The many tentacles of the Atlas Network in New Zealand that are throttling democracy for corporate gain
We have to be very clear that the hard right anti-Māori, anti-Treaty, anti-worker, anti-environment, anti-renter, anti-beneficiary, anti-disabled agenda that is being blitzkrieged through in the first year under the National/ACT/NZF Government is being aided, abetted and influenced by the Hard Right International Free Market Think Tank, the Atlas Network.
The mighty George Monbiot from the Guardian laid out the Atlas Network playbook last year…
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!
The Atlas Network threatened The Daily Blog late last year (I told them to go fuck themselves) and the deplorable backdown by TVNZ by allowing them a bullshit right of reply on the last episode of Q+A was TVNZ Journalism at its most spineless and pathetic.
The greatest win by the Atlas Network will be the Regulatory Standards Bill.
The Treaty Principles Referendum is the distraction, but the Regulatory Standards Bill is the real win for the Neoliberal Right…
While all the media and popular coverage seems to have been directed towards the Treaty Principles Bill, David Seymour and Act are poised to achieve another substantive victory that has been over 20 years in the making.
The Regulatory Standards Bill, first introduced to Parliament in 2006 and reintroduced last year by Seymour in his role as the Minister for Regulation, is under the public consultation phase (quietly started on the day of the arrival of the hikoi in Wellington).
It will be taken up by parliament in early 2025.
As detailed by Melanie Nelson, the passage of this bill (an agreement in the coalition Government’s negotiations) will help Act to realise a longstanding goal of their neoliberal policy agenda, which is to enshrine the rights of individuals, particularly property holders and business owners, over the collective good of all New Zealanders.
“The focus on the Treaty Principles Bill risks overshadowing its dull but dangerous cousin, the Regulatory Standards Bill, which is currently open for consultation,” she writes. “The Regulatory Standards Bill is the brainchild of the Business Roundtable (now the New Zealand Initiative) and has been attempted three times previously by the Act Party.”
If passed, the bill will establish a hand-picked regulatory board to ensure that law-making complies with its regulatory “principles” and to deal with complaints of violations (the public can even call in their complaints via a newly established tip line).
…ACT have tailored an economic straight jacket that will make it impossible to counter corporate interests ever again.
If this passes, Corporations will be able to stop any environmental or taxation policy they don’t like.
The radical nature of this should terrify every New Zealander.
I didn’t believe most Kiwis voting National, NZF or ACT had much idea what exactly they were voting for and I don’t think the vast majority of Kiwis have any comprehension just how far right this Government actually is.
Setting up a legislative body dominated by corporate interests to test future laws against would be the end of NZ as a functioning democracy.
Sure it would be Government elected by the people, but it be run by law decided by corporations…
This regulatory board would have sweeping oversight over all proposed government regulations, with the ability to make non-binding recommendations.
Furthermore, all proposed legislation or ministerial statutes (with a compliance review of all existing laws within 10 years) would fall under the purview of the new regulatory board, severely curtailing the ability of the government to regulate harmful business practices or corporate exploitation, even if such regulation is in the public interest.
More seriously the current version of the bill has removed any role of the courts to provide regulatory oversight or interpretation; a move that seems to be explicitly targeted at blocking any incorporation of Te Tiriti into the regulatory discussion.
…so the Courts would be effectively bypassed by this new regulatory board.
At some stage New Zealand, you are going to have to either resist this slide to corporate fascism or you are merely going to be puppets to them.
Wake up Kiwis!
It is important now The Atlas Network is so active and influential in our political system that we acknowledge and highlight the many tentacles of The Atlas Network so we are aware of the influence.
The list of Atlas tentacles:
ACT
Groundswell
Taxpayers’ Union
Kiwiblog
Curia Polling
The Campaign Company
Free Speech Union
Plus everyone below via the NZ Initiative…
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.
This began with the development of “think tanks” many decades ago, funded by the wealthy to spread then unpopular views. Focus on the Atlas network is many decades overdue, they have been here that long in various guises.
Waikato University, Ngai Tahu and Tainui are on the NZ Initiative list. Are they a sleeper cell?
Looking forward to seeing what depth of idiocy Bob the First can achieve this year. I see he’s off to a flying start with his succinct one liners that offer nothing to the debate.