thedailyblog--2020-04-15--Responding to Death Cult Capitalism’s “Plan B” – Pitching The Devil’s Bargain To Generation X

THE SPEED at which the ruling elite has moved to defend itself has been surprisingly slow .
It should have been clear from the first onset of the Covid-19 crisis that it was capable to wreaking havoc upon the political-economy of global status quo .
Its first defensive moves were , however , politically clumsy and morally grotesque .
Expecting grandparents to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their grandchildren , as the more outlandish members of the American Right advocated , struck most people as horrific .
Clearly , a more nuanced solution was required .
Accordingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capitalism ’ s defenders shifted from the elderly Baby Boomers ( 1946-1965 ) to the notoriously prickly Generation X ( 1966-1985 ) .
This is , after all , the demographic which has made intergenerational injustice its special study .
To hear Gen-Xers tell the story , the Boomers managed to get through most of their lives without experiencing much more than a few relatively mild recessions .
Admittedly , the American Boomers had the Vietnam War to contend with ( and doesn ’ t it show ! )
but New Zealand ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sunshine with the barely a trouble in the world .
Generation X ’ s bad luck was clear to comedians and cartoonists from the get-go .
One of the best of their early jokes depicted a Boomer wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the classic Seventies formula for happiness : Sex .
Drugs .
Rock-n-Roll .
His Gen-X companion ’ s T-shirt was less upbeat .
Its three words referenced the grim Eighties ’ declension of the Boomer ’ s hedonistic trinity : Aids .
Crack .
Rap .
No sooner was all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug-taking and popular music , than the unlucky Gen-Xers were hit by the full force of the neoliberal revolution .
All the benefits of the social-democratic state – enjoyed to the full by their fortunate parents – were whipped away from them .
Indebted , de-unionised , unhoused : life wasn ’ t so much a bowl of cherries , as a plateful of fleshless cherry-stones .
Was the arrival of the Internet and the smartphone sufficient compensation for the Global Financial Crisis and the onrush of Climate Change ?
Maybe .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years they have been alive , the news has made pretty grim reading for Generations X , Y and Z .
And now , as if all of the above trials and tribulations weren ’ t enough , the world ’ s under-55s find themselves in the midst of a global pandemic .
Where ’ s the justice in that ?
Although the academic Judas Sheep promoting their evidentially-challenged and scientifically tendentious “ Plan B ” ( essentially a plea for pursuing ‘ herd immunity ’ from Covid-19 ) don ’ t make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ element of divine justice in the virus ’ s preference for older people ’ s vulnerable immune systems .
Their own generation and their children ’ s are much less likely to die from Covid-19 than Mum and Dad and/or Grandma and Grandpa .
It ’ s almost as if God has finally relented and thrown these younger generations a chunk of good luck .
But , has he ?
The dissident academics ’ preference is for science , not theology , so expecting them to spot the profound moral challenge which the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ younger generations ’ plate is probably too tall an order .
It lies there , nonetheless , and all of these scientists ’ crude consequentialist philosophising can not remove it .
They do their best to ignore it , however , by reaching for the utilitarian philosopher ’ s substitute for God : “ The greatest good for the greatest number.
” It ’ s a formula that has always appealed to the kind of hard-line , ideologically-driven capitalists who presumably recruited these ( to borrow Lenin ’ s trenchant epithet ) “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individuals fronting “ Plan B ” all possess a facility for fine calculation to make a bean-counter proud .
Which should be accorded more value , these ethical accountants now demand : The right to life of the elderly and the chronically ill – a quarter of the population ; or , the right to a prosperous economic future of the other three-quarters ?
The contention being , that a point will surely be reached in the course of the current crisis when protecting the rights of both fractions becomes impossible .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jacinda Ardern , and her ministers will be required to answer the very hardest of questions .
In the words of the Plan-B-Boys ’ advance guardsman , Matthew Hooton , opining in the NZ Herald of Saturday , 4 April 2020 : “ The first unbearable question is at what point , if ever , we decide that the immediate social and economic costs are too high to continue with a lockdown , if elimination or suppression fail .
The second is who pays those costs , and when.
” Hard ?
Oh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ Ardern and all of us have no choice but to take [ the ] risks [ flowing from the harms attendant upon catastrophic economic collapse ] into account while grappling with the ethics of the decisions ahead .
It may be repulsive to express it explicitly , but a protracted suppression strategy would materially and perhaps permanently damage the lives of the two million New Zealanders under the age of 30 to briefly maintain the life expectancy of some thousands of people in their 80s.
” Or , rephrasing Hooton ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what point do we let Grandpa die , so that we , his grandchildren , can have a crack at the sort of life our grandparents and parents were able to live ?
Ah , yes , the Devil ’ s Bargain .
Transacted in all manner of guises , but always with the same intent : the transformation of the human individual from an “ end ” into a “ means ” .
Here ’ s how the nineteenth century Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky presents the Devil ’ s Bargain in The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brother , Alyosha , with the classic utilitarian dilemma : “ Tell me straight out , I call on you—answer me : imagine that you yourself are building the edifice of human destiny with the object of making people happy in the finale , of giving them peace and rest at last , but for that you must inevitably and unavoidably torture just one tiny creature , and raise your edifice on the foundation of her unrequited tears — would you agree to be the architect on such conditions ?
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.
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@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the people for whom you are building would agree to accept their happiness on the unjustified blood of a tortured child , and having accepted it , to remain forever happy ?
” What Dostoyevsky grasps here is what always slips through the fingers of the crude utilitarians .
Happiness can not be created out of unhappiness .
Life can not be purchased with Death .
Another great Russian novelist , and dissident , Alexander Solzhenitsyn , grasped it also .
When the young pacifists of the Eighties put it to him that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nuclear annihilation , then surely it was better to be Red than dead ?
His answer was always the same : “ No .
Better to be dead than to live as a scoundrel !
” And , if memory serves , there was another seeker after the truth who had something to say about the Devil ’ s Bargain .
A carpenter and teacher from Nazareth , in First Century Galilee .
His words may be old , but even after two thousand years they bear repeating : “ For what shall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shall gain the whole world , but lose his soul ?
”

THE SPEED at which the ruling elite has moved to defend itself has been surprisingly slow. It should have been clear from the first onset of the Covid-19 crisis that it was capable to wreaking havoc upon the political-economy of global status quo. Its first defensive moves were, however, politically clumsy and morally grotesque. Expecting grandparents to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of their grandchildren, as the more outlandish members of the American Right advocated, struck most people as horrific. Clearly, a more nuanced solution was required.
Accordingly, the key demographic target of neoliberal capitalism’s defenders shifted from the elderly Baby Boomers (1946-1965) to the notoriously prickly Generation X (1966-1985). This is, after all, the demographic which has made intergenerational injustice its special study. To hear Gen-Xers tell the story, the Boomers managed to get through most of their lives without experiencing much more than a few relatively mild recessions. Admittedly, the American Boomers had the Vietnam War to contend with (and doesn’t it show!) but New Zealand’s Boomers cruised blissfully through the post-war sunshine with the barely a trouble in the world.
Generation X’s bad luck was clear to comedians and cartoonists from the get-go. One of the best of their early jokes depicted a Boomer wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the classic Seventies formula for happiness: Sex. Drugs. Rock-n-Roll. His Gen-X companion’s T-shirt was less upbeat. Its three words referenced the grim Eighties’ declension of the Boomer’s hedonistic trinity: Aids. Crack. Rap.
No sooner was all the fun taken out of promiscuity, recreational drug-taking and popular music, than the unlucky Gen-Xers were hit by the full force of the neoliberal revolution. All the benefits of the social-democratic state – enjoyed to the full by their fortunate parents – were whipped away from them. Indebted, de-unionised, unhoused: life wasn’t so much a bowl of cherries, as a plateful of fleshless cherry-stones.
Was the arrival of the Internet and the smartphone sufficient compensation for the Global Financial Crisis and the onrush of Climate Change? Maybe. Even so, for too many of the years they have been alive, the news has made pretty grim reading for Generations X, Y and Z. And now, as if all of the above trials and tribulations weren’t enough, the world’s under-55s find themselves in the midst of a global pandemic.
Where’s the justice in that?
Although the academic Judas Sheep promoting their evidentially-challenged and scientifically tendentious “Plan B” (essentially a plea for pursuing ‘herd immunity’ from Covid-19) don’t make it explicit, they presumably see an element of divine justice in the virus’s preference for older people’s vulnerable immune systems. Their own generation and their children’s are much less likely to die from Covid-19 than Mum and Dad and/or Grandma and Grandpa. It’s almost as if God has finally relented and thrown these younger generations a chunk of good luck.
But, has he?
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
The dissident academics’ preference is for science, not theology, so expecting them to spot the profound moral challenge which the Almighty has just set down on the younger generations’ plate is probably too tall an order. It lies there, nonetheless, and all of these scientists’ crude consequentialist philosophising cannot remove it.
They do their best to ignore it, however, by reaching for the utilitarian philosopher’s substitute for God: “The greatest good for the greatest number.” It’s a formula that has always appealed to the kind of hard-line, ideologically-driven capitalists who presumably recruited these (to borrow Lenin’s trenchant epithet) “useful idiots”. Certainly, the individuals fronting “Plan B” all possess a facility for fine calculation to make a bean-counter proud.
Which should be accorded more value, these ethical accountants now demand: The right to life of the elderly and the chronically ill – a quarter of the population; or, the right to a prosperous economic future of the other three-quarters? The contention being, that a point will surely be reached in the course of the current crisis when protecting the rights of both fractions becomes impossible. It is then that the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, and her ministers will be required to answer the very hardest of questions.
In the words of the Plan-B-Boys’ advance guardsman, Matthew Hooton, opining in the NZ Herald of Saturday, 4 April 2020:
“The first unbearable question is at what point, if ever, we decide that the immediate social and economic costs are too high to continue with a lockdown, if elimination or suppression fail. The second is who pays those costs, and when.”
Hard? Oh yes – and it only gets worse:
“Ardern and all of us have no choice but to take [the] risks [flowing from the harms attendant upon catastrophic economic collapse] into account while grappling with the ethics of the decisions ahead. It may be repulsive to express it explicitly, but a protracted suppression strategy would materially and perhaps permanently damage the lives of the two million New Zealanders under the age of 30 to briefly maintain the life expectancy of some thousands of people in their 80s.”
Or, rephrasing Hooton’s argument even more repulsively: At what point do we let Grandpa die, so that we, his grandchildren, can have a crack at the sort of life our grandparents and parents were able to live?
Ah, yes, the Devil’s Bargain. Transacted in all manner of guises, but always with the same intent: the transformation of the human individual from an “end” into a “means”. Here’s how the nineteenth century Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky presents the Devil’s Bargain in The Brothers Karamazov, when Ivan confronts his brother, Alyosha, with the classic utilitarian dilemma:
“Tell me straight out, I call on you—answer me: imagine that you yourself are building the edifice of human destiny with the object of making people happy in the finale, of giving them peace and rest at last, but for that you must inevitably and unavoidably torture just one tiny creature, and raise your edifice on the foundation of her unrequited tears — would you agree to be the architect on such conditions? . . . And can you admit the idea that the people for whom you are building would agree to accept their happiness on the unjustified blood of a tortured child, and having accepted it, to remain forever happy?”
What Dostoyevsky grasps here is what always slips through the fingers of the crude utilitarians. Happiness cannot be created out of unhappiness. Life cannot be purchased with Death. Another great Russian novelist, and dissident, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, grasped it also. When the young pacifists of the Eighties put it to him that if the choice was between Communism and nuclear annihilation, then surely it was better to be Red than dead? His answer was always the same: “No. Better to be dead than to live as a scoundrel!”
And, if memory serves, there was another seeker after the truth who had something to say about the Devil’s Bargain. A carpenter and teacher from Nazareth, in First Century Galilee. His words may be old, but even after two thousand years they bear repeating:
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, but lose his soul?”


