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May 2, 2020 8:00am by Kokila Patel

General Debate 02 May 2020

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PhilBest

The latest good news
Coronavirus patients feared to have been reinfected had returned false positives, says South Korea
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/coronavirus-south-korea-patients-infected-twice-test-a9491986.html
South Korea says recovered coronavirus patients who tested positive again did not relapse: Tests picked up ‘dead virus fragments’
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-south-korean-reactivated-cases-not-reinfected-experts-2020-4?r=US&IR=T
Good news on all levels, especially that this “fear of relapse” can no longer be an excuse for perpetuating Police State conditions.
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May 2, 2020 8:00am
- DeepBlue
  
  Dr Bloomfield told us thus.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:05am
  - The Proper Ghandi
    
    Want a cool and topical propaganda T-shirt?
    
    https://www.theprintroom.nz/blogs/the-print-room-nz/the-curve-crusher-ashley-bloomfield-merchandise
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:30am
    - cmm
      
      I’d buy the freedom crusher T shirt.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:03am
    - Andrei
      
      I remember when there were calls to make Peter Whittle the New Zealander of the Year and I have heard similar calls for Ashley Bloomfield to be so honoured…
      
      …which just goes to show that you can go from hero to zero in aheartbeat
      
      I suspect that the powers that be in government are realizing that they have been in charge of a fiasco and the collateral damage from suppressing COVID-19 both in economic terms and public health ones far exceed any benefits
      
      And a scapegoat will be required – I wonder who that might be?
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:13am
      - cmm
        
        Rule 1: PriNZess never goes under the bus.
        Even if she swept aside all the experts, overrode everyone and took advice from her friends overseas, someone else goes under the bus.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:24am
      - mudrunner
        
        Not David Clark?
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:56am
      - mara
        
        Followed by Fauci.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:31am
      - PhilBest
        
        Spot on, Andre – I made the Whittall / Bloomfield analogy myself a few days ago…. GMTA 🙂
        
        https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2020/04/general_debate_11_april_2020.html/comment-page-1#comment-2683687
        
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        May 2, 2020 3:50pm
    - The Proper Ghandi
      
      The most effective sarcasm doesn’t require explicitly pointing it out …
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:50pm
    - andydownhere
      
      No. no. Slight misprint. The Economy Crusher
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:28pm
  - GazzaW
    
    I wish Dr Bloomfield would get some of his subordinates to fix the basics such as vaccine and PPE distribution. It’s hardly rocket science unless the vaccines and PPE gear were not here in the first place.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:55am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      It wasn’t here in enough quantity, the same as most other countries.
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:26am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        So why did both the DG and Ministers (including the PM) assure us it was?
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:56am
      - Manu-Rau
        
        Tony: I suspect Tall Man could answer that with one word.
        
        I starts with ‘l’.
        
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        May 2, 2020 3:59pm
- Mr_Blobby
  
  Good Morning my fellow “Chinese Flu” detainee.
  
  I see that you are in good health and showing no symptoms.
  
  Random Impertinent questions.
  
  How many tests have we done now 50,000 – 100,000 one would assume that they would also be testing for Covid 19 anti bodies, to see if people had already recovered from the “Chinese Flu”? How many have already had it and unknowingly recovered. Are the probables false positives?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:15am
  - Ian Boag
    
    If there was a sensitive and accurate antibody test, the world would be all over it like a rash. Unfortunately there isn’t. Apparently there are some that are getting there but not yet.
    
    There’s lots of links about it eg
    https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/05/01/847368012/how-reliable-are-covid-19-tests-depends-which-one-you-mean
    
    Dated yesterday
    
    For more, search “antibody tests covid” or something like that.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:25am
    - PhilBest
      
      It is sufficient that the reliability of these tests can be estimated from tests of known COVID-19 survivors, and then extrapolated to the rest of the tested population. This is far less dodgy than the computer modelling that has actually been relied on for policy making.
      
      NZ is way behind the rest of the first world in basic curiosity about these things, let alone actual diagnostic work. Is Ashley Bloomfield still waving away the issue of asymptomatic infection? The weeks are ticking by since it was first discovered, and the evidence from nation after nation is now overwhelming.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:37am
      - cmm
        
        PB: Absolutely right.
        
        While inaccurate tests might be poor for diagnostic purposes, they are still potentially very useful for statistical testing. If we know the false positive and false negative rates we can easily fix the statistics gathered by these tests.
        
        Still, we use PSA testing for prostate checks and those are only 25% accurate. Clearly inaccurate tests can be used with caveats.
        
        Antigen tests (what we are using) provide different information to antibody tests . Antigen tests only tell if a person is currently fighting an infection while antibody tests show if someone has been infected. Antibody tests thus also capture those that were asymptomatic.
        
        Without antibody tests we cannot get a proper picture of what the population looks like.
        
        The anitgen testing done in the supermarket carparks about 10 days back would have been far more informative if antibody testing had been done instead.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:12am
      - Ian Boag
        
        @cmm
        
        So I have an antibody test and I come up “immune”. Does that mean I am immune? No – it means I am part of a group who has tested as immune and we sort of know that means I am 90% sure of being immune …. the specificity problem. I am tested as “not infected” and that tells me I am 70% sure of being not infected – the sensitivity problem.
        
        Abbott seem to think they are there
        
        https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1742
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:40pm
      - All_on_Red
        
        That looks quite promising Ian
        Good link- thanks
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:55pm
      - cmm
        
        Boag: Did you not read the bit I wrote about diagnostic vs statistical testing? Do you understand the difference?
        
        Diagnostic testing is where we want to assess whether a specific individual, eg. Ian Boag, has condition X. So we administer a test. If the test has false positives and false negatives then we do not fully know whether the the person has condition X or not.
        
        All tests have some false positives and/or false negatives, be those antigen tests, PSA tests or pregnancy tests. The medical system has known how to deal with imprecise tests for decades.
        
        As I already said above, If you have imprecise tests then clearly they should not be used to ascribe a specific condition to a specific person.
        
        Statistical testing does not care about individual tests. What we want is to build up a picture of the population being tested. A few positives or negatives here or there do not matter because we can account for those.
        
        Antibody testing is important because it is the only way to find out about asymptomatic cases. Antigen testing cannot do that.
        
        No test says you are “immune”. It says you have antibodies, and, depending on the disease, we can then make a better informed guess as to whether you are immune or not. You also have antibodies while you are actually fighting the infection too. Again, it depends on if you are using this as a diagnostic or statistical tool.
        
        Good to see that there are more accurate antibody tests coming along, but we do not need super-accurate tests for statistical testing.
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:58pm
      - Ian Boag
        
        @cmm
        
        I understand the “statistical” vs “diagnostic” thing. And I think the “statistical” point is valid. But …
        
        Unfortunately a “statistical” test is no use to me – so why would I bother? Would the result mean anything to me? “You might be immune, but we don’t really know” would just piss me off …
        
        And which of the zillions of the non-approved antibody tests should we be using?
        
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        May 2, 2020 7:19pm
    - Mr_Blobby
      
      What are your thoughts on Ross Robertsons latest efforts to devalue the NZ Dollar?
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:38am
- Clyde
  
  Not sure about the “Police State”. Would you like to go into this sort of place and deal with the utter wastes of space within? I admire those that have to front up to these packs of self-labelled animals. Can anyone provide one redeeming feature of these scum?
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/121385482/eight-arrests-after-partying-gangsters-breach-lockdown-restrictions
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:13pm
- theoldbloke
  
  Mmm. NZ media seem to want NOT to report good news re Covid.
  
  I got this in an investment letter this morning.(from USA).
  /start
  On April 10, some early data published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that 36 out of 53 (68%) of very sick patients treated with Remdesivir benefited from the drug. It was encouraging observational data, but we still needed to see clinical data from a placebo-controlled study.
  
  We got that yesterday.
  
  That brings us to the great news for COVID-19 patients…
  
  In short, patients with advanced COVID-19 who received Remdesivir recovered faster than patients on placebo.
  
  Remdesivir cut recovery time for hospitalized COVID-19 patients by four days, or 31%, in a National Institutes of Health-sponsored clinical study of 1,063 patients. The median time to recovery was 11 days for patients on Remdesivir compared to 15 days for placebo.
  
  This was our first look at a study that tested Remdesivir against a control group receiving a placebo. And it was our first look at a study large enough to provide clinically meaningful data.
  
  That’s a big deal.
  
  “Although a 31% improvement does not seem like a knockout 100%, it is a very important proof of concept because what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus,” said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), during a White House briefing on Wednesday.
  /ends
  
  Yes a Whitehouse Briefing. But NOTHING in NZ media….unless it was in the small print hidden behind all the fear and authority messages from NZ’s Dr Doom.
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:26pm
CJames

Interesting that Labour “leaked” the UMR internal poll showing them and their partners doing really well, though speculation is they got a government department to pay for it. Over at the Stranded, they are wetting themselves with excitement as if this is the election result, already predicting which seats will fall. However, it is wise to be more than a little circumspect. Its a private poll so who was questioned and what were the questions? This was the same company’s polls that showed Labour leading just before the last election, wasn’t it? We know how that turned out.
What it has done now is set the precedent that will come back to bite Labour. When the electorate turns against the government, there will be no mention of polls. And then the PM will have to face the media questions over that. I notice this current story disappeared off the Herald’s website within half a day, so maybe the paper has already realised it had been used. I predict that there will be no future press leaks mentioning the polls, showing the Government is on the slide. And Labour can’t deny the existence of the polls. What goes around, comes around.
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May 2, 2020 8:00am
- mandk
  
  Another fake story supposedly based on a UMR poll.
  
  Remember Angry Andy claiming Labour was on 40 percent plus under his leadership when the true number was in the twenties? That was UMR as well.
  
  Labour lying or UMR providing shonky numbers?
  
  I have no doubt it is the former.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:42am
  - Tarquin North
    
    GST is due on may 7th and again in June. When we’ve all paid that and our cash flow hits the wall things will change very quickly. They may even have to put the beatification on hold at that point. Restless hungry natives don’t do adulation very well.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:02am
    - yossarian
      
      “Well let them eat a Big Mac”
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:18am
    - Mr_Blobby
      
      With no cash flow it will be more like a GST refund.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:23am
- Ceejay
  
  Yes, and notice how convenient the numbers are for Labour’s posturing?
  
  They’ve increased, compared to the public polls earlier in the year, by almost exactly the same amount as the Nats have declined.
  
  The Greens have lost basically nothing, and NZF have actually shot up fairly spectacularly.
  
  What are the chances of those two contingencies coming to pass when they’ve both been anonymous for the duration, and the Left have all been prostrating themselves at the altar of St Jacinda?
  
  All about as credible as the chances of David Clark succeeding Ardern as the next UN Secretary General.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:00am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Any chance of Clark turning up for work at all?
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:25am
    - niggly
      
      Heh, and have Dr Clark share the podium with the DG of Health almost everyday and be adored by the press gallery?
      
      “On yer bike” says JA and Robbo and “stay in Dunedin and work from home, we’ll take care of this for you”!
      
      Clark’s ears picked up what he wanted to hear, he was told it’s ok to go for bike rides, yipee!
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:26am
- CJames
  
  Massive failures like them running out of flu vaccine straight after telling everyone to get one will take the gloss off the government faster than anything the Leader of the Opposition says or does.
  https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2020/05/a-complete-debacle-flu-vaccines-about-to-run-out-despite-government-s-claim-all-kiwis-can-get-them.html
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:05am
  - krazykiwi
    
    It is important for the government for NZ to have a ‘bad’ flu season. No matter the death rate, having some deaths will allow the dishonest regime to conflate Covid with flu deaths, and in doing so perpetuate the crisis which plays into their messiah re-election strategy.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:58am
    - david
      
      But KK, that will immediately prompt the question. “How is it OK to have 500 deaths per year From influenza and do nothing but subsidise vaccines for old people and in the same breath nuke the economy, shut down the health system and put tens of thousands at risk through delayed diagnosis and treatment, put almost the entire population under house arrest, ground the national airline, decimate the third (?) biggest foreign exchange earner for the nation, suspend the democratic process, and vacuum up the countries ability to finance any other national disaster for the foreseeable future on the basis of a phone-a-friend in England To counter a threat that has so far killed fewer than 20 many of whom were in end-of-life care.?.???????
      Does not compute.
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:29pm
      - krazykiwi
        
        That question would need to come from the media, and they have 50 millions reasons not to question the narrative.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:59pm
  - Durden
    
    ‘Flu vaccines are becoming a bit of a joke with terribly low levels of protection. You have to ask if Pharmac is justified in continuing to fund the current crop of vaccines at such low levels of efficacy.
    
    “As the Centers for Disease Control recently reported, the 2018-2019 seasonal flu vaccine was among the least effective in years, at 29% effective overall and just 9% in the second half of the season.”
    
    So now this.
    ” Findings by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Oxford led by theoretical epidemiologist Sunetra Gupta PhD and virologist Craig Thompson, PhD suggest flu is not as variable as previously believed. Mathematical models analyzing the way historic flu strains change over time led to the theory that the epidemic behavior of influenza is primarily determined by immune responses acting upon regions of the virus that are limited in variability. Additional research identified these regions; mice vaccinated with just four variants of the region of limited variability received immunity to all historical influenza strains.”
    
    https://innovation.ox.ac.uk/news/blue-water-vaccines-developing-universal-flu-vaccine-completes-7m-financing-following-successful-preclinical-study/
    
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    May 2, 2020 2:11pm
- Mr_Blobby
  
  @CJames
  Not to worry, next in how to wreck an economy 101, will be helicopter money, dropped in time to save the election, who will turn down FREE money. One would hope that at some stage they will realize that there is no such thing as a FREE lunch and at some point in time it will all have to be paid for with interest.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:21am
- doggone7
  
  Labour leaked the poll? How do you know? “Speculation is they got a government department to pay for it”?
  
  Speculation is that you’re speculating.
  The poll is irrelevant. That’s what makes the reactions so hard to understand. If it means nothing, what’s with the mental effort of the speculation, condemnation and scorn. That could lead to speculation that those are actually covers for deep concern.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:40am
  - CJames
    
    The poll was talked about by Labour for a number of days before the Herald published it. It wasn’t a public poll but a private commercial one. There were a number of questions in it about how government departments were doing. Now why would those be there if Labour paid for it?
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:55am
    - doggone7
      
      Did Labour pay for it? Labour was talking about it for a number of days before the Herald published it?
      
      In detail? Or in the same sense that a couple of weeks back Matthew Hooton was talking about a poll? And it was general in the media about concerns for Simon Bridges and low polls? Not just from Labour people.
      
      What were the questions in the poll? What areas did they cover?
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:19am
Lee C

If the Labour Party use their own polling service and a massive majority in favour of Jacinda and Labour is printed in the media – does it mean that it’s the end for Simon Bridges?

Or is that what the people who published the polls would like us to think?

If so why?

Why, if Bridges is such a liability to National are so many trying so hard to get rid of him – it’s just counter-intuitive – I mean you’d think they be lining up to protect him…
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May 2, 2020 8:16am
- plasticbags
  
  Its a dirty fight.
  
  National are polling just fine.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:24am
  - kiwiracer
    
    Yes, and notice how hard Slater is doubling down on this, pay for play?
    
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    May 2, 2020 8:39am
    - Chris R
      
      I agree about Cameron Slater…it is as though after years of rebuking NZ First he is now deep within their thrall. It is a mystery and I doubt whether it turns on $$$$ changing hands as nobody would be stupid enough to accept money from NZ First with the SFO crawling all over it at present.
      
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      May 2, 2020 8:54am
      - kiwiracer
        
        There is a lawyer in common.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:07am
      - DeepBlue
        
        Slater has a huge legal debt to pay back to Henry…words in lieu.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:09am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        I popped across to BFD the other day, for the first time in a while. I see they are now publishing news from NZ First. The takeover appears complete.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:10am
      - david
        
        I no longer follow Slater but I’ll warrant that he no longer refers to “the pinstripe dwarf” or the “ kept man from St Mary’s Bay”
        
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        May 2, 2020 3:04pm
    - The Boss
      
      Yes, Slater is trying his best to promote Winston, but with very little success. The comments on his blog are negative about his mate, almost without exception. And on their poll NZ First is sitting at 1%!
      (Labour at 0%) LOL
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:56pm
  - bruceavon
    
    No national aren’t polling just fine.
    This is the 4th leaked poll that says Labour are around or over 50%. That includes kiwiblogs David’s Curia poll.
    There is no use burying your head in the sand and pretending all of these polls are lying, because it isn’t what we want to hear. Most important thing is there is a long way to the election. And it will be all downhill from here for Labour as people lose jobs and the economy unravels. Labour might still win, but it could all go horribly wrong too. I am over Bridges after that Facebook debacle. But I don’t know if anyone can be any better. If National really are in the low 30’s it is worth at least asking the questions.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:00am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      Bruce – firstly let me state I am writing this as a National Party member and electorate and branch officer. Of course the polls are favouring Labour at the moment; after all, Labour is dominating media coverage during the coronavirus situation. Even Winston Peters has had to go into full campaign mode to get some media time, which is as vital to him as oxygen.
      
      National is realistic enough to know that, so the party has no expectation of even-handed media coverage. After all, the boot was on the other foot during the Christchurch earthquakes. But this will pass.
      
