The shadowy interests driving the Government’s Economic, Environmental and Treaty Principles agenda
TDB was recently threatened by the Atlas Network.
Their agenda funded by dark money is to influence countries to change regulations that counter their interests under the guise of Free Market activism.
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.
This agenda has spawned and propelled unique political actors into the NZ Parliament who are all heavily invested lobbyists who have been inserted into political parties to implement immediate legislative changes using every back road to transparency legally available to them.
These politician lobbyists are unique and have all managed immediate power that launched changes for Industry that they previously lobbied for.
Casey Costello, Nicole McKee, Shane Jones, Todd Stephenson hell even Winston Peters – they all have lobbyist and personal consultant links to Industry they then lean heavily in favour of.
The Lobbyists were very open about putting forward former lobbyist candidates into NZ First and ACT, which they then successfully did…
New Zealand’s gas industry boasted about its success in preventing legislation that it regarded as an ‘existential threat’ to its business from being adopted. It said it used advertising and “discussions with Ministers and officials to help craft its message.”
…we are watching in real time the interests of mines, guns and cigarettes being put before common good!
This spin line that Tobacco is the same as caffeine is total bullshit!
Smoking kills 67% of users, coffee doesn’t and no product that addictive should be allowed to have that hold over the market!
We want people off ciggies and onto vapes without addicting a new generation of vapers while respecting individuals right to choose after 18.
We need to deal with our vices in ways that are different to other industries because of the social harm making them illegal would cause. That’s why we need a Vice Tax on business activity whose social damage doesn’t get covered by the taxation they pay!
To allow 8000 to die because National want tax cuts for their rich mates is outrageous.
Thankfully the Tobacco industry have the best agents and supporters for their cause, Costello came from the Taxpayers’ Union and they have links to Atlas, which is a point made by Public Health Communication Centre this week…
| Tobacco Company | Political connections | Evidence of industry links |
| British American Tobacco | Casey Costello (NZ First Party) formerly Chair and member of Tax Payers’ Union Board. Now Minister with responsibility for the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990; vaping; smokeless tobacco; oral nicotine.1 | Guardian investigation reported TPU received funding from British American TobaccoTPU has links with the Atlas Network, which has received tobacco industry funding.
|
…it also notes that Nicola Willis is a former Nazgul at the NZ Initiative…
| British American TobaccoImperial Brands Australasia | Nicola Willis, Deputy leader National Party, formerly Board Director New Zealand Initiative | NZI list tobacco companies British American Tobacco and Imperial Brands Australasia as members. |
…so Tobacco interests are fostered and loved by this Government because this Government is being influenced by the Atlas Network!
Claiming that no one has had any donations from the Tobacco Industry is ludicrous when it’s been done openly in the first place!
Here’s Big Tobacco watering down any regulation of tobacco while stoking Dairy crime fear while ignoring that it’s their addictive product fuelling that Dairy crime…
The ‘corner dairy campaign’ quietly backed by big tobacco
A campaign to “save our stores” from a smokefree initiative looks like a grassroots effort. The truth is more complicated.
Since 1 August, ads have started showing up on Facebook urging people to support a petition to “save our stores”.
The ads, which lead to a website called Save Our Stores, ask users to sign a petition to repeal the Smokefree 2025 Act. The act includes a measure to reduce the number of stores selling full strength tobacco from 6000 nationwide to 600 by July 2024.
At first glance, the campaign appears to be an initiative from dairy owners. Under a headline of “who we are” on the website’s “about us” page, a dairy owner said to be from Lower Hutt is featured: “My name is Bhavesh. I’m a dairy owner in Lower Hutt. I’ve been serving customers for 17 years.”
However, smaller type at the bottom of the page says the website is “proudly supported” by tobacco companies BAT (British American Tobacco) New Zealand and Imperial Brands. The website’s privacy policy says the website is “provided” by the tobacco companies.
The website encourages dairy owners to get involved by printing out posters to display in their stores. These include messages in bold type warning: “This dairy is under threat of closure” with a QR code which leads to the website.
LOOK. AT. THE. POSTERS. AND. TELL. ME. THEY. ARE. NOT. POLITICAL!
The Tobacco Industry has already made its ‘donation’ to this Government, so pretending the Rights hands are clean over Tobacco donations is a fucking joke!
If only this Government loved the environment and lowering poverty as much as they love the Tobacco Industry.
Submachine Gun Fetishists
TDB warned you that the Gun Fetish Glee Club inside the ACT Party was going to try and bring back every sociopaths favourite machine gun fantasy and lo and behold it comes to pass…
Semi-automatics on the table in gun laws shake-up
Semi-automatics could make a return to gun ranges with New Zealand’s firearms laws in for a major shake-up this term.
National and ACT agreed to rewrite the Arms Act – in place since the early 1980s – as part of its coalition arrangement.
Everything is on the table, including changing the existing licensing regime and re-introducing the military-style weapons used in the 15 March terror attacks.
…as TDB warned you, the Gun Fetish Glee Club inside the ACT Party has an enormous amount of power now and they intend to bring back their favourite sub machine guns.
