The homelessness inquiry led by Labour, the Greens and the Maori Party has given painful insight into the real legacy of poverty NZ has been left in under 8 years of National.
The game changer in this narrative was the AAAP benefit clinic held outside a South Auckland WINZ office 5 months ago. The extensive coverage given there by Checkpoint and Waatea surprised the hell out of the rest of the mainstream media. For these soft news journalists and clickbait graduates, news only happens on Ponsonby Rd between coffees and pitch ideas from PR reps trying to get a news story for their client alongside an advertising spend.
But it’s wider than just our news media living in a bubble, it’s a mythology that has been built.
Political commentator – Professor Raymond Miller once infamously attacked a Labour candidate on TVNZs Q+A because it was Raymond’s argument that National are actually far more moderate than Labour claim and this inability to understand that National is so moderate was the reason Labour couldn’t get ahead.
I call it the Raymond Miller fallacy.
The reality for Raymond is the same reality for many middle class NZers. The ruthlessness of National’s policies has been directed at those with the weakest voices. For Ray and his ilk living in the leafier suburbs of NZ, the brutality and ideologically driven cruelty of National is not seen, National have protected all the middle class subsidies and has kept many middle NZers only sense of wealth, their property portfolio, capital gains tax free, so for Raymond and his middle class chums, this Government IS moderate.
What the housing inquiry has revealed is a level of poverty being driven by cruel Government policy that has been designed to be as punitive and twisted as possible to stop the desperate from applying.
We have mistaken a small country for an equal country and we have allowed voices like Professor Raymond Miller and the corporate pundits who appear on these panel shows to lull us into a false belief that Key’s empty smile and vacant aspiration is actually moderate and not a full scale right wing blitzkrieg on the poor.
It is the Government’s punitive and counter productive policy that is making people homeless and National have zero interest in bringing house prices down because they desperately need the inflated growth numbers and false wealth to keep the middle classes onside.
The other part of the current government’s agenda is to normalise this thinking by Miller and Hooten and Farrar – that homelessness and the disenfranchised are inevitable and acceptable in their version of society. Collateral damage illness which must be managed and the lowest possible cost, rather than cured.
Also creeping into the thinking if these types is the comparison of New Zealand’s social indicators to other countries rather than to our previous selves. It’s easy to make NZ’s social record look good when compared to Somalia’s
Remember Jamie Whyte (aka Dr Hood) plagiarising himself with what was tantamount to ‘you own a fridge, therefore you aren’t poor’
Dr Whyte’s piece begins: “There is no poverty in New Zealand. Misery, depravity, hopelessness, yes; but no poverty.
“The poorest in New Zealand are the unemployed. They receive free medical care, free education for their children and enough cash to pay for basic food, clothing and (subsidised) housing. Most have televisions, refrigerators and ovens. Many even own cars. That isn’t poverty.”
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11570604
Grimly humorous, really…
These policy’s only have a limited shelf life… it doesn’t take more than a sit down with a cup of tea and some gingernuts to realize that one day… this smug arrangement will actually impact upon their own kith and kin… if not on themselves.
And the sense of remorse will never become media fodder… it will be masked and quietly endured as the realization dawns that they too, contributed to their own children’s and grandchildren’s misfortunes and loss of equity…
Particularly so for those of whom see their equity slashed by half in the coming housing bubble bursting… it will not be pretty at all.
Greed and folly.
This govt will forever be remembered for this.
And Key?
He will be seen in the years to come as that weak, weasel like politician who pulled ponytails and pissed in showers and created the conditions for one of the most corrupt and negligent govts in NZ history.
A man without scruple or backbone.
A non legacy.
Nothing more.
Over the Labour/greens/Maori Party enquiry finally today at 8am 6/9/16 John Key says on RNZ news “he would have a look at the enquiry, although he said the enquiry was not needed!!!!!!.
Classic Crosby Textor double speak eh Martyn?
At the time all while Winston Peters said his party would have an enquiryinto the Indian Student scandal, where RNZ has already reported that scandal & corruption is rife both in India and NZ!!!!!
So all RNZ response today 6/9/16 is to grill Winston about a $3000 dollar donation given to NZ First by an Indian leader of a new immigrant party that is a heavy supporter of National since 2008 but fails to cover the actual scandals around why Winston is setting up an enquiry!!!!!
RNZ double speak again from RNZ working for National again???
You should consider making a story on this RNZ show of hypocrisy again, so is this the beginning of “dirty politics part two”
He’ll take a look at the enquiry to see if there is any free stuff he can pinch, or ideas he can fake.
This government will do anything about homelessness, poverty or housing. Anything, that is, apart from what might work.
So no State house building blitz; no meaningful income increase for the struggling masses; no empowerment of those who suffer from institutional neglect.
It reminds me of Donald Trump making speeches to the black and latino communities. His speeches were not designed to attract votes from those groups. They were aimed squarely at his white, privileged constituency to make them feel it was okay to vote for someone who had seemed bigoted in all his other dealings.
Back at home, that $25.00 we heard so much about from Nat surrogates and patsy journalists was never going to garner any votes among those who knew the cruel cynicism of so tiny and constrained a hike. But with the plaudits of the Raymond Millers of this world, it might just tell the soft middle of the electorate that it was still okay to go on voting for jam today.
Orwellian propaganda and neuro-linguistic programming, all the time.
Low-income rate rebates continue to fall well behind increases in rates. Sometimes the rate rebate is increased from the previous year’s allowance by $5, sometimes by $10, sometimes by nothing. This year the increase was zero. Meanwhile actual rates paid to local government around here increase by around $100 every year. And the CEOs gets massive increases in salary for screwing the poorer sectors of society.