      The campaign to undermine Simon Bridges is orchestrated and coordinated. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that it emanates from the PM’s office, but operatives from both Labour and NZF are driving it, with the assistance of certain key media personnel. It’s not about Bridges as such; the coalition parties just want National to be in disarray in the run-up to the election.
      
      My belief is that Labour’s support has peaked. This week we’ve seen more discussion about the legality or otherwise of the Police lockdown enforcement, more revelations about the lame duck Health Minister, controversy over “checkpoints” where people going about their lawful business are being detained by civilians, with the cooperation of the Police, and yesterday, the revelation that our flu vaccine stocks are about to run out, despite government assurances that they were fine. Ardern is a very good frontperson, but she alone cannot hide the incompetence within Labour, as as more businesses crash, more people lose their jobs, and we head into the dark, cold winter months, the cracks will widen, and Labour’s support will plunge.
      
      National’s challenge now is to demonstrate a credible alternative plan to return the economy to prosperity. We’ve seen glimpses, in the recent opinion pieces from Simon O’Connor, Andrew Bayly and Paul Goldsmith. Watch for more of this in the coming weeks/months, as National positions itself as the party to once again get us out of a mess left by Labour.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:25am
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        Pleased to uptick your post before the visit of the three trolls.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:34am
      - Martin Williams
        
        Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
        Whereas John Key’s government did orchestrate campaigns against Labour leadership direct from the PM’s office.
        
        See Jason Ede.
        
        See Dirty Politics.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:37am
      - Komata
        
        TonyS@0925
        
        Re: ‘National Party member and electorate and branch officer.’
        
        Only because you have ‘outed’ yourself, PLEASE, what is the Party’s ‘Mission Statement’ and it’s CURRENT policies?????
        
        And if such things actually do exist, where can they be found?
        
        I’ve been trying to find them for months but they are proving to be very elusive.
        
        Asking as a ‘Concerned Voter’ and hoping you can help.
        
        Thank you.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:43am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        Thanks PG. Only one of them is one duty so far, but then again, it’s not 10am yet, and it IS Saturday!
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:47am
      - brett68
        
        National’s challenge now is to demonstrate a credible alternative plan to return the economy to prosperity
        
        It’s not just the plan, more importantly, it’s the sales pitch.
        This is why National is going to get hammered, Simon Bridges is not a salesperson arsehole, he couldn’t sell water to someone dying of thirst.
        
        Everything about the guy is annoying, the way he speaks, the rambling, the incoherence, his face, people switch off straight away.
        
        Unless National puts up someone with the ability to make people want to listen to them, then we’re looking at a majority Labour win.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:55am
      - gorse
        
        I am concerned about politics here and a world scale. People get bound up over the leader’s personality and popularity and ignore the party’s policies. The USA is the worst for this, but we are not far behind. People need to listen to what the leaders are saying, not how they say it. Simon Bridges is good on his feet, he doesn’t need to read pre prepared speeches like Adern does. I suspect he will quietly dismember Adern during to debates coming up, I also suspect Labour and the media knows he will too, hence the urgency to get rid of him. If National changes their leader now it will mean three more years of Adern, a certainty. We need to get in behind Simon with total support, not keep suggesting he has to go.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:06am
      - Hard Cheese
        
        It’s not about Bridges as such; the coalition parties just want National to be in disarray in the run-up to the election.
        
        I think they want to get rid of Bridges specifically – for two reasons
        
        1. As gorse said below, they know he will run rings around Ardern in a debate, particularly around economics
        2. There’s no question that the economy will be in ashes at the time of the election, and if Bridges is there, he’ll be the guy who made the Facebook statements, the guy who called for mandatory quarantine at the border, the guy who said we had been at L4 and L3 for too long. With a trashed economy, all those statements will be seen as having been true and will show him as someone credible to lead NZ out of the mess. By getting rid of him, Labour disassociate National with Bridges statements being correct all along
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:41am
      - Sir Cullen's Sidekick
        
        Tony – Good and reassuring. But what you forgot one important thing. Sheeple, even if they have to beg on the street for food, will think that Ardern is the only reason they are alive. They will still vote for Ardern no matter what. Sad but true.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:04am
      - TWEEDSE
        
        Excellent post thank you Tony.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:46am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        @ Komata – go to the National Party website here – https://www.national.org.nz/haveyoursay
        
        Formal policies have not yet been released for 2020, but a number of discussion documents were released late last year and early this year, which will form the basis of the suite of policies National will take to the election. Publicly, everything is on hold at the moment re campaigning (although I expect that to change very soon), but I know from our own electorate that there’s a huge amount of work going on behind the scenes.
        
        The danger with releasing policy too soon before the election is that a) it’s hard to generate enthusiasm more than six months out from the election, and b) other parties will cherry-pick aspects of policies they like. Once the campaign is back on after lockdown, it’s going to be all on.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:03pm
      - bruceavon
        
        I don’t believe Labour are running the campaign to undermine Bridges, I think they would be more than happy with having him as opposition leader based on how he is performing. Also anyone else is an unknown and everyone can see how Simon rates. I know plenty of National people who are unhappy with Simon, and then you have right operatives like Hooton. I don’t know if anyone really wants the leadership apart from him though. I do wish him well. I think his heart is in the right place but stuff like the Facebook thing last week just frustrate the hell out of me.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:08pm
    - redeye
      
      Just to be clear, what exactly did Bridges say in his facebook post that could be labeled a debacle?
      Or are you talking about the orchestrated pile on?
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:32am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        There were four issues with which he took issue with the Government. PPE (and the day after he made the comments, the Auditor-General set up an investigation), flu vaccines (see One News last night, and multiple comments from highly regarded medical professionals, contact tracing (which even Dr Bloomfield admitted had yet to reach gold standard) and the necessity to spend two weeks at L3 before moving to L2 (which an increasing number of people are now calling for). Some people just can’t handle the truth.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:43am
      - Janabelle
        
        That was nonsense – was definitely orchestrated, I know 2 people that commented on that post saying they would never vote National while Simon was leader – I know neither would vote National no matter who was the leader
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:00am
      - JackRabbit
        
        @Janabelle
        
        The attack was orchestrated and probably automated given the number and short space of time it occurred in.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:20am
    - Liberty
      
      “No national aren’t polling just fine.”
      How do you know? In the last few weeks we have seen one leaked poll.
      A poll saying the sun shines out of Dear Leader. While the populace is confined to Gulag NZ. Has to be taken with a grain of salt.
      Still the peasants cried at Stalin’s funeral. After Stalin exterminated millions.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:53am
      - niggly
        
        Exactly! Didn’t we hear in OZ that ScoMo shot up to 68% approval ratings (due to the CV19 handling)? Which is even more than our own PR Princess?
        
        So does the Oz MSM run attack articles on Oz Labor saying they are doomed? Of course not, because the election won’t be held tomorrow or even next week … just like in NZ, gee funny that!
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:23am
    - niggly
      
      This is the 4th leaked poll that says Labour are around or over 50%. That includes kiwiblogs David’s Curia poll.
      
      Psst Bruce – it’s not the “4th leaked poll”, it is the SAME Labour poll that was in the news last week and at the end of the week before.
      
      The only difference is, the NZH finally made it a “story” yesterday (and turn-coat tossers like Hooten got in the act on Twitter to release the details before the NZH – what a goose)!
      
      There haven’t been Curia poll leaks – just another NZF aligned blogger twat “claiming” they are bad!
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:16am
      - Pete George
        
        It doesn’t appear to be just one UMR poll. There are three here this year: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2020_New_Zealand_general_election#UMR_and_Curia_polls
        
        That shows National going from 38 (17 Feb) to 35 (8 Apr) to 29 (21-27 Feb).
        
        And Labour going from 42 to 49 to 55.
        
        And two Curia polls that are very close to the UMR polls.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:29am
      - niggly
        
        Hi PG, yes, UMR polls when leaked generally speaking, always have National in the 30’s (ok this time 29), and generally always have Labour in the 40’s (ok this time above 50), and always have Labour’s support partners (Greens & NZF) above the import 5% threshold.
        
        But this always runs counter to TVNZ Colmar Brunton and Newshub Reid Research!
        
        (Excepting the present climate of course, if they did poll now or recently yes of course Labour will be higher and National lower, which is to be expected).
        
        Anyway back to UMR – their figures are always out but in the absence of other polling news it isn’t surprising some in the MSM make a big issue of it and of course the likes of Hooten and Slater – who only do things for self-serving reasons so they can go f*** themselves!
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:44am
      - bruceavon
        
        No. If it’s the same poll how come the figures have changed three times.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:21pm
      - tf78
        
        I’m skeptical around the dates of the marvellous poll – 20-17 April, did it run longer and decline so they cut it off where it looked more positive. They’ve done it before in a poll which made National look bad – National were looking quite good so they stopped the poll and started again after JLR episode I think. They just manipulate and massage to get the message they want.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:37pm
      - curry4me
        
        niggly: Yes, if Herr Goebbels’ propagandists were as amateurish as the Labour Army; they’d be lifting mines on the Eastern Front.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:38pm
    - Classic Liberal
      
      If people these days are really voting along identity politics/PC lines, the logical choice could be Paula Bennett (even just as a figurehead). Then keep hitting the press hard with: female/middle-aged/Maori – you’re racist, sexist, ageist to not support her…
      
      But of course National are, rightly, above all that bullshit, plus too much of that would put off sensible National voters who want people chosen on merit. Paula might have the merit, but if people are choosing the Princess for her gender and age, National might need to play that dumb game to win those dumb voters!
      
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      May 2, 2020 1:12pm
- Scott
  
  Lee C – it’s hard to know? Certainly many people are happy with the prime minister and we rally around our leaders in times of crisis. However we don’t know what the consequences are going to be of this essentially two month lock down?
  What we do know is that most of the mainstream media think our PM is marvellous. They also seem quick to highlight that Simon Bridges is completely out of touch.
  We’ll have to see in September. We’ll know by then if the economy has tanked and unemployment is at great depression levels. Given that scenario people may vote very differently to what the media is suggesting now.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:35am
  - PhilBest
    
    And as the estimable Steve Elers suggested the other day, can’t journalists even experiment with pretending that Jacinda is Simon and seeing what questions etc they might come up with?
    
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    May 2, 2020 8:57am
    - kloyd0306
      
      Still waiting for a “journalist” (they’re not, they’re sycophants) to ask the PTPM why the country didn’t go into lockdown in 2019 when nearly 700 NZers died from influenza.
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:19pm
      - mic
        
        Michael Morrah is writing some pretty good and factual articles.
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:18pm
      - Tony Stuart
        
        Mike Morrah has been outstanding in the last few weeks. He was one of the few members of the media not to swallow the Ministry of Health’s assurances that there was plenty of PPE available for frontline staff.
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:24pm
    - curry4me
      
      PhilBest: Why would they bother. She’s bought them. They’re Pravda 2.0
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:40pm
  - The Proper Ghandi
    
    Maybe at one time political polls were objective, good faith and legitimate attempts to gauge public sentiment. That was when a greater proportion of the electorate thought beyond the utterly superficial. Now they are used to guide the public sentiment, not reflect it.
    
    Why has it been leaked, if everyone is self-evidently behind the Government? I would say it’s because that is not the case.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:03am
    - John Warren
      
      Mahatma, I don’t always agree with you (but I never downtick you), but I reckon you’ve struck the nail dead centre with “Now they are used to guide the public sentiment, not reflect it.”
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:37am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        As Katie Bradford infamously said on One News near the end of the 2014 election campaign:
        
        “No matter what we do, no matter what we say, the polls still favour National.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:56am
      - The Proper Ghandi
        
        John
        I admire and respect your restraint in refraining from the down-tick option. We know that some people reflexively down-tick purely out of spite and mental deficiency.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:04am
      - The Proper Ghandi
        
        Tony
        See ‘Hoaxed’ which I have posted in this GD. The truth sometimes escapes their mouths unintentionally. See the clip of the MSNBC talking heads around the 53:55 minute mark:
        
        “…could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually, control, ah, exactly what people think. And that is, the, that is our job.”
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:21am
  - DeepBlue
    
    Many people comments on Facebook of Stuff, Herald, NewsHub still espouse that the lockdown for health and protect hospital system/workers, avoid deaths was the only humane priority.
    
    Anyone who says about the economy/jobs and moving to Level 2 now is rounded upon; they believe the economy will be OK.
    
    My guess is all these people in their safe and naive bubbles have switched to Labour as they are being paid 100% of salary to stay home and expect their jobs to remain. To them I say Week 8 redundancy letters are in the post. Let’s poll on Week 12.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:19am
    - Ruawai
      
      Disagreeing with the covid lockdown is now akin to disagreeing with climate change, they will round on you and attack.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:41am
      - Jimbob
        
        Exactly.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:39am
  - Paulus
    
    Don’t think I am going to find her name on my electoral form in September.
    I am not in her electorate.
    Two Blues then is all that matters.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:15am
  - Gravelroad
    
    I think appointing Mr Bridges to his current position as chair of the Covid19 pandemic Committee, or whatever it is, was a master stroke of political manoeuvring.
    Why?
    Because it has sidelined him and restricted his opportunities to relate to, and communicate with, the general public.
    So, he sits in dark roomed zoom meetings all day listening to a lot of people pontificating about Covid19 and related issues while the Prime Minister is doing live political party broadcasts on tv at 1pm nearly everyday with hundreds of thousands of people hanging on her every word.
    How many ordinary citizens are tuning in to the zoom meetings? Stuff all.
    The msm is mostly reporting only government organised and related information from Mr Bridges’ committee meetings and he is almost invisible.
    Yes, putting him in there has left the way clear for the CoL to say and do as they like.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:15am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      Well, it had the makings of a sideline, but it was he that chose to make it one.
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:33am
    - bruceavon
      
      I really don’t think Labour are capable enough to mastermind a master stroke of anything. But I agree the committee isn’t serving him well. It is a damn shame. Because the committee is incredibly effective and some of the work they are doing there is very good. It is well run by Bridges and all parties, including the government figures, are treating the process and each other with respect.
      To me in many ways it is better than the pantomime of parliament. BUT. No one watches it. and too often the opposition bring up issues which the government then sorts out and the committee get zero credit. It is incredibly frustrating to me, so it must drive the opposition mad.
      
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      May 2, 2020 1:24pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    The public have been brainwashed over Covert-19, the media worldwide support the false Covert-19 narrative, and the unthinking masses are saluting her like she’s a Reich-mistress. Yes the public are hurting, but to welcome Simon and National as their saviour, they have to go against what they think the common belief of people is.
    
    I’ve talked to a number of business people who believe the lock down is a farce and a quest for power, however given the overwhelming constant hammering through the media, there is still uncertainty as to whether Covert-19 is as safe as the flu. Their is doubt and uncertainty.
    
    In addition Youtube are removing any videos, even from doctors, who do not follow the WHO narrative. Especially if said doctors are being pressured to put down deaths as Covert-19 deaths.
    
    Again this creates doubt even among the hardened of National supporters because it is difficult to get accurate data.
    
    Right now, a good strategy for National would be the winning strategy Tom Sanders (Michael Douglas) used in the movie Disclosure. In that movie you recall his opponent was the dirty conniving Meredith Johnson (Demi Moore). Her goal was to get rid of him, having laid blame on a manufacturing failure on him.
    
    Tom kept getting anonymous notes, to focus on the problem, not on fighting her.
    
    I could be wrong, but I believe that is what National should be doing. Fighting Jacinda and Labour head on is a losing strategy. As long as Labour control the narrative, and keep spreading disinformation, National is at disadvantage.
    
    They should focus on getting the best information on Covid-19, showing the actual risk, and the actions taken that have bankrupted NZ. More ballsy focus on the problem. Get out of defensive mode, and let the truth pave the way.
    
    Formally request for disclosure of the written reasoning for lockdown, with supporting data. If you don’t get it, use that as well. Put it on a website and publish it. Be ballsy.
    
    Broken promises website is a “nice” idea, but not ballsy enough. Simon should be making reference to that website though his campaign. There should be video interviews or clips with the likes of Dr Erikson, or that German fellow that have been linked on here. Go hard. Go ballsy. Stats, specifics.
    
    There are several Narcissists on the CoL team. Narcissists hate specifics.
    
    The NZ population have been conned by the Reich-Mistress. They desrve to know the truth.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:52am
    - doggone7
      
      I’ll give you the truth. The truth is there’s a bit of a problem and everyone thinks they’ve got the solution.
      
      Their solution not being the one coming into play some say things like “The NZ population have been conned by the Reich-Mistress. ”
      
      Some like Ruawai (above) give one side of the coin with “disagreeing with the covid lockdown is now akin to disagreeing with climate change, they will round on you and attack.”
      
      Turn the coin over: Agreeing with the covid lockdown is now akin to agreeing with tenets about climate change, they will round on you and attack.
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:26am
      - JackRabbit
        
        “…and everyone thinks they’ve got the solution.”
        
        People (‘everyone’) would not go looking for information or verification if the “Experts” could demonstrate understanding and logic. When they faff around and contradict one another or contradict basic established principles, people should doubt them.
        
        If they make judgement calls that are not based on sound logic, you are obliged to doubt them. If they make decisions that increase their power, and reduce freedoms of the individual without good cause you have to be very concerned.
        
