If National would like to attack Metiria over her courageous admission and call it ‘welfare fraud’, we can just ask Paula Bennett

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
50
20

If you are bitching about welfare fraud in relation to Metiria’s courageous confession you don’t understand the words ‘welfare’ or ‘fraud’. Stealing to feed your family, clothe and house them isn’t theft – it’s a spectacular failure of draconian social policy.

If National would like to attack Metiria over her courageous admission and call it ‘welfare fraud’, we can just ask Paula Bennett.

Because there are all sorts of interesting allegations that look far less noble than need when it comes to Paula isn’t there?

Fascinating that Paula won’t call for Metiria’s resignation, why do you think that is?

- Sponsor Promotion -

Oh and where’s Todd Barclay? If you want to rage against corruption, surely those attacking Metiria will be in even fuller throated denouncement of that fiasco.

The Greens policy for welfare changes everything, those beneficiaries who have been shat upon and treated like scum for being vulnerable have every reason on the planet to vote Green.

The policy is as honest and courageous as Metiria’s admissions and she’s even offered to pay it all back.

As a political force, the Greens are back.

50 COMMENTS

    • Exactly Red buzzard!

      She is so quiet now isn’t she!!!!!!

      Blood y strange.

      Best not get on their case she must be door knocking!

  2. Bennett was suitably vague and ‘wordy’ on RNZ when asked about her own record of honesty with Work and Income.

    Though, again, it is beholden to Labour to make a stand.

    How about changing the PATENTLY UNFAIR laws that hold beneficiaries and their partners to far greater legal account the white collar fraudsters?.

    Unless this happens beneficiaries are being treated third class citizens no matter who sits on the Prime Minister’s chair.

    While we are at it…why is no one talking about Income/asset-based fines?.

    • Yes SIOBHAN. It is interesting how Labour are going after Corporate fraud yet National are going after benefit fraud( unpaid parental payments).

      So I believe Labour are making a stand. Recoup taxes from corporates to allow for increases to benefits, whilst National go after beneficiaries, whilst making them third class citizens.

      And I believe Bennett using “vague and wordy” about her honesty is as dishonest as one gets. Thus Bennett has no leg to stand on regards Metiria’s openess.

  3. the Green policy is the first “main” party ever, since 1991, to advocate reinstating the Richardson MOAB cuts–they should be supported!

    those benefit cuts were the start of demonising beneficiaries becoming official govt. policy, the end of the old Social Security, the beginning of the sadistic punishment maze that is WINZ/MSD

    Labour should swallow some rats, join in and play to win this election, disrupt the narrative and go for it, the torys can tsk tsk over Metiria’s brave admission, but thousands know that reality!

    • … ” the Green policy is the first “main” party ever, since 1991, to advocate reinstating the Richardson MOAB cuts–they should be supported!”…

      … ” Labour should swallow some rats, join in and play to win this election”…

      HEAR , HEAR !!! – and so should NZ First !!!

      They should all be piling on top of this despicable evil remnant Richardson neo liberal garbage!!!

  4. Can’t see Natz calling for Meteria to account for her admission somehow. Might open a can of worms regarding one of their own MPs, who has an allegation hanging over their head, in relation to activities during their own benefit days.

    Then also there is the Natz MP who attempted to rort the system in regard to claiming a housing allowance for his own property in Wellington! PM Key at the time said although it wasn’t ethical, it was legal. So the result of that piece of deception was yeah nah, leave as it is!

    And then there is deBarclay still causing some tremors for the Natz!

    Natz won’t want to rehash all that now, with an election coming up!

    Natz will take one of their senior MPs advice and “zip it.” Something which they are obviously doing, because it’s all very quiet on the blue front! Not a dickey bird from them! Oh dear, maybe they are hearing the skeletons beginning to rattle in their dark closet of secrets and lies!

    • The Nats are over a barrel with this and they know it.

      They are paying the inevitable price for 9 years of abusing large sectors of the New Zealand public and there’s no way now they can ever try and come across and present the dorky ‘guy next door one of us’ Key persona anymore.

      Go home , stay home , National. You are being rejected hard core now.

  6. Even if Materia doesn’t pay back any outstanding liabilities it wouldn’t matter a great deal with the Greens proposed $150k tax bracket at around 40% taxable income. So she’ll be able to pay it back through taxes. With a portion of new tax generated feeding back into the welfare system generating more wage inflation that should push people past the Greens proposed $150k tax bracket.

