Posts by Marc C
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Hard News: Dirty Politics, in reply to Alfie,
Thanks for posting this here, and I feel it is also under the right topic here, as it is also some kind of "dirty politics" strategy again.
So the Prime Minister did claim that MSD staff were working with Salvation Army staff when visiting homeless sleeping in cars in South Auckland. This was proved as being incorrect, and has led to the PM being caught out again, yet again, having told lies.
It will most likely be explained away by the PM by claiming he had relied on Paula Bennett's advice (as tonight's TV news reported she had told him), and Paula Bennett will say, she relied on "official" advice by a MSD staff member.
When you have an army of official underlings work for you, it is always easy to pass the buck, and in the end neither one will be much damaged by this.
And the MSM did this time report on it, at least TV One, TV3 and Radio Live and I believe also RNZ, but it may be a once off. At least Andrew Little and James Shaw were given a chance to comment, but I heard little from the opposition on that major MSD stuff up with automatic payments of the Accommodation Supplement over the years since 1993.
That was something that should also have deserved some questions in Parliament, but I presume it was not done as it would also have implicated Labour as having done nothing about it.
On this one, Key lying again, to spin stuff and make it look acceptable that the government does not do much about homelessness, as they "choose" to live in the open or in cars, it will be passed quickly with other news about crime, weather, sports and so in the moving 24 hour news cycle.
And I hear also, how Central Auckland MP Nikki Kaye commented on the Paul Henry Breakfast show, that she had people come to her electorate office, saying they "chose" to not seek help. I wonder why they came to her office then?
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Re Mr Trotter, he is in my view nothing but a reflective, history loving, part time academic political romanticist, who shows no clear line and ideas that he may have of his own, he is these days fulfilling the role of "commentator" on TV current affairs (at times), on Radio Live and such shows like the one Paul Henry runs. He presents HIS view on events and developments, and they are based on HIS interpretation of similar things in history or what he deems worth noting. I do indeed wonder whether and how much he gets paid for all this.
It reminds me of the once famous VIPs, being incessantly invited to give a "view" on matters of the day on various "shows" on TV or radio, which may be far distant from what mattered at the actual times and areas in the past, where they may have some vague "expertise" worth offering, it is often not all that current or valid, that "view point".
As some commented above, indeed, more history reading may be recommended to a fair few within Labour, that is international political history, same as for Mr Trotter and the likes.
The MSM are themselves so out of touch with the real world, that is most of them, they constantly pull up the same "commentators" and "expert advisors" that they have pulled out of the hat for years if not decades. They do have NO direct link to the ones working at the coal face of social and housing crisis, at least I take pleasure when some do occasionally and actually talk to the man from Mangere Budgeting Services. He knows his work and what goes on, same as some others. While Auckland Action Against Poverty do clearly have their political agenda, they do also have some more people who actually know what goes on in places many others only ever hear about or see, when it is some news item about crime incidents, about homeless sleeping in garages or cars, as they never like to venture out of their leafy suburbs or the malls they frequent on the weekend.
New Zealand is as much a divided, class separated country as the modern day USA is, all the WINZ and other "social" business is mostly there to pretend we actually care to do something serious about the issues, it is more like bottom of the cliff rescue and survival efforts, or otherwise nothing but social experimenting, in the world's most perfect social engineering lab, which is called New Zealand (isolated by surrounding sea, and also mostly isolated from what goes on in the rest of the world).
We need some real changes if we want to prepare for the future, most have their heads deep in the sand, or up their dark abdominal channel, I fear.
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Polity: Labour and the Greens in a tree..., in reply to Craig Young,
When Paul Henry started with Mediaworks, after his failed roles in Australia, first having his late night Paul Henry Show, now having his Paul Henry Breakfast show, I thought, any person going on there, to talk about anything political - or for that sake anything sensible, would risk ending in a situation like going swimming in a pool full of sharks.
Then I was flabbergasted, how not only the likes of Trotter and Pagani showed up there, falling into his traps, but even Green Party and Labour Party leaders and other MPs.
The whole show is run according to Paul Henry's rules, and his narrative of things to talk about, so it cannot be avoided, to either be labeled a misguided, daydreaming, overly idealistic "leftist", or for the alternative, to be called a mischievous political charlatan from the left, having no credit and no policy to bother with.
There is little between the two categories, and all those who care about their reputation, their principles and integrity, should for a start not even bother showing up there. Remember the PM has often enough declined to comment on Radio NZ.
No matter if that would make it appear like a pro government or apologetic government friendly sound chamber, it would at least make it blatantly obvious for the viewers, how damned one sided that show and Paul Henry, the man behind it, are and is. It is such a pro government sound chamber anyway, as it is, why give it any credit of appearing "balanced", when Henry never is?
The privatisation and selling out of our MSM, and the ones in opposition thinking they gain by even engaging with these ruthless sharks of the types like Gower, they are incompetent idiots, in my view, at least they should be blunt and clear, and tell Paul Henry in his face, he is a biased jerk, no matter whether they never get an invite again.
