It never takes much for the Tory establishment to show its true colours, and here they are again, attacking New Zealand’s decision to lock down the country when there was a single reported case of the Delta variant. Of course one of the voices was Nigel Farrage, the clown of the far right, but he was not the only one.
These right wing cheerleaders in government and the media are the same people who have led the cag-handed and deadly policies that have unleashed Covid into the UK community and have turned that once proud nation into a petri dish for new, more virulent versions of the virus which will undoubtedly emerge, probably sooner rather than later.
And how many is it that have died there due to Covid? Oh yes, that’s right, 132,000, most gasping their last breaths alone in isolation in hospital, surrounded only by PPE clad medical staff. And while you lot pretend the problem is over, I notice that in the last 28 days case numbers have continued to rise, with 200,000 in the last month and 2,491 deaths.
If it is dystopic to take action as soon as we know there is a problem, how much more so to completely ignore the fact that a pandemic is raging and killing people. Policy in the UK appears to be to ignore the problem and hope it will go away.
You will have noted that, as predicted, and despite the best Covid response system in the world, the tricky Delta variant has managed to get 107 local cases into New Zealand within six days. We were right to act immediately. We as a nation have growing confidence that we can eliminate this outbreak. Have you noticed that, because of our elimination strategy, our economy has been doing pretty well over the Covid period, certainly compared to your Covid-ridden, Brexit-maggoty economy.
It appears your government and right wing media are seeking that elusive goal of herd immunity. The emergence of the Delta variant should have taught you by now that this novel coronavirus will have a lot more tricks up its sleeve, and that herd immunity will never be achieved. Covid, in one form or another, is with us to stay.
New Zealand will not lock itself down forever, and detailed planning is underway for pathways out of our closed borders. But until then, we do not want your Covid-infected bodies wandering our pristine walks and savouring our beautiful country. For the moment, we will carry on our excellent work of protecting and saving our population and enjoying our Covid-free life. It has been a huge blessing.
And we still need protection from when variant zeta, theta or lambda emerges from your Covid-riddled country and sweeps around the world. It may be a few weeks away or a few months. The vaccines we have may offer, none, some or lots of protection at that, but we will have to wait and see.
New Zealand is a country that values its people and does not rely on the misguided vanities of its leaders. The establishment right in British media and politics have responded disgracefully to the threats thrown up by the Covid pandemic and treated your own people as a sort of viral cannon fodder.
So, I am sending your critique of us right back to you, in spades. A recent report noted that New Zealand’s Covid response has been let down by the behaviour of our allies, and your leadership are right up the top of that list.
Put your own house in order before attacking ours.
Dr Liz Gordon is a researcher and a barrister, with interests in destroying neo-liberalism in all its forms and moving towards a socially just society. She usually blogs on justice, social welfare and education topics.
Is there any possibility that a laboratory can manufacture a virus that exclusively infects all those with an annual income of over $300,000?
There will be immediate calls for long term lockdown and complete isolation. No expense will be spared in rapidly finding an effective vaccine. Mike Hoskings will kiss Jacinda’s feet as he begs her to save “the New Zealand Public’.
Jacinda will be gone to if that’s your financial threshold.
Exactly what I was thinking but with more expletives, but couldnt respond.
“New Zealand will not lock itself down forever, and detailed planning is underway for pathways out of our closed borders.”
Have you some insight into those plans Liz? What would your plan be? This is classic cognitive dissonance .
There has never been a successful vaccine invented for a coronavirus and there isn’t likely to be. So the idea that we will develop strategy that allows us to open our boarders and not have endemic covid is false.
D J S
Dr Gordon-I enjoy your wise postings. Love the critics who use big words like ‘cognitive dissonance ‘but confuse ‘borders’ with ‘boarders’
A lifelong problem Rodei!
D J S
First covid 19 specific vax ;https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/uk-news/first-drug-designed-specifically-tackle-21357634?
Hi David,
The Skegg report provided the expert evidence towards the roadmap for re-opening. The gummint announced the first steps about a week before Delta sauntered into our midst – a sort of trial, very cautious, with the aim of a wider re-opening in the first three months of 2022, based on vaccination rates. But they may need to push this out further now.
Hi Liz
So you consider the Skegg report to be a programme that will develop into open boarders Liz? I would have thought this last few days would have amply demonstrated that the Skegg report’s concept was out of the question. It isn’t known yet how the connection was made between the case moving to hospital from quarantine managed to infect the case that turned up here in Coromandel. Or any of the connections with the boarder previously.
One or two careful travellers may well enter and self isolate successfully , but there is no path from there to open borders. It can only be a subterfuge for getting the public ready to accept inevitability of the virus becoming endemic.
D J S
Good ol’ Blighty.
Its leadership dispatched nearly 60000 of its and our youngest fittest men to their death and injury on day one at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 alone, through poor planning allied with an utter indifference for their lives.
Fast forward 100 or so years and that indifference has not changed much really.
Good British stiff upper lip and to all that!
Definitely Nigel, most of us colonials could not care less what tossers like you think!
