You won’t believe what Nick Smith is now saying about homelessness

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Nick-Smith-Idiot

NZs most hopeless Housing Minister, Nick Smith, appalled NZers last week by glibly shrugging off homelessness because in his 26 years at Parliament there had always been families desperately living in cars. Well, he’s managed to go one step beyond John Key’s delusional advice last week to the homeless by stating the entire issue of more homelessness doesn’t exist anyway – that’s right folks, it’s all a figment of imagination.

I kid you not…

Rise in homelessness ‘figment of imagination’ – Smith 

Housing Minister Nick Smith is calling the recent surge in homelessness a figment of people’s imagination.
The minister refuses to call New Zealand’s housing problems a crisis and says anyone suggesting the issue of people living in cars popped up overnight is dreaming.
“The idea that that suddenly happened in May 2016 is a figment of some people’s imagination.”

…that’s right folks, despite your eyes seeing more and more beggars in the streets, despite every aid agency stretched beyond bursting, despite a mammoth housing crisis, despite al;l that, the rise in homelessness is – according to the Housing Minister – a figment of your imagination.

This would be funny if it weren’t so terribly sad.

 

44 COMMENTS

  1. If only the homeless could be organised into all camping or sleeping in their cars for a night or even two nights right outside MSD or Housing NZ chief offices.

    I imagine it would be quite a powerful protest and those participating hard to dismiss as a fantasy.

    • There have apparently been heated discussions among the so-called ‘backroom boys’ of ACT, about the lack of direction and laisser-faire approach to the housing debacle, that the Key government is taking under John Key and Bill English.

      Suffice to say, the downward slide in preferred PM has sent nervous jitters around those that still would like to see 20% GST and 20% business and personal tax implemented after the next election.

      If John Key continues to slide this year, then National will really have no option, but to politely ask Mr Key to step aside. It is rumoured that the ACT leadership group have even brainstormed suggestions of suitable “personal reasons” for the PM to consider in order to slip quietly off the radar so it does not destabilise ACT’s primary coalition partner.

      David Seymour has apparently said in the past that he would prefer to work with a woman and Judith Collins seems capable enough of fixing this housing crisis single handedly. Ms Collins acquitted herself well when she attended the recent anti-corruption meeting in London.

      I’m not at liberty to say more, but ACT would apparently consider any offers from the centre-left parties, should the housing crisis bring about even further weakening of ACT’s current main coalition partner. David Seymour has also said that ‘there could be synergies’ with James Shaw.

      • If James Shaw is a man of principle, he’d rather eat a bucketful of maggots than have anything to do with Act and their malignant agenda.

  2. Nick Weasel Smith lies profusely on any subject. Reality means nothing to his distorted view of this world. Conservation became crippled under his watch and privatised theft of public commons were encouraged.

    The greasy persona he presents is laughable except many well heeled latch onto anything that supports their ignorance and denial of the plain basic data on what NZ is loosing.

    Some view him as a rat but weasels rapacious killing is had wired. You cannot trust him in any situation.

  3. How a fuddling ignorant man could be put into his ministerial rolls is beyond belief! I was going to say “blind man” but that would be an insult to the blind. This guy can see, but is pig ignorant, BY CHOICE, about the plight of KIWI citizens. STOP immigration, halt sales to foreigners and speculators, repair HNZ houses instead of selling them off.

  4. Smith: “The idea that that suddenly happened in May 2016 is a figment of some people’s imagination.”

    Actually, I think that’s a figment of Nick Smith’s imagination. Nobody suggested that it ‘suddenly happened’ in May 2016. Thankfully the journalist conducting the interview had the presence of mind to ask Smith to point out where anyone has said that it ‘suddenly happened’ in May 2016.

    Wait, the journalist conducting the interview did ask that, and record his response, right? Oh.

    • That was the first thing that struck me about the statement. At face value, it dismisses the opposition, but it actually makes zero defence against the claim. It is absolute horseshit, and completely empty. Yet how many will stop and ask this question? Not enough, I fear.

  5. WHEN IN A CORNER JUST DENY ANY RESPONSIBILITY?

    WHAT SHOWS THIS GOVERNMENT UP AS IS;

    “ALL CARE AND NO RESPONSIBILITY”

  6. I am thinking Peter Dunne has a point when hey says lets take the politics out of it and concentrating on fixing the problem

    • I would say, take P Dunne out of politics.

      He has a lot to answer for, propping up this dead end Government for a start.

      Mr 0.022%.
      He has not got any right to be anywhere near Parliament.

    • Wouldn’t it be nice….but it’s like they can’t stop themselves. PD is actually quite likable for a poli.

      • The only reason Mr Sensible got in was because a stupid ‘political worm’ wiggled on the TV screen every time he spoke in a TV debate. Mating season for worms, influenced the NZ public to cast votes for this numpty.