As so many fell for the wrongly perceived "opportunity" to at least "get something across" over the MSM, they have basically discredited themselves, which has only reinforced the vicious downward cycle for Labour, and that has also now locked the Greens in at around ten percent.
But as I remember, even Laila Harre and Hone Harawira showed up on Paul Henry's crap shows, It is hardly encouraging. We really need alternative venues, and alternative media, and while I do not agree with all Bomber Bradbury thinks and says, he has at least made a good move with his Waatea 5th Estate show at 7 pm on week nights, allowing the left and alternative side of politics and social commentary a forum to talk and be heard and seen.
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So, while I welcome this step, at long last, to have a kind of MOU between Labour and Greens, I have very mixed feelings about the present situation. Is it really the right time, when Labour have with recent changes of position (Auckland housing, dropping CGT, dropping GST exemption for certain foods, ambiguous talk about a UBI, and so forth), and a very unclear policy direction (no clear words on tax reform), and nobody really knowing that well about where the party stands on many issues?
The Greens seem more consistent with their program, so they must be hoping Labour gets a good, convincing and wider voter appealing policy platform together. Unless Labour delivers such by the end of this year, at least by very early next year, I think this exercise will not get them far. For Labour it may look like a desperate attempt to show position and to convince potential voters, that they are able to work together with the Greens, and to signal, look, we will be "the alternative".
I have some concern with the leaders, as Metiria seems to look a bit more tired now, besides a still "forming" co-leader, and as Andrew is still struggling to find more appeal with voters (see his low polling).
So is it really the right time, or the right step at the wrong time, I wonder? It may actually backfire, or not fire at all.
Then there is now one somewhat suspicious, perhaps disgruntled third party, particularly its leader, who will feel an extra need now, to play his own game, and follow a different agenda. He will feel encouraged now, to run the popular underdog campaign, being the party for those forgotten by the two big parties, at a time where mass immigration is putting pressure on New Zealand housing, infrastructure, health-, education- and social services, last not least also the environment.
I see an election outcome few here will expect, where NZ First may rise to be the strong and vocal opposition party, which may gain favour and support from former, disgruntled National voters and former Labour voters rushing to them, and putting it at perhaps 15 or more percent in the polls and even in election results. It will be Nats and Lab-Greens competing to gain his favour, and it will be very interesting, as neither Nats nor Labour and Green will dare run an election campaign on issues like immigration, that may be at a time the housing market is near collapse, where a sizeable lot of voters are turning anti immigration, and will also cast protest votes.
Many will see Winston as the only alternative, the others too weak and damaged to convince, and he will be the absolute king maker, perhaps tying knots with Labour again, and the Greens being left out once more (given the MOU will end on election night).
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Polity: Budget 2016: Growth for the…, in reply to Sacha,
I fear that due to the often lack of vocal opposition and their weakness, the disabled are considered as dispensable, as not worthy of much attention, or otherwise only deserving patronising statements about "care" costing the tax payer "damned too much". That is what I get from this government, in impression.
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So Bill English actually said on Checkpoint, "we have got the money" to put into affordable housing, and then tries to blame planners and Auckland and other Councils, hear after 5.00 and particularly 5.40 in this audio recording:
If that is so then, Minister, WHY do you then not launch a major national and government funded social housing construction program under the umbrella of Housing NZ???
Do I have tomatoes in my ears and brain, or what is going on with this hypocritical, lying and totally commercially focused government, that only favours their developer mates to get things done?
Even under the legacy rules and plans, the government could do more, but chooses not to. What were the Special Housing Areas there for then, which are used also by land bankers who now black mail the government and Council, to get even more liberal development rules, likely to result in even more poor building and a new scandal? New Zealand is ruled by incompetent or otherwise many vested interest holding people holding this society to ransom.
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Indeed, the whole government agenda, their budgets and whole laissez faire direction are mere fantasy to most of us. The so called “Kiwi dream” is also a fake, it is not what most think it is, as it is simply nothing but a modern day snake oil salesman’s pitch to entice people into economic activity that will in the end not deliver what the dream is supposed to deliver.
There is NO ‘Kiwi Dream’, it is as fake as the “American Dream”, as it relies on immigration, on population growth, and getting new residents and citizens do the hard and dirty work, to “lift” the born and bred ones higher. We see this in a perfect example with the Auckland housing market, as those Kiwis who own a home, who may have been working long and hard enough, to pay a deposit, pay debt off, to have such investment, get lifted up by equity increases, allowing them to use that wealth growth to go shopping on more credit, or to expand a property portfolio they have themselves.
You are “in” if you got that far, you have to “prove yourself” if you are a newcomer, and more and more newcomers, apart from those highly qualified and already well off, that come here, they are the servants and mercenaries, that keep the machinery going, to enable the earlier mentioned ones to get wealthier and better off by the day.
The newbies, that is those that do not come with wealth themselves, they fuel the system, they deliver the work, to keep it all going, to keep a dream alive, that remains to be nothing but a dream to most.
That is how the capitalist system works, selling dreams, and hence even the lowest paid, the unemployed, the disadvantaged, they do not challenge the system, they do not rebel, as they cling to some ridiculous dream that will most likely never deliver for them.