thedailyblog--2020-04-15--MUST READ: Burger King and Air New Zealand – a tale of two (or three) capitalist failures

The airline industry is a competitive industry with many winners and losers over the years .
Air New Zealand has had to be rescued twice by the government and effectively nationalised .
The government established Air NZ as a national airline in 1965 and it was privatised by the Labour Government in 1989 .
Greed and ambition led to a failed merger attempt with Ansett Australia in 2001 and the government had to rescue the company by taking majority government ownership .
Under the law , however , it simply operated as a profit-seeking airline with no consideration for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s overall climate change emissions .
It also helped enrich the shareholders , by share buyback schemes like many private companies were doing without regard to longer-term considerations , like what to do when a major recession or pandemic or both were to happen .
The government is also obliged to treat it the same way .
That is why this time when it had to give the company a $ 900 million loan it charged an extortionate 8 % interest like any commercial lender .
In all likelihood , this loan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equity which will give the government a 100 % shareholding again .
Air New Zealand , meanwhile , is acting like any other capitalist business when the going gets tough and is sacking as much of the workforce as it can in as short a period as it can .
Like Rob Campbell , the SkyCity board chairperson , they will no doubt say it is their “ fiduciary duty ” to do so .
There is the possibility of an alternative way of doing things .
Air NZ could become a state-owned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit seeking was not the only imperative .
New Zealand needs a national airline , but longer-term maybe only half its current size .
It will also need to have a clear plan to transition to electric-powered craft .
The oldest and least efficient plans would be mothballed or sold .
The company could look at repurposing their workshops to produce materials for the health sector or solar power industry or whatever the creativity and imagination of the workers could devise .
Workers would also be given the chance to retrain for different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sectors where growth will be needed .
A new board with 50 % representation of the workers on it would be established to come up with a plan to give to the government that maximised jobs and protected the accumulated skills and expertise in the company for a radically different future than what was being planned for under the old for-profit regime .
Burger King is another company that has failed because the private-equity-owned model always fails when the going gets tough because it is based on debt leverage .
Burger King NZ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the Blackstone Group – a massive US-based private-equity group whose chief executive is the highest-paid one on the globe – earning $ 500 to $ 700 million a year in recent years .
The company was bought almost entirely with debt .
So debt equalled assets .
Some of this will be bank loans , and the rest will most likely be loans from associated entities of the private-equity group .
This means the company spends a lot of its money servicing the debt .
This also means it usually “ loses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay tax .
Some years Burger King received a tax credit from the government .
That is correct .
We paid them to rip us off .
In this sort of setup , it needs a bit of digging to find out exactly how the owners enriched themselves over the years since 2011 .
This is a job a good financial journalist should be doing .
Instead , there are almost no reports on the financial position of the company .
One report , however , noted that in 2016 the company claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 79 million .
That would be worth looking at .
What we know is that Burger King was among the worst of the fast food companies in resisting any form of wage above the minimum wage .
Almost no one was permitted to train for a higher rate .
Managers were almost all migrants on visas and often earned less than the minimum wage .
The current crisis will have meant that the Blackstone Group had ensured there were no reserves to service current debt obligations and a four-week suspension of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ taking the wage subsidy from the government .
A receiver has been appointed .
Unite hope the company finds a buyer so the 2600 workers can keep their jobs .
That may be possible .
In 2008 , for whatever reason , sales from fast food outlets increased during the recession .
Who knows what will happen this time .
The receiver has to talk to Unite Union as one of the interested parties .
We will try and use this process to find out the truth behind these corporate thieves to at @ @ @ @ @ @

The airline industry is a competitive industry with many winners and losers over the years. Air New Zealand has had to be rescued twice by the government and effectively nationalised.
The government established Air NZ as a national airline in 1965 and it was privatised by the Labour Government in 1989. Greed and ambition led to a failed merger attempt with Ansett Australia in 2001 and the government had to rescue the company by taking majority government ownership. Under the law, however, it simply operated as a profit-seeking airline with no consideration for the impact of its growth on New Zealand’s overall climate change emissions. It also helped enrich the shareholders, by share buyback schemes like many private companies were doing without regard to longer-term considerations, like what to do when a major recession or pandemic or both were to happen.
The government is also obliged to treat it the same way. That is why this time when it had to give the company a $900 million loan it charged an extortionate 8% interest like any commercial lender. In all likelihood, this loan will have to be transferred into new equity which will give the government a 100% shareholding again.
Air New Zealand, meanwhile, is acting like any other capitalist business when the going gets tough and is sacking as much of the workforce as it can in as short a period as it can. Like Rob Campbell, the SkyCity board chairperson, they will no doubt say it is their “fiduciary duty” to do so.
There is the possibility of an alternative way of doing things. Air NZ could become a state-owned enterprise and the laws changed so that profit seeking was not the only imperative. New Zealand needs a national airline, but longer-term maybe only half its current size. It will also need to have a clear plan to transition to electric-powered craft. The oldest and least efficient plans would be mothballed or sold.
The company could look at repurposing their workshops to produce materials for the health sector or solar power industry or whatever the creativity and imagination of the workers could devise. Workers would also be given the chance to retrain for different jobs at Air NZ or for other sectors where growth will be needed.
A new board with 50% representation of the workers on it would be established to come up with a plan to give to the government that maximised jobs and protected the accumulated skills and expertise in the company for a radically different future than what was being planned for under the old for-profit regime.
Burger King is another company that has failed because the private-equity-owned model always fails when the going gets tough because it is based on debt leverage.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Burger King NZ was bought in 2011 by companies belonging to the Blackstone Group – a massive US-based private-equity group whose chief executive is the highest-paid one on the globe – earning $500 to $700 million a year in recent years.
The company was bought almost entirely with debt. So debt equalled assets. Some of this will be bank loans, and the rest will most likely be loans from associated entities of the private-equity group.
This means the company spends a lot of its money servicing the debt. This also means it usually “loses” money so it never has to pay tax. Some years Burger King received a tax credit from the government. That is correct. We paid them to rip us off.
In this sort of setup, it needs a bit of digging to find out exactly how the owners enriched themselves over the years since 2011. This is a job a good financial journalist should be doing. Instead, there are almost no reports on the financial position of the company. One report, however, noted that in 2016 the company claimed net debt went from $149 million to $79 million. That would be worth looking at.
What we know is that Burger King was among the worst of the fast food companies in resisting any form of wage above the minimum wage. Almost no one was permitted to train for a higher rate. Managers were almost all migrants on visas and often earned less than the minimum wage.
The current crisis will have meant that the Blackstone Group had ensured there were no reserves to service current debt obligations and a four-week suspension of sales pushed the company into insolvency after taking the wage subsidy from the government. A receiver has been appointed.
Unite hope the company finds a buyer so the 2600 workers can keep their jobs. That may be possible. In 2008, for whatever reason, sales from fast food outlets increased during the recession. Who knows what will happen this time.
The receiver has to talk to Unite Union as one of the interested parties. We will try and use this process to find out the truth behind these corporate thieves to at least expose their criminal behaviour.