Farmers and hunters need guns and use them like tools.
I have zero time for ‘collectors’ or people who need sub machine guns for ‘defence’.
The Gun fetishists scream every time you use the word ‘sub machine gun’ and pull some nonsense technical garbage to claim you can’t call them that.
Let me be clear.
If it looks like a sub machine gun, sounds like a sub machine gun and kills human beings like s sub machine gun, it’s a fucking sub machine gun!
Trans National Mining Interests
Ummmm, now this is one bad idea…
Lobbyists are back at Parliament – with a new privacy measure hiding their identities
Gerry Brownlee says the privacy of people with ‘lobbying roles’ should be protected, while officials have drawn up a new code of conduct.
…Trans National Mining Interests line up offshore waiting for law change that will open up conservation land for mining alongside watered down fast track powers for Dr Pork Shane Jones, shouldn’t we be very aware who is influencing NZ Policy, especially when you consider the damage mining can cause the environment?
Especially with climate change?
Abolishing the Treaty Principles would remove obligation to engage with Māori at a critical juncture when Trans National Mining Interests are ready to exploit conservation land.
Chris Bishop and Shane Jones have never met a corporate donor they didn’t slavishly worship.
It’s like the Mining Company in Avatar has taken over the Government.
Megalandlords and Real Estate Pimps
Sweet Zombie Jesus what a handjob these rich pricks have been given! 346 Megalandlords who own at least 200 properties will get a tax cut of $1.3m each over five years – the total going to that group: $464m! The total cost for the whole lot, $3 billion less in tax collected over 4 years! The Real Estate Pimps have all self-asphyxiated, died and gone to heaven! There is a class war erupting between the Landlord Class and the Renter Class and this Government who they donate to are on the Landlord’s side.
Q Zealand and Grievance Antivaxxers
The danger that Winston always faced by seducing the Conspiracy Swamp Kingdom Antivaxx Cookers is that they are so bat shit crazy, so radicalised by social media hate algorithms that short of resurrecting Jesus, Elvis and Frank Sinatra, Winston can’t pacify them.
Here are the antivaxxers who Winston has seduced and empowered on social media wanting to go way further than Winston has led them on with…
Bat. Shit. Crazy.
ACT want in on the antivaxx electorate as well and are demanding a wider scope of Covid inquiry by turning it into a grievance carnival with suggestions Brooke Van Veldon doesn’t have confidence in the existing appointed expert.
There has to be a means for pulling 10% of the population out of Qanon conspiracy land but social media algorithms are driving polarisation and conflict, not easing them.
Economic pressures will drive extremism.
Anger and resentment are political currency and the Right have International Think Tanks that know how to emotionally target and manipulate Culture War dynamics for political ends.
Of course we need a critical analysis of the Covid lockdown so that we know how to do better when the next pandemic hits.
What is being fed is a grievance carnival for the Qanon fear grifter, antivaxx influencers and Conspiracy Swamp Kingdom devotees.
This is a weaponised process for the grievance fringes to wallow in and the danger is that this virtue signal by ACT and NZ First will arouse the craziest fringes of the antivaxx movement and they will see this Inquiry as the worst kind of sell out making it a target for their insane rage.
Winston’s seduction of Conspiracy Swamp Kingdom Antivaxx Cookers could make Covid Inquiry a domestic terror target.
New Zealand has mutated into Q Zealand.
CONCLUSION:
Comrades.
As much as we are collectively shocked and horrified at the brutal right wing draconian madness that is being rammed through Parliament with bugger all over sight, can I assure you all, it’s about to get waaaaaaaaay worse once the lobbyists have fleshed their election talking points into actual policy.
I do not think we are ready for this jelly.
New Zealand, Free Speech and our Democracy all suffer under this hard right racist climate denying beneficiary bashing Government. Democracy demands more than majoritarianism and the cavalcade of culture war revenge fantasies masquerading as social policy demeans us all.
We are a better people, a better country and a better society than National, ACT and NZ First are mutating us into!
Nothing sums up where we are as a people and a country right now quite like the manner in which Christ Bishop rewarded his staff for these 100 days of social carnage.
After slashing budgets and taking from the poor to give to the rich, Chris Bishop rewarded his staff with Crayfish…
…Crayfish for them.
Austerity for the rest of us.
There needs to be an urgent political summit of the Left to work out how we are going to collectively resist this.
We are seeing a new hard right racist Government who are politically assaulting the most vulnerable amongst us so they can give policy wins to their rich mates.
They are implementing an anti-Māori, anti-renter, anti-environment, anti-worker, anti-beneficiary agenda and to challenge them will demand a united front.
Pushing 13000 children into poverty, 8000 tobacco deaths and taking thousands from disabled beneficiaries just so National can afford their tax cuts for rich landlords is an obscenity we should all be ashamed of.
This Government isn’t even a year old and the level of protest at the extreme nature of their agenda actually offends many peoples egalitarian sensibilities.
We are a fair people, what National, ACT and NZFirst have all agreed to is extreme and nasty.