        Mx Ardern is acting like a Reich-Mistress.
        If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quakes like a duck, you would have to be brain dead to call it a teddy bear.
        
        Ruawai is a smart man, then. Youtube are taking down clips and videos put up by professional doctors, who are heavily certified and trusted to carry out testing. And Facebook is starting the same, as a result of the rushed “hate speech” agreements around the world literally hours after the Mosque shootings. All because the stats do NOT align with the WHO narrative.
        
        I would like to think that if my Doctor whom I trust, and your Doctor whom you trust, did the same, that they would not be silenced. And if you don’t trust your own Doctor, then you are in the same boat as those on here that are complaining.
        
        Experts are not experts because they hold an office, a title, or a degree. Experts are experts that can act intelligently, demonstrate understanding and communicate clearly.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:44pm
      - Ruawai
        
        There is always two sides to every argument, but there needs to be open and frank discussion from both sides of all topics, freedom of speech
        And thanks Jack Rabbit correction, Ruawai is a smart woman not man.
        
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        May 2, 2020 5:06pm
- peterwn
  
  Labour has been able to run an election campaign on the back of the tragedy and Jacinda is pretty well able to give an election speech each day. If Simon asked for a daily slot on the 6 o’clock news, ONE would tell him where to stick it. He cannot even be on radio without Barry Soper’s itchy hand hovering over the volume control of his microphone.
  However look at mid 1945. As soon as UK was safe from the Germans, UK held a general election and Churchill’s Conservative Party lost. All things equal his party should have had a resounding victory.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:36am
  - krazykiwi
    
    “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” —Albert Einstein.
    
    Ardern’s government created most of this mess. They are not the ones to fix it. God forbid that they are given an opportunity to.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:04am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    I’ve seen these comparisons with 1945 before. I don’t think it is a convincing analogy.
    
    Firstly, UK Labour was part of the war-winning coalition. Secondly, and far more importantly, Labour ran on a platform of transforming British society – and those policies were very popular with an electorate wanting something very different to emerge from the wartime sacrifices. Thirdly, the Conservatives banked on Churchill’s prestige, but offered nothing new. Fourthly, Churchill himself campaigned badly, foolishly accusing Atlee of seeking to become a dictator with ‘some form of a Gestapo’.
    
    I don’t see similarities with NZ in 2020.
    
    National has not provided an alternative to the present emergency measures, and it is difficult to see it present significantly different recovery plans. Labour’s leader has very high personal ratings, despite what Kiwibloggers think of her, while Bridges is struggling to make any personal impact.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:05am
    - Ruahine
      
      The Attlee Labour Government lasted one term.
      The Conservative Churchill was re-elected.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:15am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Not quite true. Labour was returned with a narrow majority in 1950, but was forced back to the polls, and lost in 1951. But had achieved dramatic social changes in 6 years – changes the conservatives did not even attempt to roll back. Quite similar to NZ in 1949 in some ways.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:26am
    - PhilBest
      
      Mikey, I referred to that period a few days ago. Seeing you are interested, I recommend John Jewkes’ history of the period, titled “Ordeal By Planning”. It was an economic clusterf**k. It took the Poms a while to come around, otherwise they would have become a Latin American banana republic several decades early. They finally woke up and booted Labour when Labour over-reached with the Orwellian controls, appointing boards of aparatchiks to oversee ever more intrusive aspects of citizens lives. Of course the policies of industry nationalization and Ten Year Plans and so on still never quite went away for a few decades and Maggie had to deal with them.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:42am
    - kowtow
      
      The labour win looked very good in terms of seats won , FPP and all that , in terms of votes though the margin was not actually that huge.
      
      Labour 395 seats, votes 11.99 million
      Cons seats 213 , votes 9.99 million.
      
      As a side note Churchill was shocked by the fact that the Independent who ran against him got 10488 votes to his 27688.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:49am
    - JackRabbit
      
      “I don’t see similarities”.
      
      Just because you lack the awareness and intelligence to see the pattern, it is a fatal mistake to assume that there are no similarities or pattern.
      
      If you are closed minded and hold the view you “know it all”, you will dispute anything and everything.
      
      If however, you open minded and continually open to learning, the correct response would be to ask intelligent questions to further your understanding and awareness.
      
      Living life on a continual process of learning, is a path of continual personal growth and awareness.
      
      Being closed minded is simply mentally marking time until death.
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:56pm
  - DeepBlue
    
    Problem is, if Simon did get a nightly slot on 6pm news his slow, drawn out speech and odd accent would turn more people off – irrespective of his message. Simon is just not made of stuff that connects with voters. (English/ Joyce far exceeds him in debates)
    
    It seems National don’t want to accept that.
    
    Simon needs to voluntarily step back to a strong supporting role. And does anyone vote National because Paula is Deputy?
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:28am
    - John Warren
      
      Funny how Simon’s admittedly horrible Koiwoi drawl makes him an object of ridicule, but [Deleted] appalling accent, coupled with shocking diction and mangled vowels, gets a free pass.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:45am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        The PM’s diction is awful. The one that grates on me like fingernails on a blackboard is when she says “bin” instead of “been”.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:58am
      - stewmar
        
        “but [Deleted] appalling accent, coupled with shocking diction and mangled vowels, gets a free pass.”
        
        Agreed, Cindy is a shocking speaker!! Also very rude whenever a question is asked of her at the 1pm briefing she always puts her head down and looks at the lectern, never looks at the reporter asking the question
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:17am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        I’ve commented about this before. The same people who hassle Ardern about her speech are silent about Bridges, and vice versa. So it’s obviously only an issue if one already dislikes the person whose accent one complains about.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:27am
      - Benedict Yu
        
        “The same people who hassle Ardern about her speech are silent about Bridges, and vice versa.”
        
        I agree. What is important is content. The best way to judge content is to simply read a transcript of speeches. Either in Parliament, or transcripts of interviews. You may wish to choose three transcripts at random for each of the PM and Mr Bridges. Put aside your political beliefs and consider those transcripts on comprehension and clarity of thought. I have done this a few times. The results are startling.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:55am
      - alloytoo
        
        Worse than the shocking diction is the fact that the whatever Ardern says is 99% content free.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:58am
      - JackRabbit
        
        @mikenmildagain 10:27
        
        “…if one already dislikes the person whose accent one complains about..”
        
        It is never about superficially who you like or dislike per se; it is about liking or disliking what they are doing. If the long term pattern of what someone does leads to an inevitable conclusion of not trusting and therefore not liking then so be it.
        
        You are confusing emotion with track record.
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:48pm
      - Ceejay
        
        When I hear Bridges, regardless of his less than thespian delivery, I hear someone speaking to me as an adult.
        
        When I hear Ardern I – um… don’t.
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:51pm
      - PhilBest
        
        I have long suspected that the family name is really “Artern” but they have a congenital inability to pronounce “T’s. Hence “Jacinda” instead of the common Jacinta, and hence “poverdy”, communidy, etc etc
        
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        May 2, 2020 3:58pm
    - DeepBlue
      
      I agree entirely about Jacinda’s diction, but she is massively popular with oodles of political capital and isn’t the one with the problem. She has compensated elsewhere.
      
      Everyone commenting here is just using a whataboutism argument. That is missing the point. Simon has not generated any compensation for his presentation. He needs to find it; what is his natural style? Prosecutor sure isn’t appealing. He finds it soon or he moves aside.
      
      When at 11.54am I have 8 upticks and 8 downticks here is the problem. There are enough people on KiwiBlog that accept my argument and these could well be the swing voters National needs.
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:02pm
    - Gravelroad
      
      And yet, Deep Blue, I have heard Bridges on the afternoon blokey radio show run by Si and Phil (yeah, I know, a bit cringe worthy) and he comes across really well.
      Relaxed, chatty, not taking himself too seriously, but knowledgeable. Somebody I could relate to – And his missus was even better. She’s a capable woman.
      
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      May 2, 2020 2:05pm
      - tf78
        
        Totally agree, having seen him speak and answer any questions from a gathering of 200 odd people he handles himself incredibly well. He’s an intelligent genuinely good bloke – not unlike John Key on many levels. (IMHO).
        
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        May 2, 2020 4:28pm
  - cmm
    
    peterwn: Yup, people were sick of the war and wanted to turn over a new leaf and get it all behind them.
    
    Part of that was flipping the government.
    
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    May 2, 2020 2:03pm
    - PhilBest
      
      Yes but ironically Attlee Labour kept in place numerous wartime controls, or reintroduced them again! It wasn’t till they re-elected Churchill that wartime conditions ended in significant measure “on the home front”.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:00pm
      - cmm
        
        Everyone was in post war party mode. Nobody was reading the smallprint.
        
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        May 2, 2020 4:12pm
- Cunningham
  
  Because the election is coming up and they think if they remove Bridges now they can paint them as in chaos. Also it would be a distraction from the train wreck our economy will become shortly
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:29am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Absolutely agree. And whilst the media might paint Judith Collins as a potential challenger, watch them turn on her if she did take over National’s leadership. All the long-forgotten baggage would be dragged out, like her friendship with Slater, the Oravida affair, and even suggestions that she was somehow responsible for the rupture of the oil pipe in Northland a few years ago.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:09am
    - Paulus
      
      Simply – the National Party Caucus elect their leader (unlike the Labour Unions) and whilst Judith is good she does not have the numbers.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:17am
  - namron
    
    stewmar & Tony, I have a list of 24 words Jacinda mispronounces. You’ve probably heard me scream when she says “somethink” again. She is an embarrassment and there seems no improvement in the years she has been PM. Words such as “bin,” “gunna” “particulee” “exackly” “proply” etc make me cringe.
    I have a new game – count how many mispronunciations in each of her speeches. I like to see if she can manage to break her record of 7
    in those 1.00pm reports.
    I suspect it might be caused by all those visits to pre-school centres she seems obsessed with, but I bet the littlies understand every word she says!!!
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:48am
    - zulumonster
      
      Jeoprady … aaaaaaagh!
      
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      May 3, 2020 6:00am
Benedict Yu

Just think a few months ago the government had time to worry about plastic stickers on apples ?
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May 2, 2020 8:19am
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Six months ago, as now, worrying about labels on apples is all they are capable of. Oh, and trashing the cordial relationship with our neighbours.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:41am
  - stewmar
    
    Oh, and trashing the cordial relationship with our neighbours.
    
    And screwing up Kiwibuild, and, and……..
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:20am
Happychappy

Surely there will be allowed reasonable retrainted comments on Clark Gayford Partner of our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on kiwiblog this morning after the news he was employed to do a promotional video for our Police Force which has created concern on whether it could be perceived to be ” politicizing the Police Force.
https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/police-commissioner-questioned-over-clarke-gayford-video
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May 2, 2020 8:20am
- John Warren
  
  Very poor “optics”, as they say.
  
  Who engaged [Del.], and how much was he paid?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:02am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Paranormal?
    
    FFS!!!!!
    
    Police using Paranormal “Personalities” for Promos.
    
    where the Dickens is all this coming from?
    
    https://religionandpolitics.org/2017/10/24/the-supernatural-pseudoscience-of-nazi-germany/
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:17am
    - bruceavon
      
      You do know this is a tv show right? nothing particularly sinister about using Officer O’Leary in this ad. Great idea. Wellington Paranormal is pretty popular. But using the PMs partner even if he is in media is dodgy. he can’t do stuff like this I think.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:28am
      - Tony Stuart
        
        As John says above, the optics of this are appalling. It creates the perception that the Police (and that’s who the advert was about, even though it was using a fictional “policewoman”) are in the PM’s pocket – again.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:45am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Because a comedy TV show about the police investigating paranormal occurrences is just like Nazi Germany.
      Do you hurt yourself making such awkward stretches?
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:29am
      - Maggy Wassilieff
        
        I just love making the links, MMA.
        
        You seem to be unaware of how easy it is for a population to embrace propaganda, hero(ine) worship and psychobabble.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:59am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        But there is only a link in your fevered imagination, Maggy.
        Normal people should be disgusted at the screeds of comments comparing NZ to Nazi Germany.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:30am
    - tf78
      
      Maggy – obviously from the other side.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:34am
- JackRabbit
  
  No surprising. Just an extra add on to his existing 10 year political “reality TV” acting contract.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:57am
- Ron Jeremy
  
  Remember the police commissioner had to stand up and say Clark hadn’t been a naughty boy and that there was nothing to see here. It was very odd at the time .Funny how he’s now in an ad for them.
  
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  May 2, 2020 12:38pm
oldfella

And if not Simon, who?
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May 2, 2020 8:23am
- oldfella
  
  Hmm, simple question, asked by someone (me) who will probably give his electorate vote to National, and party vote to ACT (purely on their freedom of speech stance, nothing else). Genuinely interested in other opinions re potential replacements if Simon went. More downticks than uptick. Hmm.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:59am
  - Steve Todd
    
    Were Simon to go suddenly, for whatever reason, there really is only one person who could step up, successfully – Todd Muller. He knows his stuff; he speaks / interviews well – he’s not a boof-head; and he seems to me to be a thoroughly decent chap. In short, as National Party MPs go, he ticks all the boxes.
    
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    May 2, 2020 2:24pm
    - tui47
      
      The risk is that whoever took over as leader would be forced to resign if National failed to win the election. It would be a bad move for an upcoming MP to take the job on with that level of risk.
      
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      May 2, 2020 5:07pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        Not necessarily.
        
        Sid Holland 1943, 1946, 1949; Walter Nash 1954; Keith Holyoake 1957; Norm Kirk 1966, 1969; Bill Rowling 1975, 1978; Mike Moore 1990; Helen Clark 1996, to name a few, were defeated party leaders who led their party into at least the following election.
        
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        May 2, 2020 5:34pm
      - Manu-Rau
        
        Steve Todd: You forgot Winston Peters, several times.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:14pm
      - Steve Todd
        
        Manu-Rau: You are correct; I literally forgot about him. I put it down to the fact that (1) it has always been the case that Winston will go when he decides he will go, and (2) he has never featured in my political considerations, and never will.
        
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        May 3, 2020 9:28am
MrTips

UMR(Stephen Mills)+Corporate clients=Unions?
Who knows.

The only result that matters is Sept. Labour clearly views it’s strategy to win as reliance on domination of the mainstream and social media. It has no delivery or track record to speak of.

How’s that for one source of truth Cindy?
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May 2, 2020 8:28am
- kowtow
  
  The taxpayer loan to small businesses for one year means that many of those companies that would have fallen over in a couple of weeks , showing what a disaster this Wuflu has been , will be put off till after the election .
  The strategy as always , is spend taxpayer money.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:59am
  - Ruahine
    
    This coming election is going to be the most expensive New Zealand hence the voters have ever likely to have experienced.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:18am
  - Mr_Blobby
    
    But who gets to pay the piper?
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:30am
    - barnacle bill
      
      Who pays the Ferryman.
      
      Now that was a excellent British TV show.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:46am
      - Steve Todd
        
        Indeed it was, Bill. Just listened to the theme music, thanks to you, by Yannis Markopoulos. Great stuff.
        
        They should make a re-make of that series.
        
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        May 2, 2020 2:05pm
      - barnacle bill
        
        @ Steve T
        It certainly would be good to see
        
        Another great was
        When the Boat comes In.
        
        There was a run of good British dramas around that time.
        
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        May 2, 2020 3:37pm
    - Steve Todd
      
      Yes, I remember that one, too.
      
      Although completely different, another one I liked back then (about 1976), was “Helen: A Woman of Today”, about a wife and mum who left her cheating husband.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:23pm
  - Paulus
    
    And if these small business fall over where is the money loaned to them by the COL ?
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:20am
  - Ron Jeremy
    
    Yes and giving the banks a serve for not loaning the money. It’s pretty hard to do a cashflow forecast when you don’t know when your allowed to open or what your revenue stream is no wonder the banks have avoided loaning to these business. It’s appalling that the government is lending money in this situation as the taxpayer is basically funding bad debts that will occur in a years time. It’s a band aid for a gaping wound .
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:44pm
    - JackRabbit
      
      Ron I think the Col expect you to do a cashflow forecast with the same degree of thumbsucking they do.
      
      Budget 2018:
      
      GDP rate of growth: Robertson stated that GDP rate of growth was far better than expected.
      
      GDP growth rate always takes a dive before each election because of international reservations over who will get in power, and wavering business confidence. It will usually pick up after the election, and more strongly with a National govt than labour.
      
      In 2008 the dive was quite marked.
      In 2011 despite the earthquakes it was less marked. Why? Because national was going to get back in.
      In 2014 another dip.
      In 2017 a big dip leading to the election. Which never recovered and continued to markedly fall post election.
      
      2018 Budget, Robertson stated that GDP rate of growth was far better than expected, and used this as the basis to increase borrowing. But the GDP growth rate was plummeting like a stone.
      
      Robertson needs to stop sucking thumbs.
      
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      May 2, 2020 1:14pm
  - Old White Loser
    
    The taxpayer loan to small businesses is too little too late.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:53pm
    - Ruawai
      
      Rather than a handout let them open for business and earn it themselves like pre 26th March!!
      
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      May 2, 2020 5:10pm
  - DeepBlue
    
    If you look at any import retail store their stock is paid for and not sold. They missed out on the autumn off loading clearance sales. Left with all this unsold stock how do the pay for new winter stock? How do they even import new stock from China with cargo now being horrendously expensive if the supply line even exists.
    