thedailyblog--2020-04-15--Life in Lock Down: Day 21

Life in Lock Down: Day 21

Washing machine hose replaced , I can get through a week ’ s worth of laundry .
Washed , hung out to dry .
Though our world has been turned on it ’ s axis to a strange new reality , the mundane things in life ( mostly ) carry on .
Dirty laundry waits for no virus .
Listened to to National Party Leader Simon Bridges this morning on RNZ ’ s Morning Report .
Firstly , Mr Bridges : for the love of Thor , please stop thrashing the word “ agile ” .
Secondly , his “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next week ” and “ and safely letting more business and workers get back onto it ” should ring alarm bells in us all .
Without much doubt , he was representing , and speaking for , business interests : “ When we think about the health effect of staying in lockdown , I ’ m coming to a pretty clear view … that we should come out of lockdown next week and we should be working to safely to get businesses and workers back .
I do want to get to ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to get that business and work back , but … I am realistic .
I am not suggesting suddenly that we are going to be at 2 overnight .
I do say though that we should be agile and trying to get there .
I ’ d say when the Cabinet makes the decision next week , I ’ d opt for coming out and safely letting more business and workers get back onto it because the consequences of not doing it are so harmful.
” The social and health consequences of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pointed to the Australian experience with covid19 as some sort of model to follow ; “ I do look at that Australian experience where baristas are still making coffee and builders are still building and they ’ re getting the same sort of health outcomes as us… ” When Corin Dann pointed out their death rate was highter , Mr Bridges dismissed the figures ; “ Well , yes , look , you can make your comparisons… and , and , and , actually , you go , um , um , total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would argue are similar… ” No , Mr Bridges , you can not “ argue ” with numbers .
Numbers are numbers .
“ Six ” is similar to “ seven ” only in that one follows the other .
“ Nine ” is likewise not even remotely similar to “ sixtyone ” – they aren ’ t even close .
“ Nine ” is the number of deaths announced yesterday ( 14 April ) in New Zealand .
“ Sixtyone ” is the latest number of deaths in Australia .
To put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being five times our population , their reported death rate is .
Is that the country we should be emulating ?
One would have thought it would be the other way around .
I know New Zealanders have a self-deprecating , cringe-culture thing going on , but looking at another country with a higher mortality rate than ours is taking that to a whole new lethal level .
We should be proud of what we have achieved .
Not look overseas to model on a situation that has a higher death rate than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mr Bridges has a secret agenda to thin the population by knocking of Granny , Grandad , all the diabetics , immuno-compromised , and probably a few of the healthy ones and young ’ uns .
Then it all makes perfect sense . )
I have mulled over Simon Bridges ’ comments and his past utterances .
He claims to be “ tough ” on covid19 by demanding more stringent border controls ; “ Today ’ s move to limit mass gatherings was a positive step forward from the Government and I urge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our borders .
The EU has closed its borders but it was too late to stop widespread community outbreak .
We can ’ t make the same mistake .
We are a small isolated nation and we should take advantage of our geographical position.
” Except… Closing our borders is a fait accompli .
There is almost no more international air travel except for military and mercy-flights .
Tourism has collapsed .
Governments , businesses , NGOs , non-profit organisations , etc , no longer send their people to conferences .
Families remain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ empty .
( Stand in Miramar , Strathmore , or Kilbirnie in Wellington in the evening .
Hear anything ?
No , neither did I tonight .
It was an eerie total silence not heard since the airport was built in Wellington . )
There is no one to stop at our borders because ( with the except of mercy flights ) no one is coming .
So in effect , Mr Bridges ’ call is meaningless ; he ’ s demanding something that ’ s already happened .
No real investment required @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is troubling is his call to re-open the economy and drop down to Level 2 .
Make no mistake .
Simon Bridges has gone from being a clownish , slightly-irritating figure we love to ridicule – to a frightening politician who could do irreparable harm and perhaps cause fatalities if he was anywhere near the Ninth Floor and his open-the-doors-at-any-expense policies implemented .
We should understand one thing : he has pressing concerns and a clear agenda .
Very little of which includes our safety .
This afternoon , we watched the Prime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ashley Bloomfield , give their daily 1pm public briefing .
The news was good ( ish ) .
A slight rise in new cases – 20 – but most importantly , no more deaths .
There was a silent sigh of relief amongst us .
The fact that the contagion has entered aged care facilities is troubling .
While ours is not an aged care facility , our clients do have varying levels of health and under-lying conditions .
I don ’ t quite know how , but we ’ ve dodged the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ way home tonight , I stepped out from the side door of the facility I work at .
It was another still , unearthly quiet evening .
Except for some knocking on a door on some flats adjacent to us .
A middle aged ( late 50s , 60s ? )
pakeha gent , in working clothes and a red baseball cap was standing there , tapping away with his hands .
As I walked past , he turned to look at me .
I looked at him .
Or rather , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ MAGA ” cap .
The lettering was starkly visible in the porch light ; “ Make Ardern Go Away ” .
I had not seen him at the flats before this night ( and I ’ ve worked at the facility for over a year and a half ) .
The “ MAGA ” -hat wearing fellow was almost certainly breaking his “ bubble ” .
I have news for him , and it ’ s not good .
Ms Ardern will not “ Go Away ” .
And it probably won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Later this night , as I drove back home , I realised I could no longer defer my weekly shopping .
Visiting the supermarket has now become a thing of dread .
When did going to Pak N Save become like venturing onto a battlefield , fearing the next bullet or bomb that would snuff out my life ?
Especially as I had latex gloves , but my remaining two face-masks were back at the facility I work at .
Of all the things that I find disturbing ( aside from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ victim to this invisible enemy ) , is venturing into a public place that I have little choice in visiting .
The moment I walk through the sliding doors , my senses are on high alert .
I have to be wary of people around me .
Most keep to their two metre space-bubble , but with difficulty .
Even supermarket aisles are difficult to maintain that spacing .
And if I ’ m 100 % truthful , on one ocassion , I was in the latter group .
I forgot the etiquette @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gentleman who let me in on an adjacent check-out queue .
I deserved the stare he gave me .
I don ’ t want this hideous wary-existence to continue .
But if it ’ s to save lives , I ’ ll choose Level 4 over Level 2 any day .
Check out the legend – TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick – who publicly made a fool out of National ’ s Leader .
RNZ : National Party leader Simon Bridges calls for work to restart ‘ safely ’ after lockdown Fairfax/Stuff : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ border shutdown for all non-residents RNZ : Covid-19 update – 20 new cases , no further deaths reported Democracy Now : Madrid ’ s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus This blogpost will be re-published on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

