thedailyblog--2020-09-02--Life in Level 2: Two Tier Welfare; A Green School; Right Rage, Wrong Reason

If the media and some of my fellow Green Party members could pause and breathe for a moment – a word or two ( thousand ) on the recent announcement by Green Party co-leader and Associate Minister of Finance , James Shaw , on the $ 11.7 million expansion project at the privately-run Green School in Taranaki .
Briefly , the project was financed as part of the Covid19 Response and Recovery Fund ( CRRF ) , which , as Treasury explains ; As part of Budget 2020 the Government established the CRRF and set aside $ 50 billion to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 .
The CRRF is a funding envelope for budget management purposes , rather than an actual sum of money ring fenced in the Government ’ s accounts .
The fiscal implications of several new measures have been managed against the CRRF during April and early May .
As at 14 May 2020 , the Government had committed $ 29.8 billion of the CRRF , of which $ 13.9 billion had been announced prior to Budget Day as part of an ongoing response to COVID-19 , leaving $ 20.2 billion of funding remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CRRF Foundational Package was announced , totalling $ 12.0 billion in operating expenditure and $ 3.9 billion in capital expenditure over the forecast period .
Basically , the CRRF has funded everything from an advertisement warning parents of the perils of internet pornography on young people – to the wages subsidy to private companies .
Radio NZ has benefitted with a $ 21.75m funding boost .
The $ 900 million loan to Air New Zealand is also covered by this Fund .
The Fund has also paid out $ 52.5 million dollars to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Provincial Growth Fund ; • • Up to $ 20 million in funding to construct two new All Weather race tracks .
• $ 2.5 million dollars for the Department of Internal Affairs to fast track work on the online gambling revenue , and address loss of revenue impacts on community and sport groups .
“ Of the immediate grant , $ 26 million will be used by RITA to pay its outstanding supplier bill which it hasn ’ t be able to do because of strangled revenue .
The other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and each of the racing codes , can maintain a baseline functionality and resume racing activities.
” said Mr Peters .
“ The racing industry is seriously underestimated for its economic contribution .
For this reason the Government will also consider recapitalising the industry to help promote a quicker recovery and achieve a greater economic outcome .
The Racing Industry Transition Agency ( RITA ) is closely linked to the racing betting industry through the TAB ; “ As we transition to TAB New Zealand we do so knowing that , despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ RITA has delivered on the Racing Minister ’ s expectations which were set out last year .
The Board is grateful for his ongoing commitment and support , as well as from those across Government and Parliament who have supported the charge to reform the industry over the past two years.
” – Executive Chair Dean McKenzie There has been little “ uproar ” that the Covid19 relief fund has been used to prop up the gambling industry in Aotearoa New Zealand .
It is from this same Fund that the privately run @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With over one hundred jobs to be created from this project and flow-on benefits to the community , this is precisely why the Covid Fund was established .
However , the project funding has been condemned by a wide range of groups and individuals , such as Taranaki Secondary Schools ’ Principals ’ Association chairperson , Martin Chamberlain ; “ We would like a retraction of it because it ’ s clearly a logistical error .
The Green School is a privately-owned institution and any benefit coming to it goes into one individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t see any role for public funding for private schools and in terms of the Greens , they have exactly that same policy so it certainly came out of left field .
We would obviously like to see the funding pulled .
I have a deep suspicion that ’ s not possible at this stage.
” Former Green MP , Catherine Delahunty , lobbed her own political “ grenade ” into the loud chorus of outrage ; “ Although this project , this money , came out of the Provincial Growth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infrastructure , and I think that it ’ d be great if James as minister who made this mistake owned it , and did his best to make sure that the money went to the people that actually need it .
I feel very strongly about this .
Public quality education took a total bashing under the National government and has not yet recovered .
They brought in national standards , charter schools and underfunding like we ’ ve never seen before.
” And just to give the knife a twist , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as minister has become isolated from the party to some degree , in the sense of his instinct didn ’ t tell him that this was never going to fly with the Green Party , and that our policies are never to fund private schools.
” According to Ms Delahunty , other former Green MPs Denise Roche and Mojo Mathers were also “ furious ” .
To be crystal clear , this blogger has no truck with Charter schools .
Even taxpayer funding of private schools is problematic for a variety of reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money to subsidise private business ; public support of elitism ; etc .
This blogger has roundly condemned Charter schools in the past and these views have not changed one iota : they are a sly , back-door agenda to privatise education .
( See “ Previous related blogposts ” links below . )
In “ normal times ” , the criticism levelled against James Shaw would be valid .
But as anyone who has been paying attention to global events can point out , these are not “ normal times ” .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cut off from the rest of the world and unemployment is set to skyrocket .
When a government sets aside $ 50 billion for a recovery fund – with hardly a murmur of dissent from former hardline , free-market , minimalist-government , neo-liberal acolytes – we are living in “ interesting times ” indeed .
But is the pile-on that has been directed at James Shaw warranted ?
Or is it just that : a political pile-on ?
Part of the criticism levelled at the Green School is that it is apparently a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weirdness , conspiracy fantasists , preparing to inculcate bizarre anti-science ideas into the minds of impressionable young people .
However , the Green School website makes no references to UN covid-conspiracies , crystals , “ DNA activation ” , angels , etc .
Which is unusual , as conspiracy fantasists usually make no secret of their bizarre , quasi-religious beliefs .
The story originally ‘ broke ’ on Stuff media on 27 August and related solely to funding a private school which was apparently at odds with Green Party policy .
Which hardly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ often implemented policies that were at variance – and conflicted with – their own respective policy-agendas .
The turn to weirdness came a few days later .
A search engine check of where the link to crystals and conspiracies came from points to a media article dated the 31st of August ; Yes , Newshub .
That fountain of newsworthy and accurate information .
It appears that the school itself did not organise the so-called “ sacred event ” .
It was run by school parents , Christof and Alaya Melchizedek .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Stuff media ; Newsroom ; and Radio NZ .
Right-wing blogger , David Farrar , at Kiwiblog had fun with it as well .
( Though can ’ t blame David for that . )
The worst that can be levelled at the school in this instance is that they have been “ tarred ” by the same brush as two conspiracy-minded parents .
It is not the first time a school or University has been criticised for hosting an event , despite having no real connection to the organisers .
Wellington High @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others in the community in late 2004/early 2005 when it was revealed that Destiny Church was holding meetings at the school ’ s hall .
As organisors of the protest explained ; “ The time has come for Destiny Church to leave our school .
Since September we have urged them to leave , we have been more than patient and yet our tolerance has been abused .
Destiny Church and its affiliated political party , Destiny New Zealand , are a destructive force who preach hate out of schools ’ , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , however incredibly ironic that in a school where there is a support group for homosexuals and sexually questioning members of our society , that this church would continue to rent Wellington High .
Destiny Church does not reflect the community or culture of Wellington High School , if anything they are the antithesis of what it is our school stands for.
” Being unfairly tarred by a brush of bigotry is one reason by Massey University wanted nothing to do with former National Party leader and serial-racist , Don Brash and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; Massey University vice-chancellor Jan Thomas saying she didn ’ t want a “ te tiriti led university be seen to be endorsing racist behaviours ” A scrutiny of the Green School ’ s website not only shows a glaring lack of conspiracy fantasies ; bizarre “ spiritual ” beliefs , etc – but that the only things planted were not crystals – but plants ; Gumboots and grass and not a crystal in sight .
Fifty million-plus dollars thrown at the racing and gambling industry – no one bats an eyelid .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ school – and people lose their minds .
Should we be sending our kids to the race track , perhaps ?
On the 26 of May , Welfare Minister Carmel Sepuloni introduced the Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill .
As RNZ reported ; The government is introducing a new relief payment for those who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 , while they find new employment or retrain .
The payment would be available for 12 weeks from 8 June for New Zealand citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a impact of the virus since 1 March .
Those who apply would be required to actively seek suitable work , and take steps towards employment , including making use of redeployment or training .
It will pay $ 490 a week for those who lost full-time work and $ 250 for part time workers – including students .
The payments will be untaxed .
People with working partners may also be eligible , as long as their partner is earning under $ 2000 per week .
The new “ income relief @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit for workers losing their jobs due to the covid19 epidemic .
It would be administered by the Ministry for Social Development .
It was passed in the House , through all three readings , .
Six days later , it was given Royal Assent .
Minister Sepuloni launched the Bill in the House and explained why it was necessary ; “ We know that many people who may be faced with job loss might not qualify for a benefit .
In ordinary times , we ’ d expect many of these people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their costs over time without extra support .
However , these unprecedented times we face mean many of these families and individuals will be under pressure to get back on their feet quickly to meet their living costs but will be doing this in a different labour market than they have faced before .
This payment will provide a cushion for up to 12 weeks for people who experience a job loss between 1 March and 30 October this year and whose partners earn under $ 2,000 per week .
The payment has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ previously in full-time employment , and $ 250 for people previously in part-time employment .
We know that some people may need additional income support ; so , if eligible , recipients can access supplementary and hardship assistance from the Ministry of Social Development .
This bill ensures that entitlement to this additional assistance will accurately reflect people ’ s circumstances by taking this payment into account when determining eligibility.
” Finance Minister Grant Robertson also advocated strongly for the new benefit ; “ We do understand how tough it has been for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in income and are now looking for further job opportunities and to retrain.
” The fact that this is the third time that governments have needed to do something like this in the wake of a crisis is an indication that we need to look at a possible enduring solution when it comes to people who experience an immediate drop in income.
