The Atlas Network threatens The Daily Blog – our response to them
The Atlas Network is a shadowy hard right international think tank powered by Polluter Industry and redneck billionaires.
Here is George Monbiot from the Guardian on who the Atlas Network is…
And who, in turn, are the junktanks? Many refuse to divulge who funds them, but as information has trickled out we have discovered that the Atlas Network itself and many of its members have taken money from funding networks set up by the Koch brothers and other rightwing billionaires, and from oil, coal and tobacco companiesand other life-defying interests. The junktanks are merely the intermediaries. They go into battle on behalf of their donors, in the class war waged by the rich against the poor. When a government responds to the demands of the network, it responds, in reality, to the money that funds it.
…Oil, coal, tobacco, right wing billionaires, the fucking Koch brothers, dark money influencing our political system so much so that we see the exact same agenda being rolled out here!
There is enormous over lap between The Atlas Network and the astroturf right, and when even the Washington Post can see it…
New Zealand, once a utopia for Trump-weary exiles, turns to the right
The populist National-led government is undoing many of Jacinda Ardern’s progressive initiatives, including gun control and environmental protections.
ACT has boasted that it “punches above its weight” in the coalition, saying that even though it has only 11 lawmakers in the 123-seat Parliament, it is responsible for half of the government’s actions. But Seymour wants more. Asked if ACT has an outsize influence over the government, he said: “We have some but not as many as I would like of our policies being advanced.”
…that’s the Washington ‘Democracy dies in darkness’ Post there folks.
If you look at the recent ratings for transparency, the OECD was highly critical of how easy our Government can have policy bought and paid for.
We are becoming a speculators and consultants paradise where development is for them at the cost of us…
According to an OECD report released today, New Zealand needs to tame its corporate lobbying industry. The Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has ranked New Zealand as the fourth-worst country among its 38 members when it comes to regulating vested interests that try to influence policymaking.
The OCED report for this country, Product Market Regulation indicators: How does New Zealand compare?, says that New Zealand is one of the few advanced economies that still doesn’t “have adequate rules that ensure transparency and accountability in the interactions between public officials and interest groups”. They warn that this absence threatens to produce an “unlevel playing field” in which big businesses can dominate and monopolise New Zealand industries, reducing productivity.
The report evaluates all the regulations in economies such as New Zealand to highlight where regulation, or a lack of it, leads to reduced economic competition. The OECD performs this process every five years, using about 1000 questions relating to each country’s regulatory framework. Overall, the quality of New Zealand’s regulations is deemed to be very close to the average in the OECD—the country ranks 20 out of the 38 organisation members.
…we are ripe for exploitation, manipulation and corruption.
Interests that mean us harm are colluding with the Political elites to enable an agenda that benefits them not us.
So, in short, The Daily Blog has been very vocal about the Atlas Network and its influence in New Zealand politics, we have been at the forefront of connecting their agenda to what is happening domestically in NZ.
Over the weekend, we received this email from the Atlas Network…
…here is what I told the Atlas Network:
Or what?
We would like to be clear what your threat here is?
You are reaching out and threatening us with Media Council rulings?
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 – please donate here.
Having met David Seymore it staggers belief that a person like this will become Deputy PM of NZ, mind you Baldrick is not much better and we have had some dozzies in the past like Sir Robert Muldoon and Jenny Shipley.
Ok you’ve got me, I am the Lindberg baby, sitting on the grassy knoll, remotely controlling Luxys every move, as a good corporate citizen, with my race to the bottom political agendas, that will make ciggys and semi automatics available to all, and important issues that we wish to ignore such as our response to abuse in care getting kicked down the road till late 2025, but court rulings like the four Uber drivers winning the right not to be contractors, getting an immediate legislative attention, showing our true colours for all to see, and why talk about solar when you can talk about LNG, and if they don’t like it then the bottomfeeders can go sleep in their cars, but not in my backyard make no mistake, all hail the benevolent Atlas Network where money will solve everything, and climate change is just a myth, Atlas out 🙂
And they link to bloody David Farrar’s Kiwiblog – says it all really! ACT and TPU up to their eyes in it of course.
