thedailyblog--2020-06-22--Can Labour Still Win?

Can Labour Still Win?

THE QUESTION IS , can Labour still win in September ?
A week or so ago , the answer would have been an unequivocal “ Hell yeah !
” Indeed , the general consensus about the forthcoming general election was that Labour would not only be re-elected , but would win enough seats to govern alone .
Never has Harold Wilson ’ s famous quip : “ A week is a long time in politics ” been more appropriately applied than to the brief space of days during which Jacinda Ardern transitioned from international poster-girl to clay-footed statue .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down to trust .
What ’ s required to build it .
How easily it ’ s lost .
And how much more effort – not to mention plenty of old-fashioned good luck – it takes to get it back .
Jacinda , and the whole Labour operation which she , single-handedly , is holding up , faces a gruelling uphill struggle just to get back to where they were .
Todd Muller , who had been looking suspiciously like dog-tucker , is now very much in with a chance .
Jacinda ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fact that an unhealthily large percentage of the Parliamentary Press Gallery is in the market for her scalp .
They hated being seen as the bad guys .
Every day that the Jacinda and Ashley Show was playing , they had to endure the public scorn that poured down upon them .
The public had no idea what their leaders had to endure from the news media .
But there it was , laid bare , live , on national television .
The petty point-scoring .
The holier-than-thou posturing .
The preening @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vying to ask the “ gotcha ” question guaranteed to make Jacinda squirm .
Ah , but now everything has changed .
Overnight , the story of those two unfortunate women and their fateful road-trip to Wellington , has broken the spell .
Overnight , what had looked like – and been accepted internationally – as a practically faultless performance on the part of the New Zealand government and its compassionate prime minister began to unravel .
Now it ’ s just one big ball of tangled wool , an all the media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hell .
Saint Ashley has had his angel ’ s wings ripped bloodily from his back .
Unfair ?
Of course it ’ s unfair !
But that ’ s the whole nature of the political game , isn ’ t it ?
Win big .
Lose big .
And , being brutally honest , he really did need to make sure that the wires connecting his command-and-control levers were actually attached to something ready , willing and able to be commanded and controlled .
It ’ s a bit late in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they weren ’ t .
Oh sure , Jacinda has called in the troops .
That was a cool move .
People like that sort of thing .
But her next move , bringing in Megan Woods , wasn ’ t so smart at all .
Jacinda needed to remain front and centre .
No longer paired with a Director-General of Health , but with an Air Commodore .
What she needed to project after the detection of all those embarrassing new Covid-19 cases was a no more Ms Niceperson image .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ far too many selfish bastards had taken advantage .
Now it was time to kick some idiot Kiwi butt – and kick it hard .
Megan looks like an admission of failure .
Political tragics living within the Wellington beltway may understand that she ’ s one tough cookie who gets the job done and suffers fools not at all .
But all the public is likely to remember about Comrade Woods is that she was the person Jacinda brought in to clean up the god-almighty fuck-up that was KiwiBuild .
Their entirely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , this is another fuck-up .
Their next entirely predictable conclusion : Labour just can ’ t get anything right – they ’ re bloody hopeless !
Is it hopeless ?
No , not yet .
There ’ s still a bit of time to sort out this omnishambles .
But , boy-oh-boy , it will require everybody in Jacinda ’ s kitchen cabinet to reach down deep into themselves and retrieve a whole lot more imagination , competence and courage than they have displayed to date .
This government needs a plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , no-excuses plan for New Zealand ’ s economic recovery .
Not a Treasury Plan , but a Labour plan .
A plan that looks , smells , tastes and feels like the sort of remedy Mickey Savage , Bernie Sanders , or – oh , what the hell !
– that AOC would be proud of .
A plan that the Greens will swoon over , and that NZ First will reject outright .
Are you beginning to see where I ’ m going with this ?
No ?
Well let me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out of the awful predicament in which she and her party now find themselves , Jacinda needs to goad Winston and Shane into doing something really dumb .
Like refusing to back Jacinda ’ s and Grant ’ s democratic-socialist plan .
The moment he does that the Prime Minister can justifiably pay a visit to Dame Patsy Reddy , advise her to dissolve Parliament and issue the writs for an early election .
When she ’ s done that , she can return to the Beehive Theatrette and deliver the speech of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New Zealanders to give her the majority she needs to steer the country out of danger .
A speech that asks the voters to set the principles of MMP aside for the duration of this once-in-a-generation national emergency .
An emergency that New Zealanders dare not leave to the free-market instincts of the National Party to fix .
A “ give us the tools so we can finish the job ” sort of speech .
As a garnish to this blood-rare steak dinner , she might then tip the wink to Labour voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Vote for Chloe Swarbrick .
You know , just to rub salt in Winston ’ s wounds !
In the meantime , while all this political drama is unfolding , Jacinda needs to make it very , very clear to Air Commodore Darren ( Digby ) Webb that she expects him and the NZDF to make this country ’ s borders tighter than a tin drum , and while it probably wouldn ’ t be a good idea to shoot anyone , a few cuts and bruises wouldn ’ t unduly bother her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So , get to it , Jacinda .
Strap some steel around those clay ankles of yours .
Shut this omnishambles down .
Change the conversation .
And , for Christ ’ s sake – and all our sakes – win the bloody election !

THE QUESTION IS, can Labour still win in September? A week or so ago, the answer would have been an unequivocal “Hell yeah!” Indeed, the general consensus about the forthcoming general election was that Labour would not only be re-elected, but would win enough seats to govern alone.
Never has Harold Wilson’s famous quip: “A week is a long time in politics” been more appropriately applied than to the brief space of days during which Jacinda Ardern transitioned from international poster-girl to clay-footed statue. A decidedly wobbly-looking statue!
It all boils down to trust. What’s required to build it. How easily it’s lost. And how much more effort – not to mention plenty of old-fashioned good luck – it takes to get it back. Jacinda, and the whole Labour operation which she, single-handedly, is holding up, faces a gruelling uphill struggle just to get back to where they were. Todd Muller, who had been looking suspiciously like dog-tucker, is now very much in with a chance.
Jacinda’s situation isn’t helped by the fact that an unhealthily large percentage of the Parliamentary Press Gallery is in the market for her scalp. They hated being seen as the bad guys. Every day that the Jacinda and Ashley Show was playing, they had to endure the public scorn that poured down upon them. The public had no idea what their leaders had to endure from the news media. But there it was, laid bare, live, on national television. The petty point-scoring. The holier-than-thou posturing. The preening “people’s prosecutors” all vying to ask the “gotcha” question guaranteed to make Jacinda squirm.
Ah, but now everything has changed. Overnight, the story of those two unfortunate women and their fateful road-trip to Wellington, has broken the spell. Overnight, what had looked like – and been accepted internationally – as a practically faultless performance on the part of the New Zealand government and its compassionate prime minister began to unravel. Now it’s just one big ball of tangled wool, an all the media kitty-cats’ little claws are giving it hell.
Saint Ashley has had his angel’s wings ripped bloodily from his back. Unfair? Of course it’s unfair! But that’s the whole nature of the political game, isn’t it? Win big. Lose big. And, being brutally honest, he really did need to make sure that the wires connecting his command-and-control levers were actually attached to something ready, willing and able to be commanded and controlled. It’s a bit late in the day, now, to discover that they weren’t.
Oh sure, Jacinda has called in the troops. That was a cool move. People like that sort of thing. But her next move, bringing in Megan Woods, wasn’t so smart at all. Jacinda needed to remain front and centre. No longer paired with a Director-General of Health, but with an Air Commodore. What she needed to project after the detection of all those embarrassing new Covid-19 cases was a no more Ms Niceperson image. She had tried to be kind, and far too many selfish bastards had taken advantage. Now it was time to kick some idiot Kiwi butt – and kick it hard.
Megan looks like an admission of failure. Political tragics living within the Wellington beltway may understand that she’s one tough cookie who gets the job done and suffers fools not at all. But all the public is likely to remember about Comrade Woods is that she was the person Jacinda brought in to clean up the god-almighty fuck-up that was KiwiBuild. Their entirely predictable conclusion: the Nats are right, this is another fuck-up. Their next entirely predictable conclusion: Labour just can’t get anything right – they’re bloody hopeless!
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
Is it hopeless? No, not yet. There’s still a bit of time to sort out this omnishambles. But, boy-oh-boy, it will require everybody in Jacinda’s kitchen cabinet to reach down deep into themselves and retrieve a whole lot more imagination, competence and courage than they have displayed to date. This government needs a plan – a solid, simple, no-frills, no-excuses plan for New Zealand’s economic recovery. Not a Treasury Plan, but a Labour plan. A plan that looks, smells, tastes and feels like the sort of remedy Mickey Savage, Bernie Sanders, or – oh, what the hell! – that AOC would be proud of. A plan that the Greens will swoon over, and that NZ First will reject outright.
Are you beginning to see where I’m going with this? No? Well let me make myself crystal clear.
To get out of the awful predicament in which she and her party now find themselves, Jacinda needs to goad Winston and Shane into doing something really dumb. Like refusing to back Jacinda’s and Grant’s democratic-socialist plan. The moment he does that the Prime Minister can justifiably pay a visit to Dame Patsy Reddy, advise her to dissolve Parliament and issue the writs for an early election.
When she’s done that, she can return to the Beehive Theatrette and deliver the speech of her life. A speech calling upon New Zealanders to give her the majority she needs to steer the country out of danger. A speech that asks the voters to set the principles of MMP aside for the duration of this once-in-a-generation national emergency. An emergency that New Zealanders dare not leave to the free-market instincts of the National Party to fix. A “give us the tools so we can finish the job” sort of speech.
As a garnish to this blood-rare steak dinner, she might then tip the wink to Labour voters in Auckland Central to cast their Electorate Vote for Chloe Swarbrick. You know, just to rub salt in Winston’s wounds!
In the meantime, while all this political drama is unfolding, Jacinda needs to make it very, very clear to Air Commodore Darren (Digby) Webb that she expects him and the NZDF to make this country’s borders tighter than a tin drum, and while it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to shoot anyone, a few cuts and bruises wouldn’t unduly bother her – or the rest of the country.
So, get to it, Jacinda. Strap some steel around those clay ankles of yours. Shut this omnishambles down. Change the conversation. And, for Christ’s sake – and all our sakes – win the bloody election!