” The “ income relief payment ” differs from the usual unemployment benefit in two major areas : • The amount of the “ income relief payment ” is $ 490 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ almost twice that of the regular , maximum unemployment benefit of $ 250.74 • Partners of post-covid unemployed receiving the “ income relief payment ” can be in paid work ( up to $ 2,000 per week ! )
and this does not affect the IRP .
Partners of pre-covid beneficiaries earning the original , lesser unemployment benefit ( net , $ 250.74 p/w ) can not be in paid work , or else it will affect their payments .
It also attracts unwanted attention from MSD who constantly pry into beneficiaries private @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an elite , special group of beneficiaries for whom the regular payment of $ 250.74 – without employed partners – was beneath their dignity .
This blatant discrimination did not go un-noticed by beneficiaries support groups and other former Green Party MPs .
“ The benefit is simply not enough to survive on .
It is galling .
It acknowledges that by setting the rate at almost twice the rate that someone can get on a single rate of jobseeker.
” Thinktank The Workshop co-director , Jess Berentson-Shaw , pointed out the obvious @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we need to reinvent the wheel here .
The things that help people outside of a pandemic are the same things that help people in a pandemic.
” “ There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson ’ s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $ 490 per week for 12 weeks and $ 250 per week for part time workers .
This is great news for those who qualify .
Fabulous .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the $ 250 per week you get on the standard 25+ Jobseeker Allowance and much closer to anything approaching a liveable minimal income .
On top of that , the new benefit also allows people in relationships to access support if they meet the criteria and their partner earns less than $ 2000 per week before tax .
And unlike the usual system , the new payments do not appear to be age dependent .
So the historically ridiculous assumption that the younger you are , the less money you need to live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ category of claimants .
Labour has revealed once again its decades-long predilection for categorising people into the “ deserving ” and “ undeserving ” poor , an ideology straight out of the 19th century England from which many Pākehā settler forebears came.
” Pre-covid welfare beneficeries were also less than enthusiastic about the new level of benefit payment .
Mother of two teenagers , and living in a state house , Agnes Magele is barely able survive on $ 243 a week ; “ Sometimes I go to food banks if I have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I have to do so that and my kids get by each week .
It ’ s really , really hard to live on that small income from the benefit .
It ’ s like a real kick in the gut .
It sounds like the government is saying that the people who have lost their jobs through Covid are deserving of an extra $ 250 on top of a normal benefit , as opposed to those who have already been on a benefit .
It would help me pay off my debts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bills too [ if she were getting $ 490 a week ] .
I ’ ll be able to afford to get me and the kids decent , decent food each week.
” The above RNZ story reported on how other beneficiaries were trying to cope .
On RNZ ’ s The Panel , on 1 September , Phil O ’ Reilly – former Chief Executive of Business NZ and member of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group – repeated his criticisms of current benefit levels ; “ Being on welfare is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty clear that the payments being made just weren ’ t sufficient.
” Mr O ’ Reilly can hardly be described as a card-carrying socialist .
Former Greens co-leader , Metiria Turei , who sacrificed her parliamentary career revealing how she had been forced to rort the welfare system to survive had one succint thing to say about her former Party and the two-tier welfare system they had voted for ; Meanwhile , in the same story , Mediaworks/Newshub reported that ; Far from it .
Parliament ’ s Hansard ’ s reveal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill ; “ It ’ s a pleasure to rise and speak to this bill and just to point out that the Opposition make it very clear that there is no choice for us , because , if it ’ s between at least making progress for some versus the drive to the bottom on that side , then , actually , this is a step forward .
It may not be what we want , and it ’ s not , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the alternative .
What I want to say is that the Greens—at the heart of our position is a belief that everyone should have enough to be able to sustain themselves and that we want a welfare system that is resilient and works for everyone .
And we are a long way from that , and we have a lot of work to do .
That work has started , but we ’ re not happy with where it ’ s at .
We want more work to go on.
” – Jan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ really just also want to say we are supporting this bill , and the reason for that is , well , we want everyone else to come up to this .
I do just want to talk to the fact that the reason for that is we know that people in our communities are struggling .
We know that the queues for food parcels and outside Work and Income offices are growing and that the Auckland City Mission – This is at the heart of what this initiative is .
I think that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for us as a country , where we ’ ve heard very clearly that people do not want a two-tier welfare system—and we agree with that—and that people really are now coming towards realising we need to increase main benefits and ensure everyone can live in dignity .
Where does our support sit for the interconnection between redundancy and that welfare system ?
The Green Party does believe there is work to explore in this space , and at this moment in time , this policy is a response to that .
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Our first position was to further increase benefits and to remove the conditionality of access to those benefits so that the existing system that we had could be strengthened to work for all of us through this time .
We didn ’ t achieve that .
Does that mean that we should turn our backs on a group of people being able to access support ?
That ’ s our choice .
Our answer was , considering on our principles , no .
We should not turn our backs on some people being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not able to achieve our goals for this transformation for our society .
We will keep working towards that , and you hear that through this debate .
We are not stepping away from that whatsoever ; however , we do recognise that this delivers more to people in need , and we are not going to subject more people to the flawed aspects of our system when we don ’ t need to .
” – Jan Logie , Third Reading Their support may have been luke-warm at best , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in favour of the Bill , along with Labour and NZ First .
Their eight votes in Parliament enabled this law .
Despite their stated intention to support what is currently a two tier welfare system to “ keep working to raise all welfare levels ” – nothing else has happened .
Pre-covid beneficiaries struggle to survive on $ 250.74 ( net ) ; Post-covid beneficiaries recieve almost twice that .
On top of which the partners of post-covid beneficiaries can earn up to $ 2,000 a week , unmolested by MSD .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ unemployed .
Meanwhile , The University of Auckland , Child Poverty Action Group , Auckland Action Against Poverty , and FIRST Union collaborated on a project to determine how well pre and post-covid beneficiaries were doing on their respective benefits .
Spoiler : the results were entirely predictable ; The Covid income relief payment provides $ 490 a week for people who have lost full-time work because of the pandemic , whereas some people on the jobseeker benefit get just $ 250 .
University of Auckland sociologist Louise Humpage said early findings suggest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefits announced by the government in March is making little or no difference to low income households .
They did get some benefit from the doubling of the winter energy payment , but that is only a temporary initiative .
But people on the higher Covid income relief payment reported fewer occasions where they have been unable to meet basic costs .
“ They seem to have reserves from elsewhere , ” Humpage said .
“ We asked questions about , ‘ do you have passive income ?
’ , ‘ do you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ , and at present , they seem to be buffered by those extra resources.
” The RNZ story pointed out the blinding obvious ; Humpage said the early findings suggested that benefit levels need to rise .
“ I think there is general consensus that benefits are too low at present and I think this Covid-19 payment is a reflection that it ’ s actually too low for most people.
” In voting for the Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill , the Green Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on welfare benefits pre-covid .
This was a platinum-plated opportunity to either raise benefits for everyone , regarding of pre or post-covid status – or not to support the new $ 490 per week “ income relief payment ” for anyone .
Had they presented this choice to Labour it would have been an interesting challenge .
Would Labour have dared to call the Greens bluff ?
If so , the result would have been spectacular – for the Middle Class .
For perhaps only the second time in recent history ( the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , comfortable middle class New Zealanders would have had a painful , jarring lesson in what it means to live on basic welfare .
If you think the amplified whinging from a tiny minority of quarantined Returnees was bad enough – the shrieking howls of outrage and entitlement from recently unemployed middle class class workers might have been heard through the vacuum of space to the far side of the Moon .
Even the term “ income relief payment ” de-stigmatises unemployment welfare for the middle class .
Pre-covid enemployed still recieve “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Greens had to swallow a dead rat would be an insult .
It is the pre-covid unemployed who were fed dead rats with the passing of the Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill .
Writing for Newsroom , Sam Sachdeva said this ; As a whole , the saga plays into two distinct but damaging stereotypes of the Green Party and its supporters : as chardonnay socialists whose talk about supporting the poor isn ’ t backed up by action , and as Morris-dancing , science-hating @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but each has enough of a grain of truth that there is a risk of the mud sticking .
As much as the Green Party is doing “ god ’ s ” work to drive home the existential threat of Climate Change ; their ongoing efforts to clean up our environment ; and to prevent the further degradation of our land , forests , and waterways – their half-hearted actions regarding critical social issues sometimes leave much to be desired .
The spectacle of Green Party MPs and some supporters venting their rage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ James Shaw – a thoroughly decent politician – to utterly humiliate himself with a public apology – while barely uttering a word in protest against an indefensible two tier welfare system that reeks of double standards , discrimination , and coded beneficiary bashing – is breath-taking .
If flogging a private school is what some of my fellow Green Party members are willing to die-in-the-ditch for instead of working for our fellow New Zealanders at the bottom of the financial heap , then they ’ ve been sipping too much from the kool-chardonnay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 11.7m into privately-run Green School in Taranaki Treasury : Summary of Initiatives in the Covid19 Response and Recovery Fund ( CRRF ) Foundational Package Stuff media : Coronavirus – What is the $ 50b Covid Response and Recovery Fund being spent on ?
Stuff media : Greens caught bending party policy to grant $ 11.7m to private school in Taranaki RNZ : Green School at centre of $ 12m funding debacle struggling with backlash Stuff media : Couple who endorsed Covid-19 conspiracy theories hosted ‘ sacred ceremony ’ at Green School Scoop media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our schools RNZ : Relief payments for people who lost jobs due to Covid-19 announced Parliament : Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill — First Reading RNZ/The Pundit : Sue Bradford – Labour betrays its traditions – and most vulnerable – with two-tier welfare payments RNZ : Covid-19 unemployment pay ‘ real kick in the gut ’ , beneficiaries say Mediaworks/Newshub : Former Green Party leader Metiria Turei puts Government on blast over new payment scheme Parliament : Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Reading Parliament : Social Security ( COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income ) Amendment Bill — Third Reading RNZ : Covid income relief payment recipients fare better than those on the dole , survey finds The Pundit : Labour betrays its traditions – and the most vulnerable – with two-tier welfare payments 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 ) .

