue and soon we will have a crisis again .
The shockwaves of this crisis have sent unemployment in the US to around 20 % of the workforce , the UK and European economies are nosediving , Japan is paralysed and Covid 19 remains uncontrolled in most of the world .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalist crisis on a scale as great or even greater than the Great Depression of the1930s when unemployment hit 25 % over some years in most major capitalist economies .
To support the radically reformed and more generous income support package , to have a more equitable tax system that targetted all forms of income not just wages .
Wealth , in particular , including accumulated wealth must be brought into the tax net .
We would also need to prioritise the provision of publicly provided services as of right including access to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ welfare agencies for the vulnerable , as well as access to cheap power , public transport and state housing .
If private for-profit businesses collapse their assets should be taken over by the state without compensation and repurposed where possible for socially useful and necessary services or goods .
We don ’ t need any more rescues without guarantees around workers ’ rights and pay and radical curbs on executive and shareholder compensation in the future .
The state should also step in with the provision of work directly in socially useful transformative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exploit either labour or the planet for private profit .
We need a Green New Deal that puts people before profit .
This would include a government guarantee of the right to a job for a living wage for everyone who wants one .
The government has almost boxed itself into a position where the need to have a universal income support system ready for an announcement before the election on becomes obvious to everyone .
All the current support systems are due to expire around that time .
By then the current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 20 percent of the working population .
Timidity and half measures on the big questions around climate change , employment and income inequality will no longer be acceptable .

Working people in Aotearoa New Zealand will be hit by a Tsunami of layoffs over the next few months like has never been seen before in this country.
Hundreds of thousands of workers who are currently part of the 1.7 million workers receiving a wage support payment from the government will be fired.
This will be the decision of businesses large and small.
The only workers who are safe for the moment are those employed by the central government and those in public health and education services.
The big companies Unite Union deals with in the hospitality sector are refusing to apply for the wage subsidy that is available from next week for businesses that have lost 40% of their income. This is true for the Casino with a 1000 layoffs, hotel chains (MCK 1000), and cinema chains (400). Big retail chains like Bunnings and the Warehouse are announcing massive redundancies.
This is being repeated across the entire economy. Air NZ, a company with a majority government ownership, announced 4000 layoffs and have said they will probably need to sack 2000 more to reduce their size in half. It expects tom return to profitability in only two years. No thought is given to whether New Zealand even wants a climate and job destroying airline carrying 13 million passengers in two years in order to achieve that goal.
All these companies are taking these steps to restore their profitability. This is the nature of the economic system we live under – capitalism.
Capitalism is a dog-eat-dog system based on the pursuit of profit. For private owners of capital, labour is only employed to enhance the profit of a particular enterprise or business. If that labour is no longer needed it is discharged without a second thought.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Because it is a competitive system, capitalism must produce winners and losers. Businesses that produce their goods in the cheapest way possible will get an advantage through higher profits. They will be able to capture a bigger share of the market. Eventually, there are too many goods being produced for the market and a crisis ensues that forces the closure of the excess capacity. Losers will be taken over by winners at a cheap price.
Workers are simply tools in the process. They can be replaced by machines at any point when that becomes more profitable. They may be unlucky to be employed in businesses with too much labour and too much capacity for the current market and they are forced to close. The workers will simply be tossed aside without a second thought no matter how many years of service they have given. In New Zealand,, these workers can’t even access redundancy pay usually.
Capitalism also allows capitalists to accumulate vast wealth to be deployed across the globe in pursuit of the highest rate of profit. For instance, new technology can be introduced that for a time is able to command a very high price for their goods and a very high rate of profit. Capital will flow into these sectors until production and demand are more or less matched and only an average rate of profit can be expected. Often the passing of one phase to another is accompanied by a crisis of overproduction that drives out the least efficient. This has been true for the production of cellphones, for example over the last decade or so.
Capital operates in various forms. We have industrial capital (factories, mines), merchant capital (transport, warehousing) and finance capital (banking, insurance). Some capitalists operate in all three spheres whilst others specialise in one of the other. But profit is the sole motive.
