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Friday, April 17, 2020

Frank Newman: Straight talk - Cafes and restaurants buggered


Our Supreme Leader and She-Who-Shall-be-Obeyed has outlined how we shall behave under Lockdown Level 3. For most it will be back to business with sensible precautions, but not for all. Astoundingly, restaurants and cafes will remain closed. Diplomacy aside, that's a stupid decision.

For many café and restaurant owners it will extinguish what was a light at the end of the tunnel. Those that have been hanging on in hope will now have to accept their business in buggered. They will put up the "Closed for Good" sign, sack the staff, and let the landlord know they now have a vacant building.

The problem is the financial time clock is exponential, not linear. Six weeks is a lot worse than four weeks and eight weeks is a lot worse than six. There will be a lot of cafes and restaurants that have hung on through the first four weeks, but will not be able to continue even two more weeks of zero income.

Cafes and restaurants should be allowed to operate providing they can do so within the social distancing guidelines. Remove half the tables; limit the number of patrons. Why not let them operate if they can do so safely? Why is it that the Prime Minister knows better than business owners? And why does she not trust her Orwellian dob-in network to police transgressors?

The PM and her cabinet have needlessly destroyed the livelihoods and of many tens of thousands of people. When our PM waves her Cinderella wand, thanks the hospitality industry for their understanding and co-operation, and say they can go back to business, there will be fewer around to open their doors.

The greatest travesty of all is the ease at which Kiwi's are prepared to surrender their freedom and prostrate themselves before our Supreme Commander while asking permission to take the dog for a walk.

Frank Newman, a writer and investment analyst, is a former local body councillor.

2 comments:

Ray S said...


"The greatest travesty of all is the ease at which Kiwi's are prepared to surrender their freedom and prostrate themselves before our Supreme Commander while asking permission to take the dog for a walk."

Oh so true, what most don't realize is the precedent that has been set by the arbitrary decision to lock down the country. It smacks of the firearms buyback of last year, we rolled over for that as well. Perhaps they took heart from that and saw how easy we were manipulated.
Irrespective of the outcome of the virus fight, the effects on New Zealand will be felt for many years to come.
Speaking of precedent, the illegal blockade of roads in the north and out east is just the forerunner of more such events whenever Maori think their cause justifys it.

Anonymous said...

It is hard to fathom that someone so illiterate, in the ways of economics, life the universe and everything is a PM? She is the most underwhelming intellect I have seen in a senior management role, let alone that of a PM. So tell me, how many kiwis would feel confident letting her run their company - yet she was deemed fit by Winston Peters when he elected her, to run the country. Obviously he knew he could push her around and get anything he wished. Everything she says and does is obviously all about her - please bring on the election, so we can move on past this novelty, and get the economy back on track. What a waste of 3 years.