..
A Green School…
If the media and some of my fellow Green Party members could pause and breathe for a moment – a word or two (thousand) on the recent announcement by Green Party co-leader and Associate Minister of Finance, James Shaw, on the $11.7 million expansion project at the privately-run Green School in Taranaki.
Briefly, the project was financed as part of the Covid19 Response and Recovery Fund (CRRF), which, as Treasury explains;
As part of Budget 2020 the Government established the CRRF and set aside $50 billion to support a response to and recovery from COVID-19. The CRRF is a funding envelope for budget management purposes, rather than an actual sum of money ring fenced in the Government’s accounts. The fiscal implications of several new measures have been managed against the CRRF during April and early May. As at 14 May 2020, the Government had committed $29.8 billion of the CRRF, of which $13.9 billion had been announced prior to Budget Day as part of an ongoing response to COVID-19, leaving $20.2 billion of funding remaining.
On 14 May 2020, the CRRF Foundational Package was announced, totalling $12.0 billion in operating expenditure and $3.9 billion in capital expenditure over the forecast period.
Basically, the CRRF has funded everything from an advertisement warning parents of the perils of internet pornography on young people – to the wages subsidy to private companies. Radio NZ has benefitted with a $21.75m funding boost. The $900 million loan to Air New Zealand is also covered by this Fund.
The Fund has also paid out $52.5 million dollars to the racing industry along with additional payments from the Provincial Growth Fund;
The support package consists of:
TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com
$50 million dollar relief grant for the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) Up to $20 million in funding to construct two new All Weather race tracks. $2.5 million dollars for the Department of Internal Affairs to fast track work on the online gambling revenue, and address loss of revenue impacts on community and sport groups.
“Of the immediate grant, $26 million will be used by RITA to pay its outstanding supplier bill which it hasn’t be able to do because of strangled revenue. The other share of this package will ensure RITA, and each of the racing codes, can maintain a baseline functionality and resume racing activities.” said Mr Peters.
“The racing industry is seriously underestimated for its economic contribution. For this reason the Government will also consider recapitalising the industry to help promote a quicker recovery and achieve a greater economic outcome.
The Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA) is closely linked to the racing betting industry through the TAB;
“As we transition to TAB New Zealand we do so knowing that, despite the enormous challenges presented by COVID, RITA has delivered on the Racing Minister’s expectations which were set out last year. The Board is grateful for his ongoing commitment and support, as well as from those across Government and Parliament who have supported the charge to reform the industry over the past two years.” – Executive Chair Dean McKenzie
There has been little “uproar” that the Covid19 relief fund has been used to prop up the gambling industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
It is from this same Fund that the privately run “Green School” was funded. With over one hundred jobs to be created from this project and flow-on benefits to the community, this is precisely why the Covid Fund was established.
However, the project funding has been condemned by a wide range of groups and individuals, such as Taranaki Secondary Schools’ Principals’ Association chairperson, Martin Chamberlain;
“We would like a retraction of it because it’s clearly a logistical error. The Green School is a privately-owned institution and any benefit coming to it goes into one individual’s pocket.”
Education union NZEI Te Riu Roa, national secretary, Paul Goulter, added his opposition;
“We just don’t see any role for public funding for private schools and in terms of the Greens, they have exactly that same policy so it certainly came out of left field.
We would obviously like to see the funding pulled. I have a deep suspicion that’s not possible at this stage.”
Former Green MP, Catherine Delahunty, lobbed her own political “grenade” into the loud chorus of outrage;
“Although this project, this money, came out of the Provincial Growth Fund, for infrastructure, schools are infrastructure, and I think that it’d be great if James as minister who made this mistake owned it, and did his best to make sure that the money went to the people that actually need it.
I feel very strongly about this. Public quality education took a total bashing under the National government and has not yet recovered. They brought in national standards, charter schools and underfunding like we’ve never seen before.”
And just to give the knife a twist, she added;
“…I think that James as minister has become isolated from the party to some degree, in the sense of his instinct didn’t tell him that this was never going to fly with the Green Party, and that our policies are never to fund private schools.”
According to Ms Delahunty, other former Green MPs Denise Roche and Mojo Mathers were also “furious”.
To be crystal clear, this blogger has no truck with Charter schools. Even taxpayer funding of private schools is problematic for a variety of reasons; equity; selective use of tax money to subsidise private business; public support of elitism; etc. This blogger has roundly condemned Charter schools in the past and these views have not changed one iota: they are a sly, back-door agenda to privatise education. (See “Previous related blogposts” links below.)
In “normal times”, the criticism levelled against James Shaw would be valid.
But as anyone who has been paying attention to global events can point out, these are not “normal times”. Not when the entire country is effectively cut off from the rest of the world and unemployment is set to skyrocket.
When a government sets aside $50 billion for a recovery fund – with hardly a murmur of dissent from former hardline, free-market, minimalist-government, neo-liberal acolytes – we are living in “interesting times” indeed.
But is the pile-on that has been directed at James Shaw warranted?
Or is it just that: a political pile-on?
Part of the criticism levelled at the Green School is that it is apparently a “hot bed” of new agey weirdness, conspiracy fantasists, preparing to inculcate bizarre anti-science ideas into the minds of impressionable young people.
However, the Green School website makes no references to UN covid-conspiracies, crystals, “DNA activation”, angels, etc. Which is unusual, as conspiracy fantasists usually make no secret of their bizarre, quasi-religious beliefs.
The story originally ‘broke’ on Stuff media on 27 August and related solely to funding a private school which was apparently at odds with Green Party policy. Which hardly seemed newsworthy as the three-party coalition government often implemented policies that were at variance – and conflicted with – their own respective policy-agendas.
The turn to weirdness came a few days later. A search engine check of where the link to crystals and conspiracies came from points to a media article dated the 31st of August;
.
.
Yes, Newshub. That fountain of newsworthy and accurate information.
It appears that the school itself did not organise the so-called “sacred event”. It was run by school parents, Christof and Alaya Melchizedek.
The sensationalised story was later picked up by Stuff media; Newsroom; and Radio NZ. Right-wing blogger, David Farrar, at Kiwiblog had fun with it as well. (Though can’t blame David for that.)
The worst that can be levelled at the school in this instance is that they have been “tarred” by the same brush as two conspiracy-minded parents. It is not the first time a school or University has been criticised for hosting an event, despite having no real connection to the organisers.
Wellington High School faced a back-lash from students and others in the community in late 2004/early 2005 when it was revealed that Destiny Church was holding meetings at the school’s hall. As organisors of the protest explained;
“The time has come for Destiny Church to leave our school. Since September we have urged them to leave, we have been more than patient and yet our tolerance has been abused. Destiny Church and its affiliated political party, Destiny New Zealand, are a destructive force who preach hate out of schools’, and this is not ok!”
It is, however incredibly ironic that in a school where there is a support group for homosexuals and sexually questioning members of our society, that this church would continue to rent Wellington High. Destiny Church does not reflect the community or culture of Wellington High School, if anything they are the antithesis of what it is our school stands for.”
Being unfairly tarred by a brush of bigotry is one reason by Massey University wanted nothing to do with former National Party leader and serial-racist, Don Brash and banned him from speaking on their grounds;
Massey University vice-chancellor Jan Thomas saying she didn’t want a “te tiriti led university be seen to be endorsing racist behaviours”
A scrutiny of the Green School’s website not only shows a glaring lack of conspiracy fantasies; bizarre “spiritual” beliefs, etc – but that the only things planted were not crystals – but plants;
.
Regenerative Agriculture Workshop
.
Gumboots and grass and not a crystal in sight.
Fifty million-plus dollars thrown at the racing and gambling industry – no one bats an eyelid.
Twelve million to be spent on a school – and people lose their minds.
Should we be sending our kids to the race track, perhaps?
.
…And a Two-Two Welfare System
On the 26 of May, Welfare Minister Carmel Sepuloni introduced the Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill. As RNZ reported;
The government is introducing a new relief payment for those who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19, while they find new employment or retrain.
The payment would be available for 12 weeks from 8 June for New Zealand citizens or residents who had lost their job as a impact of the virus since 1 March.
Those who apply would be required to actively seek suitable work, and take steps towards employment, including making use of redeployment or training.
It will pay $490 a week for those who lost full-time work and $250 for part time workers – including students.
The payments will be untaxed.
People with working partners may also be eligible, as long as their partner is earning under $2000 per week.
The new “income relief payment” was essentially a beefed-up unemployed benefit for workers losing their jobs due to the covid19 epidemic. It would be administered by the Ministry for Social Development.
It was passed in the House, through all three readings, in one day . Six days later, it was given Royal Assent.
Minister Sepuloni launched the Bill in the House and explained why it was necessary;
“We know that many people who may be faced with job loss might not qualify for a benefit. In ordinary times, we’d expect many of these people to quickly find other work or manage their costs over time without extra support. However, these unprecedented times we face mean many of these families and individuals will be under pressure to get back on their feet quickly to meet their living costs but will be doing this in a different labour market than they have faced before. This payment will provide a cushion for up to 12 weeks for people who experience a job loss between 1 March and 30 October this year and whose partners earn under $2,000 per week. The payment has two rates: $490 for those previously in full-time employment, and $250 for people previously in part-time employment. We know that some people may need additional income support; so, if eligible, recipients can access supplementary and hardship assistance from the Ministry of Social Development.