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April 15: Day 21 of living in lock-down…
Washing machine hose replaced, I can get through a week’s worth of laundry. Washed, hung out to dry. Though our world has been turned on it’s axis to a strange new reality, the mundane things in life (mostly) carry on. Dirty laundry waits for no virus.
Listened to to National Party Leader Simon Bridges this morning on RNZ’s Morning Report.
Firstly, Mr Bridges: for the love of Thor, please stop thrashing the word “agile”.
Secondly, his “mixed messages” of re-opening business “next week” and “and safely letting more business and workers get back onto it” should ring alarm bells in us all.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Without much doubt, he was representing, and speaking for, business interests:
“When we think about the health effect of staying in lockdown, I’m coming to a pretty clear view … that we should come out of lockdown next week and we should be working to safely to get businesses and workers back.
I do want to get to (alert level) 2 … we are trying to get that business and work back, but … I am realistic. I am not suggesting suddenly that we are going to be at 2 overnight. I do say though that we should be agile and trying to get there.
I’d say when the Cabinet makes the decision next week, I’d opt for coming out and safely letting more business and workers get back onto it because the consequences of not doing it are so harmful.”
The social and health consequences of rampant unemployment are intolerable.”
Mr Bridges pointed to the Australian experience with covid19 as some sort of model to follow;
“I do look at that Australian experience where baristas are still making coffee and builders are still building and they’re getting the same sort of health outcomes as us…”
When Corin Dann pointed out their death rate was highter, Mr Bridges dismissed the figures;
“Well, yes, look, you can make your comparisons… and, and, and, actually, you go, um, um, total numbers are very similar, fatalities I would argue are similar…”
No, Mr Bridges, you cannot “argue” with numbers. Numbers are numbers. “Six” is similar to “seven” only in that one follows the other. “Nine” is likewise not even remotely similar to “sixtyone” – they aren’t even close.
“Nine” is the number of deaths announced yesterday (14 April) in New Zealand.
“Sixtyone” is the latest number of deaths in Australia.
To put these numbers in context:
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Despite Australia being five times our population, their reported death rate is seven times ours .
Is that the country we should be emulating? One would have thought it would be the other way around. I know New Zealanders have a self-deprecating, cringe-culture thing going on, but looking at another country with a higher mortality rate than ours is taking that to a whole new lethal level.
We should be proud of what we have achieved. Not look overseas to model on a situation that has a higher death rate than ours. (Well, not unless Mr Bridges has a secret agenda to thin the population by knocking of Granny, Grandad, all the diabetics, immuno-compromised, and probably a few of the healthy ones and young’uns. Then it all makes perfect sense.)
I have mulled over Simon Bridges’ comments and his past utterances. He claims to be “tough” on covid19 by demanding more stringent border controls;
“Today’s move to limit mass gatherings was a positive step forward from the Government and I urge it to now go further and close our borders. The EU has closed its borders but it was too late to stop widespread community outbreak. We can’t make the same mistake. We are a small isolated nation and we should take advantage of our geographical position.”
Except… Closing our borders is a fait accompli. There is almost no more international air travel except for military and mercy-flights. Tourism has collapsed. Governments, businesses, NGOs, non-profit organisations, etc, no longer send their people to conferences. Families remain separated.
The skies are all but empty. (Stand in Miramar, Strathmore, or Kilbirnie in Wellington in the evening. Hear anything? No, neither did I tonight. It was an eerie total silence not heard since the airport was built in Wellington.)
There is no one to stop at our borders because (with the except of mercy flights) no one is coming. So in effect, Mr Bridges’ call is meaningless; he’s demanding something that’s already happened. No real investment required in that particular decision making.
What is troubling is his call to re-open the economy and drop down to Level 2.
Make no mistake. Simon Bridges has gone from being a clownish, slightly-irritating figure we love to ridicule – to a frightening politician who could do irreparable harm and perhaps cause fatalities if he was anywhere near the Ninth Floor and his open-the-doors-at-any-expense policies implemented.
We should understand one thing: he has pressing concerns and a clear agenda. Very little of which includes our safety.
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This afternoon, we watched the Prime Minister and Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, give their daily 1pm public briefing. The news was good(ish). A slight rise in new cases – 20 – but most importantly, no more deaths. There was a silent sigh of relief amongst us.
The fact that the contagion has entered aged care facilities is troubling. While ours is not an aged care facility, our clients do have varying levels of health and under-lying conditions. I don’t quite know how, but we’ve dodged the viral bullet thus far.
On the way home tonight, I stepped out from the side door of the facility I work at. It was another still, unearthly quiet evening.
Except for some knocking on a door on some flats adjacent to us. A middle aged (late 50s, 60s?) pakeha gent, in working clothes and a red baseball cap was standing there, tapping away with his hands. As I walked past, he turned to look at me. I looked at him. Or rather, his red baseball cap. It was a “MAGA” cap.
The lettering was starkly visible in the porch light; “Make Ardern Go Away”.
I had not seen him at the flats before this night (and I’ve worked at the facility for over a year and a half). The “MAGA”-hat wearing fellow was almost certainly breaking his “bubble”.
I have news for him, and it’s not good. Ms Ardern will not “Go Away”. And it probably won’t make the virus go either.
Later this night, as I drove back home, I realised I could no longer defer my weekly shopping. Visiting the supermarket has now become a thing of dread. When did going to Pak N Save become like venturing onto a battlefield, fearing the next bullet or bomb that would snuff out my life?
Especially as I had latex gloves, but my remaining two face-masks were back at the facility I work at.
Of all the things that I find disturbing (aside from the deaths of people who’ve fallen victim to this invisible enemy), is venturing into a public place that I have little choice in visiting. The moment I walk through the sliding doors, my senses are on high alert. I have to be wary of people around me. Most keep to their two metre space-bubble, but with difficulty. Even supermarket aisles are difficult to maintain that spacing.
Some don’t care or forget.
And if I’m 100% truthful, on one ocassion, I was in the latter group. I forgot the etiquette; and walked to closely past a gentleman who let me in on an adjacent check-out queue. I deserved the stare he gave me.
I don’t want this hideous wary-existence to continue. But if it’s to save lives, I’ll choose Level 4 over Level 2 any day.
So should Simon Bridges.
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Postscript
Check out the legend – TVNZ chief executive Kevin Kenrick – who publicly made a fool out of National’s Leader.
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Current covid19 cases: 1,386
Cases in ICU: 3 (2 critical)
Number of deaths: 9
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References
RNZ: National Party leader Simon Bridges calls for work to restart ‘safely’ after lockdown
BBC: Coronavirus – Nurse Areema Nasreen dies with Covid-19
Gulf News: Coronavirus – Healthy 13-year-old boy becomes UK’s youngest COVID-19 death
Fairfax/Stuff: Coronavirus: Simon Bridges calls for complete border shutdown for all non-residents
Twitter: Chris Change – Kevin Kenrick – 15 April 2020
RNZ: Covid-19 update – 20 new cases, no further deaths reported
Must Read
Elemental: Hold the Line
Democracy Now: Madrid’s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 1
Life in Lock Down: Day 2
Life in Lock Down: Day 3
Life in Lock Down: Day 4
Life in Lock Down: Day 5
Life in Lock Down: Day 6
Life in Lock Down: Day 7
Life in Lock Down: Day 7 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 8
Life in Lock Down: Day 8 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 9
Life in Lock Down: Day 10
Life in Lock Down: Day 11
Life in Lock Down: Day 12
Life in Lock Down: Day 13
Life in Lock Down: Day 14
Life in Lock Down: Day 15
Life in Lock Down: Day 16 – Bad Friday
Life in Lock Down: Day 17
Life in Lock Down: Day 18
Life in Lock Down: Day 19
Life in Lock Down: Day 20
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Acknowledgement: Rod Emmerson
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This blogpost will be re-published on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-04-14--Life in Lock Down: Day 20

Life in Lock Down: Day 20

Today was a rotten day for four ( at least ) families .
Four more people have succumbed to covid19 .
Despite recording only seventeen new cases – a cause for some celebration – knowing that families have lost loved ones to this virus dampens any notion of joyous celebration .
And I fear it will get worse .
Meanwhile there remains agitation from some quarters to lift restrictions and open up the economy .
Whether it ’ s Matthew Hooton on RNZ ’ s Political Panel , or ACT ’ s David Seymour , or disturbingly chilling comments from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dr Simon Thornley on today ’ s [ 14 April ] Morning Report – there are clamouring voices who appear to take our limited success in containing the contagion as some sort of “ green light ” to throw caution to the winds .
Dr Thornley ’ s cool , calm , methodical voice belied the casual disregard he showed to the risk faced by the elderly and those with under-lying medical conditions ; “ We believe that the lockdown is an over-reaction , we believe that it doesn ’ t match the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the world ’ s leading statisticians has said that the risk of dying of covid19 is about same as your risk of dying that year anyway .
It ’ s effectively like squeezing your risk into two weeks.
” Corin Dann asked what Dr Thornley ’ s modelling has shown on the risks of covid19 , he um ’ d , ah ’ d , and replied ; “ We haven ’ t done modelling to predict what is going to happen , but we ’ ve actually observed what has happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ severe lock-downs… ” When Corin Dann pointed out that Dr Thornley was asking the vulnerable and the elderly in New Zealand to “ shoulder a much bigger risk ” , he couldn ’ t offer an answer .
You could almost feel Dr Thornley “ shrugging ” .
Dr Thornley replied he was “ sceptical of modelling and assumptions ” .
He glossed over high death rates until Corin Dann pointed out high death rates had hit certain countries hard .
Corin Dann returned to the elderly faced a greater risk of death @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ the elderly unfortunately every flu season people die of seasonal influenza “ .
So , that ’ s ok then .
In effect , the premature death of people is acceptable as long as the number is below fatalities caused by influenza .
Premature death caused by disease ; automobile crashes ; drug and alcohol abuse ; poor safety practices in the construction , farming , and logging industries ; murder… Because influenza has a set death rate , it has become a bench-mark for Dr Thornley ?
Corin Dann quite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to protect the elderly and vulnerable .
Dr Thornley deftly side-stepped influenza and referred to Australia “ weathering the storm ” with fewer restrictions .
Australia has 6,500 covid19 cases with sixtyone deaths .
Hardly a target we should be emulating .
Microbiologist , Dr Siouxsie Wiles , was not impressed with Simon Thornley ; “ To all the media listening to the 6 expert men , please ask them for the data which they say shows # COVID19 is “ not the disaster we feared and prepared for ” .
Also please @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cherry-picking last time he made the same claim .
It ’ s worth noting that the 6 experts seems to be saying that as vulnerable people would die at some point anyway , why not just let it be from Covid .
My mum has a condition that makes her very vulnerable .
But she ’ s fit & active & still leading a full life .
Why should she die now ?
” She quite rightly asked for the data from Dr Thornley ; “ Again .
# COVID19 cases grow exponentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ et al .
Show us your data .
Because the data I ’ m looking at has plenty of countries digging mass graves.
” But… according to Dr Thornley , mass graves are ok. As long as the number do not exceed influenza-caused deaths in any given year .
And anyway , victims of covid 19 were going to die anyway .
Much like you , reading this blogpost .
Or me , writing it .
And everyone else .
We ’ re all going to die .
Covid19 just does it in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bizarre that – in a strange way – we are victims of our own success in dealing with this contagion .
Because our elected representatives , the Ministry of Health , and legends in the health sector have achieved such incredible success in containing the spread of infection , somehow that has translated in the minds of some as an “ over reaction ” .
That we should have been more relaxed .
Let the disease take it ’ s course .
Because didn ’ t that work out well in China , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the United States ?
!
The irony is that these Doubting Thomas ’ s and Thomasinas have the luxury to express such a view only because of our success .
Had we gone the way of China , Italy , Spain , France , and the United States – the screaming would be from the other direction ; “ Why didn ’ t you go sooner and harder ?
!
” Typical of some New Zealanders to be so lacking in self-confidence that success somehow equates to failure .
Well , listening to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” was a helluva way to start the morning off .
And it went downhill from there… The good news is that Hutt Gas & Plumbing were able to fix the hose on my washing machine .
The not-so-good news ?
The plumber ( nice bloke buy the way ! )
had better PPE ( Personal Protection Equipment ) than I have in my job : full body protection suit ; mask ; gloves , the whole nine yards .
He put the gear on outside ; entered the house ; replaced the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his gear .
So to get good PPE you should be a plumber , not a worker in the Health sector .
Good to know for future reference .
Also good to know that DHBs should be sacked in future and replaced with Commissioners if they continue to withhold PPEs from frontline health workers ; Another work day .
Despite getting used to the restrictions of the lock-down , there are still frustrations .
Food delivery to the facility I work at did not arrive today .
Three hours wasted .
Supplier promised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on ASTM level1 masks .
But on the positive side , our facility has plenty of blue latex gloves .
Maybe another facility that has spare face masks but is short on gloves can contact me and we can do an exchange ?
Can throw in some feijoas from my tree as well , to ‘ sweeten the deal ’ ?
Or I can take up plumbing .
Mediaworks/Newshub : Coronavirus – New Zealand should consider quitting lockdown early , David Seymour says RNZ : Coronavirus – Academics want much looser rules after @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rationing ’ PPE say they ’ re working to distribute it Fairfax/Stuff : Coronavirus – New national PPE distribution system introduced after faults and shortages RNZ : Four more Covid-19 deaths in New Zealand , 17 new cases Democracy Now : Madrid ’ s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus This blogpost will be re-published on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking @ @

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April 14: Day 20 of living in lock-down…
Today was a rotten day for four (at least) families. Four more people have succumbed to covid19. Despite recording only seventeen new cases – a cause for some celebration – knowing that families have lost loved ones to this virus dampens any notion of joyous celebration.
And I fear it will get worse.
Meanwhile there remains agitation from some quarters to lift restrictions and open up the economy. Whether it’s Matthew Hooton on RNZ’s Political Panel, or ACT’s David Seymour, or disturbingly chilling comments from senior lecturer in epidemiology at Auckland University Dr Simon Thornley on today’s [14 April] Morning Report – there are clamouring voices who appear to take our limited success in containing the contagion as some sort of “green light” to throw caution to the winds.
Dr Thornley’s cool, calm, methodical voice belied the casual disregard he showed to the risk faced by the elderly and those with under-lying medical conditions;
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
“We believe that the lockdown is an over-reaction, we believe that it doesn’t match the threat posed by the virus. One of the world’s leading statisticians has said that the risk of dying of covid19 is about same as your risk of dying that year anyway.
It’s effectively like squeezing your risk into two weeks.”
Corin Dann asked what Dr Thornley’s modelling has shown on the risks of covid19, he um’d, ah’d, and replied;
“We haven’t done modelling to predict what is going to happen, but we’ve actually observed what has happened in other countries that have had less severe lock-downs…”
When Corin Dann pointed out that Dr Thornley was asking the vulnerable and the elderly in New Zealand to “shoulder a much bigger risk”, he couldn’t offer an answer. You could almost feel Dr Thornley “shrugging”.
Dr Thornley replied he was “sceptical of modelling and assumptions”. He glossed over high death rates until Corin Dann pointed out high death rates had hit certain countries hard.
Corin Dann returned to the elderly faced a greater risk of death from the virus. Dr Thornley replied that “the elderly unfortunately every flu season people die of seasonal influenza“.
So, that’s ok then. In effect, the premature death of people is acceptable as long as the number is below fatalities caused by influenza. Premature death caused by disease; automobile crashes; drug and alcohol abuse; poor safety practices in the construction, farming, and logging industries; murder…
Because influenza has a set death rate, it has become a bench-mark for Dr Thornley?
Corin Dann quite rightly pointed to influenza vaccines being available to protect the elderly and vulnerable.
Dr Thornley deftly side-stepped influenza and referred to Australia “weathering the storm” with fewer restrictions.
Australia has 6,500 covid19 cases with sixtyone deaths. Hardly a target we should be emulating.
Microbiologist, Dr Siouxsie Wiles, was not impressed with Simon Thornley;
“To all the media listening to the 6 expert men, please ask them for the data which they say shows #COVID19 is “not the disaster we feared and prepared for”. Also please be mindful that Thornley did some spectacular cherry-picking last time he made the same claim.
It’s worth noting that the 6 experts seems to be saying that as vulnerable people would die at some point anyway, why not just let it be from Covid. My mum has a condition that makes her very vulnerable. But she’s fit & active & still leading a full life. Why should she die now?”
She quite rightly asked for the data from Dr Thornley;
“Again. #COVID19 cases grow exponentially. So please Thornley, Schofield, et al. Show us your data. Because the data I’m looking at has plenty of countries digging mass graves.”
But… according to Dr Mengele Thornley, mass graves are ok. As long as the number do not exceed influenza-caused deaths in any given year. And anyway, victims of covid 19 were going to die anyway.
Much like you, reading this blogpost. Or me, writing it. And everyone else. We’re all going to die. Covid19 just does it in two weeks.
It strikes me as bizarre that – in a strange way – we are victims of our own success in dealing with this contagion. Because our elected representatives, the Ministry of Health, and legends in the health sector have achieved such incredible success in containing the spread of infection, somehow that has translated in the minds of some as an “over reaction”. That we should have been more relaxed. Let the disease take it’s course.
Because didn’t that work out well in China, Italy, Spain, France, and the United States?!
The irony is that these Doubting Thomas’s and Thomasinas have the luxury to express such a view only because of our success. Had we gone the way of China, Italy, Spain, France, and the United States – the screaming would be from the other direction;
“Why didn’t you go sooner and harder?!”
Typical of some New Zealanders to be so lacking in self-confidence that success somehow equates to failure.
Well, listening to our very own “Angel of Death” was a helluva way to start the morning off. And it went downhill from there…
The good news is that Hutt Gas & Plumbing were able to fix the hose on my washing machine.
The not-so-good news? The plumber (nice bloke buy the way!) had better PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) than I have in my job: full body protection suit; mask; gloves, the whole nine yards. He put the gear on outside; entered the house; replaced the munted hose; left; and removed his gear.
So to get good PPE you should be a plumber, not a worker in the Health sector.
Good to know for future reference.
Also good to know that DHBs should be sacked in future and replaced with Commissioners if they continue to withhold PPEs from frontline health workers;
.
.
Another work day. Despite getting used to the restrictions of the lock-down, there are still frustrations. Food delivery to the facility I work at did not arrive today. Three hours wasted. Supplier promised delivery tomorrow at mid-day.
Running short on ASTM level1 masks. But on the positive side, our facility has plenty of blue latex gloves.
Maybe another facility that has spare face masks but is short on gloves can contact me and we can do an exchange? Can throw in some feijoas from my tree as well, to ‘sweeten the deal’?
Or I can take up plumbing.
.
Current covid19 cases: 1,366
Cases in ICU: 3 (1 critical)
Number of deaths: 9
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References
RNZ: Nine To Noon – Political Panel
Mediaworks/Newshub: Coronavirus – New Zealand should consider quitting lockdown early, David Seymour says
RNZ: Coronavirus – Academics want much looser rules after lockdown
Twitter: Dr Siouxsie Wiles – Dr Thornley – 14 April 2020
Twitter: Dr Siouxsie Wiles – mass graves – 14 April 2020
Otago Daily Times: Health workers call for urgency over protective gear shortages
Mediaworks/Newshub: DHBs accused of charging doctors for personal protective gear amidst COVID-19 outbreak
RNZ: DHBs accused of ‘rationing’ PPE say they’re working to distribute it
Fairfax/Stuff: Coronavirus – New national PPE distribution system introduced after faults and shortages
Newsroom: Carers forced to wash and reuse masks
RNZ: Four more Covid-19 deaths in New Zealand, 17 new cases
Must Read
Elemental: Hold the Line
Democracy Now: Madrid’s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 1
Life in Lock Down: Day 2
Life in Lock Down: Day 3
Life in Lock Down: Day 4
Life in Lock Down: Day 5
Life in Lock Down: Day 6
Life in Lock Down: Day 7
Life in Lock Down: Day 7 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 8
Life in Lock Down: Day 8 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 9
Life in Lock Down: Day 10
Life in Lock Down: Day 11
Life in Lock Down: Day 12
Life in Lock Down: Day 13
Life in Lock Down: Day 14
Life in Lock Down: Day 15
Life in Lock Down: Day 16 – Bad Friday
Life in Lock Down: Day 17
Life in Lock Down: Day 18
Life in Lock Down: Day 19
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This blogpost will be re-published on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-04-13--Nationalise Fletcher Building to ensure we can rebuild NZ