    I think the SME loan for businesses of $10k might cover losses in March and April, but not May, June or July. And that is still 2 months to election. The $1800 per staff could go to salaries for say a month. However, the owner is still having to make decisions in a negative profit game. This cannot be swept under the carpet.
    
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    May 2, 2020 6:45pm
backster

I received a kind letter from Social Welfare this week advising that I was receiving an extra $25 a week to heat my house. (this being part of the strategy to fight coronavirus}, The qualification was that if I left the country for more than 28 days I must advise Social Welfare and the money flow would cease. I worry that Winston Peters might not comprehend this clause and would hope that someone of integrity might be found within the government who could explain it to him.
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May 2, 2020 8:29am
- John Warren
  
  You can safely assume that there will be no explanation for Winston.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:03am
- Ruahine
  
  Perhaps his good friend could help him out.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:20am
Justitia

In the wake of the latest UMR political poll results I realize I have now reached that point in life where you realize you are no longer a meaningful participant but merely an observer. Apparently it happens to most generations as they age. The country I once called New Zealand no longer exists. I will go gentle into that Good Night…
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May 2, 2020 8:31am
- John Warren
  
  I had that feeling too. And I’m only 58.
  
  But take heart, there’s much that smells iffy about that poll.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:04am
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  Sorry, but that’s a terrible attitude. What about the country you will hand to your kids or grand kids and their kids?
  
  On the current trajectory, little ‘Sophie’ and ‘James’ will be the target of the ‘Hones’, ‘Mohammeds’, and ‘Fatimas’ who have been indoctrinated into hating them. The signs are already there.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:27am
  - Benedict Yu
    
    I’m 58 too. The problem is that I don’t have time to wait for things to get fixed. If the election goes the wrong way I will be in Australia by the end of the year. I simply cannot go through more of this for another three years.
    
    If National wins I will probably give it another year and see what they do. Unfortunately, there comes a point where things cannot be fixed without a world of pain. And with MMP it is difficult to maintain positively reforming policies. A classic example is Argentina. They get in the shit. They eject governments to fix the shit. The remedies cause pain. Government gets voted out and new Government piles on more shit. That has been the cycle of Argentina for 70 years.
    
    There is nothing to protect New Zealand becoming an Argentina.
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:11am
    - Ian Boag
      
      Do we take it that you have an Aus passport or Aus PR? Otherwise a 58 year old heading to Oz on a 441 (guest worker) visa is sort of sticking his neck out. Stay there long enough and you won’t get NZ or Oz pension ….
      
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      May 2, 2020 5:49pm
      - Benedict Yu
        
        I have dual New Zealand\Australia Citizenship.
        
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        May 2, 2020 7:05pm
    - Ian Boag
      
      Germany seems to manage MMP OK.
      
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      May 2, 2020 5:51pm
      - Manu-Rau
        
        Maybe that’s because the German system requires that the party with the largest share of the vote must be included in the government.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:21pm
- Tony Stuart
  
  Hang in there Justitia. The PM and her party might be riding the crest of the wave this week, but waves have a habit of breaking, creating a whole lot of turbulence.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:29am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Said waves always leave detritus when they recede.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:45am
- Engelbert Humperdink
  
  Personally, Justitia, I’ll be channelling a bit o’ Dylan Thomas first 🙂
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:14am
  - The Proper Ghandi
    
    EH
    We could all just pull up stumps and “go gentle into that good night” per Dylan Thomas, but that defeatist attitude in the face of dark forces is well evoked by my boy Yeats:
    
    “The best lack all conviction, while the worst
    Are full of passionate intensity.”
    
    You’ve go to have convictions and act upon them.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:47pm
    - alwyn
      
      Dylan Thomas did NOT write “go gentle into …”
      The poem is presenting exactly the opposite meaning, as you can see from the first verse.
      It actually says
      
      “Do not go gentle into that good night,
      Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
      Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
      
      The poem continues in exactly the same vein.
      https://www.cgcs.org/cms/lib/DC00001581/Centricity/Domain/25/Coleman_Poem_Do_not_go_gentle_into_that_good_night.pdf
      
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      May 2, 2020 2:21pm
      - The Proper Ghandi
        
        No shit. Really? I know the poem perfectly well. OP Justitia adapted the phrase for their comment, so my own comment reflected that adaption. In fact, if you want to get technical (which you apparently do) look at the poem text, that you yourself have posted: Thomas did in fact use the words “go gentle into that good night.” “Do not” has been removed for our rhetorical purposes.
        
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        May 2, 2020 4:00pm
BeeJay

Not sure what’s going on! You would think that the Nat caucus would either get behind Simon 100%, and do it out loud, or make a decision before it’s too late! When you start hearing long term Nat voters starting to express real concerns about where we’re heading in polls, even a suspect Labour generated poll, and the party leadership, and it’s not just a rumble in the ranks, you have to worry?
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May 2, 2020 8:31am
- lifesgood
  
  Do you believe all the tweets “Abdul from Marakesh has always voted National but won’t this year”
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:42am
  - BeeJay
    
    Sadly you’re so far off the mark! I’m not talking about the Abduls of the world, the voters who decide preference by media! The people I’m talking about have bought million dollar villas in retirement villages, have no worries about money, who see the increased winter heating supplement as just a few more boxes of wine, the superannuation payment as a bit of pocket money for the next cruise! These people have come from top jobs in industries, retired owners of businesses, and have voted National all their lives! These people are actually saying that they have concerns about the direction of the Party under Simon’s leadership! Doesn’t mean that they are going to jump ship, but they may very well help ACT get a lot more seats! Is that a bad thing? Or will they even bother to vote at all in September? These people don’t need National, the CoL are looking after them very nicely! But, if they’re going to vote they are looking for strong leadership from their Party that will convince them to get out on Election Day! Don’t treat them as a joke!!
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:54am
    - Hard Cheese
      
      If they sell their voting soul for a measly Winter Energy Payment, then they’ll get from another Labour government what they deserve – a Capital Gains Tax, Wealth Tax and a nice Inheritance Tax to pass onto their children and grandchildren. Thanks Gran!
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:52am
- KevO'Brien
  
  Keep your powder dry. The Nats are just doing that. This is not a time to announce the active policy making taking place. Big changes may be needed further by July.
  Labour accepts sycophants as “advisers” so the blind are leading the blind. National do not they have a much broader spectrum to call on with experience out side student union politics. National are equipped to deal with 20Bn earthquakes and any other economic disasters like a money printing Minister of Finance and a SLG.
  
  NZ is not going to become a communist state. We had a useful social security model not the failed others.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:30am
Don Beckett

“Why, if Bridges is such a liability to National, are so many trying so hard to get rid of him –”

But are they though? That is what the media want you to think – maybe it indicates that Bridges is doing better than they want, so don’t want to give him any positive publicity – only negative.
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May 2, 2020 8:31am
- Brian McDonald
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  You’re struggling if you are giving power to the media. Look at the signs. Bridges got to lead the Covid 19 Committee but it seems all he did was be negative. An example was when they had the new Police Commissioner there he basically accused him of relinquishing power to those communities that wanted roadblocks to ensure Covid wasn’t imported. So instead of asking the question as to the situation, he started a cross-examination. He’s out of touch. They did the same with Bloomfield earlier. Bridges didn’t have the brains to realise that it wasn’t an inquisition but a time to be supportive of those on the front lines and have them share their first-hand information.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:49am
  - Chris R
    
    …so in other words Simon Bridges spoke truthfully about the road blocks to an as yet untested Police Commissioner. We can’t have that can we?
    
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    May 2, 2020 8:58am
    - Suze Wainwright
      
      He proved the Labour ministers – esp. Stuart Nash and Willie Jackson – were utterly hopeless. The very next day – Facebook flame campaign…
      
      I note Willie Jackson’s still trying to excuse himself and go on about how Simon Bridges makes nasty comments
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:11am
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        The interlect that Jackson is, gave Adhern baby brain
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:50am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      Actually, this Commissioner has arrived in the most testing of times. It’s Simon that is untested and he’s botched it.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:18am
  - fernglas
    
    I don’t see what’s negative about asking about the legality of vigilante roadblocks. Isn’t that his job? If he is “off message” by not buying into the current mass hysteria, then he is to be congratulated, not excoriated
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:02am
    - Suze Wainwright
      
      Oh gosh fernglas, it’s racist!
      
      Woke, sensitive Pakeha don’t perceive Simon Bridges and Paula Bennett as ‘real’ Maori either…
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:14am
      - Suze Wainwright
        
        One of the (many) things that grossly upsets lefties are Maori in the National Party and National Party members who have grown up in state house/welfare backgrounds…
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:16am
      - barnacle bill
        
        @Suze.
        About your post above
        
        Not all business or wealthy people vote National.
        Just as unionist don’t always vote Labour.
        
        That is one thing that is good about democracy, one person, one vote.
        
        And we are free to make that choice on polling day.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:56am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
      I’m sure the interview is online it might pay to listen to it again if you haven’t already. The Commissioner explained what was happening and its police moderation.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:20am
      - Engelbert Humperdink
        
        The police are not there to sympathize and enable law-breakers because of their melatonin levels.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:26am
      - freethinker
        
        Ignoring the legality ofthe road blocks, the [Deleted – Mod] manning them are breaking their bubble and probably out of area, what did the police do – nothing , what did the new Kommondant do ignore that issue. So far the new Kommandant is looking even worse than the Bush Commander.
        
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        May 2, 2020 12:04pm
    - Justitia
      
      In case you haven’t seen it here is footage showing Police forcing people to undergo the gauntlet of the racist roadblocks: videos/2954212681312798/
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:20am
      - Justitia
        
        https://www.facebook.com/videos/2954212681312798/
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:28am
      - Manu-Rau
        
        I see the page has been removed, Justitia.
        
        That kinda proves that Bridges was telling the truth, and the Stasi Kommissar was covering the issue up.
        
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        May 2, 2020 9:36pm
  - Martin Williams
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    1. The butchers and bakers committee might have started off ok but then the prosector in Bridges took over. I devolved into an inquisition with leading public figures in the dock for some strange reason.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:13am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      Sod off Martin. If you had heard the evidence from the Auckland City Missioner and the CEO of Independent Women’s Refuges about the upsurge of demand for their services in the last few weeks, and the social harm in our communities during lockdown, you might understand the powderkeg we are currently sitting on.
      
      Describing the ERC as “The butchers and bakers committee” demeans those who are suffering, those who have already ended their own lives, and those who are facing a grim future.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:24am
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    So you would prefer that we didn’t find out that our Health System has an inadequate distribution system (for PPE and Flu vaccines), outdated data collation systems, and a non-performing Minister in charge?
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:29am
    - Paulus Gnome
      
      I know! I know! YES!
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:52am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Bridges didn’t have the brains to realise that it wasn’t an inquisition but a time to be supportive of those on the front lines and have them share their first-hand information.
    
    Sorry Brian, but that’s absolute bollocks. The purpose of the Epidemic Response Committee is to scrutinise decisions made by the Government, and to hold the Government to account for those descisions.
    
    Andrew Coster was evasive under questioning, so Bridges, Mitchell, Woodhouse and Seymour DID cross-examine him rigorously. It’s telling that he refused to comment on legal advice from Crown Law as to the legality of the Government’s decisions, especially those in regard to enhanced Police powers.
    
    Every New Zealander should be demanding answers, and it is healthy for our democracy that the ERC is not just rubber-stamping the Government’s decisions, nor acting as cheerleaders.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:17am
    - Brian McDonald
      
      Scrutiny if fine, as long as it doesn’t remain bedded criticism and accusations.
      
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      May 2, 2020 12:01pm
- John Warren
  
  Bridges represents a dilemma for me. He’s clearly a very competent leader, but he’s not a generally likeable or charismatic one. He has a whiff of car dealer about him. In the era of personality politics he doesn’t cut it, and he is turning voters off.
  
  Thanks to personality politics we have the imbecile woman. I hate to see the game being played. However pragmatism is needed. Bridges must step aside. There are other, better suited roles for him. And unlike Labour, National has credible alternatives.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:12am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    I’ll certainly agree that Labour has absolutely no alternatives whatsoever…
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:23am
    - Suze Wainwright
      
      And they should actually find that slightly worrying
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:28am
      - Paulus
        
        Nah ! Cindy is Invincible !
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:24am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Your post has the aura of ‘I have always voted National but . . .’
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:54am
    - John Warren
      
      Ha! Thanks. But in actual fact, it’s the opposite. I haven’t always voted National (looking back to my tragic, misguided youth) but I always will now, Simon or no Simon.
      
      The sad thing is I like Simon a lot, but I don’t think he has the broad appeal necessary to get the swing voters over to his side.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:34am
      - Paulus Gnome
        
        You make a make good points about SB there which I cannot disagree with.
        
        When the bank is talking about foreclosing or you have been invited to reapply for your position, do you want someone with professional training and a logical thought process, albeit perceived as boring, or, a toss out from the clown car with no experience in reality, in anything?
        
        My problem, in addition to all those provided to the court by my ex-wife, is that I have wanted to be responsible for my own outcomes, taken direction of my life which has been successful in some areas and not so in others.
        
        I have always voted for the party that provides for self determination, being responsible for ones own outcomes, so that is the Conservatives in Britain and National here in New Zealand.
        
        This is why I do not believe the UMR polling. If the mindset is like mine, there is no chance that I would ever consider more state intervention into my life with ‘free’ money, bribes, at the cost of being beholding to the feeding hand.
        
        A National voter is a responsible voter, anything else is about dreams. Silent Tories to a feather make the UMR poll unbelievable and more likely it was held in a phone box during lock-down or on pieces of paper passed under the toilet stalls in Fraser House.
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:41am
  - freethinker
    
    For me its not Bridges personality or delivery that disappoints me its the lack of policies that promise to repeal or ammend so much of the deeply flawed legislation enacted by the current clowns.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:09pm
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  I posted this a week or so back, but it bears a repost.
  
  ‘Hoaxed: Everything they told you is a lie.’
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkogF9XD4QM&t=2387s
  
  Amazon have banned it, so it may not be around much longer.
  
  Who do the tech companies ban, and who’s opinions and worldviews do the MSM tend to censor? The people who understand how the world works and tell the truth about it.
  
  If Bridges were actually in trouble, the media would not be telling us that he was. Black is white and up is down Through the Looking Glass that is the corporate media.
  
  If they were to move on him based upon the MSM rhetoric, it would indicate that they too are bewitched and have no clue what their voters actually think.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:21am
  - tf78
    
    TPG – Thank you for posting that doco – it proves my thoughts exactly. It’s a must listen.
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:13am
- KevO'Brien
  
  We have many COL Troll visiting here all with the same meme. Labour always fight dirty and underground–typical among the union mobsters.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:32am
- Suze Wainwright
  
  “But are they though? That is what the media want you to think – maybe it indicates that Bridges is doing better than they want, so don’t want to give him any positive publicity – only negative.”
  
  I do believe there are sectors wanting to avoid any possibility of the uninformed public watching Simon and Jacinda have a one-on-one debate…
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:23am
G152

Notice how quickly fake news leapt on to it.
Next National government should shut them down if the current debacle doesn’t.
And TV channels have to fund themselves off advertising with several axe wielding managers running them…
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May 2, 2020 8:33am
- tf78
  
  Don’t shut them down – show them up for the liars they are and prove their unworthiness.
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:16am
Tauhei Notts

Just by chance, in the boredom of Shutdown, I have come across several brilliant parodies of Donald Trump on You Tube. I do not know how to retrieve them; possibly some knowledgeable person can, but the take offs with brilliant music like the timeless Wimoweh and some of the classical Simon & Garfunkel stuff is real good.
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May 2, 2020 8:41am
- kowtow
  
  Any of Xi Jin ping?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:03am
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    Search parodies, Muhammad.
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:43am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Here’s the Lion Sleeps Tonight one:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkU1ob_lHCw
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:07am
Inandout

Labour (in their thinking) purchased the media at just the right time to promote Brand Jacinda, and deflate Bridges. The truth is most people don’t buy the dailies, don’t subscribe, and just glance over Stuff. If we wonder why most people are so compliant then it cam be traced back to the Covid lady on radio, the slightly bossy but soothing voice that instructs us how we should behave. Whatever station you are tuned into she is there in the background punching her ‘message’.

“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”
― Joseph Goebbels
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May 2, 2020 8:43am
- kowtow
  
  The blond cue reader on TV1 last night , in a report on Wuflu in Denmark actually said Denmark , like New Zealand “went early and hard” , so there you have it .Not news , but propaganda , fake and merely a repeating of the party line.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:07am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    I misread “cue” as “cute” and nearly…
    
    7 2
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    May 2, 2020 9:33am
  - tf78
    
    Take a look at The Proper Ghandi’s video link above – it says it all.
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:17am
- Joe Kerr
  
  From the true father of modern propaganda: “No serious sociologist any longer believes that the voice of the people expresses any divine or specially wise and lofty idea. The voice of the people expresses the mind of the people, and that mind is made up for it by the group leaders in whom it believes and by those persons who understand the manipulation of public opinion. It is composed of inherited prejudices and symbols and clichés and verbal formulas supplied to them by the leaders.” Edward Bernays, 1928.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:12am
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  Yes. The Americans took the rocket scientists and the propagandists (or at least, the latter’s ideas) then went to the moon, and sold us dishwashers and irrational policies, respectively.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:39am
I remember when

If Clark Gayford is allowed to comment with great freedom in the press and appear with regularity on TV and radio how much restriction should there be on Kiwiblog?
He can hardly be considered apolitical.
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May 2, 2020 8:43am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  What restrictions do you imagine are placed on Kiwiblog?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:13am
  - MCos
    
    Those moderators they employ here are pretty ruthless, so I hear!
    
