Paula Bennett blindsides her own Finance Minister in desperate scramble to respond to housing crisis

By
Martyn Bradbury
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40
22

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The debacle of yesterdays rushed and desperate announcement to ludicrously pay the homeless $5000 to move to bloody Ashburton by a clearly rattled Paula Bennett is a sign of just how deeply confused the Government are on the housing crisis.

That Bill English wasn’t even aware of what Bennett was announcing is an astounding blunder that only goes to highlight just how rushed and ill prepared the National Government really are right now.

English ruling out Tax Cuts, then Key promising them, Bennett announcing policy on the hoof that English isn’t even aware of,  the sudden focus of the media on the plight of the under class has clearly surprised the Government.

One suspects National thought NZers love affair with bashing beneficiaries knew no end and that the poor who are paying the price for middle class property speculation would simply never feature much now TV3 had dumped Campbell Live. It seems National were wrong. Ever since the AAAPs 3 day beneficiary clinic there has been a renewed interest in the media to actually seek out the desperate poverty they’ve so long ignored. Those shots of NZers sleeping in their cars has done something deep and have awoken a demand for a response from our political leaders than this farce concocted yesterday.

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40 COMMENTS

  1. If National were playing a game of ‘civilization’ – it would be about now that things really start to implode. Nobody is going to win.

    • National HAVE been playing the omnicidal and suicidal game of ‘civilisation’. Things ARE starting to implode, and nobody is going to win.

      Self-reinforcing feedbacks have been triggered.

      Daily CO2

      May 23, 2016: 408.86 ppm

      May 23, 2015: 403.57 ppm

      Up a horrific 5.29 ppm

      Month after month of record-high temperatures.

      Unsurprisingly, ice is melting like never before.

      The politicians will keep lying and pretending until they can’t.

  2. It’s about time the media started putting the issues like poverty and homelessness out there for far too long they have been bias when it comes to critiquing our government policies despite the negative effect their policies have had on the poor and others struggling in our country. Many people have been caught out by the global recession cause mainly by corporate greed. National promised us a brighter future with better and more efficient and effective public services and we all know this hasn’t happened. When you make cuts to public services you start hurting the most vulnerable people in our country and societies are measured by how they treat their most vulnerable people. What does this say about our country ?

  3. Brilliant plan by Bennett. So, you take the $5,000 and move to Wanganui. Most of that money presumably goes on moving and set-up costs. Now you’re in Wanganui in your nice state house… what do you do? How’s the Wanganui job market these days? A quick search on Seek shows that there’s very little low-skilled full-time work to be had, though you’ll be fine if you want to be an executive assistant, an HR advisor or a dentist.

    This entire plan reeks of “Let’s shuffle the poor and homeless out of Auckland so we can proceed with gentrification and rampant property speculation.”

  4. ” Those shots of NZers sleeping in their cars has done something deep and have awoken a demand for a response from our political leaders than this farce concocted yesterday. ”

    Yes – its called common bloody decency – something Kiwi’s had a reputation for…. before political interference in the media. But the cats out of the bag now , and this Key led govt’s real colours are showing for all to see.

    • Agreed WK.

      It touched the long-extinct “social responsibility” nerve and the “there but for the grace of God go I” fear. If and when the bubble bursts, even National voters will be living in cars, albeit European cars, rather than Jap imports.

  5. Benefits was on “Breakfast” this morning showing her innerlectual chops by using grammatically suspect phrasing such as, “it’s us that wants to do something about it”. Bravo! She must have written many remarkable essays while at uni. They was looking to make a change, for example, or, him said that they was going to alter the policies.
    A “star” of the National cabinet. Someone we can all look up to, a “high achiever” in this warped world.

    • And can you believe it .The next leader of the National Party and possibly Prime Minister.
      They’ll give her the ‘John Key ‘ makeover treatment and tell everyone what an amaaazing back story she’s got and the Hobbits will marvel and nod in agreement.
      Like an abused spouse they’ll fall into line and dutifully support her.