The crisis we are facing is a crisis of the system of production and reproduction that has dominated the earth for 150 years .
That system demands that commodities be produced and sold for a profit .
If that profit can not be guaranteed the system will stop producing until a new balance is created .
That balance can only be achieved at the expense of working people and the planet .
In New Zealand that will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs gone and millions across the globe .
The 1 % who own the means of production are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to free up business , including in agriculture .
According to the chairman of the board of SkyCity Rob Campbell , it is his “ Fiduciary duty ” to sack people .
His company refused the 12-week subsidy for salaried staff so they could do it immediately rather than wait .
Over 2019 he presided over a share buyback process to reward shareholders directly .
These practices used to be treated as illegal share manipulation .
Hundreds of millions of dollars were drained from the accounts and given to shareholders directly .
These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company during this crisis .
Fletcher Building also did a $ 300 million share buyback in 2019 and after enriching themselves in this manner demanded workers have pay cuts of up to 70 % .
In the US share buybacks have been worth trillions of dollars over the last decade at the same time as corporate debt doubled to $ 10 trillion .
Debt has actually been used for 30 % of the share buybacks in a display of criminal greed and recklessness !
As the Harvard Business Reviews noted on January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Why stock buybacks are bad for the economy “ : When companies do these buybacks , they deprive themselves of the liquidity that might help them cope when sales and profits decline in an economic downturn .
Making matters worse , the proportion of buybacks funded by corporate bonds reached as high as 30 % in both 2016 and 2017 , according to JPMorgan Chase .
The International Monetary Fund ’ s Global Financial Stability Report , issued in October , highlights “ debt-funded payouts ” as a form of financial risk-taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weaken a firm ’ s credit quality.
” It is almost as if this class of super-rich owners has deliberately enriched themselves in ways that ensured they got as much as possible out of the firms they were managing as possible before the next crisis hit .
Those companies are now weaker and more debt-ridden than they would have been without this enrichment .
It is highly probable that the will have to recuse companies like Fletcher Building before this crisis is over to prevent its collapse .
If this is done the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the company repurposed to be a Ministry of Works for the 21st century run by the government and the workers to rebuild New Zealand .

The crisis we are facing is a crisis of the system of production and reproduction that has dominated the earth for 150 years.
That system demands that commodities be produced and sold for a profit. If that profit cannot be guaranteed the system will stop producing until a new balance is created.
That balance can only be achieved at the expense of working people and the planet. In New Zealand that will mean hundreds of thousands of jobs gone and millions across the globe. The 1% who own the means of production are also demanding the shredding of environmental controls to free up business, including in agriculture.
According to the chairman of the board of SkyCity Rob Campbell, it is his “Fiduciary duty” to sack people.
His company refused the 12-week subsidy for salaried staff so they could do it immediately rather than wait.
Over 2019 he presided over a share buyback process to reward shareholders directly. These practices used to be treated as illegal share manipulation. Hundreds of millions of dollars were drained from the accounts and given to shareholders directly. These reserves could have been used to help the company during this crisis.
Fletcher Building also did a $300 million share buyback in 2019 and after enriching themselves in this manner demanded workers have pay cuts of up to 70%.
In the US share buybacks have been worth trillions of dollars over the last decade at the same time as corporate debt doubled to $10 trillion. Debt has actually been used for 30% of the share buybacks in a display of criminal greed and recklessness!
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
As the Harvard Business Reviews noted on January 7 this year in an article headed “Why stock buybacks are bad for the economy“:
When companies do these buybacks, they deprive themselves of the liquidity that might help them cope when sales and profits decline in an economic downturn. Making matters worse, the proportion of buybacks funded by corporate bonds reached as high as 30% in both 2016 and 2017, according to JPMorgan Chase. The International Monetary Fund’s Global Financial Stability Report, issued in October, highlights “debt-funded payouts” as a form of financial risk-taking by U.S. companies that “can considerably weaken a firm’s credit quality.”
It is almost as if this class of super-rich owners has deliberately enriched themselves in ways that ensured they got as much as possible out of the firms they were managing as possible before the next crisis hit.
Those companies are now weaker and more debt-ridden than they would have been without this enrichment.
It is highly probable that the will have to recuse companies like Fletcher Building before this crisis is over to prevent its collapse. If this is done the shareholders should be expropriated with no compensation and the company repurposed to be a Ministry of Works for the 21st century run by the government and the workers to rebuild New Zealand.


thedailyblog--2020-04-13--Dr Liz Gordon: Mitigation and redemption

Right at the beginning of the pandemic , just six weeks ago , I wrote about the potential for a disastrous world death rate .
If the virus is as infectious as the flu , or even more so , I thought , then 3 billion people might get it .
If the death rate , as mooted then , was 2 % , then 60 million people may die .
This was before alert levels , mitigation strategies and lockdowns .
We have shown that , as human beings , we do not have to be the passive recipients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had no idea , at the time of writing , that we could so quickly reorganise our society to prevent the spread of the infection .
But I do want to revisit my assumption of a 2 % fatality rate .
On known figures , this rate , measured as the number of dead as a proportion of number of infections , varies dramatically between countries .
Here in New Zealand it is currently .35 of a percent , although ; likely to rise to around 1 % .
In Italy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus have died .
The United Kingdom , with its excellent public health care system , is nonetheless experiencing a current fatality rate of 12.4 % which is extremely high .
On the other hand , the USA is running at a rate of around 3.9 % , which is around the same rate as China reported .
Of cours , e there is something fishy going on to get such differences .
Possible explanations include : • None Countries with high death rates actually have low reporting rates , thus inflating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much larger older populations than others ( but surely not that huge ? )
; • None There are differences of latitude in how the virus behaves ; • None There are more and less deadly RNA strands of the virus ; and/or • None Differences in health care between countries ( which seems a bit fishy to me too ) .
I don ’ t know what the answer is , but the chart at the top of this blog ( from the excellent Johns Hopkins site ) shows that six European @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates .
A race that no-one wants to win .
I am sure this will have all the epidemiologists out in force , trying to work out what is happening .
From our perspective in New Zealand , we should just be grateful that we are here and not there .
Things are not good in the UK .
Issues of huge fear among the elderly , food security and supply , political infighting over the response to Covid 19 ( complete with shady right wing organisations modelling herd immunity scenarios ) , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leadership with leaders spouting on about wars when they should be alleviating the burdens .
My English sister continues to celebrate being here .
The Guardian today has listed little stories about 80 victims of Covid 19 , many of the health workers , bus drivers and care workers .
And Tim Brooke-Taylor , a very funny man .
They are worth reading in full .
80 out of over 10,000 .
I am still hopeful that Boris has come out from his near death experience a better man .
Today he thanked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Invercargill ” who he credited with saving him .
Is his life now on a new , redemptive path ?
Keep yourselves safe and well and be kind .
Dr Liz Gordon is a researcher and a barrister , with interests in destroying neo-liberalism in all its forms and moving towards a socially just society .
She usually blogs on justice , social welfare and education topics .

Right at the beginning of the pandemic, just six weeks ago, I wrote about the potential for a disastrous world death rate. If the virus is as infectious as the flu, or even more so, I thought, then 3 billion people might get it. If the death rate, as mooted then, was 2%, then 60 million people may die.
This was before alert levels, mitigation strategies and lockdowns. We have shown that, as human beings, we do not have to be the passive recipients of whatever the virus brings us. I had no idea, at the time of writing, that we could so quickly reorganise our society to prevent the spread of the infection.
But I do want to revisit my assumption of a 2% fatality rate. On known figures, this rate, measured as the number of dead as a proportion of number of infections, varies dramatically between countries. Here in New Zealand it is currently .35 of a percent, although ;likely to rise to around 1%. In Italy, 12.8% of people infected with the virus have died.
The United Kingdom, with its excellent public health care system, is nonetheless experiencing a current fatality rate of 12.4% which is extremely high. On the other hand, the USA is running at a rate of around 3.9%, which is around the same rate as China reported.
Of cours,e there is something fishy going on to get such differences. Possible explanations include:
Countries with high death rates actually have low reporting rates, thus inflating the results;
Some countries have much larger older populations than others (but surely not that huge?);
There are differences of latitude in how the virus behaves;
There are more and less deadly RNA strands of the virus; and/or
Differences in health care between countries (which seems a bit fishy to me too).
I don’t know what the answer is, but the chart at the top of this blog (from the excellent Johns Hopkins site) shows that six European countries have by far the highest fatality rates. A race that no-one wants to win. I am sure this will have all the epidemiologists out in force, trying to work out what is happening.
From our perspective in New Zealand, we should just be grateful that we are here and not there. Things are not good in the UK. Issues of huge fear among the elderly, food security and supply, political infighting over the response to Covid 19 (complete with shady right wing organisations modelling herd immunity scenarios), lack of places to exercise and confusing leadership with leaders spouting on about wars when they should be alleviating the burdens. My English sister continues to celebrate being here.
The Guardian today has listed little stories about 80 victims of Covid 19, many of the health workers, bus drivers and care workers. And Tim Brooke-Taylor, a very funny man. They are worth reading in full. 80 out of over 10,000.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
I am still hopeful that Boris has come out from his near death experience a better man. Today he thanked two nurses, including “Jenny from Invercargill” who he credited with saving him. Is his life now on a new, redemptive path?
Keep yourselves safe and well and be kind.
Dr Liz Gordon is a researcher and a barrister, with interests in destroying neo-liberalism in all its forms and moving towards a socially just society. She usually blogs on justice, social welfare and education topics.


