If we want to blame someone for the rough beast of Bethlehem on Parliament’s lawn – blame the Left!
In the same week this protest on Parliament’s lawn is all happening the Salvation Army releases its report on dire poverty while house affordability rises to another obscene level while Covid assistance has mostly gone to the rich…
Wealthy nearly $1 trillion richer since Covid began – Hickey
An economic and political commentator says since the Covid-19 pandemic reached Aotearoa, the rich have become richer and the poor have become poorer – in part due to the Government’s policies.
…this protest may not be working class politics, but it is working class misery that is being manipulated by the far right on the lawns of Parliament!
This is the Left’s fault!
Imagine if Labour and the Greens had done something meaningful over the last 4 years for the lumpenproletariat so that there wasn’t this rage to exploit by the far right in the first place?
What did Labour do? Pour billions into the pockets of property speculators and is now trying to pour billions more into an unemployment insurance scam that empowers white collar union workers the most!
The Middle Class Marxists want a revolution that knows its pronouns! It doesn’t want the smelly lumpenproletariat spoiling the aesthetics of their dinner party activism.
Middle Class Marx 2022
The focus of the political left over the last four years has been on worthy woke virtue signals as opposed to actual policy.
We have allowed Jacinda and Labour and the Greens off the hook for transformative change for too long, and yet act surprised when those most punished by the mandates rebel.
Let me be as clear as I can be – I support Jacinda and Labour for their magnificent Covid response! I salute the courage and skill to have navigated us through this most horrific of tempests and believe the mandates are the best way forward.
I believe NZ having some of the lowest death and hospitalisation rates is a public health victory of extraordinary magnitude.
Yes as a post-marxist anarchist environmental socialist I detest the State up in my grills as much as the next free individual, but I agree with this curtailing of my civil liberties for the public good.
B-U-T we on the Left have failed to challenge the neoliberal economic hegemony that continues to devour so many lonely lives and fills them with such hopelessness that they are bait for Facebook hate algorithms.
To then go a step further and have middle class woke Twitter paint them all as Nazis seems a tad self conflated even for Wellington.
I have zero truck with these feral lunatic’s arguments, hell I was attempting to goad them into voting me in their Nuremberg hanging list a fortnight ago, but they have a right to protest and their rage has been manufactured by the Left’s lack of transformative change.
I have yet to see one interview with a protestor that after a terrible & painful personal mandate experience – that truly pulls at your heart strings – that then doesn’t veer off into some crazy demented conspiracy theory – there is no doubt this misery is being manipulated by far right propagandists with malicious intent.
If we don’t want so many angry, frightened and hurt working class people turning to the Nazi’s, maybe do something meaningful about their anger, hurt and fear first?
Does anyone believe this protest would be as huge as it is if Labour had done something 4 years ago on being transformative on housing, poverty and inequality?
After every major pandemic, there is social unrest…
“So when our Sickness, and our Poverty Had greater wants than we could well supply; Strict Orders did but more enrage our grief, And hinder in accomplishing relief.”
That’s how the British poet George Wither explained a spreading rebellion against social-distancing rules. Seeing quarantines and lockdowns as unfair and tyrannical punishments, people were taking to the streets. The year was 1625, the place was London, the disease was plague.
…The peasant revolt in the 1300s, the civil unrest in the 1600s and the civil disobedience in the 1900s. The strict measures required to snuff out pandemics always makes the lives of the poorest unliveable, we are seeing the economic whiplash of Covid, especially amongst small business owners and those who were already vulnerable.
The desperate and newly desperate have swollen globally and are causing enormous cultural friction.
These waves of social disruption will reverberate around a rapidly warming planet.
The only ones shocked by this seem to be the middle class twitter Left.
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They are not protesting poverty, house prices or inflation.
They are not working class.
They are anti mandate, anti science, anti government, anti establishment and anti social.
They are a selfish entitled misinformed minority mob with undemocratic intentions.
The police should have acted earlier and now this will end badly for all involved.
The citizens of Wellington need their capital back.
Yes Jack I agree totally with your description of that mob, and there aims, if they have any at all.
But I have swallowed a dead rat and now believe the state forces should continue to de-escalate.