Mmmmmm. Kiwiblog links to TDB. Like Martyn, I think Mr Farrar believes in intelligent, robust discussion.
😀 😀 😀
And they link to bloody non-biased David Farrar’s Kiwiblog – says it all really!
And who recently had to resign from RANZ for running dodgy polls?
David Farrar.
Pot kettle bloody black.
ACT and TPU are up to their eyes in it as you know, and it was probably sent by Jordan Williams..
Keep up the good fight Martyn you know you have the b*stards really annoyed now…
ATLAS = ACT
ATLAS = ACT IMHO ???
it’s afraid
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/527594/former-political-figure-convicted-of-indecent-assault-has-name-suppression-lifted-still-can-t-be-named
Yep, it is pretty obvious who this swine is if you follow politics–in particular, changes in senior party functionaries–if those whose lives he blighted want his identity revealed that should be enough for the Judiciary and I would suggest the majority of NZers.
Perfect response to the wieners
“Why aren’t you oligarch funded arsholes more aware of the actual law in NZ?”
AN. Don’t you worry about law we send rules based orders.
Yes this government proves that. Like with Trump, all the usual conventions don’t hold once they are stampeded as they are being by the lunatic fringe right now. We need better government protections for democracy. The Atlas Network/ Heritage Foundation are very scary organisations actively working to destabilise society. I wouldn’t want to be in their sights so be safe Bomber and keep up the good fight. And thank you.
Sod Atlas, well put Martyn.
I have dealt with ideological struggle in organisations and society all my adult politically conscious life, and Atlas Network are guilty as charged when you follow the links and cash. AN in its modern iteration is the deadly spawn of some nasty company indeed…The Chicago Boys, Pinochet, Thatcher, Reagan, Roger Douglas and a thousand more traitors that have scabbed on the worlds working class.
AN schools people from many countries in neo liberalism and authoritarianism and has them ready to roll in an opportunist way when the chance presents as it does at the moment with populism.
Great article .Sohuld be front page on every newspaper.
Seymour was radicalised.as a youngster, cant think outside his Atlas inspired square and like a born again evangelist is alway tryng to convert with his simplistic sound bites.
Hmmmm, the Gibbs. Where are the Daleks when you need them?
Some fancy woman was holding fancy little tea parties for very fancy rich women to meet Brook Van Velden no doubt with their fancy little cheque books during the election campaign . Guess what this fancy woman definitely does not live in south Auckland or work as a cleaner. Go figure the workers of Aotearoa being ruled by all these fancy rich women with their fancy big fat cheque books with donations protecting their husbands big fat businesses and big fat tax reductions.
Baldrick, Seymore and Winston Muldoon are just a pack of A**holes all who have issues with Maori.
What happened to formal writing?
Is this writing the result of 50 years of charter school education in the US?
I’d be unsurprised if any follow-up didn’t open with “Yo” or “Wazzup bro”?
Luka who? Maybe it’s Luka the Panda bear?
and better give Luka a hug, he’s reaching out.
After that response, I would be adding the word “creepy” in to any description of this background (should that be underground) nest of vipers.
The Atlas Network is a 500 strong club of economic “thinks tank” members, and so Luka is probably 100% technically correct in everything he says, or rather is told to say.
The octopus overseeing and coordinating the viper pit can dissociate itself from all claims of financing (it’s revenue of a paltry 15m is simply fees from members), promotion of hidden agenda, interference in government policy and so on, as those nefarious activities can be attributed to bodies which legally are at arms length.
This does not mean it is not complicit in these matters and to claim otherwise is simply disingenuous.
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gangster monopolists. they want nothing more than to own everything and get you to pay for it. I’m guessing they’ll be announcing Rapid Response Squads next. Curfew is at 9pm. Stay in your homes, you are free to do what you want to.