    People don’t always make as much money as the teachers but it doesn’t matter much because under the proposed $150k tax bracket no one will be losing money except for a few loan sharks ect.

  7. We should be attacking the Socal Welfare which is provided for beneficeries – the Government should be taken to court for not providing the necessities of life to its vulnerable citizens. The paltry amount that is paid to them is not nearly enough to cover the bare essentials of life and it is deliberately set to be punitive and will sapping- a warm home, adequate nourishment to survive and employment so people can afford can look after themselves – nobody no matter how smart and clever they are could survive on the pittance meted out to them.

    It’s a can of worms this government will not be opening – too many rorting members in the house – its great that Metiria has had the guts to admit it was a choice no mother or father should have to take – to feed their kids.

    • … ” the Government should be taken to court for not providing the necessities of life to its vulnerable citizens ” …

      Grrrrr… if only.

      And not only NOT providing those necessities – but DELIBERATELY not providing them !!!

      I don’t know about you people, but I can sense UTU coming in the winds for 33 years of evil neo liberalism designed for and by the elite in this country …

      • 100% WILD KATIPO; – WE AROUND HERE SAY THAT TO.

        THEY SHOULD BE DRAWN & QUARTERED AS THEY HAVE DONE TO US. HUNG US OUT TO DRY AND SHRIVEL OVER 9 YRS.

  8. If you have ever spent any time on a benefit you will know it is impossible to live off it medium term. It is designed that way.

    Everybody on a benefit has to get extra money somehow whether it is gifts from wealthier friends and family, doing some cash work, neglecting to tell WINZ you got a tax return, or maybe how many flatmates you have.

    The only alternative is to sink into debt or to turn to (real) crime.
    These are the cruel choices we put onto our most vulnerable people and families.

    Metiria is an honest politician it seems.
    Apparently a bit it of a shock to many in our sick and jaded society.

  10. I think this “courageous” is a massive miscalculation. So much so, that I suspect Metiria is either completely clueless, or she knew that this information was coming out anyway. She has admitted to fraud, and there is nothing the electorate likes more than to punish abject corruption (particularly if they haven’t benefited from it from themselves, which they haven’t in this instance). While I personally don’t give a single fuck about it (it’s not like the rest of our “leaders” are any better), this won’t play well for the middle class that the Green’s are trying(?) to court.

      • WILD KATIPO,
        IT SEEMS ODD TO US THAT SOME DO THINK IT’S O/K TO LIE.

        SINCE EVERY MP WE HAVE N PARLIAMENT AND FLOATING AROUND THE EDGES IN ASSORTED AGENCIES OF THEIRS!!!!

        SO IF WE SEE THEM DOING IT, PROBABLY THEY THINK THEY SHOULD IT TO?

    • Wherever there is poverty around the globe, – whether it was the old Soviet Union , South America, North America , England , Asia,… people will do what they have to to survive… and even then , for most people within reason.

      It is an inbuilt innate human quality that kept our species alive. If it was the killing of a stock animal on someone else’s farm to feed their kids or having to not admit the full circumstance to ensure your children eat and are warm… people will do it.

      And THAT is less a reflection on those who are forced into that position and more a reflection on current conditions – more often than not – political decisions of an out of touch and elitist minded government such as the one we have endured for the last 9 years.

      MOREOVER , – it is a DIRECT symptom of this anti sovereign , anti citizen anti compassionate post 1984 neo liberalism we have had to endure under.

      The whole neo liberal edifice should be banished from our political vocabulary and replaced with the original social democracy based on Keynesian economics that we once enjoyed in the most prosperous era this country ever witnessed post World War 2.

    • Nah bullshit
      Metiria’s honesty is going to strike a chord with heaps of people disillusioned by politics , who don’t feel any politician has any understanding of their plight.
      The centrist vote is over competed for.Its the votes of the poor and disenfranchised that haven’t been sought. Metiria is honest and genuine,I would have done exactly the same thing for my kids
      The true scandal is that the solo parent benefit was set at 20% below the rate considered to be a living wage
      Go Metiria and a pox on all you mealy mouthed apologists

    • Metiria’s admission came with policies that most definitely aren’t courting the comfortable middle classes

    • I tend to disagree.
      If all the Dirty politics of the right, all the ponytail pulling, all the rich donor backing, all the foreign purchasing , the destruction of mental health services, all the “paid for” N.Z. citizenship, all the homelessness and low home ownership, had little impact on middle class kiwis, then I sure as hell don’t believe for one moment that this will have any impact on middle class voters.