Why do we still have an English Honours system; oh, that’s right Key wanted to be called Sir, and then wanted to remove the Union Jack from our flag – what a crazy mixed up hypocritical world.
Covid could be advantaging NZ businesses, but are the government smart enough to see through the whiners and stick to their guns? As soon as the government gave in to the exploiters and individualists and gave concessions with OZ and Raro, Delta came to NZ.
NZ economy going well in terms of record exports. After laying off their workers The Warehouse, Silver Fern Farms and Convita all had to pay back their wage subsidies in 2020 because they then posted huge profits.
As for the economy – NZ doesn’t seem to have many good employers! Maybe that needs to change, instead of crying to government every 5 minutes to get them new workers and consumers to keep their appalling, dump staff and whine, business techniques going.
Truckie sacked for sharing Stuff story with workmates
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/125416698/truckie-sacked-for-sharing-stuff-story-with-workmates
‘Soul crushing’: inside Rocket Lab’s ‘toxic’ workplace culture
https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/technology/soul-crushing-inside-rocket-labs-toxic-workplace-culture
Smiths City advertises for new staff days after making 115 redundant
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/121625411/smiths-city-advertises-for-new-staff-days-after-making-115-redundant
Comvita makes 90 staff redundant, posts $9.7m loss
https://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/250468-comvita-makes-90-staff-redundant-posts-97m-loss.html
Warehouse job cuts: 33 Northland staff made redundant; union may challenge decision
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/warehouse-job-cuts-33-northland-staff-made-redundant-union-may-challenge-decision/ZYCABDH2XZGGIPUBEAJOUVWFSE/
Dozens of jobs lost in Mid-Canterbury as Silver Fern Farms closes pelt house
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/115436910/dozens-of-jobs-lost-in-midcanterbury-as-silver-fern-farms-closes-pelt-house
Million dollar investment at Pareora plant as Silver Fern Farms prepares to close Fairton
https://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/92722662/million-dollar-investment-at-pareora-plant-as-silver-fern-farms-prepares-to-close-fairton
Big read: Why being made redundant in NZ is so tough
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/big-read-why-being-made-redundant-nz-so-tough
Employer held to task again, after exploiting workers via sham business
https://www.employment.govt.nz/about/news-and-updates/employer-exploiting-workers-sham-business/
‘They’re not hiring Kiwis’: Locals keen to pick fruit ignored, rejected
https://www.odt.co.nz/rural-life/horticulture/they’re-not-hiring-kiwis-locals-keen-pick-fruit-ignored-rejected
Oil rig workers claim unfair treatment in a system ‘rotten to the core’
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/121961383/oil-rig-workers-claim-unfair-treatment-in-a-system-rotten-to-the-core
‘Absolutely horrible’ telling staff they’ve lost jobs, says owner of Te Kuiti sawmill cutting 35 positions
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/119457006/te-kuiti-sawmill-workers-cuts-35-jobs
Worker told to ‘f*** off’ wins unfair dismissal employment case
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/worker-told-to-f-off-wins-unfair-dismissal-employment-case/7KSNTBJM6JWECOXB5PY5B5KSGI/
Employee wins unfair dismissal case after being fired three days into new job
https://www.hcamag.com/nz/specialisation/employment-law/employee-wins-unfair-dismissal-case-after-being-fired-three-days-into-new-job/240755
Totally agree Dr Liz.
Criticism of others is often a defence for one’s own failings.
Totally agree that we have been let down by our ‘supposed’ allies. Had NSW adopted our lockdown rules their’s, other Austalian States, and our outbreak could have been avoided.
Nigel has single handedly ensured that it will be many, many years before a baby is named “Nigel”.
Hear hear, Liz. And because of the callous and careless approach of the leaders of countries like the UK the risk to us is heightened.
…”We were right to act immediately. We as a nation have growing confidence that we can eliminate this outbreak. Have you noticed that, because of our elimination strategy, our economy has been doing pretty well over the Covid period, certainly compared to your Covid-ridden, Brexit-maggoty economy”…
—————-
Spot on. And same goes for Scomo across the ditch. Look at the mess New South Wales is in,…WE ,… had delta introduced because of their shite covid inaction policy’s. The good thing is we don’t have so many Aussies coming here as tourists shitting and peeing in our fantastic outdoors. They can keep their shit to themselves and do it in their own backyards, – same goes for the U.K.
NOW,….. about those 501’s….
Drinkin beer and time for some good Irish drinkin songs, – as for opening the borders and lettin in all and sundry – this is kind off appropriate.
Bugger off
https://youtu.be/jbrzZWLu6Qw?t=100
Brits and petri dishes. They have done this soul-less pragmatic incompetent thing before in letting Irish famine rage and decimate that people.
‘Blair’s statement draws attention to the question of what caused the famine. … In fact, the most glaring cause of the famine was not a plant disease, but England’s long-running political hegemony over Ireland. The English conquered Ireland, several times, and took ownership of vast agricultural territory.17/03/2017
What Caused the Irish Potato Famine? | Mises Institute’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)
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