Capital flows in search of profit and profit alone. It does not search to create jobs, be environmentally friendly, promote health, education and welfare unless that aids the search for profit. If a capitalist has a crisis of conscience about producing nuclear weapons or oil and wants to stop, they won’t shut down the oil well or bomb-making factory they will simply sell it at the best price they can and allow another owner of capital to take on that painful duty.Finance capital plays a central role in allowing expansion to occur through the provision and expansion of credit. They are often in the background organising and disciplining this chaotic accumulation process. For very small businesses like a restaurant, there will also be an element of personal commitment to the trade or profession. But in the end, the presence or the absence of profit will decide its fate. It is possible for society to make a choice as to whether their economy is ruled by commodity production for profit or not. Even when commodity production is dominant, like New Zealand, some sectors like education and health care can be done as a not-for-profit service. In the United States, by contrast, health care and much of education remain in the for-profit sphere of commodity production and sale. This is true even though, for the US, this makes the system vastly less efficient and cost-effective than a largely state-provided system as we have in New Zealand. As a society, we could make the decision to run any sector we wanted as a publicly provided service. Currently, we have three main cinema chains that compete with each other, for example. If this industry was taken over by the government and run as a public service, we could ensure that all the blockbusters were shown, but also that every centre had a good range of documentaries, art films, a socially conscious cinema that is less profitable but is a necessary and useful part of our lives. Breaking even in terms of money would be enough rather than the desperate search for more and more profit from the lowest common denominator film. The cinema complexes could be part of a broader art and cultural centre in each town that gave access to communities to produce and perform their own film, music, dance other performing arts. And, of course, workers in this industry could be paid a living wage and have the right to representation in management structures. Each community centre could be part of a range of non-profit community services and be governed by an elected board that empowered local communities rather than disempower them as at present. Under capitalism, capitalists have no choice but to slash jobs during a crisis. If the did not do that, they would lose access to credit and soon be forced out of business. In a socialised economy that needs not be the case. Cuba’s economy is largely state-owned. Whatever criticisms people may have of Cuba, this allowed them to make choices to keep everyone employed, even if often only working nominally when the Soviet Union collapsed and Cuba lost most of its trade partners. Their economy declined by 25%, rationing was imposed, but everyone was kept employed. Foreign income to buy necessary goods was lost and real stress was imposed on Cuban society. The US escalated its economic war to aggravate the hardship. The average calorie intake declined significantly but no one starved. Education and health services actually expanded. Cuba became a medical superpower supplying thousands of doctors around the world whenever help was requested. This includes doctors across many Pacific Islands and Timor in our own region. Cuba made choices to save the people because they were able to do so. Today they have been able to use that experience to combat and defeat the economic and health impacts of the Covid virus in a similar manner. New Zealand does not have a socialist economy, but there are some immediate things we need to do to protect working people during this crisis. The government can’t and won’t stop capitalists laying off workers. It appears they won’t even do that to Air New Zealand which is a company they have majority ownership of. The Air NZ board chief executive just talks about sacking staff to return to profitability as soon as possible. The most important first step form the government is to have a more generous system of income support for those already unemployed or being made unemployed as a consequence of the crisis. Two tax-free Covid 19 Income Relief Payments (CRIP) have been established for those losing their jobs after March 1. This is a tax-free $490 a week payment for people working 30 or hours a week and $250 for those working 15-29 hours a week. The pluses are that the payment is not affected by marital status if your partner earns less than $100,000. It also applies to people regardless of age unlike the current benefit with a punitive and discriminatory reduction from $250 to $213 net for 18-24-year-olds. It is also tax-free. But we now have another complication. If a person has a child and is in a relationship with someone in work they can still access the IWTC payment of $75 a week and the CRIP does not even count as income for Working for Families abatement purposes. However if you are single and on the CRIP you lose access to the IWTC because in order to access the CRIP you cannot have any paid work- hence cannot have the IWTC. Ironically if you are on the much lower jobseekers or sole parent support even if you re working 20 hours a week you still cant have the IWTC. (Thanks to Susan St John for clarifying this stupidity for me)
If people were working less than 15 hours a week they have to apply for a normal unemployment benefit from WINZ with an after-tax value of $250 which is similar to the part-time rate for the new income support payment for those aged 25 plus. Beneficiaries can also access the weekly winter energy payment of $40.91 for singles and $63.64 for couples. This payment also goes to national superannuation recipients. The government has attracted a lot of criticism, including from me, for creating two classes of beneficiary – those who lost their jobs before March 1 and after March 1. The level of support is radically higher for full-time workers and there are fewer sanctions for having a partner and they are able to access the working for families tax credit. There is currently also the absurd situation that a person can lose the entire payment if the get any kind of work. The government deserves credit for going fast to establish the income support systems for people in work to encourage all employers to maintain the employment relationship during the first stages of the crisis and lockdowns. Employers with 1.7m workers were supported. It was easily accessible and 12 weeks were paid upfront which assisted businesses with cash flow during the immediate seizing up of credit markets at the beginning of the crisis. Unlike the USA, the UK and Australia the payments were also made accessible for workers on visas, self-employed and casual workers. This was much fairer and comprehensive. The new 12-week income support payment and the new wage subsidy for those with a 40% loss of business, will end just at the time of the election is scheduled for on September 19. Come election day the whole society will be looking for the longer-term solutions, rather than temporary band-aids.