Dear Brothers & Sisters of NZ – we are almost through lockdown and history salutes you for two reasons

By
Martyn Bradbury
-
39
1690

Dear Brothers & Sisters of NZ – we are almost through lockdown and history salutes you for two reasons.

The first is that NO ONE has asked ‘why the flying Christ is anyone listening to an adult with candy floss pink hair’ – that’s testament to us as a good natured folk.

The second and far less factitious reason history salutes us collectively is because our science based response has saved us all.

To date only China can claim success at beating this pandemic. Their vicious authoritarian regime has the army and police force required to enforce their will through brute force.

Liberal progressive democracies like ours however have civil liberties and human rights at our foundation, we can only strive to convince well informed citizens to act in good faith solidarity to collectively enforce the common good, we can’t do it at the end of a gun barrel.

History is watching my dear fellow citizens and we have passed our first test with flying colours.

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Thanks to our Government’s wisdom and leadership we have dodged the public health nightmare this pandemic posed and now must fight the economic armageddon it has generated.

While we will clash over the next steps in recovering economically, our collective mana has been tested and history will hold us up as the shining example amongst the liberal progressive democracies the appealed to our better angels to combat a collective threat to our way of life rather than brutal dominance.

I salute you all my dear fellow Kiwis.

Kia Kaha.

Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice going into this pandemic and 2020 election – please donate here.

If you can’t contribute but want to help, please always feel free to share our blogs on social media.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

39 COMMENTS

  1. Yes, despite 35 years of living in a neo liberal hellhole that has left the citizenry at each others throats, the health service tottering and basic services on the brink of collapse… pretty much everything worked as hoped for.

    The power stayed on, fuel was available, the taps worked, the internet stayed up, food was plentiful, the great toilet paper catastrophe was narrowly averted, our pandemic plans worked, the citizenry understood and followed the social distancing policies pretty well and they cared for the most vulnerable and each other with good humour and good wishes.

    They weren’t “Sure we like to mask this thirst for State thuggery with the pretence of egalitarianism and constant claims of ‘Gods Own’ and we are too intellectually lazy to support obvious fascism (because that requires too much effort), but the truth is there has always been a dark undercurrent of love for State thuggery in our country.

    In the land of the wrong white crowd, we like our fascism casual. We prefer to burn books over a backyard BBQ with beers rather than goose-steps and uniforms.”

    There are no “Death Cult Capitalist”. Just people with differing ideas on how to exit the lockdown. Pretty much nobody is touting herd immunity, we are aiming for elimination of the virus or at minimum suppression at such low levels that we can start getting back to work.

    We live in one of the best countries in the world.

    • “but the truth is there has always been a dark undercurrent of love for State thuggery in our country.”

      Yes indeed, and many of those types exist at schools brainwashing our kids!

      • And no one in recent times surfed that “undercurrent of state thuggery” better than Paula Bennett. Ruth was no doubt tickled blue with the brown colouring.

        • I have heard, that Covid-19 Crisis Capitalism plans seem to be well and truly underway, for when we come out of AL4, and leading to the 2020 election. (apparently leaked through sources close to Michelle Boag).

          2020 election plans are being discussed (via Zoom) since the 1976 to 1984 Covid-1 (Muldoon-era), Covid-05 (Bolger), Covid-13-Covid-18 (The Key years) shook up the National Party establishment and what better, more opportune time, for National Party’s Crisis-Capitalism than during Covid-19 (the Jacinda Years).

          It is apparently planned to text Simon Bridges his instructions and fate during his 1000km round-trip to Wellington to/from Tauranga.

          National Party are also rumoured to announce plans to knee-cap Deputy PM Paula Benefit in a Tsar-esque-style coup.

          Paul Henry and Mike Hosking are rumoured to have been rushed past party-selection processes (under Covid-19 and Covid-20 emergency National Party rules).

          These changes are to be promoted as being a “cleanout of the old-guard of the Covid-13 to Covid-18 National Party”. Hoskings and Henry will be ‘interviewed’ on Garner’s Channel Three as “new PM and Deputy PM with vision and compassion”, when ‘Soimon Brudges resoins for pursunal reasons.’

          Bridges, Hoskings nor Henry will appear on Breakfast TV on Channel One, which National Party have described as “Fake News”.