thedailyblog--2020-06-23--Peters criticism of Israeli annexation plan ‘all gums and no teeth’

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is pleased that the Foreign Minister , Winston Peters , has today expressed serious concern at Israeli plans to annex large parts of the Occupied West Bank , but says the New Zealand government is failing to use any leverage to get Israel to take any notice .
PSNA National Chair , John Minto , says the statement is ‘ all gums and no teeth ’ .
“ New Zealand governments have been saying ad nauseum that Israel should give up territory which it occupied in the 1967 war , ever since Israel fought that war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However by never joining with other countries to put real pressure on Israel to comply with international law and United Nations resolutions , Israel is now poised to commit another flagrant breach of international law and extinguish the last hope that Palestinians could ever achieve statehood.
” Steps New Zealand should be taking to back up its criticism of Israel include : • prohibiting the importation of products of illegal settlements made in the Occupied Palestinian Territories • instructing the Superannuation Fund to disinvest in any Israeli company complicit in settlement activities or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • closing the Israeli embassy ( as we did when Israeli Mossad agents stole New Zealand passports in another breach of international law ) “ We still import Israeli goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories , and our Superfund still invests in Israeli companies which profit from illegal settlement building and the occupation.
” When Russia annexed Crimea our then Foreign Minister Murray McCully put in place some limited sanctions on individuals associated with the annexation .
Despite much more egregious and long-standing breaches of international law and UN resolutions by Israel , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Any objective look at the situation will show Peters ’ claim of New Zealand ’ s “ principled and balanced approach to the Middle East Peace Process ” is a fairytale ” .
The conflict derives from Israel ’ s brutal military occupation of Palestine in the first instance .
It is not a “ both sides have legitimate issues and grievances ” , as Mr Peters claims ” New Zealand should also NOT be calling for direct negotiations to solve these issues because the power imbalance will prevent a solution based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ must insist that Israel abide by international law and United Nations resolutions and take action with other countries to force compliance on this rogue state .
That is the only path to peace based on justice .
John Minto says Israel has become increasingly identified as an apartheid state .
“ New Israeli nationality laws have reinforced the permanent supremacy of people with Jewish ancestry over the indigenous Palestinians.
” As Nobel Peace prize winner and South African Archbishop , Desmond Tutu , says “ we should name it apartheid and boycott ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fight against South African apartheid .
We must do the same against Israeli apartheid ”

Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa is pleased that the Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, has today expressed serious concern at Israeli plans to annex large parts of the Occupied West Bank, but says the New Zealand government is failing to use any leverage to get Israel to take any notice.
PSNA National Chair, John Minto, says the statement is ‘all gums and no teeth’.
“New Zealand governments have been saying ad nauseum that Israel should give up territory which it occupied in the 1967 war, ever since Israel fought that war to take more Palestinian land.”
“However by never joining with other countries to put real pressure on Israel to comply with international law and United Nations resolutions, Israel is now poised to commit another flagrant breach of international law and extinguish the last hope that Palestinians could ever achieve statehood.”
Steps New Zealand should be taking to back up its criticism of Israel include:
suspending our bilateral agreements with Israel
prohibiting the importation of products of illegal settlements made in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
instructing the Superannuation Fund to disinvest in any Israeli company complicit in settlement activities or land confiscation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
ending arms and military equipment purchases from Israeli companies
closing the Israeli embassy (as we did when Israeli Mossad agents stole New Zealand passports in another breach of international law)
“We still import Israeli goods from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and our Superfund still invests in Israeli companies which profit from illegal settlement building and the occupation.”
When Russia annexed Crimea our then Foreign Minister Murray McCully put in place some limited sanctions on individuals associated with the annexation. Despite much more egregious and long-standing breaches of international law and UN resolutions by Israel, Peters is signalling no such steps.
“Any objective look at the situation will show Peters’ claim of New Zealand’s “principled and balanced approach to the Middle East Peace Process” is a fairytale”. The conflict derives from Israel’s brutal military occupation of Palestine in the first instance. It is not a “both sides have legitimate issues and grievances”, as Mr Peters claims”
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
New Zealand should also NOT be calling for direct negotiations to solve these issues because the power imbalance will prevent a solution based on justice for Palestinians. Instead we must insist that Israel abide by international law and United Nations resolutions and take action with other countries to force compliance on this rogue state. That is the only path to peace based on justice.
John Minto says Israel has become increasingly identified as an apartheid state.
“New Israeli nationality laws have reinforced the permanent supremacy of people with Jewish ancestry over the indigenous Palestinians.”
As Nobel Peace prize winner and South African Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, says “we should name it apartheid and boycott”
New Zealand has a proud history in the fight against South African apartheid. We must do the same against Israeli apartheid”


thedailyblog--2020-06-23--Life in Level 1: The Taxpayer’s Coin

Life in Level 1: The Taxpayer’s Coin

There are two things right now in Aotearoa New Zealand that are guaranteed to piss people off .
Firstly , it ’ s National playing silly-bugger politics with the covid-19 pandemic .
This cost Simon Bridges his job as National ’ s Leader .
Lately , Michael Woodhouse has been playing fast and loose with revelations that he waited a day before informing the Ministry of Health ( MoH ) that two sisters had been allowed out of quarantine without testing .
The two women later tested positive for covid-19 .
Mr Woodhouse chose first to talk over the tip-off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Later , after some strategy had no doubt been engineered ( with Matthew Hooton ’ s involvement ? )
, Mr Woodhouse went public .
In his interview with RNZ ’ s Suzie Ferguson , Mr Woodhouse was at pains to point out that it was not his job to inform MoH or the government that two untested returnees were travelling the length of the North Island and who later tested positive for covid-19 .
Evidently , the risk that the pair could have infected others ; put people in hospital ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fragile state of our economy – was not a matter worthy of consideration for Mr Woodhouse who has aspirations to one day be a government Minister .
As he put it so eloquently to Ms Ferguson ; “ I ’ m not part of the cheerleading team.
” Mr Woodhouse criticised Health Minister David Clark as being “ completely disengaged from his role [ as Minister of Health ] ” and demanded his resignation .
The same charge could equally be levelled at Mr Woodhouse for playing politics with a disease that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s a moot point which is worse ; incompetence or politicising a lethal pandemic .
The second thing that has roused the ire of New Zealanders is the constant flow of media stories of a small number of returnees who have whinged at aspects of their quarantine , or expected special treatment to attend family members who are near death , or funerals .
( And I write this as someone who understands all too well what it feels like to face the ghastly frustration of seeing a loved one dying and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing about it… ) Or the non-stop media stories of businesspeople who demanded exemptions and wanted to continue trading during Level 4 and Level 3 lockdown .
Nothing quite says “ Batshit Crazy ” as a weight-loss company so full of it ’ s own self-importance that they think they are an essential service during a global pandemic ; Because if you ’ re on your death-bed from covid-19 – about to meet your Maker – no doubt losing a few kilos is first and foremost on your mind… Three months later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Self Important Entitlement : Scenic Hotel Group ’ s managing director , Brendan Taylor .
Mr Taylor was apoplectic that *HIS* town , Rotorua , would be hosting additional quarantine facilities ; “ It is a concern to a lot of New Zealanders travelling as to which hotels are being used as isolation hotels and which ones aren ’ t .
Rotorua and Taupō have been doing really well with weekend business so I would ’ ve thought Rotorua would probably start to suffer a bit with accommodation being turned into isolation hotels.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerned that “ Rotorua and Taupō have been doing really well with weekend business so [ … ] would ’ ve thought Rotorua would probably start to suffer a bit with accommodation being turned into isolation hotels ” .
So no concerns then about pandemics ?
Or re-infection if we don ’ t begin to get our act together with stringest quarantine procedures .
Or the lives that could be lost .
Or that returnees were our fellow Kiwis .
Mr Taylor ’ s point-of-view was that hotels were “ doing really well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s not all he ’ s done “ really well with “ .
Interestingly , Mr Taylor has benefitted fairly well accepting the taxpayer ’ s coin ; Thus far , Mr Taylor ’ s company has taken $ 1,512,379.20 of the taxpayer ’ s coin for wage subsidies .
That ’ s our taxes going to his company to pay his staff ’ s wages .
The least he could do is not whinge and understand that this government is doing what it must to assist New Zealanders to return to this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that does not bring contagion back into our community .
Because it may have escaped Mr Taylor ’ s attention that if covid-19 returns and the second wave is even more disastrous for our economy – he may not have much a hotel chain left to be Managing Director of .
Instead of being self-indulgent , perhaps he could return the generosity of the taxpayer by asking ; “ what can we do to assist ” ?
As for Radio NZ which carried the story – this is not the first tale of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” they ’ ve engaged in .
Or badly mis-represented a story .
In this case , the headline carried the ominous warning ; Except… there was no reference within the text of the story to any “ potential travellers ” being “ wary ” .
Or “ weary ” , as their Twitter version suggested ; In fact there was no mention of “ potential travellers ” full stop .
Just the “ reckons ” of one businessman more concerned with “ doing really well with weekend business ” than his fellow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ question RNZ using the phrase ; “ As the school holidays approach there is concern people may put off plans to travel to Rotorua where two hotels were commandeered for quarantining returning Kiwis at the weekend.
” This is immature tabloid journalism and not the standard we expect from RNZ .
The commentary after RNZ posted a link to the above story on Twitter was scathing .
One could have been forgiven that people were commenting on the latest confused ramblings from Mike Hosking , Kate Hawkesby , or Sean Plunkett , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media outlet .
D Minus .
Can do much better if they apply themselves .
Today ( 23 June ) , the government floated the ‘ kite ’ of demanding co-payments from returnees to Aotearoa New Zealand .
The co-payment would be charged for their 14 day quarantine ; “ What we need to consider as a government is the fairness of a potential co-payment system , so we need to factor in a whole range of issues and keep in mind we can not stop New Zealanders from coming back to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so that will have to underpin all of our decisions.
” – PM Ardern Human Rights lawyer , Michael Bott , was damning of the suggestion ; “ I would say , potentially , it ’ s in breach of the Bill of Rights Act , because you have a right of entry in terms of your country and to impose a cost on New Zealand citizens who are overseas and wish to come back home… is something which may be considered disproportionate and severe.
” Put in plain english , this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the sort of money-grubbing we might expect from a National government prepared to put money ahead of the well-being of our fellow citizens .
This would be Labour ’ s moment equivalent to National raising prescription charges in 2012 from $ 3 to $ 5 .
This would be the antithesis of the positive message that PM Ardern has steadfastly maintained these last few months ; “ We ’ re all in this together.
” “ We will get through this together , but only if we stick together .
Be strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are all in this together .
The quarantining of hundreds – thousands – of returnees is not for their personal benefit .
A postcard to Aunt Nellie showing their hotel room doesn ’ t quite have the same romanticism as a beach at Bali .
This benefits us all , from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island ; the entire Team Five Million .
We all stand to gain from returnees quarantining .
Just as returnees benefitted from the entire country going into lock down for six weeks .
To expect them to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be like expecting people to pay for their own covid-19 testing .
The idea would be ludicrous because when it comes to an infectious micro-organism there is no “ Us ” and “ Them ” .
There is only “ We ” .
As in , we ’ re all in this together .
I have no idea who came up with this short-sighted notion .
It is quite mad .
And I am surprised that it would pass PM Ardern ’ s “ sniff test ” .
I hope it is binned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about it .
RNZ : Travellers ‘ shocked ’ at last minute transfer to quarantine in Rotorua Mediaworks/Newhub : Kiwi in quarantine pleads with Government for right to visit dying mother Mediaworks/Newhub : Coronavirus – Kiwi woman desperate to see her dying mother denied isolation exemption RNZ : Covid-19 – NZer in quarantine appeals to government compassion to see dying wife NZ Herald : Covid 19 coronavirus – Kiwi in LA begs for quarantine exemption to see dying dad in Christchurch RNZ : Cabinet to consider co-payment scheme for new arrivals Stuff : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Budget ODT : ‘ We ’ re all in this together ’ Ministry of Health : Two new cases of COVID-19 The Daily Blog : Snakes and Mirrors – National Sat On Covid-19 Infection Information For Hours Before Dropping Political Bombshell In Parliament The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus Life in Lock Down : Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern Life in Lock Down : Day 2 of Level 3 This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