    [Mod: Employ? “Employ” implies that money changes hands, and I can assure you that is NOT the case. We cop the abuse for free!]
    
    6 3
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    May 2, 2020 11:22am
    - zulumonster
      
      There is more than one definition:
      1.
      give work to (someone) and pay them for it.
      
      2.
      make use of.
      
      Perhaps you are being made use of?
      
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      May 3, 2020 7:17am
Scott

Just a slight diversion into American politics. Joe Biden was actually asked about the sexual assault allegation today on Morning Joe. He denied it, it never happened. Former DNC leader Donna Brazille said, “that’s good enough for me.” Time to move on.

What happened to “believe all women”?
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May 2, 2020 8:44am
- Inandout
  
  Scott, Kavanagh was subjected to the most vile comments from the ‘me too’ movement and all and sundry feminist groups. Crickets from them now Creepy Joe is the subject. This aspect hasn’t escaped those who believe most US news is invented.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:53am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
    There’s plenty of criticism of Biden. You just ain’t looking for it, so that you can play up your invented double standard.
    
    4 35
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    May 2, 2020 9:16am
    - All_on_Red
      
      Whereas you practice actual double standards everyday.
      And tell the most lies.
      Pretty sad really you lie so much.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:36am
      - mikenmildagain
        
        Sad!
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:32am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Now, now Scott. As you don’t ‘believe all women’, you can hardly adopt that as your standard. But i#If you did, you would be believing one allegation against Biden, as opposed to thirty against Trump.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:15am
  - All_on_Red
    
    Eight against Biden
    Tell us more about the ’30’ against Trump.Does that include when he kissed someone on the cheek?
    Shocking
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:34am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Here is a partial list:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations
      A shorter list for Joe Biden:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Biden#Allegations_of_inappropriate_physical_contact
      No one who voted for Trump last time is going to vote other wise this time because of his record of serial sexual assault. His election proved that didn’t matter.
      The allegations against Biden are not going to persuade anyone to vote for Trump instead.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:33am
      - Inandout
        
        m&m, a whole network of trawlers was involved trying to pin something on Trump, and they shouted from the rooftops. Anyway, here is a fair appraisal of the whole saga:
        https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/01/biden-denies-sexual-assault-allegations-228303
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:47am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    Who care about Biden–he needs to be booked into a dementia care facility. If the Dems put him up as a POTUS candidate they must be planning a switch–dishonest from the heart. If not the Dems show a measure of stupidty outclassed by that offered by Biden.
    Enjoy pondering on your disabled socialist favourites. Remember the USA is important to NZ globally and the creature in the White House is not the man in the moon.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:42am
    - barnacle bill
      
      Well obviously Trump does care.
      
      When it was pointed out to Trump by his advisors this last week that the polls were going against him, he explode, yelling
      I Am Not Going To Loose to that F-ing Biden.
      
      At the moment, the polls are going against Trump
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:08am
      - Inandout
        
        bb, CNN was listening in?
        
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        May 2, 2020 11:49am
      - barnacle bill
        
        The key as to how well Biden will go re election will hinge on who he chooses as his running mate.
        
        If as predicted it is a woman, then that will be a point of difference no doubt.
        Getting the right woman is that key.
        
        Having to very experienced, long term politicians would make Trump very nervous.
        
        Will it be Elizabeth Warren ?
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:48pm
      - barnacle bill
        
        Ohhps
        Two, not to
        
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        May 2, 2020 1:55pm
- Scott
  
  Mikey my dear chap. Biden had around 10 interviews and was asked 81 questions but was not asked even once about Tara Reade! How do you explain that?
  Brett Kavanaugh was vilified re Christine Blasey Ford and to this day is still asterixed as “accused of sexual assault” by many in the media.
  And no one ever asked Donald Trump about sexual allegations?? Like no one ever asked him about Stormy Daniels?
  
  Biden was not asked about Tara Reade until yesterday, over a month after the allegations first came out in a few media outlets.
  Why wasn’t the mainstream media all over this story?
  We know why don’t we. Biden is a Democrat. That’s all we need to know.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:49am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Did you somehow miss the extensive coverage of Reade’s allegations? In that case, how do you know about them?
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:37am
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  Scott
  If anyone can look at that, not see a blatant double-standard, and then claim there is no concerted campaign to depose or prevent Trump’s re-election, then they should just turn out the lights and forget about it.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:58am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Of course there is a concerted campaign to prevent Trump’s re-election. It’s run by the Democratic Party. If their candidate does well enough, that campaign will succeed.
    You can read about the campaign here:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_us_presidental_election
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:39am
    - The Proper Ghandi
      
      Lights out.
      
      2 2
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      May 2, 2020 10:57am
- oldfella
  
  And now another, decidedly creepy, Biden allegation has emerged. With a 14 year old girl!
  https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/woman-claims-biden-sexually-harassed-her-when-she-was-14-years-old-by-complimenting-her-breasts/
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:31am
  - mikenmildagain
    
    Next thing, a tape will emerge of Biden boasting about sexual assault. He’ll dismiss it as “locker-room talk”, and no one will care.
    This sort of thing is baked into US politics now.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:40am
    - Scott
      
      Actually Mikey. I’ve just watched the interview of Joe Biden by Mika on Morning Joe. It’s pretty hard hitting! Who would have thought? Actual journalism against a Democrat on Morning Joe!? Wonders never cease.
      
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      May 2, 2020 1:40pm
    - cmm
      
      Consensual sexual activity is not sexual assault.
      
      There is a bit of a difference between “They let you do xxx” and doing xxx while the person is objecting.
      
      “They let you” makes all the difference.
      
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      May 2, 2020 2:13pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        And Trump also claimed he was making it all up anyway. Although his ‘grab them by the’ comment is perfectly consistent with his MO as described by victims.
        
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        May 2, 2020 2:22pm
- Fletch
  
  Glenn Beck posted on the contrast of the media coverage of the Kavanaugh story vs Biden.
  
  “Let me just show you the duplicity here,” Glenn said. “On Sept. 16, 2018, within minutes of the Washington Post story outlining Blasey Ford’s claim that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party more than three decades earlier, the New York Times immediately published a story stating that Kavanaugh’s nomination was in turmoil.”
  
  “CNN reported the news immediately with an article, and then another one likening it to Anita Hill, then another one describing the White House as ‘mounting an intense effort to squash the accusation,'” Glenn continued. “Then CNN did another one describing a senator’s assessment of how Kavanaugh’s nomination would go forward. And then finally, another one, all in the same day, describing how Democrats would push for a delay in Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote.”
  
  By contrast, Tara Reade, a former staff assistant to then-U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, spoke out during a podcast released March 25, alleging that Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993.
  
  That day, both the New York Times and CNN ran with a story about the futility of Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign.
  
  “On day two,” continued Glenn, “Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Biden and they talked about ‘Where’s Waldo?’ [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)] spoke on the Senate floor, touting the new green new deal, saying that Republicans refuse to admit that climate change is real. And CNN teased an upcoming CNN town hall with Joe Biden. The Reade accusations were not discussed on-air … I should just point out, they were never addressed. This goes on day after day.”
  
  It’s as plain as day to see that the U.S media are so left wing that they are practically a promotional arm of the Democrat party. They will jump to accuse a Republican but will hold back almost entirely if a liberal or a Democrat is accused. Just look at how Bill Clinton got away with it for years. Ditto any Hollywood elite.
  
  The NZ media pretty much just repeat what comes over the wires from the AP and the US media.
  
  I see now that the Dems have organized a committee to look into Trump’s handling of the coronavirus, staffed by ALL Democrats and led by Schiff again. It’s practically going to be impeachment 2.0. They just can’t abide Trump being there and are indefatigable in their efforts to get rid of him despite the election being only months away and people can vote him out if they like.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:47am
  - Scott
    
    Great post Fletch. I think that’s the nub of the issue. The democrats just cannot accept a Republican Pres. They will only accept the result of the election when they win.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:03pm
    - Michael NZ
      
      what did Hilary say at the time?
      charity when we win…
      
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      May 2, 2020 5:34pm
Ipanema69

Re-posted into GD today with a few amendments.

Kiwiblog team!

Keep the faith, there will be an election in September and the COL will loose.

There is too much time between then and now for the economic impact to sheet home. This ought to be enough in spades to take labour down. I may have said this before but elections in NZ are decided by less than 100,000 swinging voters.

There are fleeting stories regarding layoffs that would ordinarily be a huge deal in the media that just get lost in the COVID 19 noise. Yesterday the hermitage announced that it was shuttering its hotel at Mt Cook with 160 plus redundancies. Do you think that any of those people are currently thinking “well thank god that Jacinda is in charge, if she hadn’t been I might have lost my job twice!”

The coming recession will flip enough of these voters to ensure a change of government. People vote based on their pocket book not “feelz”.

Additionally we will get a 2nd wave of COVID in the winter, every other country that has locked down has had this experience. The lockdown is merely delaying the inevitable.

Cindy saying “we have won the battle” will be recorded in history as her George Bush “Mission Accomplished” moment.

Right now Cindy is the biggest asset the COL has however pride comes before the fall. In a few short months she will be a millstone around the neck.

My thoughts are with all of you suffering the economic effects of the COL response. Keep the faith things will get better.
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May 2, 2020 8:44am
- Inandout
  
  Ipan, this is how Bob Jones predicted it would play out. Lots of job losses resulting in Jacinda’s gloss slowly turning off. There are so many layoffs we don’t get to read about them, but these are human beings we are talking about. If the media wont list a daily tally of companies, or just numbers affected, perhaps Kiwblog could.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:00am
  - tf78
    
    Any fool could predict the repercussions of Jacinda’s handling of the Newflu and the economic and psychological outcome for many.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:17am
  - Tony Stuart
    
    Yep; another 170 job losses yesterday at just one site. The Hermitage hotel at Mt Cook is to be mothballed indefinitely, with just eight of the 178 staff retained. The best case scenario is that the The Hermitage reopens in October, but that depends on tourism gearing up again.
    
    The head of one of the hotel groups was on Newstalk ZB last week. He said that whilst it was nice to think about Kiwis planning domestic holidays, hotels could not survive on school holiday occupancy only. He then mentioned that 15,000 people are employed in the hotel industry in New Zealand, and many of those jobs will simply disappear.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:29am
    - Ipanema69
      
      Yes Tony & Robbo is saying in the papers today that domestic tourism may not be permitted under level 2 (yet another change to the definitions).
      
      The COL just doesn’t understand that employers, directors, sole traders etc are having to made decisions now about the future of their businesses. They can’t operate on the basis of maybes or mights.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:37pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Would that ‘Mission Accomplished’ moment be a reference to the George W Bush speech, you know, that one he gave before he went on to be re-elected?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:19am
  - oldfella
    
    You mean the speech he gave onboard a naval vessel, which had a Mission Accomplished banner up relating to something the ship had recently accomplished? It provided the background scenery for Bush’s speech, and he got stuck with that message by the MSM. Something they wouldn’t have turned into an object of ridicule if the President has been Obama, or Clinton, etc…
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:13am
    - mikenmildagain
      
      Whoosh.
      
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      May 2, 2020 11:08am
  - Ipanema69
    
    On May 1st 2003 American combat deaths in Iraq were 103. This was the day that Bush made his “Mission Accomplished” speech. Subsequent to that speech the US was to loose a further 3424 (KIA) soldiers, sailors and airmen in Iraq before combat operations ended, not to mention spend countless billions of dollars in what history has judged to be an exercise in futility i.e. there were no WMD and/or significant threat to the world. The entire war was based on faulty intelligence and assumptions.
    
    The parallels with Cindy’s response to Covid-19 are uncanny and history will be a very cruel judge.
    
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    May 2, 2020 4:29pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      My point was not really about Iraq, but just to note that the ‘mission accomplished’ bullshit did not prevent Bush from being re-elected. So I thought your analogy there was flawed, but I now realise your point.
      
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      May 2, 2020 6:51pm
- KevO'Brien
  
  My vision of the economic situation for NZ forward is one I don’t want to look at. I’ve made thing work–no one then in charge is going to like to have to deal with it. Simple socialist themes when applied allow sales of round pizza boards but not square ones.
  Commanding an economy was a job for Joe Stalin’s minions. Churchill strong armed a very busy newspaper owner to organise production of war supplies when needed. That understanding of the vital interlinks between social, financial and commercial activities and relations is needed. Those are experienced not gained in lectures.
  Get NZ going again will be our cry.
  ☑️☑️Experienced Governance 2020☑️☑️
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:56am
- theoldbloke
  
  As you say.. A long time until election….
  As we return to Level 2 and shock horror level 1.
  (In the 10 days before the election).
  That will support the we saved you message and see we are back on track to get NZ working and living again.
  
  So what will be the Oppositions meme?
  We can fix this?
  We told you so?
  
  That will all be canned with the Cindy dust of we saved you and we are going to get you out of this Internationally caused crisis.
  
  An aside.
  I had to laugh when responding to the good Dr Gormans comments “Caught with Pants down”>
  
  The PR wizz threw in a preprogramed diversion response.
  “”Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern rejected Gorman’s allegations.
  
  “New Zealand, 20 days after our first case, closed our borders to foreign travellers,” she said.””
  
  On the face of it sounds fair.
  But as always. Take a step back…
  It was a panic decision…
  I looked at all those countries who had reported cases before NZs 28th February 1st Case.
  Yes only Lithuania and Norway responded faster.
  
  But thats not the whole story! (of course)
  MOST countries introduced screening and blocking the borders was a last resort.
  Country Days from 1st Case to Borders closed.
  S. Korea 84
  Japan 78
  Thailand 73
  France 73
  Sri Lanka 72
  Hong Kong 63
  Macao 63
  Canada 61
  Singapore 60
  Taiwan 59
  Vietnam 59
  Australia 55
  Finland 50
  UAE 50
  Germany 49
  Sweden 44
  Romania 25
  Algeria 23
  New Zealand 20
  Norway 19
  Lithuania 17
  
  Even Gold standard Taiwan waited 2 months while they did other things to mitigate the disruption to their economy.
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:42pm
Peter Lane

Another load of sycophantic drivel from Claire Trevett.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12328661
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May 2, 2020 8:46am
- The Proper Ghandi
  
  Yes. The first one and a half sentences were awful…?
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:55am
oldpark

Don’t dream it wont happen. [Deleted – Mod] Ardern will not be lifting the Alert Level 3 anytime soon before May 11 . In fact there is no guarantee that maybe Alert Level 2 will kick in anytime soon as well . After the latest Labour Party debatable Poll making the [Deleted – Mod] on popularity of 65% almost emulating John Key after the ChristChurch Earthquake when he polled in the 70s % in the popularity stakes .
Given that Power is the ultimate “Aphrodisiac” No one call fool all of the people all of the time . Not even the [Deleted – Mod] Ardern .Time to end the facade of continous Lockup for the majority of NZs and let them live again.

[Mod – give it a rest oldpark]
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May 2, 2020 8:47am
- tf78
  
  She can stay in Level 3 for as long as she likes – I’m not.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:04am
  - John Warren
    
    I was back at work Thursday, on the tools because I’ve had to let two of my four staff go (let’s not talk about how bloody horrible that has been). All that aside, it was a great joy to be out and about again. I never thought I’d be so happy to see cars on the road and people going about their business. I enjoyed the drive, I enjoyed the sunshine, I enjoyed seeing people, I enjoyed getting stuck into my work, I loved the coffee I bought from the van that came to the worksite, I loved everything about leaving the lockdown behind.
    
    Everybody I spoke to was in the same frame of mind. Nobody I spoke to mentioned the virus. Nobody crowed about Toothy or her wonderful leadership skills. Everybody talked of the devastating impact of the lockdown on their lives…
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:31am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      Thoughts with you John. Letting good staff go is never easy, but sadly that’s the position thousands of small business owners are in right now. I’m sure you know your staff’s families, and you know how much your decision will impact on them, but I don’t doubt it’s a decision you’ve had to make to allow the business to survive. Hang tough mate.
      
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      May 2, 2020 9:40am
      - John Warren
        
        Thank you Tony, I appreciate the kind words.
        
        I was on the eve of making the redundancies when [del.] came out with her directive to private employers to value their employees like she does hers, and it made me absolutely livid. Both these guys have been with me a long time, five and eight years, both have been crucial to the success of my little business up until now, [del] has forced me into the position in which I have to let them go, and she has the fucking temerity to stand there and tell me to value my employees?!
        
        It has been very difficult. I’m truly grateful for your sympathy.
        
        47 1
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        May 2, 2020 9:55am
      - John Warren
        
        [Direct your complaint to the blog editor (address at foot of the blog). Thanks, Mod.]
        