  11. I think she should now arrange to pay it back as it was deliberate at the time. Paula Bennett also needs to come clean and not use her play on words – ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law.

  12. She needs to arrange to pay it back now as it was a deliberate act. Paula Bennett needs to stop her play on words – ignorance is no excuse under the law.

    • I’m sure something will be worked out.

      However this was a brilliant tactical move to create a massive backdrop to the absolute and unmitigated viciousness of this and preceding neo liberal governments – particularly sparked off under Ruth Richardson’s arrogant Mother of all Budgets that deliberately targeted the unemployed, and the working people . ( And was topped off and completed with the Employment Contracts Act )

      I remember the brilliant speech by Gareth Hughes, the eloquence , the blunt truths , the honesty. It is one of my favorites. Its only 5 minutes – yet it is pure gold.

      Gareth Hughes on the Prime Minister’s poor leadership, 11 Feb 2016 …
      Video for gareth hughes speech john key▶ 5:04
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO3kgvayZhQ

      I will be voting for Labour simply to help swell the numbers to hopefully create a working broad base… but I like many of the policy’s of both the Greens and NZ First . But most definitely … these are the sort of people we NEED in government.

      We need to stomp all over the head of the neo liberal beast and make sure we kill it.

  13. Not declaring your true living situation to receive more money is fraud. I guess the argument is if the government is not providing enough support is that fraud justified?

    • Well , you could frame this whole thing another way …

      If a person did not supply adequate food , water , shelter and warmth for a dog , leading to ill health and death … that person could conceivably be done for animal cruelty and thus prosecuted for it.

      Yet somehow a government deems it perfectly acceptable to deny human beings the adequate funding to have the necessary basics such as – food , shelter , clothing , medical assistance , warmth…

      And then try and make an issue out of it when that individual takes measures to sustain life , and even more so – that of children.

      There is no defending this at all.

      In fact , it is now a situation whereby that same government should be questioned as to why not ?

      A classic situation of ” Please Explain” …

    • Rugged: Two words – Todd Barclay.

      The govt is providing him with heaps of support, but he’s not looking after a child, etc. to deserve it; $3000 a week, according to Bert, earlier. So that’s fraud isn’t it, according to your suggested framing of the discussion?

      • @ J … Fraud it definitely is. Much greater than any beneficiary could ever attempt!

        English & Co … that’s Bennett & Joyce as well, being senior government MPs, need to be investigated as well, along with Barclay for allowing this situation to arise and to continue as it is!

        All as crooked as they come. I include Key here as well because this issue occurred on his watch!

    • The punishment for not declaring is usually excessive. It also ensures that the poor creature undergoing punishment will take years to pay off their hideous ‘crime’, if they ever can.

      There Is No Escape for most in this invidious situation. It’s savage and spiteful. ‘Good dogs’ given ‘bad names’.

      Meanwhile the lads from Bridgecorp and other rip-off financial advice ‘services’ get to keep assets, could be re-employed, have a complete bag of tricks to start over – and those unpleasant little people wrecked the lives of dozens to hundreds of people who had lived prudent lives, saved providently for a faintly comfortable old age and are now left skint.

      Show me the benefit fraudster who has harmed so many.

  14. ANDREWO,

    THERE IS DEFINITELY SOME TRUTH IN WHAT YOU SAY AND ONLY THE NEXT POLL WILL REVILE THE TRUTH OF WHAT YOU CLAIM.

    IN THIS CASE i HOPE YOU ARE WRONG OF COURSE, AS i FAVOUR THE CURRENT POLICIES OF NZ FIRST, ESPECIALLY FROM THEIR (RONI)RAIL POLICY AND THE TOTAL OVERHAUL OF THE OVERRULING ELECTRICITY AUTHORITY ENERGY POLICIES.

    NZ FIRST HAVE OTHER POLICIES ALSO BETTER THAN OTHER PARTIES SUCH AS THE TAKING OVER OF ANY FOREIGN COMPANIES THAT ARE THREATENING TO MOVE OVERSEAS IF THEY GET NO FUNDING OF TAX RELIEF.

Comments are closed.