This bill ensures that entitlement to this additional assistance will accurately reflect people’s circumstances by taking this payment into account when determining eligibility.”
Finance Minister Grant Robertson also advocated strongly for the new benefit;
“We do understand how tough it has been for people who have experienced a sudden drop in income and are now looking for further job opportunities and to retrain.”
The fact that this is the third time that governments have needed to do something like this in the wake of a crisis is an indication that we need to look at a possible enduring solution when it comes to people who experience an immediate drop in income.”
The “income relief payment” differs from the usual unemployment benefit in two major areas:
The amount of the “income relief payment” is $490 per week (tax free) – almost twice that of the regular, maximum unemployment benefit of $250.74 Partners of post-covid unemployed receiving the “income relief payment” can be in paid work (up to $2,000 per week!) and this does not affect the IRP. Partners of pre-covid beneficiaries earning the original, lesser unemployment benefit (net, $250.74 p/w) cannot be in paid work, or else it will affect their payments. It also attracts unwanted attention from MSD who constantly pry into beneficiaries private lives.
The Covid Unemployed are apparently an elite, special group of beneficiaries for whom the regular payment of $250.74 – without employed partners – was beneath their dignity.
This blatant discrimination did not go un-noticed by beneficiaries support groups and other former Green Party MPs.
Beneficiary advocate, Kay Brereton, said:
“The benefit is simply not enough to survive on. It is galling. It acknowledges that by setting the rate at almost twice the rate that someone can get on a single rate of jobseeker.”
Thinktank The Workshop co-director, Jess Berentson-Shaw, pointed out the obvious;
“I don’t think we need to reinvent the wheel here. The things that help people outside of a pandemic are the same things that help people in a pandemic.”
Former Green MP, Sue Bradford was scathing;
“There has rarely been a more blatant case of discrimination against beneficiaries than Grant Robertson’s announcement yesterday that people who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus will receive weekly payments of $490 per week for 12 weeks and $250 per week for part time workers.
This is great news for those who qualify. Fabulous. That $490 per week is almost double the $250 per week you get on the standard 25+ Jobseeker Allowance and much closer to anything approaching a liveable minimal income.
On top of that, the new benefit also allows people in relationships to access support if they meet the criteria and their partner earns less than $2000 per week before tax.
And unlike the usual system, the new payments do not appear to be age dependent. So the historically ridiculous assumption that the younger you are, the less money you need to live on does not apply to this new category of claimants.
[…]
Labour has revealed once again its decades-long predilection for categorising people into the “deserving” and “undeserving” poor, an ideology straight out of the 19th century England from which many Pākehā settler forebears came.”
Pre-covid welfare beneficeries were also less than enthusiastic about the new level of benefit payment.
Mother of two teenagers, and living in a state house, Agnes Magele is barely able survive on $243 a week;
“Sometimes I go to food banks if I have to. I have to do what I have to do so that and my kids get by each week. It’s really, really hard to live on that small income from the benefit. It’s like a real kick in the gut.
It sounds like the government is saying that the people who have lost their jobs through Covid are deserving of an extra $250 on top of a normal benefit, as opposed to those who have already been on a benefit. It would help me pay off my debts a little bit faster and a lot of bills too [if she were getting $490 a week]. I’ll be able to afford to get me and the kids decent, decent food each week.”
The above RNZ story reported on how other beneficiaries were trying to cope.
On RNZ’s The Panel, on 1 September, Phil O’Reilly – former Chief Executive of Business NZ and member of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group – repeated his criticisms of current benefit levels;
“Being on welfare is an entirely stressful experience.
[…]
It’s pretty clear that the payments being made just weren’t sufficient.”
Mr O’Reilly can hardly be described as a card-carrying socialist.
Former Greens co-leader, Metiria Turei, who sacrificed her parliamentary career revealing how she had been forced to rort the welfare system to survive had one succint thing to say about her former Party and the two-tier welfare system they had voted for;
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Meanwhile, in the same story, Mediaworks/Newshub reported that;
The Green Party is revolting against the Government’s new payments for those who lose their jobs to COVID. Co-leader Marama Davidson has called it unfair to beneficiaries who are paid much less – and a former co-leader has used a much stronger word to describe the Government.
“Revolting“?
“Calling it unfair“?
Far from it. Parliament’s Hansard’s reveal that Green MPs supported the Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill;
“It’s a pleasure to rise and speak to this bill and just to point out that the Opposition make it very clear that there is no choice for us, because, if it’s between at least making progress for some versus the drive to the bottom on that side, then, actually, this is a step forward. It may not be what we want, and it’s not, but, boy, is it better than the alternative.
What I want to say is that the Greens—at the heart of our position is a belief that everyone should have enough to be able to sustain themselves and that we want a welfare system that is resilient and works for everyone. And we are a long way from that, and we have a lot of work to do. That work has started, but we’re not happy with where it’s at. We want more work to go on.” – Jan Logie, First Reading
“So I really just also want to say we are supporting this bill, and the reason for that is, well, we want everyone else to come up to this. I do just want to talk to the fact that the reason for that is we know that people in our communities are struggling. We know that the queues for food parcels and outside Work and Income offices are growing and that the Auckland City Mission –
[…]
This is at the heart of what this initiative is. I think that is in the long term a conversation for us as a country, where we’ve heard very clearly that people do not want a two-tier welfare system—and we agree with that—and that people really are now coming towards realising we need to increase main benefits and ensure everyone can live in dignity. Where does our support sit for the interconnection between redundancy and that welfare system? The Green Party does believe there is work to explore in this space, and at this moment in time, this policy is a response to that. ” – Jan Logie, Second Reading
“Our first position was to further increase benefits and to remove the conditionality of access to those benefits so that the existing system that we had could be strengthened to work for all of us through this time.
We didn’t achieve that. Does that mean that we should turn our backs on a group of people being able to access support? That’s our choice. Our answer was, considering on our principles, no. We should not turn our backs on some people being able to get more just because we were not able to achieve our goals for this transformation for our society. We will keep working towards that, and you hear that through this debate. We are not stepping away from that whatsoever; however, we do recognise that this delivers more to people in need, and we are not going to subject more people to the flawed aspects of our system when we don’t need to. ” – Jan Logie, Third Reading
Their support may have been luke-warm at best, but on all three readings the Greens voted in favour of the Bill, along with Labour and NZ First. Their eight votes in Parliament enabled this law.
Despite their stated intention to support what is currently a two tier welfare system to “keep working to raise all welfare levels” – nothing else has happened. Pre-covid beneficiaries struggle to survive on $250.74 (net); Post-covid beneficiaries recieve almost twice that.
On top of which the partners of post-covid beneficiaries can earn up to $2,000 a week, unmolested by MSD.
Try applying those same rules to pre-covid unemployed.
Meanwhile, The University of Auckland, Child Poverty Action Group, Auckland Action Against Poverty, and FIRST Union collaborated on a project to determine how well pre and post-covid beneficiaries were doing on their respective benefits. Spoiler: the results were entirely predictable;
The Covid income relief payment provides $490 a week for people who have lost full-time work because of the pandemic, whereas some people on the jobseeker benefit get just $250.
University of Auckland sociologist Louise Humpage said early findings suggest the $25 a week increase to benefits announced by the government in March is making little or no difference to low income households.
They did get some benefit from the doubling of the winter energy payment, but that is only a temporary initiative.
But people on the higher Covid income relief payment reported fewer occasions where they have been unable to meet basic costs.
“They seem to have reserves from elsewhere,” Humpage said.
“We asked questions about, ‘do you have passive income?’, ‘do you have a house that you own?’, and at present, they seem to be buffered by those extra resources.”
The RNZ story pointed out the blinding obvious;
Humpage said the early findings suggested that benefit levels need to rise.
“I think there is general consensus that benefits are too low at present and I think this Covid-19 payment is a reflection that it’s actually too low for most people.”
What an unsurprising conclusion.
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Right Rage, Wrong Reason
In voting for the Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill, the Green Party has failed all those people who were on welfare benefits pre-covid.
This was a platinum-plated opportunity to either raise benefits for everyone, regarding of pre or post-covid status – or not to support the new $490 per week “income relief payment” for anyone.
Had they presented this choice to Labour it would have been an interesting challenge. Would Labour have dared to call the Greens bluff?
If so, the result would have been spectacular – for the Middle Class. For perhaps only the second time in recent history (the first during the Global Financial Crisis), comfortable middle class New Zealanders would have had a painful, jarring lesson in what it means to live on basic welfare.
If you think the amplified whinging from a tiny minority of quarantined Returnees was bad enough – the shrieking howls of outrage and entitlement from recently unemployed middle class class workers might have been heard through the vacuum of space to the far side of the Moon.
Even the term “income relief payment” de-stigmatises unemployment welfare for the middle class. Pre-covid enemployed still recieve “the benefit”.
The Greens missed that opportunity.
Suggestions that the Greens had to swallow a dead rat would be an insult. It is the pre-covid unemployed who were fed dead rats with the passing of the Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill.
Writing for Newsroom, Sam Sachdeva said this;
As a whole, the saga plays into two distinct but damaging stereotypes of the Green Party and its supporters: as chardonnay socialists whose talk about supporting the poor isn’t backed up by action, and as Morris-dancing, science-hating kooks.
Neither is entirely accurate, but each has enough of a grain of truth that there is a risk of the mud sticking.
He has a point.