        1 7
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        May 2, 2020 10:05am
      - KevO'Brien
        
        I get it secondary as I do the accounts for those with workers on the tools. It’s certainly devastating. The future looks bleak as contracts have been terminated. Future business not already locked in is problematical. It’s competitive which means facing others who will be accepting a loss just to keep their business name temporarily.
        
        The speed of decisions will slow down too. Some will be deferred until after the elections, others to the “new year”. For such decisions NZ shuts down from the the beginning of November to the end of January. Subbies are reliant on the main contractor getting the go ahead so trades people will be on a very lean slope. Many are already hand to mouth and steady cashflow enables survival. A serious drop in continuity of new work will see them talking to the bank, mortgaging their house or just quitting as the last resort. I have to wonder about my clients’ survival for another 12 months.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:13am
      - John Warren
        
        @Kev 10.13am – precisely the situation I’m in with my small automation company. We have had several contracts cancelled or postponed indefinitely, our regular cash flow is way down (clients we regularly work for either still shut down or cutting their expenditure), and pricing has slowed to a trickle. At this point I don’t expect to make half 2019’s turnover.
        
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        May 2, 2020 10:39am
    - Ruawai
      
      And I’ll bet no one moaned about having to come to work like they might have a few months ago.
      
      18 1
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      May 2, 2020 9:49am
      - John Warren
        
        Not a hint of it.
        
        19 1
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        May 2, 2020 9:56am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  I am on temp stand down atm. Went into work yesterday arvo to do some WOFs. Amazing how many places are not open in the Rosedale/Albany industrial area. They are businesses that should be open, but with no public access.
  Sad times for some
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:12am
  - Inandout
    
    Steve, if 100 small businesses said stuff it and opened what would Jacinda do? It would possibly start an avalanche of openings, and like Maori road blocks, there is little the police could do about it.
    
    9 2
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    May 2, 2020 12:01pm
    - Steve Otto(North Shore)
      
      PTPM would call in the Military if she thought she could get away with it. Total control.
      As I have said many times, socialists will not relinquish their power easily. Look at history, even recent history – Venezuela
      
      8 2
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      May 2, 2020 2:01pm
      - Close Hen Counters
        
        The military should have been utilised in January when everyone except comrade madame cindy knew that quarantining any traveller kiwi or not, would be the best plan of action for our country: economy, health wise …. but no, this is what we have achieved
        
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        May 2, 2020 4:50pm
    - Classic Liberal
      
      Inandout, they would make an example of a few: big media involvement, paint them as ‘businesses that want to kill granny’ and possibly create court cases. That’s how dictatorships function.
      
      5 2
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      May 2, 2020 2:07pm
      - Steve Otto(North Shore)
        
        At least someone gets it
        
        4 2
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        May 2, 2020 2:26pm
  - John Warren
    
    I’m not seeing 75% of anything right now.
    
    8 1
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    May 2, 2020 12:55pm
  - Ruawai
    
    We are allowed to use eftpos at fast food and supermarkets but have to pay online for hardware and stationary and order a few days ahead, nuts and no consistency.
    
    4 1
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    May 2, 2020 5:15pm
Paulus

The constituency I vote in does not have Ardern on the list so how can I vote for her ?
Two blues again then.
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May 2, 2020 8:52am
- mikenmildagain
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Wow. My electorate won’t have Bridges as a candidate, so I guess I can’t vote for him. Seems unfair.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:20am
  - KevO'Brien
    
    They are a bit small minded.
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:14am
I remember when

“We have shipped about 50,000 tonnes so far in April”. The forestry sector in Tairawhiti started work again on Tuesday. Eastland Port had a dispensation to load logs during Alert Level 4.
They had around 110,000 tonnes logs at start of Level 4 and 6700 tonnes on Tuesday and 11.000 tonnes were received on Wednesday.
On Thursday the Erradale was loading with two loggers in the Bay. Port Botany, Yangtze Eternal, Funing and Clearwater Bay were to load during the next week.
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May 2, 2020 8:55am
- Paulus
  
  Tauranga Port has NO logs anywhere – all have been shipped.
  Understand should be some shortly again – never heard of this before – looks strange.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:32am
Brian McDonald

Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Amongst the general depression here SME’s are forgotten. Firstly get out and support local businesses. Secondly appreciate the low to no interest loans offered by the Government to SME’s that want them. Lastly, look ahead to the new economy, keeping cars off the road and working at home for those that can – that’s got to be a big (and easy) part of the future. Also, look green, much like that farmer was doing a couple of weeks back on Country Calendar, no pesticides just smart farming.
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May 2, 2020 8:58am
- tf78
  
  Brian -I hope you don’t get sick of living your new life – you can remain behind whilst the rest of us progress forward with a new government and recapture our old lives.
  
  24 2
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  May 2, 2020 9:10am
  - Brian McDonald
    
    Happy with it, adversity breeds strength. Just a small touch of what my parents and grandparents went through without moaning.
    
    2 25
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    May 2, 2020 9:29am
    - John Warren
      
      You really believe that they didn’t moan?
      
      21 3
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      May 2, 2020 9:57am
      - Brian McDonald
        
        Not to me they didn’t.
        
        2 12
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        May 2, 2020 12:15pm
    - Lee C
      
      Meanwhile, back in the real world…
      
      17 1
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      May 2, 2020 10:08am
      - Brian McDonald
        
        I am in the real world Lee C. 5 people working since Tuesday, not able to deal directly with the public. How’s it going for you besides bleating on KB?
        
        2 14
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        May 2, 2020 12:17pm
      - stigie
        
        How lovely, that’s nice !~
        
        5 1
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        May 2, 2020 1:16pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  Are you turning into Pollyanna?
  
  I’ve just heard that 9 local businesses won’t be opening their doors when the lockdown comes off.
  
  I reckon there will be many others around here that are yet to make that decision.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:52am
  - Brian McDonald
    
    Wouldn’t set that in concrete an interest-free loan for 12 months will change some people’s minds about flagging it.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:19pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      Well, I hope so…
      still, that just may be pushing the inevitable out until mid 2021.
      
      13 1
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      May 2, 2020 12:24pm
    - theoldbloke
      
      Um err. And how will they pay back that short term interest free loan with turnover and profits slashed???
      
      It could be argued that unless you can maintain turnover/profit then for many an interest free loan will be of NO BENEFIT.
      
      Note: I have owned/operated seven diverse SMALL/Medium business over 40 years. CASH IS KING.
      Luckily I am now retired. But my heart goes to all those little guys that just got screwed and then the Temerity of the Finance Minister to throw some poisoned scraps in their direction.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:52pm
- alloytoo
  
  Let’s can all public transport too, that’s green right, better no bus than an empty on.
  
  I personally think we should build a big nuclear power station.
  
  Making energy cheap or free will enable everyone in the economy. (much like Fibre has)
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:34am
  - Brian McDonald
    
    Public transport is better for the economy than motorways chocker with cars and only the driver on board. That cripples trucks and couriers across Auckland. I think I heard that public transport was going to become free in Auckland also that the divine Auckland Transport is going to whack a 40k speed limit in place.
    
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    May 2, 2020 12:22pm
    - alex Masterley
      
      I would rather drive than sit inside a covid incubator.
      
      8 1
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      May 2, 2020 5:49pm
    - alloytoo
      
      There’s some debate about that, buses trundling around at much less than 100% capacity much like they’re doing now are worse than a private vehicle going from A to B.
      
      And if we did away with bus and cycle lanes the congestion would ease considerably.
      
      3 1
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      May 2, 2020 8:07pm
  - Rachael Membery
    
    At Tiwai?
    
    2 1
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    May 2, 2020 12:59pm
plc

I am a middle aged white male that has always voted National. However I now find that Simon Bridges is so out of touch on gender identity issues and the climate emergency that I will never vote National again. I believe Jacinda is doing a fantastic job in the greatest test ever of a leader and her empathy and ability to distil difficult concepts down to a simple “Be Kind” is what we need to guide us to economic recovery. It is great that she has such a fantastic team around her. By the way I think that this would be a great opportunity to ban diesel vehicles.
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May 2, 2020 9:00am
- kevn
  
  @plc… Satire of course.
  
  39 1
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  May 2, 2020 9:09am
  - emmess
    
    It’s not considered satire on FakeBook
    
    12 1
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    May 2, 2020 10:44am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  You forgot the sarc tag //
  
  35 1
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  May 2, 2020 9:13am
  - plc
    
    Que?
    
    4 12
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    May 2, 2020 9:16am
- tf78
  
  plc – too early in the morning for such frivolous humour.
  
  26 1
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  May 2, 2020 9:13am
  - greybeard
    
    Far too early judging by the number of downticks already !
    
    20 1
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    May 2, 2020 9:24am
- John Warren
  
  You almost got me there, plc.
  
  22 1
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  May 2, 2020 9:20am
- Don Beckett
  
  Que????
  Surely you jest. You forgot the //sarc./
  
  13 2
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  May 2, 2020 9:29am
- Lee C
  
  upticked…
  
  7 2
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  May 2, 2020 10:08am
- Suze Wainwright
  
  I couldn’t agree more – I’ve set up a givealittle page to fund a gold statue of Cindy to go outside Parliament (next to Seddon) – will you contribute?
  
  28 0
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  May 2, 2020 10:31am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    On second thought, who needs givealittle? I’m sure all those former National Party voters on Facebook will willingly contribute to my noble endeavour
    
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    May 2, 2020 10:33am
  - freethinker
    
    25c Raised so far eh?
    
    8 0
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    May 2, 2020 1:09pm
    - Suze Wainwright
      
      I should be so lucky…!
      
      1 1
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      May 2, 2020 2:56pm
- alloytoo
  
  I agree, lets ban all diesel vehicles, starting with buses.
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:35am
Poppa

During this circus I have tried to avoid the supermarket as much as possible & shopping at the local 4 square shops. I know I am paying too much in many cases but I feel better supporting the little guy

I will continue to do this as much as possible & no waiting either in most cases
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May 2, 2020 9:02am
- kowtow
  
  ‘I know I am paying too much ‘
  
  So while you support him is he supprting you ?
  
  4 Sq is owned by Foodstuffs so surely they could supply goods to the punter at the same low prices Pak n Sav does.
  
  Happy to be corrected.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:15am
  - cmm
    
    IIRC, and I certainly could have this wrong, Four Squares supermarkets are franchises and are not actually owned by Foodstuffs. The 4Sq brand is though.
    
    17 1
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    May 2, 2020 9:59am
    - Tony Stuart
      
      I shop at our local Four Square whenever possible. It changed hands at the beginning of March, and the new owners have certainly had a baptism of fire, working massive hours and getting hardly any time off.
      
      Another of the local Four Squares has just made a donation of panel heaters to a number of struggling families in one of Whanganui’s poorest suburbs. I’ve seen posts on social media slagging off supermarket owners as rich predators, but the two couples I refer to are both strongly community-minded, and I salute them.
      
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      May 2, 2020 10:39am
      - tavita
        
        I shop at the same one. No queues, convenient. The previous owners were very helpful, haven’t got to know the new yet.
        
        3 0
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        May 2, 2020 4:33pm
- Brian McDonald
  
  Good on ya Poppa.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:46am
I remember when

Perhaps it is times like the present where you really start to appreciate the problems of the working mother.
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May 2, 2020 9:06am
greybeard

Two opposing views on the illegal maori road-blocks, both from maori contributors.

From Steve Elers of Massey University ( from a legality perspective ):

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/opinion/121368678/iwirun-coronavirus-checkpoints-are-a-nonsense-but-police-arent-stopping-them

From Te Aniwa Hurihanganui of RNZ ( from a racism perspective, of course ! ):

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300002970/mps-questioning-of-legal-iwi-checkpoints-really-is-racism
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May 2, 2020 9:12am
- John Warren
  
  When lacking any cogent argument, just pull out the racism card. Works every time.
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:22am
- KevO'Brien
  
  Racist it may be–that goes both ways.
  Illegal it certainly is, as the rights infringed are those of citizenship. That also goes for rahui.
  
  A Maori tribe may apply such rules as are agreed among their members as they wish. Those rules have no affect outside that closed societal group.
  
  Is it time for us to review taking back some Waitangi settlements? If they were not final we can change our minds too.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:25am
Steve James

On a lighter note, if you want a good laugh listen to the comentary on this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx1B2yfgHzA
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May 2, 2020 9:15am
Cassandra

Why would anyone whose main issues are gender, climate change (read committing economic suicide) and banning diesels (why stop there) always vote National? It’s a broad church, I know, but surely you were a better fit in some other party, such as Social Credit.
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May 2, 2020 9:16am
Tasman Terror

National had a policy of not attacking Andrew Little last election because he was an asset to them. Labour attack Bridges because he is a danger to them. Only stupid people vote Labour. Why vote for a party that has wrecked the economy, put 20,000 more children in poverty, and more than halved GDP growth? For the information of stupid people these accomplishments we’re pre Covid 19. My advice to Labour voters is get a life.
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May 2, 2020 9:19am
- Brian McDonald
  
  Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
  Can you explain the danger again?
  
  2 33
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  May 2, 2020 9:44am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    I commented above – there would definitely be sectors in the current government that would want to avoid any possibility of the uninformed voters witnessing Simon and Cindy have a one-on-one debate…
    
    16 2
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    May 2, 2020 10:42am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Labour voters will vote for free shit – they do every Election
  
  25 2
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  May 2, 2020 10:39am
I remember when

Costa Deliziosa left Venice 5th January carrying 2000 passengers on a world cruise. Since St Patrick’s Day they have either been cruising or berthed in isolation. On April 22 they arrived at Genoa, the last cruise ship still at sea. No cases of Covid-19.
Miami Herald reported the following cruise ship totals:
2592 Total Covid-19 cases
65 Number of Deaths
59 Number of Vessels with Covid-19
This meant that 21% of the world’s cruise liners had cases.
Carnival 18 ships out of 104.
Royal Carribean 17 out of a fleet of51.
At least, 922 crew were infected and no less than 11 have died.
US Coastguard reported that 87 cruise ships with almost 65,000 crew on board in US, Bahamas or Carribean ports or at anchorage in vicinity.
Things looking good for next year?
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May 2, 2020 9:21am
Handyman

So the plan is this…
After 5 weeks of level four and three weeks of level 3, if there is further outbreaks of covid (proving the lockdowns didn’t work) Labour’s plan is to repeat the process, but harder.
It reminds me of her saying “We know communism works, it just hasn’t been done properly yet”
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May 2, 2020 9:27am
Komata

Too good not to share:

(Sorry can’t persuade the computer to post the image)

https://preview.redd.it/ea3tdnhke0w41.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=cc0844add5d88d0c8a4566a266f4163cc60cc866
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May 2, 2020 9:33am
Brian McDonald

The doldrums are slowing up thinking this morning. If Labour managed to win without the need for coalition partners will it crap on the Greens and NZF? Somehow I don’t think so.
That would be something different than what we saw 2 elections when National didn’t support the MP enough and Labour outflanked them on the Maori vote.
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May 2, 2020 9:34am
- MCos
  
  I would suggest that’s it’s highly unlikely Labour will poll 50%. Hasn’t happened in NZ for 69 years.
  However if the Greens get back in parliament and the two of them pass 50% it’ll be auf Wiedersehen Winston.
  (NZF might not make it that far, of course. The SFO investigation could force an early election.)
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:50am
Ruahine

What a surprise.

https://pointofordernz.wordpress.com/2020/05/01/parliament-legislated-at-great-speed-to-change-the-tax-laws-but-slowed-down-when-mps-pay-cuts-were-at-issue/
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May 2, 2020 9:50am
- Tony Stuart
  
  You have to laugh. On Thursday, Parliament passed a tax bill through all its stages. Unfortunately, the Bill that the House passed included the small business loan package, which Robertson then had to hurriedly announce at the 1pm presser yesterday. The package was not intended to be passed until Budget week.
  
  Interestingly, Robertson is blaming staff in the Parliamentary Counsel Office for the cock-up. Why can Labour MP’s and Ministers never own up to their mistakes, and instead throw faceless public servants under the bus? Surely Robertson or Nash, or their staff, would have read the final version of the Bill before it went to the House.
  
  Rushed law is bad law, as Thursday’s cock-up once again demonstrates.
  
  https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/300002365/parliament-passes-the-wrong-law-in-an-afternoon-of-urgent-lawmaking
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:47am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    The Parliamentary Counsel Office staff would possibly have been working remotely as well – after being put in lockdown…
    
    And yes, you’d think Nash would have read it – he’s got three Master’s degrees hasn’t he?
    
    17 1
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    May 2, 2020 10:54am
    - JackRabbit
      
      Master’s degrees count for nought if you can’t read a GDP growth chart the right way up, or you say things you didn’t intend to say on matters you didn’t intend to raise.
      
      11 2
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      May 2, 2020 1:25pm
  - tf78
    
    Rush is the only thing they do with laws – never do they weigh up the consequences. Everybody is hemorrhaging apart from them – that is far from being kind. What will the people do when the money tap turns off. God help us all.
    
    18 1
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    May 2, 2020 11:38am
  - Brian McDonald
    
    Not if you are 1 of the small businesses Tony.
    
    2 12
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    May 2, 2020 12:24pm
Lucia Maria

More redefinition of alert levels. Most likely we’ll be in lockdown for a lot longer than initially advertised with the pretense of it being lifted via basically meaningless Alert Level numbers.