thedailyblog--2020-04-13--Life in Lock Down: Day 19

Life in Lock Down: Day 19

Nineteen new cases – that ’ s the good news .
( But only if the low testing numbers over Easter have not skewed the results downwards . )
Another death – the not-so-good news we all dreaded .
The daily 1pm pressers have become a quasi pandemic lotto announcement .
We await new figures with all the morbid fascination of driving slowly past a car crash , and trying to make sense of the mangled metal wrecks .
Tomorrow will be a return to a normal ( or what passes for “ normal ” these days ) and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down trend is an accurate reflection of what ’ s happening – or simply the result of a long weekend .
Meanwhile the roads continue to be near-deserted and the streets equally vacant .
Coming home tonight , I played “ Alargo : Central Plateau “ , a haunting piece of music from New Zealand musicians Kingsley Melhuish and Alan Brown .
An apt piece to play , driving home in the dark , streets emptied of vehicles and people by an enemy we can not see , hear , or touch .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ come to appreciate the lock-down .
It has made her life simpler , taking her back to her childhood when things weren ’ t as commercialised and hectic as they were nearly three weeks ago .
I recall the world we used to live in pre-1984 ; shops open five days a week ; city streets near-empty ; shops closed in the weekend except Dairies , petrol stations , and movie theatres .
Now we don ’ t even have the movie theatres ( though super markets have slipped through the time warp @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Wellington under lock-down is pretty much as I recall Saturdays and Sundays before the advent of almost non-stop retail activity .
In the suburbs , families with kiddies barely able to ride their trikes or scooters have reclaimed the near empty roads .
They literally have become family-friendly .
That ’ s a good thing – right ?
Also the quietness .
Few trucks .
Airplanes are rarely in the sky .
There are moments when there is nothing except the rustling of trees or birdlife or a dog .
And when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ walk – despite the two metre “ social distancing ” , we ’ re actually looking at each other and sharing that secret “ we ’ re-in-this-together ” knowing smile .
Covid19 has given us a glimpse of what living could be if we just slowed down a bit ; if we hadn ’ t exchanged a less frenetic life for the dubious “ freedom ” to shop-till-we-drop .
Commentators have suggested that the human race ’ s momentary “ pause ” might give us all an opportunity to re-think our values and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live in .
I doubt that .
The moment humanity is able to get back on the treadmill , it will do so – and sadly at a faster pace .
The frentic , commercialised life we ’ ve been living has been like a drug ; too alluring to give up easily .
We may ’ ve had to temporarily give up our “ fix ” , but our “ dealers ” will be back once the dust has settled… On a relatively positive note , the government has leased nearly a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during the lock-down ; Minister for Housing Megan Woods said nearly 500 units were already filled and each unit could contain one person or a family .
“ As of Thursday evening , 962 motel units in 15 towns and cities across New Zealand had been secured and made available , and 496 units already have homeless and vulnerable people living in them , ” she said .
Government agencies were working very closely with iwi , community housing providers such as Housing First , Māori organisations , and local government to fill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She praised the various community groups for their dedication and speed .
“ In the last two weeks , there has been a massive effort to connect people who are homeless and living rough , with accommodation and social services .
“ Many have been living on the streets or in unsuitable places where social distancing was not possible.
” But as Piki Martini – homeless for eighteen months – sadly revealed ; She has a point .
Despite this government ’ s best ( ? )
efforts , homelessness and over-crowding continues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is troubling that the wheels-of-the-State move faster only when those Who Have may be threatened by Those Who Have Not , as potential disease-carriers .
Meanwhile , National ’ s housing spokesperson Simon O ’ Connor , raised the same question : what happens after the pandemic is no longer a pressing crisis ?
Unfortunately ( for him ) his faux-concern was little more than jaw-dropping , eye-ball rolling , stomach-turning hypocrisy ; “ There ’ s a risk here that just if you house the homeless , in a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes them homeless again.
” – Simon O ’ Connor , National Party Housing Spokesperson , 12 April 2020 Let me just ‘ put it out there ’ that National should be the last to lecture us on homelessness .
From 2008 until their admission of a “ housing challenge “ in 2016 , National did nothing except open the floodgates to immigration , putting pressure on existing housing stock ; reduce State housing by 7,400 units , and buy motels to put a roof over the heads of desperate families .
Mr @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep his head down .
He and his former inept government exacerbated an ongoing housing crisis that will take a decade to fix .
His hypocrisy is unhelpful , to put it politely .
Or if that doesn ’ t work , less politely .
Meanwhile , today , our Prime Minister – the Leader the rest of the world would dearly love to have as their own – continued to raise our spirits ; keep hope alive ; and admonish ( like naughty children who ’ ve been pinching from the biscuit-jar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rules .
As she rightly reminded us all , every time someone flouts the rules , the risk of transmission increases .
And the risk of death to highly vulnerable people is made much worse .
As Ms Ardern reminded errant “ children ” for the umpteenth time , “ it took just one case to spread among others “ .
This evening , after coming home ; stringently washing my hands , I made a light snack for myself .
Indulged in eating too many feijoas from my tree , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could see her , but not vice versa .
My camera ?
Skype itself ?
Gremlins in the system ?
I teased her about her knitted beanie ; “ It reminds me of Ena Sharples , from ‘ Coronation Street.
” Your .
Beanie .
Looks .
Very .
Nice.
” Humour .
In lieu of a vaccine , it ’ ll have to do as our “ best medicine ” .
RNZ : Covid-19 lockdown – Nearly 1000 motel units available for homeless TVNZ : Government paying to house homeless in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The economics of immigration in NZ NZ Herald : Govt to buy more motels to house homeless as its role in emergency housing grows Washington Post : New Zealand isn ’ t just flattening the curve .
It ’ s squashing it .
RNZ : Fifth death from Covid-19 in New Zealand reported Democracy Now : Madrid ’ s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths The Mendacities of Mr English – No , I wasn ’ t told – Yes , I was told The Warehouse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blogpost will be re-published on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