          After the resignation of Winston as NZ First Leader, Sir Shane Jones, MBE, NZOM, QSM, will be (self)-appointed-crucial-coalition Honorary Deputy PM, Honourable Minister of Maori Affairs. He will be shoulder-tapped, by himself, to be Honorary Chief Quip and Honorary Minister of Eloquence, Honorary Minister of Maori Affairs, Honorary Regional De-Velopment, Honorary Netsafe Minister, Honorary Arts and Culture Minister. Honorary Minister of Ports, Honorary Shipping, Fisheries and Ferries….. basically, Minister of anything he wants ( in order to keep any possible 2020 fragile coalition viable), Foreign Affairs Minister, Minister of Immigration have also been linked with Sir Jones.

          Judith Collins, will be new Minister of Police, Traffic Police, Corrections and (car)-recycling. She will become National Party Spokesperson, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Dairy and Forestry.

          David Seymour, will be new Minister of Health, Welfare, Minister of Inland Revenue, Minister of Education, Unemployment, Housing, Child Poverty, Age Concern, Domestic Violence, Homelessness and CYPFS. (a role said by insiders to be synergistic with his ideological beliefs and passions). He has asked to be considered as Minister of Euthanasia. Minister for Remuera.

          Ex-Air NZ chief, (new PM-in-waiting after Hosking and Henry) Christopher Luxon, will be in charge of selling off 99% of shares in failing National Air carrier Air New Zealand to “Covid-19-Mum-and-Dad_survivors”.

          Peter Dunne is tipped to come out of retirement to be a new Minister of Sensible, Removing Political-Correctness and promoting Cannabis and Synthetic Cannabis Reform. Minister in charge of Overseas Investment. Sources close to political journalists and pundits, say Dunne is in line to be the new leader of the Newest Conservative and Sensible Coalition Party.

          Duncan Garner – has been touted as the new Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Messaging, Under-Secretary of Political-Incorrectness, Minister for Transforming TV3 into FoxNZ (Pacific).

          Rigour Richardson as new Minister of Sport, Building and Un-Reality TV.

          National look like they have CRISIS CAPITALISM Covid-20-SORTED!

          Diane’s advice to Michelle Boag and National about Covid-1 to Covid-19:

          “If you thought Covid 1 through to Covid-18 was bad under beloved National Party, just wait till Election-20!” It looks like it could be another 6 or 9 years in opposition during which, outbreaks of Covid-20 to Covid-28 will come and go!”

          Eh Michelle ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYqbTaOzolM) ?

  2. Sure we should listen to a microbiologist who doesnt know her sex and is not a virologist. Butter Knife v Scalpel.

    Its the economy v more death and exposure under the ‘Herd Immunity’ experiment where the poor and impoverished brown folks living in the worst housing conditions will suffer the most, again, remember 1918?

    This white middle class right leaning government are about to sellout the Maori population again!!

    Lets hope that the pending election is a blood bath, another 1984 – 1989 lesson is needed for them to revisit and for them to reconsider the heading that theyve been on for too long.

    Wankas!

    • …” Lets hope that the pending election is a blood bath, another 1984 – 1989 lesson is needed for them to revisit and for them to reconsider the heading that theyve been on for too long”…

      —————-

      Yeah, I agree. But the fact the woman has ‘candy floss pink hair’ means less than nothing to me. Many outstanding professionals take that path as they are cynics as well as pragmatics.

      General George Armstrong Custer was similar with his famous long locks, – as was Sir Winston Churchill with his incredible ability to drink Roosevelt under the table and still keep going on less than 5 hours sleep!

      History is filled with these amazing people !

      The Army listens up to these sorts of people when in their employ.

      Conformity means less than nothing in deploying these ‘out there’ people who get the job done.

      But the fact the woman has advised us rightly , is a job well done ! Long may her locks be candy floss pink !!!

    • I don’t get where you are coming from at all Denny. We do not have a right leaning government – it is pretty centrist on the whole. If we got rid of Winston it would be centre/left with the Greens. I do not understand why you would want a bloodbath. Maori would be extremely disadvantaged under National/Act.

    • While “the poor and impoverished brown folks living in the worst housing conditions” have not had an easy life mostly due to the circumstances they were born into there is a saying that “nothing is more unequal than equal treatment of unequal people” which should allow for preferential treatment of disadvantaged groups. Most of our medicine is what we put in our body, all of us have a responsibility to look after our own health as well so if you really care about the health of those in your community you should be doing something to help others live better.