.
.
Plague town?
There are two things right now in Aotearoa New Zealand that are guaranteed to piss people off.
Firstly, it’s National playing silly-bugger politics with the covid-19 pandemic. This cost Simon Bridges his job as National’s Leader.
Lately, Michael Woodhouse has been playing fast and loose with revelations that he waited a day before informing the Ministry of Health (MoH) that two sisters had been allowed out of quarantine without testing. The two women later tested positive for covid-19.
Mr Woodhouse chose first to talk over the tip-off from his source with his Party leadership. Later, after some strategy had no doubt been engineered (with Matthew Hooton’s involvement?), Mr Woodhouse went public.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
In his interview with RNZ’s Suzie Ferguson, Mr Woodhouse was at pains to point out that it was not his job to inform MoH or the government that two untested returnees were travelling the length of the North Island and who later tested positive for covid-19. Evidently, the risk that the pair could have infected others; put people in hospital; potentially killed someone; and further harmed the fragile state of our economy – was not a matter worthy of consideration for Mr Woodhouse who has aspirations to one day be a government Minister.
As he put it so eloquently to Ms Ferguson;
“I’m not part of the cheerleading team.”
Mr Woodhouse criticised Health Minister David Clark as being “completely disengaged from his role [as Minister of Health]” and demanded his resignation.
The same charge could equally be levelled at Mr Woodhouse for playing politics with a disease that has destroyed so many lives.
It’s a moot point which is worse; incompetence or politicising a lethal pandemic.
The second thing that has roused the ire of New Zealanders is the constant flow of media stories of a small number of returnees who have whinged at aspects of their quarantine, or expected special treatment to attend family members who are near death, or funerals. (And I write this as someone who understands all too well what it feels like to face the ghastly frustration of seeing a loved one dying and not being able to do a damn thing about it…)
.
.
Or the non-stop media stories of businesspeople who demanded exemptions and wanted to continue trading during Level 4 and Level 3 lockdown .
Nothing quite says “Batshit Crazy” as a weight-loss company so full of it’s own self-importance that they think they are an essential service during a global pandemic;
.
.
Because if you’re on your death-bed from covid-19 – about to meet your Maker – no doubt losing a few kilos is first and foremost on your mind…
Three months later, and we have a new contender for Self Important Entitlement: Scenic Hotel Group’s managing director, Brendan Taylor.
Mr Taylor was apoplectic that *HIS* town, Rotorua, would be hosting additional quarantine facilities;
“It is a concern to a lot of New Zealanders travelling as to which hotels are being used as isolation hotels and which ones aren’t.
Rotorua and Taupō have been doing really well with weekend business so I would’ve thought Rotorua would probably start to suffer a bit with accommodation being turned into isolation hotels.”
Yes, Mr Taylor was mightily concerned that “Rotorua and Taupō have been doing really well with weekend business so […] would’ve thought Rotorua would probably start to suffer a bit with accommodation being turned into isolation hotels”.
So no concerns then about pandemics? Or re-infection if we don’t begin to get our act together with stringest quarantine procedures. Or the lives that could be lost. Or that returnees were our fellow Kiwis.
Mr Taylor’s point-of-view was that hotels were “doing really well with weekend business“.
That’s not all he’s done “really well with“. Interestingly, Mr Taylor has benefitted fairly well accepting the taxpayer’s coin;
.
.
Thus far, Mr Taylor’s company has taken $1,512,379.20 of the taxpayer’s coin for wage subsidies. That’s our taxes going to his company to pay his staff’s wages.
The least he could do is not whinge and understand that this government is doing what it must to assist New Zealanders to return to this country safely, and in a way that does not bring contagion back into our community.
Because it may have escaped Mr Taylor’s attention that if covid-19 returns and the second wave is even more disastrous for our economy – he may not have much a hotel chain left to be Managing Director of .
Instead of being self-indulgent, perhaps he could return the generosity of the taxpayer by asking; “what can we do to assist”?
As for Radio NZ which carried the story – this is not the first tale of self-indulgent, woe-is-me, “grief journalism” they’ve engaged in. Or badly mis-represented a story.
In this case, the headline carried the ominous warning;
.
.
Except… there was no reference within the text of the story to any “potential travellers” being “wary”.
Or “weary”, as their Twitter version suggested;
.
.
In fact there was no mention of “potential travellers” full stop. Just the “reckons” of one businessman more concerned with “doing really well with weekend business” than his fellow countrymen and women.
One could also question RNZ using the phrase;
“As the school holidays approach there is concern people may put off plans to travel to Rotorua where two hotels were commandeered for quarantining returning Kiwis at the weekend.”
This is immature tabloid journalism and not the standard we expect from RNZ.
The commentary after RNZ posted a link to the above story on Twitter was scathing. One could have been forgiven that people were commenting on the latest confused ramblings from Mike Hosking, Kate Hawkesby, or Sean Plunkett, and not this country’s most respected media outlet.
Not good, RNZ:
D Minus. Can do much better if they apply themselves.
Pay-To-Stay?
Today (23 June), the government floated the ‘kite’ of demanding co-payments from returnees to Aotearoa New Zealand. The co-payment would be charged for their 14 day quarantine;
“What we need to consider as a government is the fairness of a potential co-payment system, so we need to factor in a whole range of issues and keep in mind we cannot stop New Zealanders from coming back to the country where they are a citizen, and so that will have to underpin all of our decisions.” – PM Ardern
Human Rights lawyer, Michael Bott, was damning of the suggestion;
“I would say, potentially, it’s in breach of the Bill of Rights Act, because you have a right of entry in terms of your country and to impose a cost on New Zealand citizens who are overseas and wish to come back home… is something which may be considered disproportionate and severe.”
Put in plain english, this is a really terrible idea. It is the sort of money-grubbing we might expect from a National government prepared to put money ahead of the well-being of our fellow citizens. This would be Labour’s moment equivalent to National raising prescription charges in 2012 from $3 to $5.
This would be the antithesis of the positive message that PM Ardern has steadfastly maintained these last few months;
.
.
“We’re all in this together.”
“We will get through this together, but only if we stick together. Be strong and be kind.”
Yes, we are all in this together. The quarantining of hundreds – thousands – of returnees is not for their personal benefit. A postcard to Aunt Nellie showing their hotel room doesn’t quite have the same romanticism as a beach at Bali.
This benefits us all, from Cape Reinga to Stewart Island; the entire Team Five Million. We all stand to gain from returnees quarantining.
Just as returnees benefitted from the entire country going into lock down for six weeks.
To expect them to pay – even only a portion – would be like expecting people to pay for their own covid-19 testing. The idea would be ludicrous because when it comes to an infectious micro-organism there is no “Us” and “Them”. There is only “We”. As in, we’re all in this together.
I have no idea who came up with this short-sighted notion. It is quite mad. And I am surprised that it would pass PM Ardern’s “sniff test”.
I hope it is binned. Because there is nothing remotely kind about it.
.
As at 23 June 2020:
Confirmed covid19 cases: 1,165
Active cases: 10
Cases in ICU: nil
Number of deaths: 22
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References
RNZ: National Party on managed isolation bungle (audio)
RNZ: Travellers ‘shocked’ at last minute transfer to quarantine in Rotorua
Mediaworks/Newhub: Kiwi in quarantine pleads with Government for right to visit dying mother
Mediaworks/Newhub: Coronavirus – Kiwi woman desperate to see her dying mother denied isolation exemption
RNZ: Covid-19 – NZer in quarantine appeals to government compassion to see dying wife
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – Kiwi in LA begs for quarantine exemption to see dying dad in Christchurch
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – Jenny Craig defends stance as essential service
RNZ: Isolation hotels making potential travellers wary
Work and Income: Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Employer Search
Twitter: RNZ – Isolation hotels making potential travellers weary – 23 June 2020
RNZ: Cabinet to consider co-payment scheme for new arrivals
Stuff: Prescription cost to rise to help pay for Budget
ODT: ‘We’re all in this together’
Ministry of Health: Two new cases of COVID-19
Other Blogposts
The Standard: Responsible politics verses Gotcha politics
The Daily Blog: Snakes and Mirrors – National Sat On Covid-19 Infection Information For Hours Before Dropping Political Bombshell In Parliament
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern
Life in Lock Down: Day 2 of Level 3
Life in Level 1: Reinfection – Labour’s kryptonite
Life in Level 1: Reinfection – No, Dr Bloomfield!
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Acknowledgement: Rod Emmerson
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This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-06-20--Life in Level 1: Reinfection – No, Dr Bloomfield!