No guarantee domestic tourism will be allowed under COVID-19 alert level 2 – Grant Robertson

The pleas for domestic tourism to return under alert level 2 could be falling on deaf ears with Finance Minister Grant Robertson remaining tight-lipped on the subject.

On Friday, Robertson was asked whether Kiwis will be able to travel through the country when New Zealand drops to alert level 2.

He says the Government needs to discuss any further changes, and any decisions which are made must consider public health and safety.

“We are looking again at alert level 2 and we want to balance the economic and health response,” he said.

“Cabinet will make a decision about that in the coming weeks.”
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May 2, 2020 10:09am
- KevO'Brien
  
  Who do we send the bill for folly too?
  Are we being prepped for an election deferral?
  “Can’t possibly lose the gains”.
  
  How can anyone assure us that we will not have to encounter this virus again? What about next year? What about the year after?
  Is this to be a perpetual state because some medical people cannot accept any risk? What about the alternative greater risks they cause?
  
  Next they will be saying it’s for the “good of the planet”.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:32am
- Ruahine
  
  Moving from Alert Level Panic to Alert Level Control.
  
  13 1
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  May 2, 2020 11:44am
- JackRabbit
  
  Three people yesterday got the flu, 7 stubbed their toe, and 16 had hangovers, and 2874* missed medical treatment. Of the three that got the coven flu, there is a chance that 0.003 of them may die. The 47* that died because of missing medical treatment probably didn’t matter, because they would be old white males who probably didn’t vote Labour anyway.
  
  Yep thats a good enough reason to wipe out tourism.
  
  *these stats are made up, because the Col aren’t publishing them, but other people have indicated stats of consequential deaths. I am aware of unintended fatalities, but perhaps someone has some stats?
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:33pm
Ruawai

Rather than the Government giving out money like a lolly scramble, they should move to level 1 or 2 and let businesses start making money for themselves rather than the state dishing out taxpayers money. Soon there won’t be enough taxpayers to subsidise the lolly scramble.
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May 2, 2020 10:12am
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Would that give maximum visibility of the govt being kind though?
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:58am
- Ruahine
  
  There aim is to destroy business.
  Winston Peters rambling on about an NAC model for AirNZ. That will keep the rabble off the planes. The price of an airfare then was eye watering. The rabble won’t be able to sit next to the entitled ones anymore. Made Peters get out of my seat once. He wanted the aisle seat. While ago now.
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:42am
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    Careful – no doubt Peters would remember that…
    
    10 2
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    May 2, 2020 12:20pm
Tasman Terror

If you can’t see the danger you may be a Labour supporter . Let me explain in case you are a Labour supporter or otherwise stupid. Bridges is super bright ( Hons in Law at Auckland – invited to and did Masters at Oxford v competitor’s BA in Waikato), and hard working. Hasn’t got the time to kiss as many babies or be taught maths by primary school children as his competitor. His competitor is neither.Unlike Labour did National MPs have stuck with him unlike Goff, Shearer, and Cunliffe, and Little. He has strength of character.He has worked in a business unlike his competitor. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly unlike his competitor. He’s not manipulative unlike his competitor. Talk to those in Kaikoura about his role in government in sorting out SH1 as Minister of Transport quicker than expected. Unheard of to repair a SH before planned. It is to date NZ’s biggest reading achievements. In comparison his competitor has made the lives of most Kiwis worse. He is not woke. His competitor is. He is Maori. His competitor isn’t, but would like to be. He also stands up for his beliefs. His competitor only believes in herself. She is a truly horrible piece of work. How else could you sound confident when you repeatedly wreck people’s life with complete ease. I’ve met both him and Jacinda and he was genuine and she like a second hand car salesman. All smiles and slime and completely false. So if you want a better life vote Simon. If you want to ruin more lives be a sucker and vote for falsity and incompetence. One final point. Do you think Bridges would tolerate cretins like Jones, Clark, Twyford, Curran, Russell and their elk. No way. He has integrity. His competitor would need to form a working group to get a report on the meaning of the word.
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May 2, 2020 10:24am
- KevO'Brien
  
  That Kaikoura road rebuild was Bridges! I’m not surprised. His colleagues did not choose him without expectations.
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:37am
  - JackRabbit
    
    Good info.
    
    So he is a bridge builder.
    Is she a bridge burner?
    
    8 2
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    May 2, 2020 1:40pm
- MCos
  
  That would be ‘ilk’.
  An elk is a type of deer.
  
  6 4
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  May 2, 2020 12:07pm
  - JackRabbit
    
    Deer leader?
    
    5 1
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    May 2, 2020 1:39pm
- DeepBlue
  
  Everything you say is valid and compelling… Now the message needs to get out to the people.
  
  One easy re-image thing Simon could do is drop the gel from his hair as it looks slimy. He should relax his fringe.
  
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  May 2, 2020 7:00pm
TWEEDSE

Let me get this right. I’m working my arse off to keep my job and have had my pay cut. Beneficiaries who get my money and are a drag on productivity have had a pay rise.

Cindy flushes New Zealand down the plug hole.
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May 2, 2020 10:24am
- Ruawai
  
  …and all government employees keep full pay, not many working in lock down and guaranteed no job losses.
  
  33 1
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  May 2, 2020 10:37am
  - Ruahine
    
    Many people have done very well out of this created project of fear.
    
    18 1
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    May 2, 2020 11:34am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Vote buying by PTPM
  
  31 3
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  May 2, 2020 10:51am
- alloytoo
  
  Just a question, with everyone including senior executives (but not MP’s) taking significant pay dips, when that flow back to the new methodology for adjusting benefits?
  
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  May 2, 2020 11:48am
- Brian McDonald
  
  Try to work out where they’ll be spending the money, maybe a light bulb will shine.
  
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  May 2, 2020 12:26pm
Maggie Pie

Just received a txt from my partner……

“Bag limit reached. Home tomorrow. Don’t wash”

🙁
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May 2, 2020 10:31am
- chaos
  
  At least use deodorant
  
  11 1
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  May 2, 2020 10:43am
- Tony Stuart
  
  If your partner is out duck shooting illegally (i.e. outside the gazetted season), why is he worried about bag limits?
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:51am
  - Maggie Pie
    
    He has been a member of Fish&Game for years and even an honorary ranger, so is a stickler for the rules.
    You need to understand Tony that as it’s his dads farm, they are actually entitled to shoot ducks all year round because they destroy crops.
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:14am
    - stigie
      
      Hope you’re a stickler too Maggie when he says dont wash and no deodorant..?
      
      4 1
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      May 2, 2020 1:30pm
      - Maggie Pie
        
        He’s always had a bit of a Napoleon complex.
        Often lays on the couch watching telly with his hand in his undies.
        
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        May 2, 2020 2:26pm
- marcw
  
  You’ll need washing after all that plucking coming your way. 🙂
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:20pm
I remember when

Many years ago my Manager had his turn as head of the Shipping Companies at the local port. As a result many of their meetings with the local waterfront union were at our offices. This was a two room office in the local Harbour Board Buildings.
As the door was left open much of the discussion was clearly audible. The President of the Waterfront Workers Union later become a member of Parliament.
One would best describe his approach as very much the iron fist in the velvet glove. Possible serious consequences were inferred but not directly threatened.
Every year a list improvements to their working conditions were presented to the Shipping Companies. In my time this was a list of ten requests. My manager looked one year and snorted, “They are dreaming if they think they will be getting most of those.”
Although I was still a junior I knew from the previous years what would happen.
If you guessed they would get five and the other five would be on the list next year you are right!
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May 2, 2020 10:39am
chaos

Whoops, the media and their sources get it wrong again.

* Kim Jong-Un makes his first public appearance for 20 days at a fertiliser plant, says North Korean state media amid claims he is dead*

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8279299/Kim-Jong-makes-public-appearance-20-days-fertiliser-plant.html
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May 2, 2020 10:42am
- The Boss
  
  But where are the photos?
  
  6 2
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  May 2, 2020 11:39am
  - emmess
    
    Most likely, not true or was using a body double.
    On one of the most important holidays in North Korea, why did he turn up at a fertiliser factory? Seems weird
    
    https://www.youngpioneertours.com/top-5-holidays-celebrate-north-korea/
    
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    May 2, 2020 11:58am
    - Rachael Membery
      
      Should it have been at a kindy?
      
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      May 2, 2020 1:42pm
    - Stephen Russell
      
      In a country where it is normal for millions to starve, fertilizer is actually a really important product.
      
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      May 2, 2020 2:12pm
  - Brian McDonald
    
    With the secret police.
    
    2 6
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    May 2, 2020 12:28pm
- MCos
  
  Which media are putting us crook, chaos?
  Surely not the North Korea state media?
  Or the Daily Mail, which is always leading the charge when the rumours are juicy enough?
  
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  May 2, 2020 12:15pm
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Appearance as product?
  
  1 1
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  May 2, 2020 2:44pm
Fletch

The govt today announced giving out another $20 million, this time to tertiary students for “internet devices” and connections. Not sure where they are getting all this money from. Oh wait… me.
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May 2, 2020 10:53am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  You got it. The Govt has no money – never did
  
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  May 2, 2020 10:58am
- MCos
  
  The very students that are getting the devices will be paying them off for years to come by way of their taxes.
  
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  May 2, 2020 12:20pm
oldfella

I see the Prime Minister, adored by the international MSM, has announced new bans on weapons.
Not our Cindy, silly, her mate Trudeau, the personification of what many call a ‘Soy Boy’ … Wonder if he rang our princess first to see how she did it?
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/05/01/canadian-pm-announces-immediate-ban-1500-different-firearms/
BTW, what was the result of the NZ gun buy-back? How many weapons were handed in?
What percentage of now-illegal weapons are still out there?
And how many were handing in by Maori gangs? (Or will they be allowed to keep them in case they need to run more illegal road blocks with the cops?)
Just asking for my friend, Hone.
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May 2, 2020 11:10am
bc

My brother sent a photo of the petrol prices in Queensland a the moment:
78.9 cents /L for 91 and 82.9 cents / L for 95
We are getting well and truly ripped off here.
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May 2, 2020 11:23am
- MCos
  
  Ask him how much registration costs.
  
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  May 2, 2020 12:21pm
- barnacle bill
  
  The National price of fuel actually went up here slightly this last week.
  
  National price is not actual pump prices.
  I would have thought fuel prices should have gone down, not up.
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:06pm
oldfella

Warning: don’t read this with a full stomach. (Clue, it’s a female collumnist, in the SMH, gushing over Cindy and other female leaders. Nuff said…)
https://www.smh.com.au/national/boris-can-bring-home-a-baby-but-for-true-cool-in-a-crisis-you-want-a-woman-20200430-p54osk.html
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May 2, 2020 11:27am
- alloytoo
  
  As long as that Woman isn’t Margaret Thatcher.
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:14pm
chaos

* Dr Judy A Mikovits PHD has a virtual sit-down with Patrick Bet-David and opens up about her fallout with Anthony Fauci that led to her 5 year arrest and whistleblower status.*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=kgnBldI7KPY&feature=emb_logo
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May 2, 2020 11:38am
Steve Otto(North Shore)

Bored. But this just came up on my Facebook. She is very talented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMfhyMlBw40
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May 2, 2020 11:43am
- Steve Otto(North Shore)
  
  Who is the prick that downticked that? It’s just a talented girl playing a ukulele ffs. What a fucking miserable life you must have
  
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  May 2, 2020 2:05pm
  - Paulus Gnome
    
    There is a trio from the toilets in Fraser House Steve, dont take it personally.
    
    I played the ukulele when I was at intermediate, I thought I sounded like that and only now, fifty plus years later, realise I didn’t
    
    Talented lady.
    
    Downtick away Fraser House, I don’t give a shit.
    
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    May 2, 2020 2:51pm
RightNow

Revealed:
KiwiRebuild: Government’s plan to rebuild NZ’s economy.
Phil Twyford to lead new government agency tasked with NZ’s economic recovery.
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May 2, 2020 12:01pm
- Paulus Gnome
  
  Cue Private Fraser
  
  7 1
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  May 2, 2020 2:56pm
Maggy Wassilieff

Scott Morrisson recognizes that Australians have done their bit….
will relax some of their restrictions

“Australians deserve an early mark for the work that they’ve done,” Mr Morrison told reporters. “We can’t keep Australia under the doona. We need to be able to move ahead.”

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/australians-have-earned-an-early-mark-decision-on-lifting-coronavirus-restrictions-brought-forward

Grant Robertson threatens NZers….
https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/05/coronavirus-grant-robertson-fires-warning-at-kiwis-after-reports-of-house-parties.html
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May 2, 2020 12:03pm
Maggie Pie

Lets hope the message has gotten thru to Mt Roskill 🙁

https://twitter.com/thetimes/status/1256317058205319169
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May 2, 2020 12:07pm
Durden

Its says this UMR Poll was done for commercial interests. Unless UMR can clarify, one can assume it polled mainly businesses.

When the Labour government is throwing money around like confetti, of course the businesses will be happy to receive the emergency help and will say the government has done great. Which by all accounts it has. But all it proves is that this government can dispense money it does not have very efficiently.

Wait a few weeks till the businesses have to wean themselves off the free money drug that has been injected. And after Budget 2020 they find out how much their taxes are going up, and in how many different ways. Will they still sing the same tune? Will UMR survey the exact same people and leak the report ?

Added displeasure will be when they find that all the lock down sacrifices they made has been a waste of time. Because there is no government plan on how to keep virus contained while coming out of lock down and the virus inevitably returns. All it needs is a few non-social distancing tangis, and a few mob parties, and planned Auckland rich-lister parties with one or two infected idiots in each.

I think Simon Bridges must hold his nerve and hold the government to account, publicly and vociferously. If he does not succeed in convincing electorate that he has been right in his calls, at least he would have shone the light on CoL failures, weaken them, and then he can go out in a blaze of glory just before the election and pass the leadership on to some one more presentable who can take the public with them. People might say that will be Judith Collins. Might I suggest the return of the experienced and effective – Steven Joyce.

I dub the latter the — “Kamikaze Simon” strategy. Same same as the Little Strategy 🙂
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May 2, 2020 12:13pm
- Suze Wainwright
  
  Interesting discussion with businesses on RNZ last night… There is much for them to worry about (as if people didn’t already know!)
  
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  May 2, 2020 3:05pm
curry4me

https://nypost.com/2020/05/01/kim-jong-un-appears-in-public-north-korean-media-claims/
“Ees not dead. Ees … resting” Weekend at Kimmies?
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May 2, 2020 12:22pm
curry4me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26KTNs6m7qM
MSM defence of Biden is destroying ‘feminism, and ‘#MeToo’.
7 2
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May 2, 2020 12:23pm
- Michael NZ
  
  Exposing it….
  
  1 0
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  May 2, 2020 8:10pm
Maggie Pie

I was home alone last night so was able to watch an Australian cooking show on the Food channel. The audience broke into loud applause when the chef made a meringue. It actually surprised me to be honest, usually Australians boo meringue.
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May 2, 2020 12:24pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  It’s whooshed over a couple of heads.
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:22pm
  - Fletch
    
    They’ll get it on the way back 😉
    
    14 2
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    May 2, 2020 1:58pm
    - Suze Wainwright
      
      My boo meringue won’t come back…
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:38pm
      - greenfinger
        
        Both left wing media papers – NZH and Stuff – parades in concert the headline “encouraging” from Bloomfield after NZ recorded 2 new cases. I guess it would look good on his and Ardern’s CV. Typical one dimensional and shallow coverage. Any paper and its journalists that wants to be taken seriously would surely ask at what cost in new daily cases of unemployment? Unless of course, they are merely there to be the mouth piece of the government, or worse still, to satisfy personal agenda!
        
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        May 3, 2020 1:40pm
- bruceavon
  
  Very good.
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:24pm
greenfinger

“Don’t be idiots”? All we get from this lot is lecturing. Don’t do this, don’t do that. Wipe that smile off your face, Jacinda. You might have power but you don’t have class! If someone with the caliber of Key offers on TV to help to remobilise the economy, I would be immediately on the phone to him. No, not Jacinda. She has an political ego the size of an elephant. Talk about an insecure control freak. None of the journalist dare to nor want to stand up to her and ask her hard questions. The questions posed by the media scrum are so embarrassing that it sounds like an informercial for her.
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May 2, 2020 12:25pm
KevO'Brien

It’s pointless for Simon to say much at this stage–he will only be misquoted or otherwise put down. Others on the periphery can stir things up and remind NZ about the observed failings of the COL.

We can change attitudes in the background. Families are turning as they realise their freedoms are being stolen and plans seem to be underway to make this the pothead and lawnmower paradise of the Communist South Pacific.
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May 2, 2020 12:30pm
Swifty

“The Devil to prove the Church was a farce
Went out to fish for a Bugger.
He baited his hook with a Soldier’s arse
And pulled up the Bishop of Clogher.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percy_Jocelyn
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May 2, 2020 12:36pm
greenfinger

There is another disease spreading in NZ at the moment. It’s called laziness. Unfortunately, we will not be able to develop a vaccine or a drug for this one. After 5 weeks of lockdown and paid for holidays, there seem to be increasing number of cases where employees are giving their employers the double digit salute when asked to return to work Under level 3, either at their work places or at home. The reasons given ranges from “don’t feel safe”, “I not feeling great”, “I have poor internet when I am” and so on. Some may be genuine but the truth of it is that when you get paid 12 weeks of paid holiday and your employers is not allowed to fire you for not working, who gives a flying toss about the boss. This serious negative unintended consequence Which the government has left for business mes to deal with on their own won’t be fixed simply at the command of Jacinda’s smile or another series of her lockdowns.
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May 2, 2020 12:45pm
- fernglas
  
  A friend’s employees suddenly believe they need 20% more staff to do less than they were doing prior to the lockdown.
  