As much as the Green Party is doing “god’s” work to drive home the existential threat of Climate Change; their ongoing efforts to clean up our environment; and to prevent the further degradation of our land, forests, and waterways – their half-hearted actions regarding critical social issues sometimes leave much to be desired.
The spectacle of Green Party MPs and some supporters venting their rage to such a degree as to force James Shaw – a thoroughly decent politician – to utterly humiliate himself with a public apology – while barely uttering a word in protest against an indefensible two tier welfare system that reeks of double standards, discrimination, and coded beneficiary bashing – is breath-taking.
If flogging a private school is what some of my fellow Green Party members are willing to die-in-the-ditch for instead of working for our fellow New Zealanders at the bottom of the financial heap, then they’ve been sipping too much from the kool-chardonnay.
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Disclosure:
This blogger is a Green Party supporter.
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References
RNZ: Government to pump $11.7m into privately-run Green School in Taranaki
Treasury: Summary of Initiatives in the Covid19 Response and Recovery Fund (CRRF) Foundational Package
Stuff media: Coronavirus – What is the $50b Covid Response and Recovery Fund being spent on?
Beehive: Emergency support for Racing’s recovery
TAB NZ: Transition to TAB New Zealand complete
RNZ: Critics pile on Green private school funding boost
NZ Herald: Schools ‘horrified’ at Greens backing $11.7m grant for exclusive private school
RNZ: Catherine Delahunty criticises govt’s $11.7m funding for ‘green’ private school
RNZ: Critics pile on Green private school funding boost
Green School: Specialisation
Stuff media: Greens caught bending party policy to grant $11.7m to private school in Taranaki
Mediaworks/Newshub: Couple who called COVID-19 ‘manufactured natural disaster’ held ‘DNA activation’ event at Green School
RNZ: Green School at centre of $12m funding debacle struggling with backlash
Stuff media: Couple who endorsed Covid-19 conspiracy theories hosted ‘sacred ceremony’ at Green School
Newsroom: Shaw’s sorrow crystal clear as Greens face heat over private school
Kiwiblog: The $12 million school hosted a DNA activation event!
NZ Herald: High school students rally against church
Scoop media: Campaign to remove Destiny Church from our schools
Otago Daily Times: Brash back on campus after ban
Green School: Community and Activities
Parliament: Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill
RNZ: Relief payments for people who lost jobs due to Covid-19 announced
Parliament: Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill — First Reading
MSD: Jobseeker Support cut-out points (current)
RNZ: Welfare advocates not happy with Covid-19 unemployment benefit
RNZ/The Pundit: Sue Bradford – Labour betrays its traditions – and most vulnerable – with two-tier welfare payments
RNZ: Covid-19 unemployment pay ‘real kick in the gut’, beneficiaries say
Welfare Expert Advisory Group: Phil O’Reilly
RNZ: The Panel – Phil O’Reilly – 1 September 2020 (alt.link)
Mediaworks/Newshub: Former Green Party leader Metiria Turei puts Government on blast over new payment scheme
Parliament: Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill — Second Reading
Parliament: Social Security (COVID-19 Income Relief Payment to be Income) Amendment Bill — Third Reading
RNZ: Covid income relief payment recipients fare better than those on the dole, survey finds
Newsroom: Shaw’s sorrow crystal clear as Greens face heat over private school
NZ Herald: Green Party co-leader James Shaw fronts on private school funding controversy
Other Blogs
The Pundit: Labour betrays its traditions – and the most vulnerable – with two-tier welfare payments
Previous related blogposts
Privatisation of our schools?!
Q+A – 5 August 2012
Christchurch, choice, and charter schools
Charter Schools – John Key’s re-assurances
Charter Schools – contrary to ACT’s free market principles?
Privatisation of our schools?!
Charter Schools – Another lie from John Banks!
Charter Schools in a Post-Truth Era
A little warning regarding Charter Schools
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(*or Middle Class, in this case)
Acknowledgement: Tom Scott
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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--2020-09-02--Dr Liz Gordon: The first shake, ten years on

I was awakened by a shuddering , crunching shaking quite different from the gentle rolling of the deep North Island earthquakes I had experienced in the past .
I looked at my bedside clock .
4.37AM .
“ Power ’ s still on ” , I said to Garth .
At that moment , the power blinked out .
All was darkness .
That was , as Churchill might have said , the beginning of the beginning .
As Garth was on an oxygen machine , the loss of power triggered alarms that got me out of bed PDQ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ yesterday ’ s clothes and some sturdy shoes .
There was not much obvious damage on the way through .
We had , fortunately , recently removed the chimney .
I went outside and retrieved a few oxygen bottles .
We had supplies for about 12 hours before things became dire .
Garth and I settled in the lounge .
I set him up like a king with pillows and duvets , surrounded by a drink and his precious oxygen .
On his head I put a headphone radio set , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ listened to National Radio .
Vicki McKay was hosting the programme .
She felt the earthquake up in Wellington , but calls from locals in Christchurch confirmed that it was local to us .
We were able to hear what was happening in other parts of the city .
As it got light , I fired up the barbeque and started boiling pots of water .
I made us a coffee then delivered water around to neighbours in thermos flasks .
This was a way of occupying myself as my anxiety levels were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pleased to get a hot drink .
One of the things that changed as a result of the quakes was that my house now has a little generator , a bright purple kettle , a portable propane stove and numerous torches .
At the time we had none of these things .
I haven ’ t had to use any of them , as yet .
The best account of the 2010 quake I know was the book that came out of the research a number of us did for the National Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ download .
It is ten years on since that 7.1 earthquake .
There is no forgetting that Christchurch city is an earthquake survivor , the shiny new buildings alternating with empty land and the dirty , dusty shattered buildings that have yet to be repaired .
I have always said there were both winners and losers from the quakes , and both are in evidence .
I am involved with Community Law in Canterbury , which is still helping the final group of people who have been unable to get their insurance claims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2013 , is a mass of little cracks again as superficial fixes ( painting over ) failed in the many subsequent quakes ( see picture above – this ceiling crack is right above the desk in my office ) .
The reverberations continue even though felt aftershocks have just about gone now .
Even this week an article in the Press claimed that Gerry Brownlee led the earthquake policy with “ no dialogue , no transparency ” and that National would have been terrible at handling the pandemic .
Gerry sniped that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local MP for 24 years does not read his city ’ s newspaper !
Go figure .
It is ten years on .
That 7.1 quake is no longer the largest in recent memory – the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake was 7.82 .
The Christchurch Mosque killings , and now the pandemic , have again shaken us to our roots .
Garth died three years ago .
There is lots to love here .
Our city on the plains , between the mountains and the sea , flanked by two gigantic extinct volcanoes , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Port Hills exploding like Vesuvius , turning us into a modern Pompeii , there is not a lot that can now be thrown at us that we have not already survived , although climate change may put much of the city under water in the future .
The legacy for the country may be an EQC that is fit for purpose .
Over the years since it was set up , the organisation had forgotten its purpose and become nothing more than an insurance company .
It was in no space to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , there is a call to ensure the institutional knowledge that has been built up is not lost for the future : that the legacy of our disaster is a nation much better able to cope with its disasters .
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 .

I was awakened by a shuddering, crunching shaking quite different from the gentle rolling of the deep North Island earthquakes I had experienced in the past. I looked at my bedside clock. 4.37AM. “Power’s still on”, I said to Garth. At that moment, the power blinked out. All was darkness. That was, as Churchill might have said, the beginning of the beginning.
As Garth was on an oxygen machine, the loss of power triggered alarms that got me out of bed PDQ. Garth held a torch while I found yesterday’s clothes and some sturdy shoes. There was not much obvious damage on the way through. We had, fortunately, recently removed the chimney. I went outside and retrieved a few oxygen bottles. We had supplies for about 12 hours before things became dire.
Garth and I settled in the lounge. I set him up like a king with pillows and duvets, surrounded by a drink and his precious oxygen. On his head I put a headphone radio set, and I had my old Sony Walkman. We listened to National Radio. Vicki McKay was hosting the programme. She felt the earthquake up in Wellington, but calls from locals in Christchurch confirmed that it was local to us. We were able to hear what was happening in other parts of the city.
As it got light, I fired up the barbeque and started boiling pots of water. I made us a coffee then delivered water around to neighbours in thermos flasks. This was a way of occupying myself as my anxiety levels were pretty high, and the neighbours were pleased to get a hot drink. One of the things that changed as a result of the quakes was that my house now has a little generator, a bright purple kettle, a portable propane stove and numerous torches. At the time we had none of these things. I haven’t had to use any of them, as yet.
The best account of the 2010 quake I know was the book that came out of the research a number of us did for the National Council of Women, which is free to download.
It is ten years on since that 7.1 earthquake. There is no forgetting that Christchurch city is an earthquake survivor, the shiny new buildings alternating with empty land and the dirty, dusty shattered buildings that have yet to be repaired. I have always said there were both winners and losers from the quakes, and both are in evidence.
I am involved with Community Law in Canterbury, which is still helping the final group of people who have been unable to get their insurance claims completed. My own house, repaired in 2013, is a mass of little cracks again as superficial fixes (painting over) failed in the many subsequent quakes (see picture above – this ceiling crack is right above the desk in my office).
The reverberations continue even though felt aftershocks have just about gone now. Even this week an article in the Press claimed that Gerry Brownlee led the earthquake policy with “no dialogue, no transparency” and that National would have been terrible at handling the pandemic. Gerry sniped that he never reads the Press. A local MP for 24 years does not read his city’s newspaper! Go figure.
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It is ten years on. That 7.1 quake is no longer the largest in recent memory – the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake was 7.82. The Christchurch Mosque killings, and now the pandemic, have again shaken us to our roots. Garth died three years ago. There is lots to love here. Our city on the plains, between the mountains and the sea, flanked by two gigantic extinct volcanoes, is so beautiful.