    • Someone needs to put together a time-lapse of Paula Bennett over the years, illustrating her transformation from struggling solo mother to ruthless cheerleader for the neo-liberal agenda. We could put it on display in a public art space, call it “Power Corrupts” and let it serve as a warning to future generations.

  6. So what’s next on the bleak ominous agenda?

    Round up all the homeless living rough in the major cities, put them onto freight train wagons and transport them off to wherever and to hell with the consequences? Been done before, hasn’t it? And judging by Frau Bennett’s latest policy, it could well be on the cards!

    That would leave the cities nice and tidy, ready for the next mass migration wave of wealthy foreign NatzKEY supporters and offshore investors, to greedily suck up all the available property!

    • Round up all the NatZ politicians and send them out on a leaky ship into a storm please.

    • Himmler, the Heinrich, he had the same idea, with another target group, some way back.

    • ………………………………………………………………………………………..
      ” That would leave the cities nice and tidy, ready for the next mass migration wave of wealthy foreign NatzKEY supporters and offshore investors, to greedily suck up all the available property! ”
      ………………………………………………………………………………………..

      That’s why they are doing it. This is the UN definition of Genocide.
      ………………………………………………………………………………………..

      It is a crime to plan or incite genocide, even before killing starts, and to aid or abet genocide: Criminal acts include conspiracy, direct and public incitement, attempts to commit genocide, and complicity in genocide.

      Punishable Acts The following are genocidal acts when committed as part of a policy to destroy a group’s existence:

      1) Killing members of the group includes direct killing and actions causing death.

      2) Causing serious bodily or mental harm includes inflicting trauma on members of the group through widespread torture, rape, sexual violence, forced or coerced use of drugs, and mutilation.

      3) Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to destroy a group includes the deliberate deprivation of resources needed for the group’s physical survival, such as clean water, food, clothing, shelter or medical services. Deprivation of the means to sustain life can be imposed through confiscation of harvests, blockade of foodstuffs, detention in camps, forcible relocation or expulsion into deserts.

      4) Prevention of births includes involuntary sterilization, forced abortion, prohibition of marriage, and long-term separation of men and women intended to prevent procreation.

      5) Forcible transfer of children may be imposed by direct force or by fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or other methods of coercion. The Convention on the Rights of the Child defines children as persons under the age of 18 years.

      Genocidal acts need not kill or cause the death of members of a group. Causing serious bodily or mental harm, prevention of births and transfer of children are acts of genocide when committed as part of a policy to destroy a group’s existence.

      ………………………………………………………………………………………..

      Now I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is deliberate or even contemplated genocide… but there are some disturbing elements similar in particular to numbers 3) and 4) – and the statements of certain MP’s regarding lower sociao economic groups :

      3) Deprivation of resources
      ………………………………..

      We have now a situation of homelessness , children dying in cold houses because a) they cannot afford to heat that house and b ) they could not afford medical help. c) 300,000 children in poverty , d) 80,000 go hungry . e) Family’s living in cars , garages, tents and under bridges.
      ……………………………………………………………………………………….

      While state houses are either sold off and sold to private interests , or else left empty. Govt funding has been withheld in health , housing and wages – all insufficient to adequately feed , clothe and pay for the most basic of human rights – that of having a warm, safe house. This list is by no means comprehensive.

      4) Sterilization of the poor
      ……………………………….

      Albeit voluntarily,… but why even suggest it?… does it display an attitude of contempt for a certain sector of this society?

      Statements include :

      * ” preventing people from South Auckland from being able to travel to certain areas in the city”…

      * suggesting ” sterilization for those on benefits”
      ………………………………………………………………………………………..

      * Notwithstanding… attempts to use the housing crisis to relocate lower sociao economic groups from the city to open up large areas for future speculative housing.

      * Relocation to places that are known to have little employment opportunity’s for low skilled workers. And less access to public facility’s.
      Method used?… a temporary cash reward to do so – that is certainly only useful for the short term.

      * This policy disregards family relationships , stability for children at school , proximity for special needs children to facility’s , aged citizens.