The bad news : Aotearoa New Zealand has two new cases of covid-19 .
The good news : the two cases were picked up at an Auckland quarantine facility .
The terrifying news : had the story of the two women leaving quarantine without testing not broken four days ago – this couple and their child were due to depart the facility ; The couple returned to New Zealand on a repatriation flight from Delhi – AI-1306 – and arrived on 5 June .
They also have an infant who has not been tested due to age .
The couple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ result after being tested on day 12 of isolation .
They were tested on Day 12 .
Up until now testing had not been done or was haphazard .
The infuriating news : Dr Ashley Bloomfield needs to stop bullshitting us .
At today ’ s presser , he made this statement .
See if you can pick up the half-truth : “ Just a good time to remind everybody that we were always expecting to get new cases at our borders , as Kiwis return home from overseas .
And I guess @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several weeks where we didn ’ t get any cases at the border and now we are .
And I ’ d like to reflect on the reasons for that .
First of all , we are seeing an increasing number of Kiwis returning to the country from around the globe .
The second is , just to reiterate the point that I have made , there is still a global pandemic raging offshore .
And only overnight the Director General of the World Health Organisation noted that the global pandemic is accelerating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 150,000 new cases worldwide .
So there is an increased likelihood we will see Kiwis coming back , especially from countries where there are high rates of infection , like India .
We also earlier in the week of course had those two Kiwis who ’ d returned from the UK where they ’ ve got high rate of infection .
So this explains why we are now detecting these cases at the border.
” Dr Bloomfield ’ s assertion that new cases of covid19 are being picked up because “ we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the country from around the globe ” is not the reason .
The reason infection is being detected is because testing is now being carried out in earnest .
If personnel at quarantine facilities were still half-heartedly ( or not at all ) implementing testing protocols , all three recent cases ( one returnee from Pakistan , and the couple from India ) would likely have departed their respective facilities without having been tested .
They would be in our community – along with their viral “ passengers ” .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magnitude of the potential crisis we might be facing ; “ 2400 people who had left a managed isolation facility but had not had a test “ .
I fear our good luck is about to run out .
RNZ : Two new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand ( alt link to video ) NZ Herald : Covid 19 coronavirus – New arrivals to New Zealand told swab testing is not compulsory NZ Herald : Covid 19 coronavirus – NZ has another new case – a man in his 60s in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : Two new cases of COVID-19 The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus Life in Lock Down : Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern Life in Lock Down : Day 2 of Level 3 This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

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20 June
The bad news: Aotearoa New Zealand has two new cases of covid-19.
The good news: the two cases were picked up at an Auckland quarantine facility.
The terrifying news: had the story of the two women leaving quarantine without testing not broken four days ago – this couple and their child were due to depart the facility;
The couple returned to New Zealand on a repatriation flight from Delhi – AI-1306 – and arrived on 5 June. They also have an infant who has not been tested due to age.
The couple showed no symptoms and returned a positive result after being tested on day 12 of isolation.
They were tested on Day 12. Up until now testing had not been done or was haphazard.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
The infuriating news: Dr Ashley Bloomfield needs to stop bullshitting us. At today’s presser, he made this statement. See if you can pick up the half-truth:
.
.
@ 4:44 – 5:52
“Just a good time to remind everybody that we were always expecting to get new cases at our borders, as Kiwis return home from overseas.
And I guess the comment here is, we had several weeks where we didn’t get any cases at the border and now we are. And I’d like to reflect on the reasons for that.
First of all, we are seeing an increasing number of Kiwis returning to the country from around the globe.
The second is, just to reiterate the point that I have made, there is still a global pandemic raging offshore.
And only overnight the Director General of the World Health Organisation noted that the global pandemic is accelerating, with Thursday this week being over 150,000 new cases worldwide.
So there is an increased likelihood we will see Kiwis coming back, especially from countries where there are high rates of infection, like India. We also earlier in the week of course had those two Kiwis who’d returned from the UK where they’ve got high rate of infection.
So this explains why we are now detecting these cases at the border.”
Dr Bloomfield’s assertion that new cases of covid19 are being picked up because “we are seeing an increasing number of Kiwis returning to the country from around the globe” is not the reason.
The reason infection is being detected is because testing is now being carried out in earnest.
If personnel at quarantine facilities were still half-heartedly (or not at all) implementing testing protocols, all three recent cases (one returnee from Pakistan, and the couple from India) would likely have departed their respective facilities without having been tested .
They would be in our community – along with their viral “passengers”.
In fact, Dr Bloomfield may have revealed the magnitude of the potential crisis we might be facing;
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.
“2400 people who had left a managed isolation facility but had not had a test“.
I fear our good luck is about to run out.
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As at 20 June 2020:
Confirmed & Probable covid19 cases: 1,159
Active cases: 5
Cases in ICU: nil
Number of deaths: 22
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References
RNZ: Two new cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand (alt link to video)
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – New arrivals to New Zealand told swab testing is not compulsory
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – NZ has another new case – a man in his 60s in a quarantine facility in Auckland
Ministry of Health: Two new cases of COVID-19
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern
Life in Lock Down: Day 2 of Level 3
Reinfection: Labour’s kryptonite
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.
.
.
This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-06-18--Life in Level 1: Reinfection – Labour’s kryptonite