Kiwis aren’t extreme or nasty. Some are, they vote ACT and NZ First, but National voters will be aghast at what they’ve seen so far.
This is the time for the political Left to walk away from woke pure temple politics and embrace Broadchurch class solidarity.
Our under funded social infrastructure, our ‘me first’ consumerism, our 30 years of neoliberal mythology, our disconnection from one another, our untreated pain, our lack of hope from grinding poverty in a first world country, our damaged masculinity, the intergenerational consequences of colonialism, our unspoken rage culture, our inability to express emotion beyond anger – all of this demands questions we don’t want to hear as a society.
The Right look for recruits, the Left look for traitors.
If we don’t provide people with Hope that there is a better way of being for us all, if we don’t provide vision that actually addresses the material well being of our voters, if we aren’t prepared to debate the expansion of State Capacity by taxing the megawealthy and funding the climate change adaptation, if we don’t do all that, this hard right racist Government will win again.
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.
We need to negate the negation. The negation is zombie capitalism sucking the goodness from the Earth for a tiny few while burning the bridges for the many. The result is genocidal wars,
The negation of the negation is nature and humanity getting rid of the parasites, so the positive result is the victory for nature and humanity.
Humanity began its existence as a matrilinal commune to raise the babies.
That is why we still exist today.
Instead of of frying and smashing babies bodies in Palestine, we need to get back to the commune devoted to the babies.
Ask the indigenous peoples around the world who survived genocide how to end genocide today and rebuild the commune.
Nature and humanity united will never be divided.
ACT = ATLAS Group
My National party voting friends are very quiet at this point (More vocal pre election)
Unfortunately they still listen to ZB and read the Herald so unless the left (which unfortunately doesn’t include Labour) can get the messages of blogs like this and/or good journalistic articles into the public domain then self interest and “fear” of those who might take their wealth (or even a small portion of it) will make them ignore or minimize the dangers and havoc to average New Zealanders this coc is causing.
I’d like to be proven wrong but I’m not feeling optimistic.
Surely the best solution to all this Atlas infiltration of government is to have the World Economic Forum denounce them. Atlas should be asked to publish the names of all those MPs and business leaders who they have influenced, just as WEF do. Do Atlas have a similar gathering to the WEF lovefest in Davos?
Debbi Gibbs, ATLAS Network (or should it be ‘Cancer Network’), daughter of Alan Gibbs, one of the biggest beneficiary’s of the greatest theft of public assets worldwide, on a per capita basis, during the 4th Labour Governments neoliberal transformation. Greater than the state asset theft during the Yeltsin reign in 90’s Russia. And still they continue
Manufactured crisis is at the top of the ATLAS playbook. I recall when this all started in 1984 when Labour manufactured a ‘currency crisis’ which required drastic measures – of course they blamed the crisis on Muldoon and that the country was almost bankrupt. The reality was quite different. They told their rich mates they were going to devalue the dollar by 30% so there was a huge outflow of NZ dollars before the devaluation (I think we know who those people are) and then after devaluation money flowed in and ‘those people’ made a killing. NZ is corrupt, and has been for a long time- nuff said.
Martyn! Martyn! Martyn!
Not once in this article have you mentioned that most important to this Country.
1. How many Olympic Gold Medals New Zealanders brought home.
2. How many games the All Blacks have won or lost.
3. The millionaires competition for the America’s Cup.
Has any one else noticed Bishop always says that what ever project he is ditching is now going to cost $3 billion .Just read a piece on the DETAIL about the so called blow out of the Dunedin hospital which he said was going to now cost that amount .The figures he used did not amount to $3 billion .His he so thick that he cant understand that the cost will have risen from when it was first costed in 2017 ,7 years ago .The cost of building a house has doubled in that time partly due to price gouging by suppliers of materials and contractors also gouging for at least 2 years over the pandemic .So naturally the cost of the hospital build has risen and the figure quoted in the story was $10k per sqm in 2017 to now $30k per sqm in 2024 .The same would apply to the ferries and houses that Kaianga ora were building .He needs to have a chat to Brown about his roads as they will be also 3x more expensive to build in 5 to 10 years time so the road to whangarei may well be $30 billion before too long .
Time to means test NZ super ,CGTax on every house not the family home .Make kiwi save compulsoy and increase contributions for employers to match whats paid in AUS and increase employee contributions as well .Raise the top tax rate to also match the 45% paid in aus .Revoke the tax free status of investment houses so that investment is in productive enterprises ,not that there is going to be many left by the time this government buggers off as we are having record closures right now .
NZ is looking more like Gazza daily ,soon surgeons here will be operating in plastic wrapped hospitals because the government wont finish the rebuild and kids will be going to school in cardboard prefab class rooms of the 1960s/70s.
Our boss, pm, what a corporate, speek, talking always blaim, when their roost comes home. Workers down south all gone with a eighties old school farm fence lie, job maybe, union person not you. Yet, back clown pm, inflation and past incompetent rule done this, what a farm fence lie, eh, bovin dispencers, you fuck wit.