And apart from the Port Hills exploding like Vesuvius, turning us into a modern Pompeii, there is not a lot that can now be thrown at us that we have not already survived, although climate change may put much of the city under water in the future.
The legacy for the country may be an EQC that is fit for purpose. Over the years since it was set up, the organisation had forgotten its purpose and become nothing more than an insurance company. It was in no space to lead the reconstruction of Christchurch. Now, there is a call to ensure the institutional knowledge that has been built up is not lost for the future: that the legacy of our disaster is a nation much better able to cope with its disasters.
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--2020-09-03--JAMES SHAW APOLOGISES TO ROD DONALD AND JEANETTE FITZSIMONS

I ’ m so sorry , Rod and Jeanette , I ’ m so sorry if I caused you any pain .
I ’ m so sorry , Rod and Jeanette , But the party that you left me Is in trouble once again .
I ’ m so sorry , but we ’ ve hardly done I ’ m so sorry , Rod and Jeanette .
And Winston always makes me squirm !
So you ’ re sorry , James ?
You wanker !
Cos you haven ’ t done a bloody thing all term ?
So you should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And you ’ re less green than Ardern !
They had to have more cash – cos salvation isn ’ t free .
So I got a grant from Grant , in spite of Treasury , and Chippie ( Chris Hipkins ) Who had the gall to call it a strange priority !
Bugger-off , you ageing hippies – on yer bike !
( on yer bike ) So you lefties – take a hike !
Bugger-off , you ageing hippies – on yer bike !
( on yer bike ) So you @ @ @ @ @ @

(To the tune of Paul McCartney’s “Uncle Albert – Admiral Halsey”)
I’m so sorry, Rod and Jeanette,
I’m so sorry if I caused you any pain.
I’m so sorry, Rod and Jeanette,
But the party that you left me
Is in trouble once again.
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I’m so sorry, but we’ve hardly done
A thing all term.
I’m so sorry, Rod and Jeanette.
But, Jacinda’s so unhelpful
And Winston always makes me squirm!
Sob, sob.
So you’re sorry, James? You wanker!
Cos you haven’t done a bloody thing all term?
So you should be, James. You tosser!
There’s a planet on the boil,
And you’re less green than Ardern!
Handouts to the wealthy! (wealthy?)
Handouts to the rich!
Handouts for the crystals (crystals?)
Buried in a ditch.
Taranaki Green School notified me,
They had to have more cash – cos salvation isn’t free.
So I got a grant from Grant, in spite of Treasury, and Chippie (Chris Hipkins)
Who had the gall to call it a strange priority!
Handouts to the wealthy! (wealthy?)
Handouts to the rich!
Handouts for the crystals (crystals?)
Buried in a ditch.
Bugger-off, you ageing hippies – on yer bike! (on yer bike)
Being green’s a business now,
So you lefties – take a hike!
Bugger-off, you ageing hippies – on yer bike! (on yer bike)
Being green’s a business now,
So you lefties – take a hike!
Handouts to the wealthy! (wealthy?)
Handouts to the rich!
Handouts for the crystals (crystals?)
Buried in a ditch!
Parody by CHRIS TROTTER.


thedailyblog--2020-09-01--Emergency steps towards a Green New Deal in the 21st Century

A crisis is unfolding that will be an economic and social disaster unless a series of urgent steps are initiated now for a Green New Deal fit for the 21st Century that can reorder and rebuild our society in a manner compatible with the welfare of working people and the planet .
The Labour Party has no right to simply ride the wave of support that exists for being an okay manager of the response to the Covid generated crisis through to the election .
They need to tell us if they are even willing to entertain the notion that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we are to survive .
The Pandemic will be circling the globe for the next few years .
Capitalism is a system of commodity production for profit and in many of the most economically powerful the ruling elite has decided to put profits before public health .
By refusing to shut down economic activity and waiting for so-called “ herd immunity ” they have put their personal enrichment ahead of millions of lives .
Even if a vaccine is discovered it is unlikely that it can be produced and distributed widely enough for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal travel and trade for several years .
An economy that depends on three million tourists a year and recycling 300,000 workers without full-rights on temporary visas will not return .
An economy that depends on farming animals on land and poisoning waterways to produce milk which is then turned into powder using coal-powered burners and sent to China for the middle-class to consume is not sustainable .
The pandemic intensified an economic downturn that had already begun globally .
Printing money as a way to escape the crisis is not sustainable .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade and has helped create the crisis we are now in .
What the US government and the US Federal Reserve ( with the help of their counterparts across the globe ) are doing is socialising all risk for the capitalists by driving interest rates down and promising to buy all forms of debt if necessary .
But this will not stop the layoffs and restructuring to prioritise the profits of the shareholders above all else .
Since the 2007-08 crisis , the companies on the S & P 500 share index in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies in the US have used half their profits to buy back stock .
This is designed to enrich existing shareholders and executive staff by enhancing the share price .
Another 39 % of profit was used for dividends .
Companies have even been using the cheap rates available for borrowed money to buy back shares .
Just 7 % was used for investment .
This is one of the principal reasons the post 2007-8 recovery was one of the weakest ever .
Big New Zealand companies have been doing the same thing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when sharemarkets are booming in a world where millions are dying and being thrown out of work , and the economies of the biggest capitalist powers in the US , UK Europe and Japan have declined by 10-20 percent .
Unemployment globally is expected to be at levels of between 10 and 20 percent for a number of years .
There is also a risk of the downturn precipitating a broader economic collapse when the temporary rescue packages stop over the next few months .
The wage subsidy and other emergency relief measures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a deep recession is inevitable .
Unemployment will reach 8-10 percent later this year .
This will mean rates double that for Maori and Pacifica and young people .
Maintaining employment as much as possible was an obvious and necessary step .
The wage subsidy did that .
But the government should have also demanded something in return .
For example , a one-third shareholding of each company so the government would also benefit from future profits and companies that avoided company tax so carefully also have to give something to the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not make sense to continue to pay companies to simply do the same old shit .
The government needs a national plan for a new equitable and sustainable economy that shifts from the production of commodities for profit to delivery of services that meet peoples needs .
For example , Air New Zealand is now in crisis and losing money .
Rescuing the company is necessary but the government should not reward the shareholders or executives who have put their interests above those of the workers , the travelers who have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planet .
Air New Zealand has been nationalised , privatised and should be nationalised again .
But the new airline should be run as an essential service owned by the government and run by a board that represents the workers and people as consumers , not just business people .
Its purpose should be to provide essential travel and freight options alongside fast electric trains as part of the public transport network .
The new Air NZ would be probably half the current size and workers should be allowed to transition to new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rail ) not just dumped on the scrap heap .
The new Labour-Greens government must prioritise government measures that protect jobs and the living standards of working people who will become victims of the crisis as the bosses seek to offload any costs onto our shoulders .
The most important immediate steps we need the next government to take are : • All workers have a right to work and the government must guarantee that right • All workers are essential workers and deserve a living wage .
• The Welfare Advisory Groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ increases and the individualising of entitlements .
• The $ 75 allowance for “ in-work ” welfare recipients with children should be extended to all beneficiaries .
The exploitative temporary migration system should be abolished and those in New Zealand who have made New Zealand their home should be able to access permanent residency .
No more workers should be brought here on “ temporary ” visas without a genuine pathway to residency .
Empower local communities to audit the needs of their people to access work , housing , education , health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , disability access , food production and distribution , energy production and distribution , public transport availability .
A plan should be drawn up so that the communities themselves can act to eliminate the social deficits and inequalities identified .
The government should fund communities to carry out the plan .
The tremendous displays of humanitarian solidarity and support shown during the crisis should be enabled at the expense of the greed and selfishness that our economic system rewards .
Health care , education , access to energy , public transport and banking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the people democratically .
The government should develop a national strategy to transition beyond the current system of commodity production for profit to a system based on the needs of working people and the planet .

A crisis is unfolding that will be an economic and social disaster unless a series of urgent steps are initiated now for a Green New Deal fit for the 21st Century that can reorder and rebuild our society in a manner compatible with the welfare of working people and the planet.
The Labour Party has no right to simply ride the wave of support that exists for being an okay manager of the response to the Covid generated crisis through to the election. They need to tell us if they are even willing to entertain the notion that things need to be done differently if we are to survive.
The Political/Medical/Economic framework
The Pandemic will be circling the globe for the next few years. Capitalism is a system of commodity production for profit and in many of the most economically powerful the ruling elite has decided to put profits before public health. By refusing to shut down economic activity and waiting for so-called “herd immunity” they have put their personal enrichment ahead of millions of lives.
Even if a vaccine is discovered it is unlikely that it can be produced and distributed widely enough for New Zealand to be able to restore normal travel and trade for several years.
An economy that depends on three million tourists a year and recycling 300,000 workers without full-rights on temporary visas will not return.
An economy that depends on farming animals on land and poisoning waterways to produce milk which is then turned into powder using coal-powered burners and sent to China for the middle-class to consume is not sustainable.
The pandemic intensified an economic downturn that had already begun globally.
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Printing money as a way to escape the crisis is not sustainable. That has been tried for the last decade and has helped create the crisis we are now in. What the US government and the US Federal Reserve (with the help of their counterparts across the globe) are doing is socialising all risk for the capitalists by driving interest rates down and promising to buy all forms of debt if necessary. But this will not stop the layoffs and restructuring to prioritise the profits of the shareholders above all else.