Labour ’ s “ dream run ” of being a competent manager during the Covid19 Crisis may just have come to a crashing end .
Recent revelations that some of the quarantine facilities ( hotels converted to the task ) have been shambolically mis-managed has raised alarm bells and widespread criticism ; A day later , on 12 June , former Police Commissioner , Mike Bush – in charge of the Government ’ s Covid-19 operational taskforce – stated that he was not satisfied with the lax procedures in the TVNZ story and promised to tighten adherence to protocols ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can bus people to another location .
For others we ’ ve found another location on site where people can ensure that they ’ re not near any other members of the public .
Yet , we now know that the two women who drove from Auckland to Wellington a day later , on 13 June , were not tested .
When TVNZ ran the story above , I guessed even then that our lax border controls and complacent , half-hearted , quarantining would not end well ; None of this was unknown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were exempt from mandatory 14 day quarantining – despite travelling to covid-19 hotspots around the world .
This should not have surprised officials or Government ministers .
As far back as April – two months ago – it was reported that isolation procedures at these quarantine facilities were being flouted ; Which makes this random comment I posted on Twitter , on 15 June – the day before the story broke in the media – eerily prescient ; Little did I realise that my remark about “ inept quarantining leading to another C19 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unpleasant reality and headline news the very next day ; Minister of Health and serial screw-up , Minister David Clark , reassured the public on RNZ ’ s Checkpoint that evening ( 16 June ) ; “ They followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven ’ t come into contact with a wider group of people … but nonetheless I am disappointed to learn they were out of the facility without testing negative first , because that was my understanding that that would have happened.
” According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Morning Report on 17 June ; “ There was a , an agreed plan in place .
As part of the approval process for the compassionate exemption , and that included for the travel arrangements .
So they had a private vehicle dropped to the hotel .
They then drove together all the way to Wellington and had no contact with anybody else during that trip .
And , uh , they didn ’ t use any public facilities and they also have been just with a single family member since they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clark assures the public that the two women “ followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven ’ t come into contact with a wider group of people “ .
Unless he – or a Ministry staffer was travelling in the same car – how on Earth could he possibly know that they “ followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven ’ t come into contact with a wider group of people “ ?
!
[ We now know they didn ’ t .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on 17 June , Minister Clark alluded to the fact that contact tracing was well under way , and he was “ waiting for data overnight “ .
He admitted that he “ needed to know how many people ” [ had to be traced ] .
That clearly conflicts with his assurance the previous day that the two women “ followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven ’ t come into contact with a wider group of people “ .
At least one of those women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] .
We may see the resurgence of clusters potentially from Auckland to Wellington .
It doesn ’ t get any worse than this .
Even more problematic is Dr Bloomfield ’ s assurance that “ they then drove together all the way to Wellington and had no contact with anybody else during that trip .
And , uh , they didn ’ t use any public facilities “ .
Again , how does Dr Bloomfield know for certain that neither women “ had no contact with anybody else “ ?
Contact tracing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that must have been in contact with someone ?
It also defies credulity that on a ten hour-plus drive from Auckland to Wellington that neither women “ didn ’ t use any public facilities “ ?
!
Modern vehicles have developed considerably since their early fuel-guzzling predecessors and are more efficient .
A vehicle could make the Auckland-Wellington trip without having to re-fuel along the way .
But not so human beings .
We ’ ve hardly changed much over the last 200,000 years .
I doubt very many human beings could make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ having to stop along the way to use public toilet facilities , at least once .
Dr Bloomfield should be fully aware of this – he graduated in medicine in 1990 and so should have a fairly good understanding of the workings of human plumbing .
So please Minister Clark and Dr Bloomfield : stop BSing us .
Neither of you can have any idea what those two did on their drive to Wellington .
It is inconceivable that they did not use public facilities along the way .
What about the other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ compassionate grounds ” ?
Were they tested before release ?
Have they recently been re-tested ?
Do we even know where they are ?
!
No wonder Opposition MP , Michael Woodhouse , questioned this government ’ s fitness to carry out health sector reforms after the Health and Disability System Review was released ; “ They haven ’ t been able to deliver anything else .
I dare say a large reform of this nature is certainly beyond them.
” I ’ m starting to think the same thing .
Up until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been stratospheric : between 80s and 90s in favourable percentage terms .
But watch that support wither and fall away if – due to complacency and mis-management – the virus reappears in the community .
And watch it collapse altogether if Aotearoa New Zealand has to go back to Level Alert 3 or – Thor forbid – Level Alert 4 .
The public will not be happy .
“ I ’ m as furious as I suspect most New Zealanders this morning .
This is clumsy and totally inappropriate when you consider @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ve spent a number of months locking our country down , we ’ ve got ourselves to the point where we ’ re Covid-free , we have systems in place that we expect to be followed and they simply weren ’ t .
We can ’ t have such a lax approach to our border when the stakes are so high.
” — he was reading the room and expressing a reaction shared by about 99 % of the population .
Unlike his hapless predecessor , Mr Muller got the tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ off .
The incompetence of those managing our quarantine facilities was sheeted home when , on 17 June , Mike Bush was interviewed on RNZ ’ s Checkpoint .
It was a class act of evasion , vagueness , buck-passing , and a startling inability to offer information to some basic questions .
It reminded me of former Corrections Minister , Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga ‘ s inept responses when interviewed on TV3 ’ s The Nation , in May 2015 ( an interview which , coincidentally , was also done by Lisa Owen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ responses had to be heard to be believed .
Likewise , when Ms Owen kept repeatedly asking Mike Bush who was responsible for failures , he kept deflecting to Minister Clark , Director General Bloomfield , et al .
He simply could not answer Ms Owen ’ s questions – because he was obviously ignorant at what was going on in the quarantine facilities .
Mr Bush confirmed to listeners what most New Zealanders already suspected : no one was in charge ; no one knew what was going on ; and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ testing were not doing their jobs .
No wonder PM Ardern has had a gutsful and appointed Air Commodore Darryn Webb to take over .
However , PM Ardern can not simply call this colossal clusterf**k “ an unacceptable failure of the system “ .
Assigning responsibility to a mythical creature called “ The System ” is a cop-out .
It wasn ’ t “ the System ” at fault .
It wasn ’ t System Bush , or System Bloomfield , or System Clark , or System Ardern in charge .
Human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knows this .
When “ The System ” is blamed , there is a collective eye-rolling of five million pairs of eye-balls .
People recognise “ Politician Speak ” when it is fed to them .
If PM Ardern wants to engage in “ Politician Speak ” , that ’ s her mistake to make .
Up until now , she has earned the respect of the nation as a Leader , not Just A Politician .
Does she really want to be seen as Just Another Politician ?
I would have thought @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person ’ s career path .
Someone screwed up .
Someone in a position of authority where they should have been doing their job .
Their .
One .
Job .
In fact , this government ’ s astronomical popularity has been predicated on them doing Their One Job : guiding Team Five Million through this crisis ; doing the tough calls ; ensuring all our resources were targetted at containing and defeating The Enemy .
They had one job .
And they ’ ve been shown up not to have done it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ popularity to take a nose-dive in the next political poll .
They will have earned the bollicking that the public is about to dish out to them .
But if we ’ re going to dish out the Finger-Pointing Pie , there is plenty to go around .
The Mainstream Media has amplified every “ human interest ” story of tragedy ; people returning to Aotearoa New Zealand desperate to get out of 14 day quarantining to attend to dying relatives or attend funerals .
( The six people who absconded from quarantine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Media amplification of these tragic stories – aka “ grief journalism ” – has no doubt put inordinate pressure on government ministers and Ministry staff .
Whilst these stories are good click-bait and help sell advertising space ( or attract listeners in RNZ ’ s case ) , they serve no other useful purpose .
Quarantines are not quarantines if people can side-step them because of tragic personal circumstances .
( And I write this knowing full well how it feels , as last year someone close to me died .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be adequately put into words . )
In one case , the Courts ruled to overturn a Ministry of Health decision to decline an exemption , saying ; “ decisions to decline permission are on their face legally flawed ” and the “ exceptional ” case “ had the hallmarks of automatic rejection based on circumscribed criteria rather than a proper exercise of discretion.
” The media should take a long , hard look at itself and the role it played in undermining implementation of quarantine protocols .
And the Courts should decline @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lest it need be repeating : the virus is no respecter of our human-made laws .
Next , the National Party and sundry business lobby groups with their relentless , irresponsible agitation to move down Alert Levels and re-open our borders to foreign students , tourists , Uncle Tom Cobbly , et al ; In the case of foreign students , National is particularly strident ; Ms Kaye ’ s assertion that “ … [ National ] have also proposed that education providers would handle quarantine procedures ” did not age well .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there are over eight million confirmed covid19 cases in the world .
The real figure is most likely higher as countries like Brazil have consistently under-reported their infection rate .
The global death toll has passed 450,000 .
That is the threat that vote-chasers in the National Party and profit-takers in the business world would expose us to .
National ’ s cynicism is nowhere more apparent than Opposition MP , Michael Woodhouse , who reported the case of two women leaving quarantine whilst infected with covid19 – several days after finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As blogger “ Mickey Savage ” outlined the timeline of events in The Standard ; The timing in interesting .
According to this interview on Morning Report Woodhouse found out these details two days ago and yesterday spent time checking the veracity of the story .
He then discussed matters with his leader ’ s office .
He did not go to the Health Ministry and did not think he should .
He thinks this was necessary for presentation of the story .
In his view his job is not to work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hold the government to account and show shortcomings .
But as we are fighting a pandemic that has caused huge damage to countries overseas didn ’ t he have a duty to bring this information to the authorities as soon as possible ?
So that these operational holes could have been filled ?
I heard the interview .
Mr Woodhouse did indeed insist it was not his job “ to improve the quarantine system “ .
Also not his job to potentially save lives either , it appears .
So while National Leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 99.99 % of the country – one of his loyal MPs was reporting to him quarantine failings ; potential re-infection throughout the country ; and possibly ending in death – all from a “ reliable source ” .
National Party priorities – certainly not saving lives .
But eventually , responsibility for this colossal mistake lies with those people whom we entrusted to safeguard us .
We know who they are .
Most have appeared nightly in our homes ; on our devices ; encouraging us to do the right thing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ We rewarded them accordingly , singing their praises .
And printing t-shirts bearing their image .
Those hymns of praise have stopped , to be replaced by the silent sound of bemusement , if not outright anger .
The t-shirts may take a bit longer to sell .
The public will be in no mood to go back into any form of lock-down .
In case I have to spell it out for Prime Minister Ardern ; Health Minister Clark , Director General Bloomfield ; Mike Bush , et al , the good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Faith has been replaced by cold fury .
The problem with being at the top ?
The only way from there is down .
Regardless of whether anyone takes responsibility for this failure , the ultimate decision will be taken from the hands of this government and its officials on 19 September .
As I wrote on 12 June – four days before the story of the quarantine failure broke ; TVNZ : Travellers mingling with passengers from other flights , members of the public during Covid-19 isolation TVNZ : Government to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 NEWS investigation Stuff media : Covid-19 – new cases as thousands fly in from Australia , Asia , Pacific Islands and US Mediaworks/Newshub : Father concerned after quarantined son taken for walk with person with COVID-19 RNZ : Covid-19 – Two new cases in New Zealand , both arrivals from UK RNZ : Two new Covid-19 cases in NZ visited dying parent – Bloomfield RNZ : Covid-19 – Exemptions concerning after women test positive outside managed isolation – Baker ( audio ) RNZ : No answers yet on why Covid-19 cases weren @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( audio ) The Spinoff : The face of the Covid-19 response – Who is Ashley Bloomfield ?
RNZ : Covid-19 – Exemptions concerning after women test positive outside managed isolation – Baker Mediaworks/Newshub : Health and Disability System Review aims to end racism in New Zealand ’ s health sector The Spinoff : Exclusive new poll : public support for Covid response remains sky high RNZ : Two new cases leaving isolation ‘ an unacceptable failure of the system ’ – Ardern ODT : Six people – not two – abscond to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine pleads with Government for right to visit dying mother Mediaworks/Newhub : Coronavirus – Kiwi woman desperate to see her dying mother denied isolation exemption RNZ : Covid-19 – NZer in quarantine appeals to government compassion to see dying wife NZ Herald : Covid 19 coronavirus – Kiwi in LA begs for quarantine exemption to see dying dad in Christchurch Magic Radio : Dr Bloomfield denies ‘ blanket approach ’ used for quarantine exemptions despite zero approvals Mediaworks/Newshub : Woman in the same hotel as new coronavirus cases ‘ shocked ’ at finding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter : @ fmacskasy – 9:45AM Jun 12 , 2020 – no mood to go back into lockdown The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus Life in Lock Down : Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern Life in Lock Down : Day 2 of Level 3 This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “ Frankly Speaking “ .
Reader ’ s comments may be left here ( The Daily Blog ) or there ( Frankly Speaking ) .

