John Campbell: Will Simeon Brown fix our ‘dire’ health system?
Short answer John – No
Long answer John – This Government purposely under funded Public health so that they could manufacture a crisis and slash costs so as to fund their tax cuts and landlord loop holes!
In the Budget, National allocated just 2.9% increase to health services but inflation was 3.3% and population growth 2.6% while an ageing population adds more to costs.
National gave 2.9% for health but we needed 8% to stand still, is the electorate dumb enough to fall for National’s latest manufactured public service crisis to introduce more failed free market reforms?
The Minister says we can’t afford $1.4billion for health but we could borrow $14billion for tax cuts, again is the electorate dumb enough to believe this?
I don’t think people appreciate just how radical our neoliberal reforms were to public services and no where can you see the grim truth of throwing out egalitarianism and progressive fairness for money and profit margins better than this brilliant Stuff article that highlights the terrible legacy of fucking over our public health system.
Look at these stats and gasp in horror at what we have wrought…

…people claim this can’t be true, but the facts stack it up and it is true.
We have progressively decreased taxing the richest to fund out public services until the public services fall over and the public scream ‘something must be done’ and the Right ‘here’s something’ and they privatise a little more and you get even less.

The ease with which the sleepy hobbits of muddle NuZilind are led to give the rich more while hurting the poor is a Kiwi super power.
Simeon Brown has been appointed because he will make cuts to public health that Reti as a Dr couldn’t.
So long answer short – No John, the babyfaced Brunette Draco Malfoy that is Simeon Brown will not save public health at all, he is here to mutilate it!

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They talk nonsense and now, more people are getting it. Not so easy to fool.
Yes, we could afford to borrow for tax cuts, but we couldn’t afford to keep our health system healthy.
How ridiculous! Only the very stupid would agree with that.
Looking at those who do, I guess we can see who the very stupid are!
Thanks to the people actually doing the hard work in hospitals, they are still struggling along, doing as much as they can. The workers are carrying the state. They are reluctant to give up on the public health system they believe in, as being best for the greatest number of people. Thank goodness we have these forward-looking people.
It’s criminal that we have people undermining them, making bad decisions and starving them of funds.
So, we also know who the criminals are, don’t we?
LUXON: I’m glad you could see me at such short notice doctor, my frozen shoulder really needs some attention.
DOCTOR: We’ll do the best we can, to fix you up. But I won’t be doing the surgery. Due to budget cuts, I’m leaving it to my trusted protegee, apprentice orthopedic learner Simeon. I understand you two have met?
SIMEON: Hi boss.
LUXON: But Simeon, you don’t know anything about medicine.
SIMEON: Actually I’m an expert, which is why you made me Minister of Health. I also know all about pot holes, and I came first in workshop at school, so I’m very qualified.
LUXON: This is ridiculous, I want to jump up and run out of this operating theatre, but I can’t move.
SIMEON: That’s the muscle relaxants kicking in. Don’t worry, I’ve been practicing this operation on a block of cheddar. Firstly, I’ll relieve your symptoms by replacing your shoulder with a mitre joint and dowels, and ease any stiffness with some ball bearings I’ve got in my pocket
LUXON: But..
SIMEON: Give him maximum sedative, and start the morphine line. Now, how do you feel?
LUXON: Blaaah!..
SIMEON: Your sounding very relaxed..initiate anesthetic..now try counting to 10.
LUXON: Blah, blah blah, blah blah blah..
SIMEON: I think that while we’ve got you on the operating table, we’ll do a full exam, starting with a colonoscopy. Unfortunately, budget cuts mean’t we don’t have a colonoscope, so I put one together using a garden hose and a cctv camera glued to the end. There were no small cameras left, so I’ll have to use quite a lot of elbow grease.
LUXON: but but but but…
SIMEON: yes that’s right..it’s going right in the butt..now lets do this.
LUXON: arghhh!
Depends on which definition of “fix” is used. If we take fix to mean castrate, then there’s a good chance Brown will fix the health system.
Great article and the ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’ nature of voters electing right wing governments is difficult to understand. As Trump supporters are finding out the ‘corrupt deep state’ and target of Musk’s ire turns out to be starving aid recipients in Africa abroad and Grannies pension and health-care at home in the US. Who’d have guessed that would be the outcome? Not Trump voters.
Same in NZ as you point out but it is kind of apparent in all democracies. The UK is another classic example – for 14 years they voted for Conservative austerity and they only voted for Labour when they promised the same. It’s just weird.
As Winston Churchill said if you want to know the vagaries of democracy just have a five minute conversation with the ordinary voter. We see examples on the 6pm news with vox pop interviews from the streets. If Wendy Petrie says it then it must be true.
Ya can’t expect a wee boy not long out of short pants such as Simeon Brown to fix something so huge as our broken health system. He is very good at making the squealing noises though.
He’s just a wee furry cheese nibbler
So they had a Doctor running the health ministry. Now they have a boy bank teller running it.
Health under National truly is fucked.
Brown has been sent in because Levy has failed already and Luxon does not have the balls to sack him because they are best mates .However once he is gone who will run the show because all of the good people have gone and who else would want the job under Brown and the C O Cunts .
We are in serious trouble NZ .
Gordon.
I so agree.
We are deep in the shit .
The right wingers are strangely silent on this.
They realise they have shot themselves in the foot.
Because every time the right shut a public hospital down a close by private hospital did too.
Why because you cannot have one without the other.
As is explained here.
https://northandsouth.co.nz/2025/02/11/lives-and-money-the-dangerous-business-of-health-privatisation/?
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