The Many Mendacities of Mr Bridges – The ‘Claytons’ Apology
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On 5 June, Simon Bridges presented himself on Radio NZ’s Morning Report to address the meth-hysteria that led to three hundred state house tenants being evicted over the last three years where “P” had been detected in a property. The evictions took place during National’s term in office.
He apologised for National’s part in the hysteria and wrongful evictions;
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Or, did he…?!?
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from: Frank Macskasy <fmacskasy@gmail.com>
to: Listener <letters@listener.co.nz>
date: 18 June 2018
subject: Letter to the editor.
The Editor
The Listener.
When National’s Simon Bridges, fronted up on Radio NZ on 5 June, he apparently apologised for his role in the unjust evictions of 300 state house tenants for meth-testing results that have been shown by Chief Science Advisor, Sir Peter Gluckman, as bogus.
Bridges said;
“I’m sorry that the advice we got was wrong and has made this situation what it is.”
Except – it’s not an apology for the wrongful evictions at all. It’s a lamentation that “the advice we got was wrong”.
He hasn’t expressed regret for 300 people and their families being evicted. He is sorry that the so-called “evidence” no longer backs up National’s policy of ridding itself of pesky state house tenants so that they could sell six thousand properties between 2008/09 and 2016/17.
In August 2016, then Housing NZ Minister, Bill English, admitted on that the meth-testing standards were unsound;
“Now, the test as I understand it, indicates the presence of any P at all which may be a very low health risk.
According to that guideline they should not be moving people into houses where there is P contamination.
It would certainly help housing New Zealand if the scientists applied themselves to coming up with a new guideline.
We would hope that within a few months there will be a standard that all the scientists regard as more appropriate. In the meantime, Housing New Zealand are doing their best to ensure that they don’t inconvenience tenants any more than is necessary.”
Housing NZ tenants weren’t just ” inconvenienced”. They lost their homes; had their possessions illegally destroyed; and were forced to pay reparations for unnecessary clean-up costs.
This was the full force of the State used against the most vulnerable people in our society.
Mr Bridges should try apologising again. This time, not for “the advice we got was wrong”.
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-Frank Macskasy
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(Address and phone number supplied)
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The “Clayton’s Apology”
The apology you’re giving when you’re not giving an apology.
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References
Radio NZ: ‘I’m sorry the advice we got was wrong’ – Simon Bridges
NZ Herald: HNZ boss Andrew McKenzie apologises to tenants evicted because of wrong meth guidelines
Radio NZ: English calls for more specific housing meth tests
Housing NZ: Annual Report 2016/17
Wikipedia: Claytons
Acknowledgement for cartoon
The Spinoff: The Side Eye – Renting in NZ means always moving out and never moving up
Additional
Radio NZ: Meth house contamination debunked by PM’s science advisor
Previous related blogposts
The Mendacities of Ms Amy Adams – 2,000 more state houses?!
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= fs =
Simon Bridges is getting a bit of a reputation for “ropiness”, as a certain donkey used to say. Plain english; the guy is a bullshit artist.
Would it have hurt him if he’d made a more direct apology and not a lame-arse “clayton’s” version. Guess its not in his nature.
The illustration under this piece touched a chord with me. Real Estate agents have no idea the dread people (who will never be able to afford to buy a house in NZ) feel when they see those flyers.
Why on Earth can’t we circumvent landlord sales, and the greed of estate agents, by insisting on rent-to-buy occupancies, that eventually are funded by govt. mortgages? Is this dreaming?
It is dreaming when most MPs, on both sides of the house, are landlords.
wot gsays said….
the parliament branch of landlords inc. has most mp’s on their books as fully paid-up members..
typical of this tory government they always try to pass the buck
Good point Frank re “Sorry the advice was wrong,” but there’s a reasonable chance that Simon didn’t really know what Simon was saying.
If Simon did know what words were coming out of his mouth and what they meant, then once again this is empty-headed Nats, dumbly assuming that they’ve duped the plebs again.
Simon could also have used this as an opportunity to increase his mana by taking ownership of the housing fiasco, and issuing a genuine apology to those whose lives were wrecked.
But neither he nor his patently thick advisers thought of that either, and the latter are likely to end up as telemarketers for hated electricity companies – which seems to be where elephants go to die nowadays.