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17 June
Labour’s “dream run” of being a competent manager during the Covid19 Crisis may just have come to a crashing end.
Recent revelations that some of the quarantine facilities (hotels converted to the task) have been shambolically mis-managed has raised alarm bells and widespread criticism;
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TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
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A day later, on 12 June, former Police Commissioner, Mike Bush – in charge of the Government’s Covid-19 operational taskforce – stated that he was not satisfied with the lax procedures in the TVNZ story and promised to tighten adherence to protocols;
“That’s not good enough. We’ve got to keep those people safe … We need to get that right.
Walking groups have gone. Some hotels can bus people to another location. For others we’ve found another location on site where people can ensure that they’re not near any other members of the public.
We will put a new practice in place to make sure people on day one don’t mingle with people who have been there a lot longer. That is a difficult process.
The smoking area, we’re trying to make improvements there so we don’t have people there from day one with people from day 12.” He specifically added:
“Now we’re in Alert Level 1, we will be having a new testing regime so people will be tested on day three and then on day 12.”
Yet, we now know that the two women who drove from Auckland to Wellington a day later, on 13 June, were not tested.
When TVNZ ran the story above, I guessed even then that our lax border controls and complacent, half-hearted, quarantining would not end well;
.
.
None of this was unknown to us. We knew flight crews were exempt from mandatory 14 day quarantining – despite travelling to covid-19 hotspots around the world.
This should not have surprised officials or Government ministers. As far back as April – two months ago – it was reported that isolation procedures at these quarantine facilities were being flouted;
.
.
Which makes this random comment I posted on Twitter, on 15 June – the day before the story broke in the media – eerily prescient;
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.
Little did I realise that my remark about “inept quarantining leading to another C19 infection in Aotearoa” would become an unpleasant reality and headline news the very next day;
.
.
Minister of Health and serial screw-up, Minister David Clark, reassured the public on RNZ’s Checkpoint that evening (16 June);
“They followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven’t come into contact with a wider group of people … but nonetheless I am disappointed to learn they were out of the facility without testing negative first, because that was my understanding that that would have happened.”
According to Dr Bloomfield, speaking on RNZ’s Morning Report on 17 June;
“There was a, an agreed plan in place. As part of the approval process for the compassionate exemption, and that included for the travel arrangements.
So they had a private vehicle dropped to the hotel. They then drove together all the way to Wellington and had no contact with anybody else during that trip. And, uh, they didn’t use any public facilities and they also have been just with a single family member since they arrived in the Wellington region.”
I call bollicks to both statements.
Minister Clark assures the public that the two women “followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven’t come into contact with a wider group of people“.
Unless he – or a Ministry staffer was travelling in the same car – how on Earth could he possibly know that they “followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven’t come into contact with a wider group of people“?! [We now know they didn’t.]
On RNZ’s Morning Report, on 17 June, Minister Clark alluded to the fact that contact tracing was well under way, and he was “waiting for data overnight“. He admitted that he “needed to know how many people” [had to be traced].
That clearly conflicts with his assurance the previous day that the two women “followed all of the instructions given to them and so they haven’t come into contact with a wider group of people“.
At least one of those women was infectious [as at 17 June].
We may see the resurgence of clusters potentially from Auckland to Wellington. It doesn’t get any worse than this.
Even more problematic is Dr Bloomfield’s assurance that “they then drove together all the way to Wellington and had no contact with anybody else during that trip. And, uh, they didn’t use any public facilities“.
Again, how does Dr Bloomfield know for certain that neither women “had no contact with anybody else“? Contact tracing is already under way – so clearly that must have been in contact with someone?
It also defies credulity that on a ten hour-plus drive from Auckland to Wellington that neither women “didn’t use any public facilities“?!
Modern vehicles have developed considerably since their early fuel-guzzling predecessors and are more efficient. A vehicle could make the Auckland-Wellington trip without having to re-fuel along the way.
But not so human beings. We’ve hardly changed much over the last 200,000 years.
I doubt very many human beings could make a ten to twelve hour drive without having to stop along the way to use public toilet facilities, at least once.
Dr Bloomfield should be fully aware of this – he graduated in medicine in 1990 and so should have a fairly good understanding of the workings of human plumbing.
So please Minister Clark and Dr Bloomfield: stop BSing us.
Neither of you can have any idea what those two did on their drive to Wellington.
It is inconceivable that they did not use public facilities along the way.
What about the other 200 people released from quarantine on “compassionate grounds”? Were they tested before release? Have they recently been re-tested?
Do we even know where they are?!
No wonder Opposition MP, Michael Woodhouse, questioned this government’s fitness to carry out health sector reforms after the Health and Disability System Review was released;
“They haven’t been able to deliver anything else. I dare say a large reform of this nature is certainly beyond them.”
I’m starting to think the same thing.
Up until now, public support for this government has been stratospheric: between 80s and 90s in favourable percentage terms. But watch that support wither and fall away if – due to complacency and mis-management – the virus reappears in the community. And watch it collapse altogether if Aotearoa New Zealand has to go back to Level Alert 3 or – Thor forbid – Level Alert 4. The public will not be happy.
Adulation can turn to animus pretty damn quickly.
When National’s Leader, Todd Muller expressed his anger;
“I’m as furious as I suspect most New Zealanders this morning.
This is clumsy and totally inappropriate when you consider what’s at stake here … we’ve spent a number of months locking our country down, we’ve got ourselves to the point where we’re Covid-free, we have systems in place that we expect to be followed and they simply weren’t.
We can’t have such a lax approach to our border when the stakes are so high.”
— he was reading the room and expressing a reaction shared by about 99% of the population. Unlike his hapless predecessor, Mr Muller got the tone 100% right. People are pissed off.
The incompetence of those managing our quarantine facilities was sheeted home when, on 17 June, Mike Bush was interviewed on RNZ’s Checkpoint. It was a class act of evasion, vagueness, buck-passing, and a startling inability to offer information to some basic questions. It reminded me of former Corrections Minister, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga‘s inept responses when interviewed on TV3’s The Nation, in May 2015 (an interview which, coincidentally, was also done by Lisa Owen).
Minister, Lotu-Iiga‘s responses had to be heard to be believed.
Likewise, when Ms Owen kept repeatedly asking Mike Bush who was responsible for failures, he kept deflecting to Minister Clark, Director General Bloomfield, et al.
He simply could not answer Ms Owen’s questions – because he was obviously ignorant at what was going on in the quarantine facilities. Mr Bush confirmed to listeners what most New Zealanders already suspected: no one was in charge; no one knew what was going on; and the people supposedly carrying out quarantine protocols and testing were not doing their jobs.
No wonder PM Ardern has had a gutsful and appointed Air Commodore Darryn Webb to take over.
However, PM Ardern cannot simply call this colossal clusterf**k “an unacceptable failure of the system“. Assigning responsibility to a mythical creature called “The System” is a cop-out.
It wasn’t “the System” at fault. It wasn’t System Bush, or System Bloomfield, or System Clark, or System Ardern in charge. Human beings were in charge.
The public knows this. When “The System” is blamed, there is a collective eye-rolling of five million pairs of eye-balls. People recognise “Politician Speak” when it is fed to them.
If PM Ardern wants to engage in “Politician Speak”, that’s her mistake to make. Up until now, she has earned the respect of the nation as a Leader, not Just A Politician. Does she really want to be seen as Just Another Politician? I would have thought that was a step down in any person’s career path.
Someone screwed up. Someone in a position of authority where they should have been doing their job. Their. One. Job.
In fact, this government’s astronomical popularity has been predicated on them doing Their One Job: guiding Team Five Million through this crisis; doing the tough calls; ensuring all our resources were targetted at containing and defeating The Enemy.
They had one job. And they’ve been shown up not to have done it very well.
Expect Labour’s popularity to take a nose-dive in the next political poll. They will have earned the bollicking that the public is about to dish out to them.
But if we’re going to dish out the Finger-Pointing Pie, there is plenty to go around.
The Mainstream Media has amplified every “human interest” story of tragedy; people returning to Aotearoa New Zealand desperate to get out of 14 day quarantining to attend to dying relatives or attend funerals. (The six people who absconded from quarantine had attended a tangi in Hamilton.)
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Media amplification of these tragic stories – aka “grief journalism” – has no doubt put inordinate pressure on government ministers and Ministry staff. Whilst these stories are good click-bait and help sell advertising space (or attract listeners in RNZ’s case), they serve no other useful purpose.
Quarantines are not quarantines if people can side-step them because of tragic personal circumstances. (And I write this knowing full well how it feels, as last year someone close to me died. The awful feeling of total helplessness cannot be adequately put into words.)
In one case, the Courts ruled to overturn a Ministry of Health decision to decline an exemption, saying;
“decisions to decline permission are on their face legally flawed” and the “exceptional” case “had the hallmarks of automatic rejection based on circumscribed criteria rather than a proper exercise of discretion.”
The media should take a long, hard look at itself and the role it played in undermining implementation of quarantine protocols.
And the Courts should decline to become involved in pandemic-control policies. Lest it need be repeating: the virus is no respecter of our human-made laws.
Next, the National Party and sundry business lobby groups with their relentless, irresponsible agitation to move down Alert Levels and re-open our borders to foreign students, tourists, Uncle Tom Cobbly, et al;
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In the case of foreign students, National is particularly strident;
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Ms Kaye’s assertion that “…[National] have also proposed that education providers would handle quarantine procedures” did not age well. Four days later…
As I write this, there are over eight million confirmed covid19 cases in the world. The real figure is most likely higher as countries like Brazil have consistently under-reported their infection rate. The global death toll has passed 450,000.
That is the threat that vote-chasers in the National Party and profit-takers in the business world would expose us to.
National’s cynicism is nowhere more apparent than Opposition MP, Michael Woodhouse, who reported the case of two women leaving quarantine whilst infected with covid19 – several days after finding out from “a reliable source”.
As blogger “Mickey Savage” outlined the timeline of events in The Standard;
The timing in interesting. According to this interview on Morning Report Woodhouse found out these details two days ago and yesterday spent time checking the veracity of the story.
He then discussed matters with his leader’s office.
He did not go to the Health Ministry and did not think he should.
He thinks this was necessary for presentation of the story.
In his view his job is not to work to improve the quarantine system but to hold the government to account and show shortcomings.
But as we are fighting a pandemic that has caused huge damage to countries overseas didn’t he have a duty to bring this information to the authorities as soon as possible? So that these operational holes could have been filled?
I heard the interview. Mr Woodhouse did indeed insist it was not his job “to improve the quarantine system“. Also not his job to potentially save lives either, it appears.
So while National Leader Todd Muller was reflecting the anger felt by 99.99% of the country – one of his loyal MPs was reporting to him quarantine failings; potential re-infection throughout the country; and possibly ending in death – all from a “reliable source”. National Party priorities – certainly not saving lives.
But eventually, responsibility for this colossal mistake lies with those people whom we entrusted to safeguard us. We know who they are. Most have appeared nightly in our homes; on our devices; encouraging us to do the right thing. Most New Zealanders followed their lead.
We rewarded them accordingly, singing their praises. And printing t-shirts bearing their image.
Those hymns of praise have stopped, to be replaced by the silent sound of bemusement, if not outright anger. The t-shirts may take a bit longer to sell.
The public will be in no mood to go back into any form of lock-down. In case I have to spell it out for Prime Minister Ardern; Health Minister Clark, Director General Bloomfield; Mike Bush, et al, the good will of the public has mostly evaporated. Faith has been replaced by cold fury.
The problem with being at the top? The only way from there is down.
Regardless of whether anyone takes responsibility for this failure, the ultimate decision will be taken from the hands of this government and its officials on 19 September.
As I wrote on 12 June – four days before the story of the quarantine failure broke;
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As at 16 June 2020:
Current covid19 cases: 1,156
Cases in ICU: nil
Number of deaths: 22
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References
TVNZ: Travellers mingling with passengers from other flights, members of the public during Covid-19 isolation
TVNZ: Government to make changes to managed isolation facilities following 1 NEWS investigation
Twitter: @fmacskasy – 10.44PM Jun 11, 2020
Stuff media: Covid-19 – new cases as thousands fly in from Australia, Asia, Pacific Islands and US
Mediaworks/Newshub: Father concerned after quarantined son taken for walk with person with COVID-19
Twitter: @fmacskasy – 1.41PM Jun 15, 2020
RNZ: Covid-19 – Two new cases in New Zealand, both arrivals from UK
RNZ: Two new Covid-19 cases in NZ visited dying parent – Bloomfield
RNZ: Health Minister temporarily suspends compassionate exemptions from quarantine
RNZ: Covid-19 – Exemptions concerning after women test positive outside managed isolation – Baker (audio)
RNZ: No answers yet on why Covid-19 cases weren’t tested leaving isolation – Clark (audio)
The Spinoff: The face of the Covid-19 response – Who is Ashley Bloomfield?
RNZ: Covid-19 – Exemptions concerning after women test positive outside managed isolation – Baker
Mediaworks/Newshub: Health and Disability System Review aims to end racism in New Zealand’s health sector
The Spinoff: Exclusive new poll: public support for Covid response remains sky high
TVNZ: Public sector’s reputation in NZ reaches record high amid Covid-19 crisis, survey shows
RNZ: Government slammed after new Covid-19 cases revealed
RNZ: Mike Bush answers questions over botched Covid-19 isolation
Frankly Speaking: “The Nation” reveals gobsmacking incompetence by Ministers English and Lotu-Iiga
RNZ: Two new cases leaving isolation ‘an unacceptable failure of the system’ – Ardern
ODT: Six people – not two – abscond to go to tangi
Mediaworks/Newhub: Kiwi in quarantine pleads with Government for right to visit dying mother
Mediaworks/Newhub: Coronavirus – Kiwi woman desperate to see her dying mother denied isolation exemption
RNZ: Covid-19 – NZer in quarantine appeals to government compassion to see dying wife
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – Kiwi in LA begs for quarantine exemption to see dying dad in Christchurch
Magic Radio: Dr Bloomfield denies ‘blanket approach’ used for quarantine exemptions despite zero approvals
Twitter: @JudithCollinsMP – 12:44 PM · Jun 8, 2020 – Go to level 1
Twitter: @nikkikaye – 12 June 2020 – foreign students
Worldometer: Coronavirus Covid-19 Pandemic
NZ Herald: Covid 19 coronavirus – Brazil stops publishing number of virus deaths
Mediaworks/Newshub: Woman in the same hotel as new coronavirus cases ‘shocked’ at finding out via Ministry of Health press conference
RNZ: National Party on managed isolation bungle
Twitter: @fmacskasy – 9:45AM Jun 12, 2020 – no mood to go back into lockdown
Other Blogs
The Standard: Responsible politics verses Gotcha politics
Previous related blogposts
The Warehouse – where everyone gets a virus
Life in Lock Down: Day 28 – An Open Letter to Prime Minister Ardern
Life in Lock Down: Day 2 of Level 3
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This blogpost will be re-published in five days on “Frankly Speaking“. Reader’s comments may be left here (The Daily Blog) or there (Frankly Speaking).
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= fs =