.
.
April 13: Day 19 of living in lock-down…
Nineteen new cases – that’s the good news. (But only if the low testing numbers over Easter have not skewed the results downwards.)
Another death – the not-so-good news we all dreaded.
The daily 1pm pressers have become a quasi pandemic lotto announcement. We await new figures with all the morbid fascination of driving slowly past a car crash, and trying to make sense of the mangled metal wrecks.
Tomorrow will be a return to a normal (or what passes for “normal” these days) and the next few days will confirm if the down trend is an accurate reflection of what’s happening – or simply the result of a long weekend.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Meanwhile the roads continue to be near-deserted and the streets equally vacant. Coming home tonight, I played “Alargo: Central Plateau“, a haunting piece of music from New Zealand musicians Kingsley Melhuish and Alan Brown. An apt piece to play, driving home in the dark, streets emptied of vehicles and people by an enemy we cannot see, hear, or touch.
An acquaintance told me she’s come to appreciate the lock-down. It has made her life simpler, taking her back to her childhood when things weren’t as commercialised and hectic as they were nearly three weeks ago. I recall the world we used to live in pre-1984; shops open five days a week; city streets near-empty; shops closed in the weekend except Dairies, petrol stations, and movie theatres. Now we don’t even have the movie theatres (though super markets have slipped through the time warp).
And it’s true. Wellington under lock-down is pretty much as I recall Saturdays and Sundays before the advent of almost non-stop retail activity.
In the suburbs, families with kiddies barely able to ride their trikes or scooters have reclaimed the near empty roads. They literally have become family-friendly. That’s a good thing – right?
Also the quietness. Few trucks. Airplanes are rarely in the sky. There are moments when there is nothing except the rustling of trees or birdlife or a dog. And when you do pass people out for a walk – despite the two metre “social distancing”, we’re actually looking at each other and sharing that secret “we’re-in-this-together” knowing smile.
Covid19 has given us a glimpse of what living could be if we just slowed down a bit; if we hadn’t exchanged a less frenetic life for the dubious “freedom” to shop-till-we-drop.
Commentators have suggested that the human race’s momentary “pause” might give us all an opportunity to re-think our values and the kind of world we want to live in. I doubt that. The moment humanity is able to get back on the treadmill, it will do so – and sadly at a faster pace. The frentic, commercialised life we’ve been living has been like a drug; too alluring to give up easily. We may’ve had to temporarily give up our “fix”, but our “dealers” will be back once the dust has settled…
On a relatively positive note, the government has leased nearly a thousand motel unit to house the homeless during the lock-down;
Minister for Housing Megan Woods said nearly 500 units were already filled and each unit could contain one person or a family.
“As of Thursday evening, 962 motel units in 15 towns and cities across New Zealand had been secured and made available, and 496 units already have homeless and vulnerable people living in them,” she said.
Government agencies were working very closely with iwi, community housing providers such as Housing First, Māori organisations, and local government to fill the remaining units, Woods said.
She praised the various community groups for their dedication and speed.
“In the last two weeks, there has been a massive effort to connect people who are homeless and living rough, with accommodation and social services.
“Many have been living on the streets or in unsuitable places where social distancing was not possible.”
But as Piki Martini – homeless for eighteen months – sadly revealed;
“We’ve been living in a car and a tent before here. It’s just quite sad that now everyone wants to worry about the homeless when this Covid-19 has come in, before then we were just everywhere.”
She has a point. Despite this government’s best (?) efforts, homelessness and over-crowding continues to be a blight on our society. It is troubling that the wheels-of-the-State move faster only when those Who Have may be threatened by Those Who Have Not, as potential disease-carriers.
Meanwhile, National’s housing spokesperson Simon O’Connor, raised the same question: what happens after the pandemic is no longer a pressing crisis?
Unfortunately (for him) his faux-concern was little more than jaw-dropping, eye-ball rolling, stomach-turning hypocrisy;
“There’s a risk here that just if you house the homeless, in a few weeks or months time, the government makes them homeless again.” – Simon O’Connor, National Party Housing Spokesperson, 12 April 2020
.
.
Let me just ‘put it out there’ that National should be the last to lecture us on homelessness. From 2008 until their admission of a “housing challenge“in 2016, National did nothing except open the floodgates to immigration, putting pressure on existing housing stock; reduce State housing by 7,400 units, and buy motels to put a roof over the heads of desperate families.
Mr O’Connor would do well to keep his head down. He and his former inept government exacerbated an ongoing housing crisis that will take a decade to fix.
His hypocrisy is unhelpful, to put it politely. Or if that doesn’t work, less politely.
Meanwhile, today, our Prime Minister – the Leader the rest of the world would dearly love to have as their own – continued to raise our spirits; keep hope alive; and admonish (like naughty children who’ve been pinching from the biscuit-jar) those who’ve been flouting the rules. As she rightly reminded us all, every time someone flouts the rules, the risk of transmission increases. And the risk of death to highly vulnerable people is made much worse.
As Ms Ardern reminded errant “children” for the umpteenth time, “it took just one case to spread among others“.
This evening, after coming home; stringently washing my hands, I made a light snack for myself. Indulged in eating too many feijoas from my tree, and Skyped my partner. Or rather, I could see her, but not vice versa. My camera? Skype itself? Gremlins in the system?
I teased her about her knitted beanie;
“It reminds me of Ena Sharples, from ‘Coronation Street.”
She promptly fired back;
“Filters, Frank, filters!”
Oh;
“Ah, yes, my filters. Initiating Lie Programme…
Your. Beanie. Looks. Very. Nice.”
Humour. In lieu of a vaccine, it’ll have to do as our “best medicine”.
.
Current covid19 cases: 1,349
Cases in ICU: 4 (1 critical)
Number of deaths: 5
.
.
.
.
References
NZ Musician: Alargo – Central Plateau
RNZ: Covid-19 lockdown – Nearly 1000 motel units available for homeless
TVNZ: Government paying to house homeless in motels during Covid-19 lockdown
RNZ: ‘Housing ‘challenge’ still not a ‘crisis’
Noted/North & South: The economics of immigration in NZ
NZ Herald: Govt to buy more motels to house homeless as its role in emergency housing grows
Washington Post: New Zealand isn’t just flattening the curve. It’s squashing it.
RNZ: Fifth death from Covid-19 in New Zealand reported
Must Read
Elemental: Hold the Line
Democracy Now: Madrid’s Ice Rink Turned to Morgue as Spain Exceeds China in Coronavirus Deaths
Previous related blogposts
The Mendacities of Mr English – No, I wasn’t told – Yes, I was told
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 1
Life in Lock Down: Day 2
Life in Lock Down: Day 3
Life in Lock Down: Day 4
Life in Lock Down: Day 5
Life in Lock Down: Day 6
Life in Lock Down: Day 7
Life in Lock Down: Day 7 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 8
Life in Lock Down: Day 8 (sanitised version)
Life in Lock Down: Day 9
Life in Lock Down: Day 10
Life in Lock Down: Day 11
Life in Lock Down: Day 12
Life in Lock Down: Day 13
Life in Lock Down: Day 14
Life in Lock Down: Day 15
Life in Lock Down: Day 16 – Bad Friday
Life in Lock Down: Day 17
Life in Lock Down: Day 18
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.
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Acknowledgement: Jim Hubbard
.
This blogpost will be re-published on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
.
= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-04-12--Lessons from the first fortnight of lockdown

The most important lessons from the first two weeks of lockdown : • Our big businesses have no reserves – or claim they have none – to deal with any economic hurdle , even a four-week lockdown , despite years of huge profits in most cases .
( All the benefits of big business profits are fed to shareholders – any losses in a serious bad time will be made up by the government until share prices rise again ) • The government is giving the lion ’ s share of the taxpayer bailout to businesses – through wage subsidies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relaxing the rules so businesses can trade when insolvent .
( More business support promised to come ) • Those ripping off the “ high trust ” government bailout are businesses .
Media have reported the tip of an ugly iceberg of fraud , gaming the system and double dipping .
( Will the government target these companies in the same way they target beneficiaries for fraud ?
– No way ! )
• Big business is closest to the government ’ s ear .
( The PM met with a self-appointed “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
Low-paid workers and beneficiaries never get to meet directly with the Prime Minister ) • Workers are immediately expendable as soon as the going gets tough .
( Workers are seen as a “ necessary evil ” by many employers and shafted without a thought when the going gets tough ) • The priority of big business is to support shareholders rather than the workers who actually produce the wealth for the company .
• Low-paid workers and public sector employees are the unsung heroes of our essential services .
( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the self-appointed “ heavyweight group of leading businesspeople ” ) • Low-paid workers , who live from week to week on low pay , have no reserves to deal with losing their job .
• The government is prepared to help middle-income families and landlords by pressuring the banks for mortgage payment deferrals but has left renters at the mercy of the very same landlords the government is supporting .
( The government ’ s freeze on rent rises during the lockdown is a feeble response on its own ) • Those that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in taxes , the mega-rich , get the biggest government handouts while those that pay the highest share of their income in taxes – low-paid workers – get the smallest government handouts .
• Private businesses the world over will never plan or protect communities from a disaster such as a pandemic and/or an economic crisis .
• Public health services can and do protect our communities if they are given the resources to do so .
• Community crises bring out the best in human values in us all – generosity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic system is based on alien values of greed and selfishness ) • The government has put big business in the box seat to make decisions about what projects get the green light and government funding as we emerge from the pandemic .
• Our economic system has passed its use-by date .
We need to reshape our future to bring people and communities to the centre of our economy rather than continue working to enrich the one percent .

The most important lessons from the first two weeks of lockdown:
Our big businesses have no reserves – or claim they have none – to deal with any economic hurdle, even a four-week lockdown, despite years of huge profits in most cases. (All the benefits of big business profits are fed to shareholders – any losses in a serious bad time will be made up by the government until share prices rise again) The government is giving the lion’s share of the taxpayer bailout to businesses – through wage subsidies, massive loans underwritten by taxpayers, relaxing the rules so businesses can trade when insolvent. (More business support promised to come) Those ripping off the “high trust” government bailout are businesses. Media have reported the tip of an ugly iceberg of fraud, gaming the system and double dipping. (Will the government target these companies in the same way they target beneficiaries for fraud? – No way!) Big business is closest to the government’s ear. (The PM met with a self-appointed “heavyweight group of leading businesspeople” last week. Low-paid workers and beneficiaries never get to meet directly with the Prime Minister) Workers are immediately expendable as soon as the going gets tough. (Workers are seen as a “necessary evil” by many employers and shafted without a thought when the going gets tough) The priority of big business is to support shareholders rather than the workers who actually produce the wealth for the company. Low-paid workers and public sector employees are the unsung heroes of our essential services. (Far more essential to our wellbeing than the self-appointed “heavyweight group of leading businesspeople”) Low-paid workers, who live from week to week on low pay, have no reserves to deal with losing their job. The government is prepared to help middle-income families and landlords by pressuring the banks for mortgage payment deferrals but has left renters at the mercy of the very same landlords the government is supporting. (The government’s freeze on rent rises during the lockdown is a feeble response on its own) Those that pay the lowest share of their income in taxes, the mega-rich, get the biggest government handouts while those that pay the highest share of their income in taxes – low-paid workers – get the smallest government handouts. Private businesses the world over will never plan or protect communities from a disaster such as a pandemic and/or an economic crisis. Public health services can and do protect our communities if they are given the resources to do so. Community crises bring out the best in human values in us all – generosity, compassion and selflessness. (Meanwhile our economic system is based on alien values of greed and selfishness) The government has put big business in the box seat to make decisions about what projects get the green light and government funding as we emerge from the pandemic. Our economic system has passed its use-by date. We need to reshape our future to bring people and communities to the centre of our economy rather than continue working to enrich the one percent.