Why? Firstly I have zero doubt, none at all, that the Police/Army could easily take back the city if
they deemed it the best move. It’s not.
The Politicians are running this – Labour’s top brass, and as ever don’t want to be seen as control freaks.
This protest is about perceived state over-reach. With that mob at the front and all the Karens in behind and
the Alt-Right behind all of them, this view will not change.
However the state have the opportunity to prove by peaceful negotiation they are not Nazi’s and take the wind out of the sails of the protesters and eventually the calm will come. Jacinda’s influence no doubt.
“however the state have the opportunity”. Come on GreenBus, this is exactly what this post is all about. The state had the opportunity when Jacinda first swept to victory with an absolute majority. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring in meaningful change. What did she do about it? Diddly bloody squat. All her promises have come to nothing in terms of left wing policy. She is nothing but a shallow Blairite along with her whole disappointing team.
Martyn is right and he has done a damn good post here. Will Labour listen? No, they will stick to their poll driven crappy “keep the rich happy” neolib bullshit.
I have no argument about what you say, you are absolutely correct.
I’m just guessing what the states response is based on, which is votes as you say. My comment is only about the response or lack of to the protest.
Labour were never going to be anything other than neolib.
Even tinkering around the edges was not possible because of NZ first.
There is not one political party who does not support the neo lib status quo.
The Greens certainly can’t object because of their agreement with Labour.
Where do Density Church stand in your tactical battle lines Green Bus?
Between the Karens and the Alt Right NACTS?
Or walking on the water on the right flank?
What about Groundswell?
Syphoning the water out from under Density Church water-hoverers?
extremely well said Jack.
Agree 100% .
Top comment Jack. Unlike Mr Bradbury I actually work across the road from this mob. His view that these muppets are at Parliament as a result of poverty and deprivation is a total nonsense.
I actually work across the road from this mob.
Your input is invaluable.
Yes and I am going back to the protest after spending days there and can just about refute all the smears and untruths told about most of the demonstrators. Nothing like seeing things up close and personal to form an opinion , eh?
Keep deluding yourself Jack, Martin is right – no matter how much you want to teabag those protesting. Expressing your indifference about the unfavorable, is just the same as the rubbish on twitter. Get a grip on reality you liberal dolt, labour made this mess, not just in the last 4 years but the last 40. Time and again embracing hard stark liberalism at the expense of the already down trodden.
When these people have some political representation and operate within the current democratic process legally and without threats of violence, intimidation, misinformation and frankly treason I will entertain them.
I am not suggesting state violence rain down apon them but a middle option of fence them in, tow the vehicles and starve them out- is better than doing nothing and allowing the peoples house to be under an illegal occupation.
Mate there is perhaps half a million downtrodden poor souls in this county who are not at this protest.
Trying to legitimise this occupation as being about poverty or housing or inflation is a stretch.
The protest is about delusion, social media algorithms, anarchism and anti establishment views and represents a subset of a sub culture so tiny to be meaningless except for the disruption and pain they are inflicting on Wellingtons.
…”there is perhaps half a million downtrodden poor souls in this county who are not at this protest”…
Yes and most of them cannot afford a tire on the car or anything but spaghetti on toast to feed their family’s,- let alone afford the fuel costs to drive to Wellington or catch a flight. Maybe that’s why they aren’t there. Their called the working poor, – the same working poor that work long hours, get paid shit minimum wages and who people like you call ‘essential workers’ during pandemics.
You are right @ Ignatius, – these covid mandate protests are a catalyst of 40 years of treason, and the theft of and hijacking of NZ’s wealth from the publics purse while enriching only the neo liberals themselves. People are sick of it. So now its come to a head. The neo liberals brought it on their own heads.
As much as I try to empathise with some of the messaging I tend to agree Jack. I found it laughable when the media were trying to interview this protesting bloke and he was being shut down by other supposed defenders of freedom because he was going off message ( in other words going full tin foil)
It also it appears there are protestors who lost their jobs, for not getting vaccinated, that (previously) worked for employers that were not part of the mandate. In other words the company made its own choice. Is that the governments fault?
The protestors could be whoever but they surely are New Zealanders and should be heard and given some answers.