    • *pffft!*

      Very little of what you said was remotely true. And your derision of Dr Wiles is not only uncalled for, but shows you up as having your own little sly agenda.

  3. I like the neologism “factitious” as a portmanteau of; factual, and; fictitious. That does describe a lot of the media landscape we attempt to tease information from.

  4. What a load of rubbish. The limited number of deaths and infections in NZ shows that this was a beat up from the start. Jacinda’s weak and inexperienced leadership has led to economic devastation. The Government has been outwardly hostile to business owners and has used COVID19 as an opportunity to push its extreme agenda of increasing benefits. In addition, it has unashamedly targeted gun owners.

    This wouldn’t have happened under a John Key-led government.

    • “A study out of Stanford University tested California residents and found that the Covid-19 infection rate is likely far higher than has been reported, but the virus could also be less deadly than commonly believed.
      World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has previously mentioned 3.4 percent. This would translate into over 300 deaths per every 10,000 infected persons. Stanford’s study would lower the mortality rate to .14 percent or less, meaning 14 deaths or less per 10,000 people infected.
      The study concludes that Covid-19’s mortality rate among infected people would be on par with, or even less, than the seasonal flu.”
      This is consistent with advice and estimates by most of the leading epidemiologists in the World as well as our own Dr Simon Thornley.
      Off-Guardian has been good:
      https://off-guardian.org/2020/04/16/watch-perspectives-on-the-pandemic-3/
      https://off-guardian.org/2020/04/17/8-more-experts-questioning-the-coronavirus-panic/
      https://off-guardian.org/2020/04/11/coronavirus-fact-check-3-covid19-is-20x-deadlier-than-the-flu/

      I look forward to watching the first journo with balls enough ask the PTB how they feel about ruining the New Zealand economy and thousands of lives over a dose of the ‘flu.

    • And the latest Stanford University study backs this up Mike (maybe not for last sentence….but the rest 😉

    • This wouldn’t have happened under a John Key-led government.

      Ahh, the wistful nostalgia… Violins playing softly (heh)
      (I wonder if Moonbeam’s still around – the one member of that household I felt some concern for…)

      • In actual fact, given Key’s affiliation with Wall St and the accompanying U.S. deep state it is more likely that he would have jerked his knees in sync with them and locked down earlier and more severely than our present government.
        Nothing I have posted above should be construed to support either the right wing or Hosking who, like the proverbial stopped clock, may be right for one minute out of 720.
        Fact is, most eminent epidemiologists in the World have come out against lockdown and the question remains as to why our government has gone along with computer modeling (otherwise known as guesswork) by the likes of Neil Ferguson (who has been proven wrong nearly every time he has poked his head up) and ignored the following renowned experts:
        https://youtu.be/-UO3Wd5urg0
        https://tinyurl.com/y9szf5wz
        https://tinyurl.com/y9jc6285
        https://youtu.be/bfN2JWifLCY

      • Kheala – I like the violin, let us not debase it. The lad’s having another bad hair day. It’s catching.

        Be kind – knit him a hat – weave him something politically correct- mould him a clay helmet; I’ll chip in with a chocolate fish and a couple of tea bags.

    • “I have not and will not ever crash. Only idiot drivers crash”

      Sound familiar. Your neoliberal comments are appalling. Ever thought that the limited number of deaths was down to exceptional governance?
      Your jealousy of Jacinda is for all to see. The irony is your sugar daddy Key has praised Jacinda for her handling of this pandemic so your last comment is as good as your driving skills comment.
      As for your moronic gun owner comment, what’s that got to do with the pandemic?

      As you have said, your a self proclaimed idiot Mike.

      • Not sure why you’d doubt it, Frank.
        The world has changed, and Mike-the-Hos has been through a potentially life-changing experience or three lately. He has seen $XXX,000,000s vanish pretty much overnight, from his portfolio (and from those whom he had advised). That would give anyone pause for thought.

        And while that was happening, it was being called in real time here on TDB. Remember those big headlined graphs? All those red lines heading in one direction – hurtling downward.

        So, maybe Mike is wondering if anyone can translate the blurred and confusing writing on the wall(street)

        • Never believe what you read written on toilet walls Mike H – whether they are in wall street, easy street or struggle street – they all gripe about something except they use different phraseology at the bottom, the middle and the top.