thedailyblog--2020-06-24--Dr Liz Gordon –  Todd Muller: no more Mr Nice Guy

When Todd Muller burst onto the political scene a few weeks ago like , as Bomber put it , a loaf of stale white bread , he promised to be a different kind of leader than Bridges .
No criticism for criticism ’ s sake and all that .
What a difference a few weeks make .
Now he is on every media outlet that will have him saying that the government had utterly failed and only they – National – could succeed in wiping out the virus .
They – National – would not have let anyone through the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National – would have run a tight ship .
And so on .
In a great blog , Gordon Campbell has laid out the contradictions in the National Party ’ s position .
Chastising the government for not copying the Australian mode , until the latest outbreak of community transmission in Victoria .
Criticising the strict approach to compassionate exemptions then saying they would be stricter .
Wanting to open up the country earlier then wanting stricter lockdown at the borders .
The list goes on .
There is no way that National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Labour has shown , nor the effective stimulus package , nor the teamwork approach .
Muller the Nice Guy would have acknowledged this and expressed disappointment .
Muller the full-blown election guy is using his pit bulls Woodhouse and Goldsmith to attack the government in every way .
The urban myth about the homeless guy getting two weeks free at the government ’ s expense was an amusing one .
I remember a similar myth after the Christchurch earthquakes in relation to the Hotel Grand Chancellor , the one with the huge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ homeless person was living in the hotel , going from room to room , emptying each minibar and sleeping on the bed , before going on to the next .
It was a great story but not true .
Joe Bennett wrote a novel about it , King Rich .
It was particularly not true because the government had already provided accommodation and support for all homeless people .
Why spend two weeks in quarantine when you can have your own place ?
National are not ready for leadership .
Their one tactic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done , then offer up a scheme that is better and promises more .
Without the government ’ s benchmarks to make policy , National is nowhere .
And we can not believe that the solutions they have dreamed up in opposition will be the ones implemented in government .
They are too much fly-by-night , written on the back of the daily Order Paper .
There is also an issue of competence .
There is a particular kind of racism/sexism in claiming that a white bread cabinet will do better than the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Give it back to the white men , we will deliver ” is indeed a stale approach .
Muller is running the election campaign on a platform of “ Trust National- we know what we are doing ” .
But I think National will have trouble making ground on this .
They have given no reason to trust them .
They are as chaotic as Boris in the UK .
Muller is not the right sort of person to oppose Jacinta .
A 20th century party in the 21st century , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ except division and austerity .
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 .

When Todd Muller burst onto the political scene a few weeks ago like, as Bomber put it, a loaf of stale white bread, he promised to be a different kind of leader than Bridges. No criticism for criticism’s sake and all that.
What a difference a few weeks make. Now he is on every media outlet that will have him saying that the government had utterly failed and only they – National – could succeed in wiping out the virus. They – National – would not have let anyone through the border with the virus. They – National – would have run a tight ship. And so on.
In a great blog, Gordon Campbell has laid out the contradictions in the National Party’s position. Chastising the government for not copying the Australian mode, until the latest outbreak of community transmission in Victoria. Criticising the strict approach to compassionate exemptions then saying they would be stricter. Wanting to open up the country earlier then wanting stricter lockdown at the borders. The list goes on.
There is no way that National would have provided the level of leadership that Labour has shown, nor the effective stimulus package, nor the teamwork approach. Muller the Nice Guy would have acknowledged this and expressed disappointment. Muller the full-blown election guy is using his pit bulls Woodhouse and Goldsmith to attack the government in every way.
The urban myth about the homeless guy getting two weeks free at the government’s expense was an amusing one. I remember a similar myth after the Christchurch earthquakes in relation to the Hotel Grand Chancellor, the one with the huge lean. It was said that a homeless person was living in the hotel, going from room to room, emptying each minibar and sleeping on the bed, before going on to the next. It was a great story but not true. Joe Bennett wrote a novel about it, King Rich.
It was particularly not true because the government had already provided accommodation and support for all homeless people. Why spend two weeks in quarantine when you can have your own place?
National are not ready for leadership. Their one tactic is to look at what Labour has done, then offer up a scheme that is better and promises more. Without the government’s benchmarks to make policy, National is nowhere. And we cannot believe that the solutions they have dreamed up in opposition will be the ones implemented in government. They are too much fly-by-night, written on the back of the daily Order Paper.
There is also an issue of competence. There is a particular kind of racism/sexism in claiming that a white bread cabinet will do better than the diverse, multi-hued group currently in charge. “Give it back to the white men, we will deliver” is indeed a stale approach.
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Muller is running the election campaign on a platform of “Trust National- we know what we are doing”. But I think National will have trouble making ground on this. They have given no reason to trust them. They are as chaotic as Boris in the UK.
Muller is not the right sort of person to oppose Jacinta. A 20th century party in the 21st century, National has nothing to offer the electorate except division and austerity.
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--2020-06-24--The Emerging Five Eyes Military Alliance