“Great news comrades! The chocolate allowance has been increased from 30g per week to 25g per week.”
“Double-plus-good.”
MARTYN,
As you are keenly aware of by now, we need a stand alone free speech media portal so consider this please.
Small beginnings may wind up making a large movement here.
https://thedailyblog.co.nz/2016/09/05/the-daily-blog-open-mic-monday-5th-september-2016/
SUGGESTION WAS FROM KIM DANDY.
we need a bumper sticker with that on it.
“messages propagated by the corporate mainstream media”
Oh please wake up NZ! ( I know preaching to converted on this site.)
Martyn my input here; you can add something like “buy this sticker and watch a free speech media channel”.
Well done Kim Dandy, we could ask that we donate to a free speech media channel like Channel 7 was for Opposition MP’s to use to get the message to the lost voters!!!
Check out the Max Keiser show where he highlight our very own Raymond Miller and depicts what an idiot he can be. Max showed a lack of respect for Miller.
Raymond is no authority on much and we find him not only boring but a blow hard most of the time.
As you state, the fallacy fuzzy figures of National are just more of their Dirty Politics to try and keep voters on their side. Donkey recently had the nerve to push the knife further into Nicki Hagers back continuing to show what an idiot our PM remains to be ==>> ” Homelessness, I don’t see many homeless and Dirty Politics , I think not, cough choke – after all
Nicky is just another conspiracy theorist. ” Yeh right.
Ah yes. The logical fallacy. A lie wrapped up in truisms. The best and most cunning lie of all for it having lots of wriggle room. NZ is, in fact, one gigantic lie.
What the $ poor have yet to realise is that they, in truth, have the righteous power at their finger tips. The last thing the $ wealthy want is for the $ poor to come to realise that. Enter Skull with Wig and his poisonous gasses. And lets not forget useless winston peters and equally useless andrew little. Both equally useless at leading the $ poor and if they do indeed have honourable intentions, which I very much doubt, are equally cowardly then.
It’s blindingly simple really. The $ rich are now $ rich because the $ poor are now $ poor. That’s because the $ rich have taken the $-ers away from those who allowed themselves to be swindled by the likes of Professor Raymond Miller.
Very $ rich people become very $ rich simply because they figure out ways to take much, much more $-ers than they need from the MANY,MANY other people who take their eye off their $ lives to live worthwhile existences.
How many $ poor people does it take to make one $ rich person? Quite a fucking few by the looks.
It’s time for the $ dollar poor people to go and get their money back. They must not be shy about that and they must be forthright in their actions.
The very first casualty of the Revolution must be the first burning bank.
Or.
We, us $ poorer, could engage the police and military to help ? They are, after all, paid by us to protect us. Is there a difference between a burglar entering your home and stealing your TV and the Bank burglar entering your life and elevating your dwelling value so as you spend more than you earn so as they own your property and your life for the remainder of your time on this earth?
Fundemantally, what’s the difference?
The difference is one is legal and the other is not. The police are paid to protect the status quo so while the looter who is legally enabled (the bank in this case) is able to continue unabated, it will always result in it being burned to the ground in the civil disobedience and riots to come. Rioting has always been the voice of the disenfranchised.
Yep you are right for the most part. But middle NZ is not that keen on voting for a party that makes them take the little red pill.
Saying that the blue pill is no longer taking all the rosy illusions away so there is a good chance of a change of government next election.
And National have a big problem, immigration is keeping the property bubble going and so they need to keep that going, but middle NZ are getting concerned at the amount and poor quality of immigration by the Natz and the lowering of wages and conditions and the sell off of public assets on the sly, like water, state houses, land and so forth to offshore companies and their Kleptocrats.
So the immigration/house prices are at odds with voters approval.
What are the Natz to do? It sounds like the are betting on property and keeping that up to save them. Hence immigration will be an election issue.
Hopefully the left don’t put their foot in it, but advocating the two least popular options for middle NZ, of dropping property prices and supporting immigration and the ongoing globalism issues of free trade of free worker access to lower wages and conditions and support pollution.
What are the Nats to do? Nothing. Their game is becoming impossible to ignore for too many middle NZ so it’s over. The mirrors are blackened from all the smoke and the smoke itself is now beginning to disperse. The Nats main concern is whether they can leave Government before the crash they’ve helped engineer and bank their winnings in time.
There is something fundamentaly awry. Folk can’t work it out. Oh Trump!
Most of us are well aware of this problem, but what is the solution, people need to wake up and take a damned stand, few do though.
The MSM, even the social media operators, facilitating endless chit chat, gossip, teasing and what else, distraction also with endless consumerism, narcissism, encouraging shopaholics and ignorant people, they are a huge hindrance to bring change.
Only informed voters can create and maintain a quality and functioning democracy, we have too few informed voters, so the ones that sit and drink their lattes in cafes, that walk up and down Queen and High Street during lunch breaks, the can continue to dominate and have their way.
The only alternative is a social and economic kind of collapse, to stir up anger and revolts, but that is never going to happen here in New Zealand, at least not in a significant way and scale.
I feel like shouting at people at times, so they get it, but that will have negative effects again, turning people off.
I think though the time for nice etiquette and chatter and aimless discussions is over, we need to blow this whole shit system and society to bits, through some effective crowd action.
Sorry, Mike, but when was the last time a social and economic collapse worked out well for the disadvantaged? But you don’t have to go back far to find one that massively enabled the already privileged. Think GFC.
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