        His rating is below the margin of error. He’s just a glove-puppet at best, or one of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s puppets at worst. If you look closely, you can see the strings, or worse, the fingers.

        He’s just another voice in the ‘good news’ right-wing brigade, of Hoskings, Henry and Dunne telling us the “5 things we need to know today!” or “5 things we don’t need to know today!”.

        It’s just damage control that WINZ is charging beneficiaries for emergency housing in motel rooms, or families are living in cars because National have sold state house assets.

        I’m surprised National don’t have a policy of crushing their cars and putting the people into motels.

    • Are you serious, Dave?? Tell us, please, you’re taking the mickey??

      Dunne is as much a part of the problem as his mates in the National party. I do not hold him apart from responsibility for this scandalous state of affairs.

      “I was only following orders” didn’t wash after WW2, and it still isn’t a justification.

      • Are you taking thr Priss Priss? The issue is bigger than one party, and a bit of inter party talking may be a step forward.

        • Oh what a funny little man you are, Dave. Playing with my name? Haven’t had that since my Primary school days.

          Go play with your building blocks, the adults are talking.

  7. I’d be interested to know how the present jobless, homeless situation impacting hard on ordinary Kiwis, compares to that of NZ in the Depression years. Must come close to becoming comparable now!

    Let’s not ignore the fact what’s falsely interpreted as being purely imagination, is a nightmare for many Kiwi families it seems!

    Oh hang on …. despite living in Auckland and “seeing” too many homeless people begging and living rough on the streets … my extremely vivid imagination is running away with me again eh Nick and Paula?

    • Up here on Planet Key there are no homeless Mary. There is also no housing crisis. There are only wonderful oppurtunities to make tax free capital gains profits from speculating on the property market.
      On the rare occasion that Nick and Paula must come back to earth and walk among the common people they can not see the homeless as their heads are so far up John Keys Arse-nal that they are blinded by the sun that apparently shines out of it.

  8. How One Colorado City Instantly Created Affordable Housing
    Relaxing rules on “Accessory Dwelling Units” drastically increased affordable housing stock in the small city of Durango.

    http://www.citylab.com/design/2016/05/how-one-colorado-city-instantly-created-affordable-housing/483027/

    That would be the quickest and cheapest way to add more housing, because the land and infrastructure is already in place. But the council fights tooth and nail to stop granny flats and takes anyone to court. Remember the TV presenter who put up a yurt and got prosecuted or the family that tried to put a granny flat in their back yard for Grandma?

  9. I think I better lay off the prescription pain killers, as I keep seeing homeless people living in their cars

  10. Surely to god the government can be prosecuted for negligence, as is the case here. Both Key and Smith are neglecting their responsibilities to not only represent the people of New Zealand, but to help the people in need. John Key promised to work for New Zealanders, to which Key himself has now proven is an outright lie.on those grounds Key should be prosecuted for lying under oath alone, let alone negligence while in service to the public.

    • Criminal negligence and outright criminality.

      Already been down that track: nobody will do anything about it. That is no official body -Ombudsman, Audit NZ, Human Rights Commission, Fraud Office – nor any private lawyer will take on the government.

      Hence, total catastrophe on all fronts -financial, economic, environmental and social- is inevitable.

      People in NZ are not suffering enough yet but it’s just a matter of time before rioting similar to that seen in Greece, France, Spain, Ukraine, Brazil and Venezuela etc. commences in NZ. The we will see just how vicious TPTB are.

    • That’d be a damn nice position to start with.

      Its time we had a pressure , lobby , activist group that had at its core the message to ‘ get out and vote’ !

      You’d see Key and this current bunch of incompetent National ministers gone by lunchtime.

      Why give Key a free ride?

      Get out and vote for your children’s sake’s !!!

      FUCK LIVING IN CARS !!!

  11. The article was pretty much an admission that they’ve known, or should have known about the problem for ages but they’ve done fuck all.

  12. They may eventually be voted out to be replaced by others with no guarantee more neoliberal entrenchment will not occur.

    A massive message needs to be given before any election, against all vestiges of neoliberal transnational control of NZ, a message of anger demanding justice fundamentals encompassing socialist principles and revolt. Businesses needs to be set up on a collective or cooperative model and not one of public companies.

    TPPA should be a trigger but the sleepy Kiwi just hasn’t woken yet. The few radicals should be encouraged but what is missing is real leadership away from rich pricks controlling and kindred organisations massaging the media with transparent crap.

    We don’t yet have a leader brave enough to stand his ground and defy the NACT mob and crony business criminals.

  13. The sad thing about Nick Smith is he’s not dumb but has got so stuck in his politics and politicking that he’s of no real value.