Is this really the sort of neo-imperialist company New Zealand wants to be seen keeping ?
WE HAD TO be there , I suppose , at Tuesday ’ s Five Eyes videoconference .
Had we not been there people would have talked : serious people ; dangerous people .
Even so , these Five Eyes get-togethers are fast becoming a “ thing ” – diplomatically and militarily .
It ’ s a worry .
Is this really where New Zealand wants to be ?
Hemmed in by the other Anglo-Saxon powers : the United States and what used to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the British Empire ?
With colonialist and imperialist statues tumbling all around the world , is this really the company we want to be seen keeping ?
What does the rest of the world make of all this ?
Of these first , tentative , steps towards a fully-fledged military alliance of what Winston Churchill liked to call “ The English Speaking Peoples ” ?
( ESPs ) What are they thinking in Moscow ?
In Brussels ?
In Beijing ?
I suspect they ’ re all asking themselves : “ Are these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they think they ’ re living in – 1900 ?
” Certainly , since the election of Donald Trump , and then Boris Johnson , it has become increasingly difficult to read the intentions of the two leading Five Eyes powers .
In their worst moments , Russian , European and Chinese analysts must look at the steadily widening gap between the USA , the UK , and the multilateral institutions of the post-war world they played such a vital role in establishing – and shudder .
You wouldn ’ t need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as proof of the American and British establishments ’ determination to shake off the self-imposed restraints of multilateralism and strike out in a new ( or , should that be an old ? )
direction .
NATO and the European Union no longer seem to engage the ESPs in the way they used to .
Trump keeps denouncing his NATO partners for what he sees as their inadequate fiscal contributions to the common defence of Europe .
Moscow can hardly have failed to draw the obvious conclusion : that a Trump-led America is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Latvia , Estonia or Lithuania .
It will be less certain about Poland and the Ukraine – but not that much less certain .
The Russian Federation ’ s diplomats in the USA must be aware that the American people ’ s weariness with being the world ’ s “ indispensable nation ” is every bit as great as Trump ’ s .
After carrying the world on its shoulders for nearly 80 years , is the American Atlas about to shrug ?
But , even in Trump ’ s Washington there is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies are better than none at all .
And what better allies could the USA have than the four other countries who share a common language , a common culture and , at least as far as the past century is concerned , a common history ?
Since 1812 , none of the Five Eyes partners have ever gone to war with each other .
In two world wars , and Korea , they fought alongside one another .
Which is why , as a diplomatic and military instrument , the emerging Five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every bit as much to recommend it as a squabbling flock of free-riding Europeans .
For the Brexiting British , too , the emerging Five Eyes Alliance has a lot going for it .
Indeed , it would represent the culmination of a grandiose global project first mooted by the likes of Cecil Rhodes and his fellow imperialists at the turn of the nineteenth century .
Though the British Empire then bestrode the world , the more astute among its ruling class recognised the enormous economic power then building in the United States @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Britain alongside – rather than athwart – America ’ s ineluctable rise to great power status .
While the German Kaiser dreamed of an Anglo-German alliance , the people who mattered in Britain always saw the United States as the more natural fit for a global duopoly .
Certainly , there is an unmistakable echo of that long-ago imperialist age in the communique released by the Five Eyes Defence Minister ’ s on 24 June : The defence ministers from the Five Eyes nations ( Australia , Canada , New Zealand , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met via videoconference on 23 June .
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advance defence and security cooperation on matters of common interest to support and defend a stable , rules-based , global order that is increasingly being challenged .
Ministers recognised the role of regional partners and institutions in shaping globally and across the Indo-Pacific a stable and secure , economically resilient community , where the sovereign rights of all states are respected .
Ministers discussed new opportunities for Five Eyes partners to further strengthen their relationship , build resilience , address challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cooperation across key lines of effort in an increasingly complex and challenging geostrategic environment .
Ministers committed to meet regularly as part of efforts to address existing and emerging security challenges , and to advance their shared values of democracy , freedom and respect for human rights .
The degree of embarrassment experienced by Canadian and New Zealand diplomats ( if not by this country ’ s Minister of Defence , Ron Mark ) when confronted with this sort of world-ordering rhetoric is easily imagined .
After all , the governments of both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA , the UK and Australia in challenging the “ stable , rules-based global order ” of 2003 by invading Iraq .
The sheer brass-plated affrontery of the Americans , British and Australians in purporting to uphold “ the sovereign rights of all states ” is breath-taking .
Not forgetting the matter of the USA ’ s and the UK ’ s slavish support for the Saudi Arabian monarchy – a major purchaser of US- and UK-manufactured armaments .
Riyadh has not been conspicuous in its advancement of “ democracy , freedom and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be watching these new developments in the Five Eyes relationship closely .
No one in the Chinese Foreign Ministry is in any doubt about how the expression “ Indo-Pacific ” relates to China ’ s national security .
They will be watching Wellington closely for signs that Ron Mark ’ s neo-imperialist enthusiasm enjoys a wider currency within the Coalition Government .
Beijing ’ s more paranoid analysts may even be wondering whether NZ First ’ s surprising decision to back Labour in 2017 was a decision made , if not in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Is this really the sort of neo-imperialist company New Zealand wants to be seen keeping?
WE HAD TO be there, I suppose, at Tuesday’s Five Eyes videoconference. Had we not been there people would have talked: serious people; dangerous people. Even so, these Five Eyes get-togethers are fast becoming a “thing” – diplomatically and militarily. It’s a worry. Is this really where New Zealand wants to be? Hemmed in by the other Anglo-Saxon powers: the United States and what used to be called the “White Dominions” of the British Empire? With colonialist and imperialist statues tumbling all around the world, is this really the company we want to be seen keeping?
What does the rest of the world make of all this? Of these first, tentative, steps towards a fully-fledged military alliance of what Winston Churchill liked to call “The English Speaking Peoples”? (ESPs) What are they thinking in Moscow? In Brussels? In Beijing?
I suspect they’re all asking themselves: “Are these guys serious?” What year do they think they’re living in – 1900?”
Certainly, since the election of Donald Trump, and then Boris Johnson, it has become increasingly difficult to read the intentions of the two leading Five Eyes powers. In their worst moments, Russian, European and Chinese analysts must look at the steadily widening gap between the USA, the UK, and the multilateral institutions of the post-war world they played such a vital role in establishing – and shudder. You wouldn’t need to be all that paranoid to interpret it as proof of the American and British establishments’ determination to shake off the self-imposed restraints of multilateralism and strike out in a new (or, should that be an old?) direction.
NATO and the European Union no longer seem to engage the ESPs in the way they used to. Trump keeps denouncing his NATO partners for what he sees as their inadequate fiscal contributions to the common defence of Europe. Moscow can hardly have failed to draw the obvious conclusion: that a Trump-led America is not about to incinerate the world for Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania. It will be less certain about Poland and the Ukraine – but not that much less certain. The Russian Federation’s diplomats in the USA must be aware that the American people’s weariness with being the world’s “indispensable nation” is every bit as great as Trump’s.
After carrying the world on its shoulders for nearly 80 years, is the American Atlas about to shrug?
But, even in Trump’s Washington there is still enough wisdom to know that some allies are better than none at all. And what better allies could the USA have than the four other countries who share a common language, a common culture and, at least as far as the past century is concerned, a common history? Since 1812, none of the Five Eyes partners have ever gone to war with each other. In two world wars, and Korea, they fought alongside one another. Which is why, as a diplomatic and military instrument, the emerging Five Eyes alliance strikes the neo-imperialists as having every bit as much to recommend it as a squabbling flock of free-riding Europeans.
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
For the Brexiting British, too, the emerging Five Eyes Alliance has a lot going for it. Indeed, it would represent the culmination of a grandiose global project first mooted by the likes of Cecil Rhodes and his fellow imperialists at the turn of the nineteenth century. Though the British Empire then bestrode the world, the more astute among its ruling class recognised the enormous economic power then building in the United States and understood the importance of keeping Great Britain alongside – rather than athwart – America’s ineluctable rise to great power status. While the German Kaiser dreamed of an Anglo-German alliance, the people who mattered in Britain always saw the United States as the more natural fit for a global duopoly.
Certainly, there is an unmistakable echo of that long-ago imperialist age in the communique released by the Five Eyes Defence Minister’s on 24 June:
The defence ministers from the Five Eyes nations (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States) met via videoconference on 23 June.
Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to advance defence and security cooperation on matters of common interest to support and defend a stable, rules-based, global order that is increasingly being challenged.
Ministers recognised the role of regional partners and institutions in shaping globally and across the Indo-Pacific a stable and secure, economically resilient community, where the sovereign rights of all states are respected.
Ministers discussed new opportunities for Five Eyes partners to further strengthen their relationship, build resilience, address challenges to international rules and norms and advance cooperation across key lines of effort in an increasingly complex and challenging geostrategic environment.
Ministers committed to meet regularly as part of efforts to address existing and emerging security challenges, and to advance their shared values of democracy, freedom and respect for human rights.
The degree of embarrassment experienced by Canadian and New Zealand diplomats (if not by this country’s Minister of Defence, Ron Mark) when confronted with this sort of world-ordering rhetoric is easily imagined. After all, the governments of both countries were equally unwilling to join the USA, the UK and Australia in challenging the “stable, rules-based global order” of 2003 by invading Iraq. The sheer brass-plated affrontery of the Americans, British and Australians in purporting to uphold “the sovereign rights of all states” is breath-taking. Not forgetting the matter of the USA’s and the UK’s slavish support for the Saudi Arabian monarchy – a major purchaser of US- and UK-manufactured armaments. Riyadh has not been conspicuous in its advancement of “democracy, freedom and respect for human rights”!
Beijing will be watching these new developments in the Five Eyes relationship closely. No one in the Chinese Foreign Ministry is in any doubt about how the expression “Indo-Pacific” relates to China’s national security. They will be watching Wellington closely for signs that Ron Mark’s neo-imperialist enthusiasm enjoys a wider currency within the Coalition Government. Beijing’s more paranoid analysts may even be wondering whether NZ First’s surprising decision to back Labour in 2017 was a decision made, if not in Washington, then with its wholehearted encouragement.