Since the 2007-08 crisis, the companies on the S&P 500 share index in the US which comprise the biggest listed companies in the US have used half their profits to buy back stock. This is designed to enrich existing shareholders and executive staff by enhancing the share price. Another 39% of profit was used for dividends. Companies have even been using the cheap rates available for borrowed money to buy back shares. Just 7% was used for investment. This is one of the principal reasons the post 2007-8 recovery was one of the weakest ever.
Big New Zealand companies have been doing the same thing.
There is something truly grotesque happening when sharemarkets are booming in a world where millions are dying and being thrown out of work, and the economies of the biggest capitalist powers in the US, UK Europe and Japan have declined by 10-20 percent.
Unemployment globally is expected to be at levels of between 10 and 20 percent for a number of years.
There is also a risk of the downturn precipitating a broader economic collapse when the temporary rescue packages stop over the next few months.
New Zealand’s current prospects
The wage subsidy and other emergency relief measures have prevented a broader economic collapse but a deep recession is inevitable.
Unemployment will reach 8-10 percent later this year. This will mean rates double that for Maori and Pacifica and young people.
Maintaining employment as much as possible was an obvious and necessary step. The wage subsidy did that. But the government should have also demanded something in return. For example, a one-third shareholding of each company so the government would also benefit from future profits and companies that avoided company tax so carefully also have to give something to the government for keeping them alive.
But it does not make sense to continue to pay companies to simply do the same old shit.
The government needs a national plan for a new equitable and sustainable economy that shifts from the production of commodities for profit to delivery of services that meet peoples needs.
For example, Air New Zealand is now in crisis and losing money. Rescuing the company is necessary but the government should not reward the shareholders or executives who have put their interests above those of the workers, the travelers who have been ripped off or the sustainability of the planet. Air New Zealand has been nationalised, privatised and should be nationalised again. But the new airline should be run as an essential service owned by the government and run by a board that represents the workers and people as consumers, not just business people. Its purpose should be to provide essential travel and freight options alongside fast electric trains as part of the public transport network. The new Air NZ would be probably half the current size and workers should be allowed to transition to new well-paying jobs in alternative industries (like rail) not just dumped on the scrap heap.
The new Labour-Greens government must prioritise government measures that protect jobs and the living standards of working people who will become victims of the crisis as the bosses seek to offload any costs onto our shoulders.
Immediate steps needed by a Labour-Greens government
The most important immediate steps we need the next government to take are:
1) Protect jobs and incomes:
All workers have a right to work and the government must guarantee that right
All workers are essential workers and deserve a living wage.
The Welfare Advisory Groups proposals should be implemented with significant benefit increases and the individualising of entitlements.
The $75 allowance for “in-work” welfare recipients with children should be extended to all beneficiaries.
2) End the system of migrant labour exploitation
The exploitative temporary migration system should be abolished and those in New Zealand who have made New Zealand their home should be able to access permanent residency. No more workers should be brought here on “temporary” visas without a genuine pathway to residency.
3) Democratically develop a Green New Deal
Empower local communities to audit the needs of their people to access work, housing, education, health care, child care, aged care, disability access, food production and distribution, energy production and distribution, public transport availability. A plan should be drawn up so that the communities themselves can act to eliminate the social deficits and inequalities identified. The government should fund communities to carry out the plan. The tremendous displays of humanitarian solidarity and support shown during the crisis should be enabled at the expense of the greed and selfishness that our economic system rewards.
Health care, education, access to energy, public transport and banking should be public services owned and managed by the people democratically.
The government should develop a national strategy to transition beyond the current system of commodity production for profit to a system based on the needs of working people and the planet.


thedailyblog--2020-09-04--Seeking justice for Palestine

Seeking justice for Palestine

From 13-26 August , there were five Palestinian Gaza ceasefire violations featuring missile launches .
Over the same period , there were 116 Israeli Gaza ceasefire violations , including 34 air strikes , that terrorised families and damaged homes .
By 26 August , Israeli Gaza ceasefire violations for the year already totalled 899 .
At the present rate , it is certain that , by year ’ s end , Israel ’ s Gaza ceasefire violations will far exceed 1,000 .
Palestinian-launched missiles fired across the Green Line plainly count as ceasefire violations , as do the less common @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positions .
However , this time Israel and its mainstream news-media allies have tended to concentrate disproportionately on the flying of incendiary balloons and kites by Palestinian protesters .
From 18-26 August , there were six demonstrations using incendiary balloons and kites , not without risk to the protesters because Israeli Army positions opened fire towards every one of them .
While these devices may occasionally land in populated areas and set fire mainly to farmland , their effects can not possibly be compared with those resulting from Israeli air strikes , gunboat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelling of Palestinian farmland .
And , while Israel imposes its blockade on Gaza in the name of ‘ security ’ , it makes frequent military incursions into the defenceless enclave , as well as constantly violating its air space .
Palestinian incendiary balloons and kites have never caused death or injury .
So what is their purpose ?
The answer should be obvious – it is to draw attention to what Israel is doing to Gaza , and shout to the world “ here we still are , stop ignoring us and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
” Gaza has suffered under Israel ’ s crushing blockade since 2007 and the Zionist regime has been imposing movement restrictions on the population for even longer , since the early 1990s , in fact .
This decades-long collective punishment is a violation of international law that can only be brought to an end with sanctions .
Now , Israel has forced Gaza ’ s only power plant to shut down , even further restricting the electricity supply .
In addition , around half the population faces imminent starvation and sickness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ restrict the food supply and , to that end , has also seized control of more than a third of Gaza ’ s farmland .
Agricultural land elsewhere in Gaza is vulnerable to destructive Israeli Army incursions , air strikes and gunfire .
A dedicated pro-Palestinian activist , Deborah Darnes , received a reply from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( FCO ) dated 1 September 2020 [ www.gov.uk/fco Our reference : TO2020/15868 ] that stated : “ The British Government firmly opposes calls to boycott Israel .
The UK and Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and we are firmly opposed to boycotts or sanctions.
” Deborah responded , in part , to this and other FCO comments , as follows : The British government is opposed to boycotts or sanctions against Israel due to our strong and important trading relationship .
Therefore I conclude that trade is more important than human rights .
To quote you : “ The crisis in Ukraine is not comparable to the situation in the West Bank and Gaza strip .
After illegally annexing Crimea in 2014 , Russia continues to engage in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporting pro-Russian armed-formations in the east of the country .
Sanctions are being used as an economic lever in order to influence Russia ’ s behaviour and to deter further destabilisation.
” Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 1967 .
Currently Israel is bombing Gaza and does so at regular intervals .
This is not a war as the Palestinians do not have an army and any missiles from Gaza are part of a legitimate resistance which is legal under international law .
Israel continues to steal land and demolish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill Palestinians regularly as do Israeli settlers who face minimal or no consequences .
“ The UK continues to support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state ; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps , with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states , and a just , fair , agreed and realistic settlement for refugees ” .
How is this possible without sanctions ?
Israel continues to build illegal settlements and steal land .
I know and you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ possible .
What actions are Britain taking to achieve this negotiated settlement ?
The US Peace deal and deals with the UAE will never achieve this as no one is talking to the Palestinians .
Israel was created by stealing land and from 1917 and the 1940s onwards the Palestinians have never been given a real say in their future .
This has been a colonial enterprise from the start and we have helped create a racist apartheid state .
Without sanctions there will never be peace .
We need justice for Palestine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people are increasingly using this to apply pressure on Israel .
If you have a policy on human rights violations then it needs to be applied to all who meet the criteria .
Israel is clearly in breach of human rights and International Law in regard to the Palestinians and the reality is reflected in the numerous UN resolutions against Israel .
Yours very sincerely but disgusted On 19 August , Israeli soldiers opened fire at the entrance to Deir Abu Masha ’ al village , killing 16-year-old Muhammad Damer Hamdan Matar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nimer Abed Atta and Ahmad Muhammad Fayez Atta .
Both were admitted to hospital .
From 13-26 August , Israeli forces destroyed 17 West Bank homes and carried out 105 night-time peace disruption and/or home invasion raids in Palestinian towns , villages and UN refugee camps .
When asked a direct question concerning Israel ‘ s destruction of a Palestinian Covid-19 testing centre in Hebron , New Zealand ’ s Five Eyes partner , the UK , was unable to deny the crime , with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( FCO ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are concerned by the reports of a recent demolition of a COVID-19 testing centre in Hebron ” and adding that the FCO had , in its words , “ repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our view that demolitions , in all but the most exceptional of circumstances , are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.
” The brutal military dictatorship that Israel imposes upon the Palestinian people intrudes into the very heart of what it is to be human – the home .
The home is where children begin their lives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn to form relationships and understanding of humanity .
For Palestinians , subjected to the selfish will of foreign Occupation , there is no such thing as security .
The home may be invaded by heavily-armed Israeli troops at any time , without warning – day and night .
Imagine the effect of this constant fear upon the consciousness of the children and their distraught parents .
Zionism leads Israel to arrogantly believe that it has the right to dictate to the Palestinian population when , where and how they may build their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this regime knows that whether or not their home may remain standing , or for how long , will be entirely up to the strategic requirements of the foreign Occupier .
Homes will be destroyed whenever the Israeli Army , or settlers , decide they are no longer acceptable .
In the past , Israel was quite happy to do the destruction but , more recently and with cynical cruelty , it demands that Palestinian families demolish their own homes – or else face the additional burden of having to pay an extortionate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it for them .
Israel ’ s preoccupation with furthering its racist agenda makes it oblivious of its obligations to conform with international humanitarian law .
Palestinians have to go , cap-in-hand , to their Zionist master to beg permission to build homes , which is almost always denied .