Fair enough but if the answer is no (at least for short) for ending the mandates will they all bugger off?
They are not looking for answers.
They are not asking questions.
Their minds are already made up thanks to SocMed rabbit holes and the whiff of insurrection.
And meanwhile,….. the covid-19 virus is forced to mutate to impotent and useless variants to guarantee covid-19’s survival on planet earth alongside the rest of evolution.
But as usual, parliament just doesn’t want to know because politics trumps science everytime. Parliament prefers their delusion that fear of covid-19 is the only way to recruit political support.
NZ will be a better place if parliament finally awakes to reality
Watching Commissioner Andrew “Cuddles” Coster struggle to cope with the mandate protesters provides a bit of insight into why gangs in NZ feel untouchable
The equivalent of a township of 10,000 is currently living in emergency accomodation in Labour’s success story NZ, half of them children. Sepuloni again gave the same incoherent mealy mouth excuse for her failure, much the same as Ardern attempts to deflect blame to protestors calling them illegal parkers and intimidators (just ticket or arrest them if that’s the case, and stop whinging about it). Ardern also projects hard after two years of fascism calling the protestors fascists.
Imagine being these poor kids going to school and seeing the flash cars drop off the other kids who have just come from nice stable homes and plenty of food and security, knowing that only the motel and Jacinda’s ‘be kind’ messaging awaits them. And these fucking politicians are tinkering around the edges and blabbing about getting your fifth shot for a disease that passed years ago? Just fuck right off.
Agreed.
The blueprint on how to end this is being played out right now in Canada.
Followed by the totally predictable backlash
Hopefully Wellingtons crap weather will do what the police failed to do.
L0L ! Doubtful.
Maybe its time for some reading. https://www.maravipost.com/meet-world-famous-people-who-mocked-god-jesus-read-what-happened-to-them/
Those that mock will be mocked!
May He have mercy on you!
As opposed, Zack, to the hundreds of thousands that have died over the centuries after being duped into defending their version of the fairytale.
My problem is 40 years ago we had a far right revolution in NZ and across the western world. And the solution being offered is an ever further right revolution to solve that far right revolution.
Greed is the problem, and until we accept that. We can’t change anything.
Ignatius – completely agree, this is power politics 101 and seems too many people lack the imagination for secondary consequences and want to empower the the state to crack some ‘fascist’ heads and corporatists to digitally and financially un-person people. Believing this would make them safe rather than be a further incremental slide towards actual fascism.
With collapsing globalisation, the advanced economies sliding into what is likely to be 1929 territory, climate change and rising geopolitical tensions, the ability to keep cool heads, good faith communication and maintain some level of institutional trust in NZ is going to be extremely important over the next few years.
@Tui. Yes.
Exactly.
15,000 NZ citizens lives saved, manageable hospitalisation, 1 ICU used by covid in last 2 weeks, 3.2% unemployment – these are better figures that help the vulnerable less well off.
The renter battalion and the underpaid medical staff battalions now need to shore up the eastern and western flanks of the protest. It is time this government realized how angry all the downtrodden are. Jacinda has destroyed the poorest just to keep the asset owning establishment “on top”.
Yup, and sends Christmas cards to roger douglas.
So pardon my ignorance but what’s the difference between lumpenproletariat and just normal proletariat?
I thought it was those in the working classes who had no class awareness and acted only in their own selfish interest as opposed to organising Unions and political change and improving things for those around them.
urinalbushrat – You are right, in Marxist theory lumpenproletariat are working class who have not developed ‘class consciousness’
I believe Martyn is being ironic, riffing off an earlier blog post and un-ironic use of lumpenproletariat by Chris Trotter. Another pejorative in the ad hominem confetti.
So here lumpenproletariat means working class who do not think in the way that the woke middle class elite thinks the working class SHOULD think.
I’ve always thought of lumpen proletariat as the unemployed/underemployed, but many at protest are small business/semiself employed, sole traders, tradies/contractors labor aristocracy/petty bourgeoisie.