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  May 2, 2020 1:53pm
- KevO'Brien
  
  Ah, productivity again.
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:59pm
Poppa

If we go back to level 2 as we should after a week, I will go with some trepidation. Not because I am afraid of the virus, far from it, but because I know that we will have one staff member who will take it upon themselves to be a Covid policewoman.

God help us!
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May 2, 2020 12:55pm
Tauhei Notts

I had a look at the presidential election betting market, and compared it to last week. Trump had weakened a little but is now back as a firm favourite.
Biden’s odds have weakened.
The surprise for me was that Hillary Clinton is a clear third favourite (at rough odds) for the presidency. Like halitosis, one just cannot rid of her.
Has Cuomo shot his bolt?
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May 2, 2020 1:09pm
- Gravelroad
  
  One of our house inmates, who follows these matters seriously, has been convinced for some time that the dems are just going through a charade process of candidate selection.
  Inmate’s theory is that even if Biden is confirmed as the presidential candidate, he will develop serious “health issues” which mean that someone else will be required to takeover at a late hour. Someone with a lot of experience etc.
  Someone like H. Clinton.
  
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  May 2, 2020 2:11pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    Not Clinton
    
    2 2
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    May 2, 2020 4:17pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      For once we agree. It’s a persistent fantasy for some, but Clinton will never run for office again.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:43pm
      - mikenmildagain
        
        There is also the fantasy that Biden will pick Barack
        Obama as his running mate. Equally ludicrous, and legally impossible too.
        
        2 7
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        May 2, 2020 4:45pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  How do you rate betting markets versus opinion polling for accuracy?
  
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  May 2, 2020 2:12pm
  - All_on_Red
    
    I see Gallup has Trump on 49% Approval today
    
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    May 2, 2020 4:17pm
    - mikenmildagain
      
      After a brief upwards blip, his aggregate ratings are back in the toilet, where they have been his entire presidency.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:40pm
    - fernglas
      
      Not very good for a wartime leader.
      
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      May 2, 2020 4:46pm
  - Tauhei Notts
    
    In 2016 the betting markets got Brexit and Trump both horribly wrong. So, maybe I give the betting markets too much credence, but the odds are what people are willing to gamble.
    
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    May 2, 2020 9:48pm
Poppa

Another problem that Cindy of course has not factored in, is, how does she get people back flying domestically?

She has spent this whole time trying to make people afraid, how is she going to convince them its ok now?

Unintended consequences again Cindy….
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May 2, 2020 1:32pm
- david
  
  It is also worth pondering Cindy’s reaction when the cry “ go early, go hard” gets real traction with respect to restructuring and redundancies.
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:27pm
Maggie Pie

Another little ‘lockdown-tip’ i thort worth sharing with the group.
If you’re like me and a fan of making things with Flaky Puff Pastry, never ever buy the Signature home-brand crap from Countdown. Best to wait for new stocks of Edmonds to arrive.

Just saying. (As she throws out the remaining 7 cream-filled Napoleons 🙁 )
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May 2, 2020 1:40pm
- Don Beckett
  
  Throws them out – down her throat. 😆
  
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  May 2, 2020 2:26pm
- greybeard
  
  Butter Puff Pastry works for me. Expensive but well worth it.
  
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  May 2, 2020 2:48pm
Tasman Terror

When the Prime Muppett buggers off to the UN she will be another great export story for NZ.
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May 2, 2020 1:46pm
Don Beckett

Another good article by Muriel Newman – an excerpt:
“Back in January when reports first emerged about a highly infectious outbreak of a new coronavirus in Wuhan, China, New Zealand adopted the Ministry of Health’s Influenza Pandemic Plan.

It’s a mitigation strategy designed to manage an influenza epidemic in such a way as to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed, whilst minimising the impact on society and the economy.

It was last applied in 2009 by John Key’s Government to counter the global swine flu pandemic. Altogether 3,175 cases of H1N1 were recorded and 19 deaths. While border controls were introduced, and some schools and businesses were temporarily closed, the economic and social disruption was minimal.

Those leaders did not panic. They did not impose a lockdown. Instead they followed the Ministry of Health’s strategy. That’s not the case today.

It’s reported that in mid-March, after the Pandemic Plan had been in operation for two months, Prime Minister Ardern was presented with alarmist computer models claiming that unless the country was put into a lockdown ‘tens of thousands of New Zealanders will die’: “The Government relied on seven different models to inform its decision-making. One is an Imperial College London paper that estimated millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Brits would die without severe suppression measures like a lockdown. The paper altered policy in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand as well.”

When former Reserve Bank Economist Ian Harrison examined the models he found that grossly inaccurate assumptions “led to an explosion in the number of cases and deaths.”

Instead of questioning the accuracy of the models, and balancing them with proper cost-benefit analyses of the economic and social consequences of locking down the country, the Prime Minister appears to have been spooked into making another of her disastrous Captain’s Calls.

We first heard about Jacinda Ardern’s Captain’s Calls during the 2017 election campaign, when she unilaterally announced a Capital Gains Tax would be introduced if she became PM. Criticism over the vagueness of her policy forced her to propose a Tax Working Group would decide the detail. In the end, public opposition, killed the proposal.

Her second Captain’s Call was her reckless decision to close down the oil and gas industry without any consultation or even Cabinet approval. At the time, she appeared oblivious to the devastation that her decision would cause to lives and businesses – not to mention the wider economy.

This latest Captain’s Call – to lock down the country and ‘eliminate’ the virus – required the declaration of a State of Emergency. At the time of her announcement, even though there were only two possible cases of community transmission – both of which were still being investigated – she claimed these as her justification: “If community transmission takes off in New Zealand the number of cases will double every five days. If that happens unchecked, our health system will be inundated, and thousands of New Zealanders will die.”
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May 2, 2020 2:23pm
- greybeard
  
  Muriel Newman ( nee Ratcliff ) is a brilliant person, as is her brother, Roger Ratcliff.
  I went to high school with them in the 1960s.
  Google ‘Roger Ratcliff’ for more info.
  
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  May 2, 2020 6:57pm
MrTips

So let me get this right.

Cell phones have been identified as major carrying surfaces for viruses ala SARS-CoV-2. And to assist contact tracing, the govt is considering digital options using……

Cell phone apps.

Why the fuck don’t they just give everyone a proximity badge that lasts for a month at a time?
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May 2, 2020 2:23pm
- rangitoto
  
  Is there any evidence that anyone actually caught it via surface contact rather than aspiration.
  
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  May 2, 2020 3:39pm
  - MrTips
    
    The virus can stay on plastic for up to 3 days reportedly – guess they’re worried about cell phone cases and fomite transfer from surface to surface during normal daily movement.
    
    So give everyone a unique metal proximity badge that can clip on your clothing and can change monthly. Do it all time at work with radiation badges. It’s not f***ing hard!!!!
    
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    May 2, 2020 5:05pm
Poppa

Steak & chips with mushroom sauce for tea for me

Looking forward to that, washed down with perhaps an Appletons with lemonade
7 1
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May 2, 2020 3:08pm
- barnacle bill
  
  @Poppa
  Just as good as the Bacon and Egg and Chips.
  Yum to both.
  
  Just 50 years ago we saw food as food. Since then in the West we’ve got rich, fat and lazy, and increasingly terrified of dying. And we’ve transferred the blame for all this onto certain foods. It’s that simple.
  (Though I will concede, in the interests of fairness, that on its own a plate of bacon, eggs and chips cannot be said to constitute a full and balanced diet. It lacks a sausage.)
  
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  May 2, 2020 3:51pm
  - Poppa
    
    Or cooked tomatoes, I don’t mind that either with your selection
    
    6 1
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    May 2, 2020 4:52pm
- MrTips
  
  Pork belly twice cooked with apple, garlic beans and mashie. Washed with Theakstons Old Peculiar.
  
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  May 2, 2020 5:09pm
secondcumming

Rumors abound that the iconic *David Jones* stores in both Wellington and Auckland may be closing down as a result of Covid-19.

They hotly deny there is any veracity to said rumors.
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May 2, 2020 3:09pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  David Jones is not an ‘iconic’ Wellington store. So far as I can tell, since it replaced Kirkcaldies, hardly anyone shops there
  
  6 10
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  May 2, 2020 4:23pm
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    Phew! that makes it all okay then… (Vulgar, crass Aucklanders might think differently)
    
    7 2
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    May 2, 2020 4:39pm
  - rangitoto
    
    The one in Newmarket isn’t much different to Farmers.
    
    5 0
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    May 2, 2020 6:17pm
    - secondcumming
      
      Except the prices are double 😎
      
      4 0
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      May 2, 2020 6:49pm
dave_c_

Coming to a place near you ?
https://www.naturalnews.com/2020-05-01-president-trump-pivots-to-mandatory-vaccinations-warp-speed-mass-medical-experiment.html
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May 2, 2020 3:45pm
dave_c_

How Easily The Media Can Manipulate Reality !
http://www.stationgossip.com/2020/05/photographer-takes-pics-of-people-in.html
10 2
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May 2, 2020 4:04pm
- marcw
  
  Classic, the perfect example were the shots of Bernie Saunders rally’s – showed a “crowded” stadium, but zooming out revealed the 100 or so supporters in view were in fact the total.
  
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  May 2, 2020 4:10pm
Tasman Terror

Thought for the day: Only morons vote Labour.100 per cent proof abounds. Crayons anyone?
13 3
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May 2, 2020 4:35pm
Bruce Jones

Good article here: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12329006
1 1
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May 2, 2020 5:31pm
Maggy Wassilieff

So now the Government is admitting that they’ve got problems with the Flu vaccine.

Any sign of the PM?

No, Julie Anne Genter has to front this debacle.
(TV One News 6pm)
21 2
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May 2, 2020 6:15pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  I’m really not sure what the deal was with the flu vaccine this year, Distribution of it never seems to have been a problem before. Was it something about the huge increase in the number of doses ordered this year that hindered the supply chain? Was the demand through the roof?
  
  3 8
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  May 2, 2020 6:44pm
  - Herodotus
    
    Issues last year and we had issues re Measles jabs. This is the 3rd time of the SAME issue !!! But no learning from the 1st 2 cases is evident here !!!
    Next reason please ?
    https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/09/26/828891/why-we-dont-have-enough-measles-vaccine
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/391411/new-zealand-faces-flu-vaccine-shortage-as-illness-surges
    
    4 1
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    May 2, 2020 7:30pm
- dave_c_
  
  Don’t worry, the mud will stick, and our PTPM will not be able to avoid the scrutiny, which in my view is long overdue.
  The fact that this story was allowed to be broadcast, is testimony to the awakening of those prepared to challenge the agenda.
  
  7 2
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  May 2, 2020 6:46pm
- dave_c_
  
  So ! What, or who do I need to be, to obtain authorisation to travel overseas ?
  Looks like the Warriors are made of the right stuff.
  Corruption and hypocracy abounds in New Zealand.
  
  5 2
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  May 2, 2020 6:52pm
  - fernglas
    
    Anyone can travel overseas The problem is finding somewhere to take you
    
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    May 3, 2020 5:01am
- MrTips
  
  I accept Jacinda could easily lie about this, even though she claims politicians don’t need to lie. Maybe she was being kind?
  
  But Ashley Bloomfield.??? I thought better of him.
  
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  May 2, 2020 6:56pm
- Maggy Wassilieff
  
  https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/not-every-new-zealander-get-flu-vaccine-govt-comes-clean-supply-vaccines
  
  After weeks of repeated denials, including from the Prime Minister and top health officials. The Associate Health Minister admits the Government is looking at improvements.
  
  And as Julie-Ann Genter also concedes, stock numbers the Government have been using – as recently as yesterday, may not be entirely accurate.
  
  For weeks Kiwis have been told there are plenty of vaccines. More doctors have come forward today saying that’s not true.
  
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  May 2, 2020 6:57pm
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    But, but, Simon Bridges is just a dick…
    
    4 0
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    May 2, 2020 9:10pm
  - Suze Wainwright
    
    The narrative will now be – isn’t this govt under Cindy just the most amazeballs best!
    It acknowledges its mistakes and goes about fixing them…
    
    2 0
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    May 2, 2020 9:19pm
- [email protected]
  
  Is it just me or do you see the MSM starting to question issues more? I’m seeing a few more negative articles about a number of issues such as the length of the Level 3 lockdown, flu vaccine issues, unauthorized road blocks, etc.
  
  6 1
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  May 2, 2020 7:17pm
  - Maggy Wassilieff
    
    Na,
    TheMSM are doing the bare minimum….
    
    Articles that expose any dodgy stuff about the Govt appear late in the evening or in the weekend…
    They disappear off our screens/radio waves very quickly – to be replaced by some fawning slush.
    
    11 1
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    May 2, 2020 7:33pm
    - Maggy Wassilieff
      
      At the 9pm (8:58pm)- top News stories on TV1… no mention of the Flu Vaccine debacle.
      
      6 0
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      May 2, 2020 9:00pm
- Michael NZ
  
  what did you expect?
  Jacinda doesn’t do anything she doesn’t benefit from!
  Even though she took over Health from the cyclist Dr..
  
  PTPM
  
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  May 2, 2020 8:23pm
- tavita
  
  Jacinda declared victory over the virus. Problem now is she can’t front the daily briefing announcing new infections. She may not have thought this one through
  
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  May 2, 2020 9:09pm
- Captain Mainwaring
  
  Sorry, missed out on JAG making an arse of herself again.
  Haven’t watched TV1 news for 20 years.
  
  5 0
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  May 2, 2020 9:33pm
Happychappy

Can the media really talk about the growing devide between Health and Wealth when manyof them are paid well over the $ 100,000 mark.
12 3
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May 2, 2020 6:28pm
- mikenmildagain
  
  Most media employees would love to be paid that much. They’re not all prime-time presenters, you know.
  
  3 7
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  May 2, 2020 6:45pm
  - Michael NZ
    
    PTPM you mean?
    
    3 0
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    May 2, 2020 8:24pm
Jack5

Want to read how New Zealand and Singapore are trying to keep world free trade flowing, you go to the South China Morning Post:

https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3082536/coronavirus-hit-world-limits-exports-can-new-zealand-and
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May 2, 2020 7:20pm
Jack5

What has happened to the posting Stephiestanis?

Does Kiwiblog still carry a list of those who are temporarily banned?
3 1
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May 2, 2020 7:27pm
Maggy Wassilieff

stephieboy (SB 2) was told to take a holiday until the Covid-19 Lockdown was over.

https://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2020/03/general_debate_23_march_2020.html#comment-2665695
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May 2, 2020 7:43pm
- marcw
  
  So every silver cloud has a dark lining then?
  
  5 1
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  May 2, 2020 7:47pm
Surely Knott

Confusion reigns again. Government and the official covid site say people can swim, kayak, hunt, mountain bike, horseride within their abilities at level 3. They say, ” Stick to your local area. For example, go to your nearest beach or park, not your favourite one. ” ” You should drive as short a distance as you can and still do the activity.”
All good. Except Auckland Council has locked all the carparks. National party’s “Waitākere Councillor Linda Cooper says the carpark remains shut to discourage too many people from breaking their bubble. “That’s a strong message, isn’t it? If you come to a gate and it’s locked, you’re not meant to be in there,” she says.”
I thought Labour were the nanny state party and National would be supporting personal freedom or at least the law. The govt has said we can go for a walk at the local beach , for many especially in the rural norwest that will mean a drive, yet auckland councillors have tried to stop us by locking the carpark and putting up facilities closed signs. When actually council says the beaches and reserves are open. It’s just the carpark that is officially closed. At a time when Bridges is advocating for more freedoms, more businesses to open, and for the illegal checkpoints to be stopped this passive aggressive closing of the carparks is just weird. So Aucklanders should wait till level 2 to visit the beach or park.
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May 2, 2020 8:30pm
greenfinger

Both left wing media papers – NZH and Stuff – parades in concert the headline “encouraging” from Bloomfield after NZ recorded 2 new cases. I guess it would look good on his and Ardern’s CV. Typical one dimensional and shallow coverage. Any paper and its journalists that wants to be taken seriously would surely ask at what cost in new daily cases of unemployment? Unless of course, they are merely there to be the mouth piece of the government, or worse still, to satisfy personal agenda!
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May 3, 2020 1:42pm
Prince

Self-appointed hall monitor Debbie Ngarewa-Packer claims some people were ignoring travel restrictions.
Apparently ‘statistics’ show that their illegal stopping of motorists was necessary (no evidence provided of course).
Self-appointed ‘Police helpers’ is one genie that will not return to the bottle without a lot of pain and heartache.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/121386401/iwi-checkpoint-data-shows-noncompliance-with-level-3-travel-restrictions
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May 3, 2020 3:53pm

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