      If this ‘ relocation policy ‘ has as its motive – ‘ removal of a demographic to make way for future profits ‘ , – or is indicative of deliberate policy’s or attitudes to deny certain demographics the basic necessity’s of life as outlined above…. for whatever reason, it would appear that this govt is moving dangerously close to flirting with these UN definitions.

    • 100% MaryA Frau Bennett has lost her soul now and running with the hounds of planet key damn her to hell.

      We gave her our trust and she deserted us all.

      She has shown to be a treasonous traitor and should be lined up for her crimes against the people she emulates the same way they did as traitors who faced the public trial at Nuremberg in 1946.

  7. Yeh – Paula just ship the problem to the south island.
    Yeh – Paula what a great idea and just shows again and again how out of touch you are. No real mature solutions. Desperate woman, sad and clueless and trying to sound like you are aware and caring.
    We see right through you and your serial lying leader.
    This govt. has got to go.

  8. God asks – name?

    She responds: Paula.

    God asks – what have you done to be allowed to enter the space of heaven?

    She responds: I have cared and cared and cared so much, dear God, please let me in.

    God says: Hmmm, I see records, you firstly cared about yourself and your career, Paula, what have you got to say about that?

    She responds: Oh Lord, oh Lord, I did care, I did care, I did all I could.

    God says: I have no proof of this, I have proof of the opposition and many affected of those days, that you kicked off the lower rungs off a ladder you enjoyed climibing while the going was good, and you let down others in similar predicaments that you were in.

    Paula screams in despair: Oh, Lord, I did it all for the good of others, I really wanted to make a difference.

    God says: Hmm, Paula, you had your chance, you had it well, you did better than most, condescendingly running a welfare regime I would despise, you get permanent stay in purgatory, to cleanse your soul from the folly and evil you adhered to.

    Blessed you are, I may forgive you after some time in there.

  9. Paula dreams of getting a silk layered and specially cushioned coffin, that when she travels off her present existence, same as the Remmers crowd, they think they get buried as “better” ones, deserving more than us, and after being put into their graves they will lie in their coffins or whatever and drink champagne.

    Excuse the bizarre comment, but that is how damned bizarre the thinking and behaviour of many humans, especially the privileged pricks is, as we are ALL mortal and end up as ashes to ashes.

    Where is Ms Bennett’s humility, I wonder, does it exist, it seems not.

  12. This clip and others have history, some Kiwis understand it, but most are ignorant and only care about themselves, that is the problem we have No people as such in New Zealand, and most that are affected are too gutless to overthrow this shit government, what a hopeless state of affairs

    Others in other places learned long ago, the parents of similar generations here know, but as baby boomers have settled to forget and live in their privileged crap circumstances, feel MUCH ashamed you dear ones I mean!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52Rvas3PBjQ

  14. If this isn’t an example of policy-making on-the-hoof, I don’t know what is.

    Disgusting.

    Even more disgusting is that New Zealanders continue to vote for this incompetence.

    • Well, a silly cow would make it on the hoof, rather than take time to chew the cud, wouldn’t they?

  15. Homelessness? This isn’t something that would tax the conscience ofg your average National MP. After all, they get free, taxpayer-paid accomodation in Wellington. All part of their perks.

    Everyone else can go eat cake.

  16. Listened to Bill English on The Nation saying that Auckland is an “independent country” and threatened if they don’t fix the housing problem, they will be invaded and your rights taken away (“like we did in Christchurch”).

    Paula Bennett’s idea of paying the poor and homeless to become refugees in their own country. And they will hide the problem of poor and homeless in Wanganui and Waimate and Invercargill (out of sight out of mind).

    In the end, the Government could borrow money at 2.7% and build thousands of houses if they had the political will – they won’t. The voting base of National – house owners and Chinese speculators – don’t want more houses built and National, ACT, United Future and Maori Party are complicit in:
    selling state houses
    people living in cars
    young people being locked out of the housing market
    poor families moving from school to school (transients)
    creating economic refugees in Aotearoa

    It’s a National Disgrace

  17. I’m surprised she doesn’t do a refugee swap.

    NZ’s homeless refugees to Syria, in return for Syrian refugees coming to Auckland.

    Sorted.

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