Touche
A Brain Fart or two, and some random thoughts (quite happy to keep them to myself in future)
– individualism now dominates over community and collective spirit ——> tribalism and exceptionalism
(unless of course there’s a bloody big earthquake, war or natural disaster when we’ll all pitch in for the sake of humanity, and to make ourselves feel good)
– ego and pride are now dominant over humility and compassion
– wisdom and experience are meaningless concepts in a virtual reality space
– sportsmen and musicians become motivated by wanting to be better than the other, rather than being the best they can be. – winning is the only option, or else it must be failure.
– the commodification of everything such that anything and all simply becomes a brand to be consumed, including truth, ideologies and isms of all descriptions, religions, the pursuit of knowledge, arts and kulcha, tokens and symbols, and anything else you can think of.
– ‘wants’ trump ‘needs’ because greed is good and sustained rather than sustainable growth is required in order to support the market the market.
– my perceived ‘need’ for another flat screen SMART TV to put in the bog and an SUV shopping basket that I have difficulty in driving (let alone parking) trumps your pathetic ‘want’ for a warm and dry roof over your head and a bit of wholesome kai. If we left it to you, you’d only go out and buy a load of KFC anyway. what you need is a lot more self-reliance, less state reliance and possibly a bit of philanthropy, but only if you’ve been trying your best and still can’t cut it
– I’ve done my research (‘peer’ reviewed by almost everyone in my bubble, and they agree), and anyone that disagrees is either part of the mainstream media, or they’re part of a grand conspiracy to discredit moi. It’s a battle because we now know everyone is against us.
– research is now just another commodity. mine is priceless – yours lacks any credibility, and I’m in charge
– in media, tribal opinion becomes dominant over reporting facts. My bubble is better than yours and I’m considerably considerably richer, more educated, more comfy than yee. Besides – I look better and my teeth are pearly white
– I didn’t get where I am today without good hard decent work without any help from the facilities the state has provided. Admittedly I may have done the odd ‘cashie’, and legitimately avoided my taxes rather than evaded them (It was my duty), whereas look at you. You’ve spent all your income on escapist activity because you’re so useless. Your pathetic life is because of the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into – if you want an example of how to break free – why just look at moi. Really – you COULD be like me if only you tried harder
– We should only EVER expose ourselves to information we specifically solicit. Unsolicited information is merely noise we should ignore. It may well expose us to alternative views, cause us to question and expand our spatial awareness. Bubbles would burst and there could be anarchy and there would we be!
– in the political class and muddle and senior management public servant classes, because blokes and blokesses are NICE, it therefore means they’re utterly competent, knowledgeable, expert, and should never be questioned. That is treachery – even if and when they demonstrate early stages of dementia or their committed ideology, religion, or even record shows incompetence and failure. They Are NEVER to be questioned and their considered answers are the way things really are. They are the reality.
– Andrew Coster is a really nice guy. We might need to wait a bit though – it may not be Him
– I hear Kris Faafoi is super nice, so we really really need to make exceptions – possibly because He represents diversity. Probably another 4 years should do it.
– Carmel Sepoloni is really really nice if you can ignore that mean streak that runs through her veins – probably driven by blind ambition and upbringing, although I’m prepared to be cancelled for even suggesting the possibility.
– Jacinda is uber nice, and intelligent with it, albeit with a control freak streak – probably also driven by ambition and one or two other things. Plus she’s got us through COVID and she has a nice bloke of a husband
– And more importantly we should recognise how really really nice many of their senior officials are.
Transformation! Kindness! Transparency! Honesty! is the programme but as we all should know by now, good things take time, and apparently really really good things take an eon
Brilliant OncewasTim. Well expressed and must have taken all afternoon!
Words to live by OwT. It was nice to read them, I am hopeful that we might have a Commissioner for Niceness near the next election – and that person would work with the Commissioner for Children, so that parents can help their children to grow up in a nice way, a good way, and not go around being mean because they
haven’t a nice bone in their body. Do one nice thing a day everybody; meant sincerely, and NZ will get to be not nice, that would be too much to aim for, but it would be bearable with nice touches. Let it be so please.
Seriously people like woke Twitter and the alt bros (angry people on twitter) need to stop associating Jacindas name with there tacticool Twitter theories for clout, comments,follows and likes.
That poem at the head was by WB Yeats written in 1921 – 100 years on and where are we?