And this is where New Zealand is right now, a fake economy, built on a BS dream, that seems to still serve and benefit enough, who have some stake-hold in all this, but the ones not part of the winners are growing by the day.
It is time to end the dream and BS, as only hard work, saving and investment in the New Zealand future will ensure this nation and economy survives, but most still cling to nonsensical illusions, that it can all be provided by selling this country out, selling real estate, selling farms, selling investment and selling themselves.
Sorry, the time will come where this system will hit the wall, it is simply not a plan, it is a fake dream and illusion, that most will wake up soon like from a bad dream.
Bill English has only done as much to keep this BS “dream” going, for those that dream they are still in control and doing well. All this could be over if the ones that are cheated stand up tomorrow and say, enough is enough, we have no more of this BS.
The first thing needed then is a major new economic and social plan and direction for this country, and to make sure those that want to take part commit themselves, as we cannot have endless immigration, open trade and hope that all this will guarantee us a solid future for generations. Without a firm commitment to where you live, where you work, where you raise your kids, where you believe your future lies, there is no secure plan for any country. The modern day transitional nature of people working and living in different places and hoping all goes well, results in every one to themselves, saving for him or herself and perhaps direct offspring, that is carried away any time and day, and that is not committed to any geographic location. You cannot plan any economy like this being the norm we have. I regret, most do not see this and do not get it.
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To be damned honest about all this, dear Rob Salmond, you are trying the same as Andrew Little in Parliament today, to simply bang on about the same line as we have been getting for years from Labour.
My sad impression is though, that Labour has insufficient expertise and advice when it comes to deal with complex financial, fiscal and economic matters, like the Budget covers. Simply going on about the housing issue, social injustice, which are all real and valid topics, and otherwise simply trying to dismiss the Budget and the government as “not caring” and so, are emotive messages, they seem simplistic, unsophisticated and are thus ineffective to deliver the kind of OPPOSITION this country deserves and we desperately need.
It is not all bad what is in the budget, so Labour will have to get real on this, they can continue to highlight the failings in housing, long term economic and social policy, but to only just be absolutely negative and hostile and angry will NOT convince the very voters they try to convince, who are the ones “in the middle” of society.
Of course the growth we are promised is not going to be shared, but that has been so for the last two to three decades, what the hell did Labour do about it in 1999 to 2008, apart from bringing in Working for Families and so?
What I read and hear at the moment rather looks like opposition incompetence. By the way, the ONLY speech I found worthy giving credit to this afternoon was the one by Winston Peters, in my humble opinion. He was presenting the issues rather well, while Andrew ranted on and on about the same things, and while even James Shaw was not quite getting the message across, I felt.
Correct me if I am wrong, but that is my view of things.
Scoop have an interesting news release on the budget, which seems more balanced:
http://auckland.scoop.co.nz/2016/05/budget-2016-population-driven-gdp-growth/
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As with any of Bill English's budgets, I think the devil sticks in the detail. There will be some good and welcome spending, and additional spending, and there will be much lacking elsewhere. The figures tend to be presented to show the government of the day in the best of light, but they have to be scrutinised, and then we often find, there may actually be little extra spending, or actually even less spending than before, that is on a per capita basis.
We must note, there has been a few years of net immigration gains, which will have significantly increased the population, not just by returning New Zealanders, but also permanent residents returning, holding other passports, and by new immigrants.
Any population increase, the natural one of local residents included, will lead to an increase of demand for services, in health, education, social security and infrastructure, last not least housing.
This budget is again presented in an upbeat manner, as usual, but looking at the whole picture, it is not surprising and not has great as some may think.
Housing has got little extra, that is there is little incentive and extra spending to now address the greatest political and economic and social challenge this country has faced for decades, to serve the needs of a growing population.
This proves, the government is not on top of things, is running behind the reality, and desperately tries to "address" issues and challenges by simply presenting back of the envelope "solutions" that are not really solutions. Paula Bennett's $ 5,000 carrot for some that are homeless or in social housing, to leave Auckland, is one such desperate, poorly thought through announcement.
She is in my view not fit to be a Minister, as she proved in Social Security and as she is also proving as Minister for Climate Change matters.
When the government Minister in charge of Social Housing, the senior one, that is Bill English, does not even know what his colleague just did, then they have lost the plot, for sure, this government. And that is what we saw yesterday.
The snakeoil salesman John Key was at his best again in the Budget debate this afternoon, so he rescued the package for the hopeless rest of his brigade, he rescued the mediocre budget of Bill English.
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Besides of the concerns about meths pollution, I suggest people check the rentals on offer in Auckland, that is on Trade Me, where living down south is not much cheaper than in many inner and not so inner suburbs of Central Auckland:
And there is stuff all on offer, really, with over 34,000 people moving into Auckland each year, that is apparently just from immigration.
This is a catastrophe, I am actually surprised there are not more homeless people in Auckland, really surprised. And unless you have a stable job and income and references, there is NO place to rent! John Key and his government have been criminally negligent, letting it come to this.