One of the most barbaric forms of Israeli terror tactics is home-invasion which , at its most extreme , includes the abduction of minors ( of all ages ) from their homes at dead of night .
Israeli control of the Palestinian population @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including the economy , business and agriculture .
Palestinian farmers , whose land is trapped behind Israel ’ s illegal annexation Wall , have to cope with excessively restrictive limitations of access to it .
Palestinian businesses are often invaded and even plundered , while many end up totally destroyed .
Israel cites ‘ security ’ as the main justification for its behaviour – but Palestinian security is never a consideration and that attitude is openly and officially expressed in statements by Israel ’ s allies .
New Zealand ’ s partners , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seek a “ negotiated peace settlement that leads to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state .
.
.
” There is no mention of security for Palestine .
Indeed , Israel and its allies have made it plain that any Palestinian ‘ state ’ which might be permitted to evolve would have no sovereignty over its air space or maritime areas .
Likewise , it would not be allowed to form alliances with other countries and its economy would always be subject to limitations and control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Government really stand ?
The US and the UK unreservedly support Israel , holding that only through negotiation can peace be achieved , while ignoring the reality that one party , Israel , clearly has its knee on the other ’ s neck .
The New Zealand Government supports the principle of imposing UN Sanctions to apply pressure on countries that violate international law .
It is reasonable to demand , therefore , that it immediately takes steps , to seek UN Sanctions against Israel , in order to conform , as our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , with the principle of applying pressure to countries that “ don ’ t co-operate with international law.
” Does our country stand with justice – or does it prefer to serve the strategic goals of its great-power ‘ allies ’ ?

From 13-26 August, there were five Palestinian Gaza ceasefire violations featuring missile launches. Over the same period, there were 116 Israeli Gaza ceasefire violations, including 34 air strikes, that terrorised families and damaged homes. By 26 August, Israeli Gaza ceasefire violations for the year already totalled 899. At the present rate, it is certain that, by year’s end, Israel’s Gaza ceasefire violations will far exceed 1,000.
Incendiary balloons and kites
Palestinian-launched missiles fired across the Green Line plainly count as ceasefire violations, as do the less common armed Gaza Resistance attacks on Israeli military positions. However, this time Israel and its mainstream news-media allies have tended to concentrate disproportionately on the flying of incendiary balloons and kites by Palestinian protesters. From 18-26 August, there were six demonstrations using incendiary balloons and kites, not without risk to the protesters because Israeli Army positions opened fire towards every one of them.
While these devices may occasionally land in populated areas and set fire mainly to farmland, their effects cannot possibly be compared with those resulting from Israeli air strikes, gunboat attacks on Palestinian fishing boats and the shelling of Palestinian farmland. And, while Israel imposes its blockade on Gaza in the name of ‘security’, it makes frequent military incursions into the defenceless enclave, as well as constantly violating its air space. Palestinian incendiary balloons and kites have never caused death or injury. So what is their purpose?
The answer should be obvious – it is to draw attention to what Israel is doing to Gaza, and shout to the world “here we still are, stop ignoring us and instead help us defend our human rights!” Gaza has suffered under Israel’s crushing blockade since 2007 and the Zionist regime has been imposing movement restrictions on the population for even longer, since the early 1990s, in fact. This decades-long collective punishment is a violation of international law that can only be brought to an end with sanctions. Now, Israel has forced Gaza’s only power plant to shut down, even further restricting the electricity supply. In addition, around half the population faces imminent starvation and sickness. Israel attacks Palestinian fishing boats to further restrict the food supply and, to that end, has also seized control of more than a third of Gaza’s farmland. Agricultural land elsewhere in Gaza is vulnerable to destructive Israeli Army incursions, air strikes and gunfire.
UK activist calls out UK Government hostility to BDS
A dedicated pro-Palestinian activist, Deborah Darnes, received a reply from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) dated 1 September 2020 [www.gov.uk/fco Our reference: TO2020/15868] that stated: “The British Government firmly opposes calls to boycott Israel. The UK and Israel have a strong and important trading relationship and we are firmly opposed to boycotts or sanctions.”
Deborah responded, in part, to this and other FCO comments, as follows:
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Dear Sirs,
The British government is opposed to boycotts or sanctions against Israel due to our strong and important trading relationship. Therefore I conclude that trade is more important than human rights.
To quote you:
“The crisis in Ukraine is not comparable to the situation in the West Bank and Gaza strip. After illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia continues to engage in a deliberate plan to destabilise Ukraine, supporting pro-Russian armed-formations in the east of the country. Sanctions are being used as an economic lever in order to influence Russia’s behaviour and to deter further destabilisation.”
Israel has occupied the West Bank and Gaza since 1967. Currently Israel is bombing Gaza and does so at regular intervals. This is not a war as the Palestinians do not have an army and any missiles from Gaza are part of a legitimate resistance which is legal under international law. Israel continues to steal land and demolish homes of Palestinians. Israeli occupation forces kill Palestinians regularly as do Israeli settlers who face minimal or no consequences.
You also state:
“The UK continues to support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state; based on 1967 borders with agreed land swaps, with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both states, and a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for refugees”.
How is this possible without sanctions? Israel continues to build illegal settlements and steal land. I know and you know a two state is no longer possible. What actions are Britain taking to achieve this negotiated settlement? The US Peace deal and deals with the UAE will never achieve this as no one is talking to the Palestinians. Israel was created by stealing land and from 1917 and the 1940s onwards the Palestinians have never been given a real say in their future. This has been a colonial enterprise from the start and we have helped create a racist apartheid state.
Without sanctions there will never be peace. We need justice for Palestine. At least individuals can use boycotts and people are increasingly using this to apply pressure on Israel. If you have a policy on human rights violations then it needs to be applied to all who meet the criteria. Israel is clearly in breach of human rights and International Law in regard to the Palestinians and the reality is reflected in the numerous UN resolutions against Israel.
Yours very sincerely but disgusted
Deborah Darnes
Death and destruction in West Bank
On 19 August, Israeli soldiers opened fire at the entrance to Deir Abu Masha’al village, killing 16-year-old Muhammad Damer Hamdan Matar and wounding two other youngsters: Mahmoud Nimer Abed Atta and Ahmad Muhammad Fayez Atta. Both were admitted to hospital. From 13-26 August, Israeli forces destroyed 17 West Bank homes and carried out 105 night-time peace disruption and/or home invasion raids in Palestinian towns, villages and UN refugee camps.
When asked a direct question concerning Israel‘s destruction of a Palestinian Covid-19 testing centre in Hebron, New Zealand’s Five Eyes partner, the UK, was unable to deny the crime, with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) merely responding as follows: “We are concerned by the reports of a recent demolition of a COVID-19 testing centre in Hebron” and adding that the FCO had, in its words, “repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our view that demolitions, in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law.”
Homes destroyed – militarily-imposed population control
The brutal military dictatorship that Israel imposes upon the Palestinian people intrudes into the very heart of what it is to be human – the home. The home is where children begin their lives, where security is paramount and where they learn to form relationships and understanding of humanity. For Palestinians, subjected to the selfish will of foreign Occupation, there is no such thing as security. The home may be invaded by heavily-armed Israeli troops at any time, without warning – day and night. Imagine the effect of this constant fear upon the consciousness of the children and their distraught parents.
Zionism leads Israel to arrogantly believe that it has the right to dictate to the Palestinian population when, where and how they may build their homes. Every Palestinian family living under this regime knows that whether or not their home may remain standing, or for how long, will be entirely up to the strategic requirements of the foreign Occupier. Homes will be destroyed whenever the Israeli Army, or settlers, decide they are no longer acceptable. In the past, Israel was quite happy to do the destruction but, more recently and with cynical cruelty, it demands that Palestinian families demolish their own homes – or else face the additional burden of having to pay an extortionate fee to the foreign Occupier to do it for them.
Israel’s preoccupation with furthering its racist agenda makes it oblivious of its obligations to conform with international humanitarian law. Palestinians have to go, cap-in-hand, to their Zionist master to beg permission to build homes, which is almost always denied. One of the most barbaric forms of Israeli terror tactics is home-invasion which, at its most extreme, includes the abduction of minors (of all ages) from their homes at dead of night. Israeli control of the Palestinian population extends to every aspect of living, including the economy, business and agriculture. Palestinian farmers, whose land is trapped behind Israel’s illegal annexation Wall, have to cope with excessively restrictive limitations of access to it. Palestinian businesses are often invaded and even plundered, while many end up totally destroyed. Israel cites ‘security’ as the main justification for its behaviour – but Palestinian security is never a consideration and that attitude is openly and officially expressed in statements by Israel’s allies.
New Zealand’s partners, such as the UK, claim to seek a “negotiated peace settlement that leads to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state . . .” There is no mention of security for Palestine. Indeed, Israel and its allies have made it plain that any Palestinian ‘state’ which might be permitted to evolve would have no sovereignty over its air space or maritime areas. Likewise, it would not be allowed to form alliances with other countries and its economy would always be subject to limitations and control by Israel.
Where does our own Government really stand?
The US and the UK unreservedly support Israel, holding that only through negotiation can peace be achieved, while ignoring the reality that one party, Israel, clearly has its knee on the other’s neck. The New Zealand Government supports the principle of imposing UN Sanctions to apply pressure on countries that violate international law. It is reasonable to demand, therefore, that it immediately takes steps, to seek UN Sanctions against Israel, in order to conform, as our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade puts it, with the principle of applying pressure to countries that “don’t co-operate with international law.” Does our country stand with justice – or does it prefer to serve the strategic goals of its great-power ‘allies’?