  14. Whatever Smith is on we can all be sure it results in him being boozed up to the eyeballs.
    This guy has probably never slept in a car in his entire life-time. And yet perhaps the ONLY times he has slept in cars is when he was so legless that he fell asleep in the parliamentary Beemers.
    This government lives a life-time of broken promises and copious lies. All in all they don’t really give a stuff about NZers. More likely they are interested in lining THEIR OWN pockets.
    Recently both John Key and Paula Bennett claimed there is no housing crisis. Is this because they are doing very nicely thankyou very much by buying up large to onsell at bigger profits?
    Can we truly trust a government who has lost complete touch with reality?

  15. Solutions to the housing crisis, policy briefing papers by The Honourable John Key.

    Deny there is a crisis
    Blame ISIS (cr ….. isis)
    Deny it is National’s fault.
    Blame Labour and left-wing blogs
    Deny people sleeping in cars is a recent crisis
    Blame National’s coalition partners (especially ACT)
    Deny it is a problem of National’s making
    Blame beneficiaries for wasting their rent money on non-essential stuff.
    Deny that immigration is the cause of the housing crisis
    Blame the Japanese for selling their cheap cars as alternative housing in NZ
    Deny, Blame, Duck, Dodge, Dive, Deny, Blame, Duck, Dodge, Dive, Deny, Blame, Duck, Dodge, Dive,Deny, Blame, Duck, Dodge, Dive, Deny, Blame, Duck, Dodge, Dive.

    Would you buy a used house car, car house, house car, car house, house car from John Key.

  16. Worth remembering what “idiot” means according to its Greek origin.

    An idiot was a “private person” or layman who did not pay attention to civil society – who did not attend the democratic forum.

    Nick Smith attends the forum and is still an idiot.

    Lordy.

  17. Nick must see his doctor and ask for a higher dosage of Prozac, I suspect. He had a bad day today, all were against him, even the MSM took him out.

  18. The problem wouldn’t be there half as bad as it is now if Key/Benglish hadn’t flogged all those houses off with those false lies that old state houses are past their use!!

    We have two of them in our family, Daughters in Gisborne and us in Napier and they are as solid as the day they were built with heart rimu and Matai that didn’t need tantalising as that wood doesn’t rot for years if no leaks are present.

    The biggest rip-off we had ever seen, as my family are all builders and swear by state housing from 1950 onwards.

    Yes this Government need to be taken to court to face racketeering charges straight away now after the Auckland housing mess and the panama papers their is plenty to get them also with the over fishing scandal they were covering up also!!!

  19. I think I heard on the news today, that the PM was proud of his daughter that just graduated from her art school in Paris…yoi know we have very good art schools in NZ… I think it illustrates the whole attitude towards what used to be once called Ordinary Kiwis…they dont relate to us, and we certainly dont relate to rhem. If Seymour and/or Dunne, or any of the Maori Party, would cross the floor, I reckon they would be voted back in, for having some guts. Its rhe supporters we must blame…they are supporting the unsupportable.

    • You are right Henri. And Maori Party, ACT Party, United Future will be as extinct as dodos and moas after the next election.

      See-More prattling on about bringing in 20% GST, business and personal tax after the election is a last ditch effort to try and win over taxpayers with his ACT bullshit agenda, that disguises another way to rob from the poor. GST hurts working and middle class more than it does the rich. It should be called the FFS tax. See-More’s got 20% chance of getting back in. National Muppet #1

      And Dunne, Mr Sensible. Mr Potato Head more like it. Anyone who gets 2 speeding tickets in one day in a VW Passat probably needs instructions on how to breath. National Muppet #2

      Maori Party? Who? Never hear from them. I bet a majority of the poor and working poor in NZ have Maori heritage. And what are the Maori Party doing about it? Stuff all. What are the Maori Party doing to lower the incidence of Maori representation in prisons or the incidence of Maori in domestic violence and child abuse? Stuff all. Muppet Silent Orchestra.

      We need a good cleanout of the do-nothing MuppetMasters National Party and its muppet coalition. The only thing they have all done over the last 7 and a half years is to sell off assets, worsen the wage gap and exacerbate inequality and poverty.

      And what’s their latest solution? Give 150 families $5000 to move to Waimate, Timaru or Bluff. Visionary stuff all right. They all need voting out of power, but Paul Henry and Mike Hosking will nominate them all for knighthoods.

      That’s why this country is going to hell in a handbasket, as my dear old mum used to say.

  20. The sooner Nick Smith is out of Parliament, the safer this country will be. Mind you, that goes for Key, Bennett, Joyce, English, Tolley, the whole bloody lot of those useless parasites.

  21. There’s always been people living in cars and garages . What does that tell you Smith. That it’s right ?and isn’t it your job to do something about it instead of bs us that its someone else’s fault other than your govt

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