  5. I agree that we have done well so far. But I wonder why you contend that we are almost through lockdown? Not long ago you were arguing for a six-week lockdown and I agreed with your reasoning. It’s more likely that we will have at least one more week at level 4 but I think two weeks is more likely.

    • I am pretty sure we will move to Level 3 from Wednesday midnight on, as the business sector is now leaning so heavily on the backs of Grant, Jacinda and Winston, they would be so punished, they would never win another election for many years, the defacto neoliberal brigade in power, should they extend the Level 4 lockdown.

      Many face ruin, if that happens, so prepare for something like what is happening in some US states now, the right and their so called ‘middle class’ supporters on the streets, calling for opening up business, streets and services again, no matter what.

  6. Kia kaha to you Martyn as yes we have shown to be the “lucky Country” so far here,

    But we must keep the reins on this COVID 19 beast for several weeks more until we are free of any “spikes” as we are about to get boat loads of returning “Kiwis” soo we are told today that plane loads are now being arranged from India and Singapore and other regions now.

    All this would take is another “spoke caused by iggegal assembly of others that may be new entries soon.

    Jasinda said today that we dont want to destroy all the good wark we have made to keep us out in front of the curve of this pandemce.

    Good words there PM Jacinda, – she is so right.

    We all now need to back her 100%.

  7. COVID 19 deserves the award for saving PM Jacinda’s neck while doing nothing much more than virtue signalling on many important policy issues, and while carrying on as per usual in general.

    Beneficiaries were promised 25 bucks extra per week, few actually got this extra. We had much talk and fanfare about a ‘year of delivery’, but stuff all of substance was being delivered.

    Along came COVID 19 and Dr Bloomfield, and Jacinda could step up again ans the ‘crisis manager’, talking smartly, doing great PR, while the people at the coal face know more about what the state of affairs really looks like.

    But as the MSM have generally fallen for Jacinda Dear and for the PR and propaganda, they propagate the same propaganda, reporting mostly uncritical, and thus selling out more and more.

    Other ‘media’ is closed down or bankrupt, and for those businesses that will not close down, most will be saved with some government help to carry on as per usual after the pandemic crisis, carrying on polluting, ripping the guts out of the soil and animals, and so forth.

    But it is all Corona, COVID 19 and so, nobody talks about anything much else now, yes, some worry about the business, but this government will work with them, same as John the Heartless Key did.

    • Don’t worry, you missed Bill English steering us through events AND doing all the great things he was going to do at the same time. Abortion and climate and environment issues would have been boiling away at the front not put on some back burner. Mind you he wouldn’t have had a housing crisis or poverty hanging over him either because they didn’t arise until October 2017.

      Also we’ll have Simon Bridges being in charge over the next three years (at least) and I’m sure if some big drama happens in his term he’ll still put all of his great plans into operation. Mind you as well as the $billions from the pandemic he won’t re-Joyce at finding the starting line in the newly created $11.7 hole.

      • Peter that all sounds so serious and yet so unbelievable that I think you ought to sell it to a gaming company. It would be a great lock-down thing to play on the computer and there can be two groups trying to do each other in with dirty tricks. It would be a seller I tell you. Get onto it now while the time and the people are ripe for it.

  8. Great Martyn let’s celebrate our success to this stage and try and repeat it with careful tentative steps to open up the economy – cautiously. We could open up a twitter site for all the nitpickers and fault-finders and critics, and check it out regularly for humour, of which ironically there wouldn’t be, seeing who can rate the highest and then draw up a graph like the one from the Financial Times.

    (I see that in Texas they are squeezed up together in a large protest about lockdowns.)
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/414584/protesters-in-texas-ignore-social-distancing-oppose-lockdown
    My mind is on the alert for practical ways to turn these clownsides into sorts of muppetsides. If see-saws with the images of the two parties on each end could be set up, and the movement created go to power the street lights, and irritating lying speeches of the two parties be loud-speakered, the physical energy of the dumb twits could be harnessed even if there is no mental energy to utilise. Get them all onto human-pedalled rickshaws or tuk-tuks emblazoned with their own propaganda and have a cheap bus and taxi service, funded from the divine beings in politics. Probably they would all die of heart attacks or similar. It would end naturally. is it called natural selection?

Comments are closed.