It’s hard not to feel disillusioned this week - struggling to understand this new traffic light system. It feels like we’re being asked to reach an unrealistic goal by an ambitious PM who wants to score some points.
And in achieving that goal, what do we get for it? A red light.
As we’ve been told many times by this government, Delta didn’t come with a roadmap.
That’s actually not true in our case. The roadmap was rolling out in front of us.
We had months to watch it unfold in other parts of the world. And in that time, we should’ve readied our healthcare system, our ICU, our nursing capacity, our testing and tracing abilities. But we didn’t. We bragged about Six 60 concerts and how we didn't need to rush the vaccine rollout instead.
We put millions into designing a now cancelled bike bridge, money for school lunches, University buildings; stuff that wasn’t as important as money to ready ourselves for the inevitable.
And then when Delta did arrive, instead of asking for roadside assistance or seeking help from the private sector - who by the way desperately wanted to help, the government only got more entrenched in its own Wellington based echo chamber. It still won’t acknowledge or admit it got anything wrong. It still won’t justify how, with its hell-bent elimination strategy, we got locked down at level 4, then 3, only to have now over a thousand cases in the community.
The collateral damage of being guinea pigs for an ideologically driven government wanting to pursue “world beating” outcomes, has been well canvassed. But aside from giving the PM some impetus in her eventual path to the UN or whatever international badges she’s pursuing, it’s leaving those of us they purport to represent, with a scarred, debt laden economy, broken businesses, a mental health epidemic far greater than the one they inherited and allegedly so badly wanted to fix.
The greatest irony of course is there is no equity here in this approach they’re labelling the ‘most equitable’. Equitable for who?
For the Aucklanders who did as they asked and got vaccinated, stayed home and abided the rules?
It's disingenuous to hide behind a cloak of equitability while holding underwater businesses, elderly, the alone, the dying, the desperate to return home, the teenagers, the young parents, and just the Joe-average Aucklander who's tuned in daily, paid attention, taken heed, complied with restrictions, made sacrifices, swallowed vaccine doubts and done what’s been asked?
This is not equitable.
It’s unjust to the majority. It’s handing the power to the few. The one percent who won’t, can’t, or don’t want to vaccinate.
It’s handing our freedoms to them. Putting it in their hands, to absolve the government of any blame.
So, the unvaxxed get to decide when we, the obedient majority, get our freedoms back.
How is that fair?
Kate Hawkesby is a political broadcaster on Newstalk ZB - her articles can be seen HERE.
7 comments:
Now Kate, I think you are being a little picky. This is what I found.
The speech handed to her by Ardern, laid out the Governments priorities for the 52nd term of Parliament.
"This will be a government of inclusion. All who live in this country are entitled to respect and dignity," Dame Patsy said.
From the moment she took office in 2017, Jacinda Ardern promised her government would be the most open and transparent New Zealand has seen.
In her first formal speech to Parliament she pledged: “This government will foster a more open and democratic society. It will strengthen transparency around official information.”
Remember her words,” We will continue to be your sole source of truth. “ and “unless you hear it from us it is not the truth.” PM Jacinda Ardern 19 March 2020. NZ Herald
I couldn’t find anywhere that said she would be fair.
Well said Kate.
It is the media who are to blame for not holding this government or opposition to account. It's a bit late now! How many questions have been asked regarding covid and the vaccine? I believe very few " reporters" have asked very few questions. What information were the New Zealand public given? Just a few orders barked at them. Many do no trust these politicians now.
I dont think " obedient" is a good choice of words for us who have been vaccinated. More likely "coerced" or "bullied."
This bunch of woke wommbles will sacrifice the majority of New Zealanders to kowtow to their Maori caucus and protect the lower socio-economic voters who keep them in power. Fairness can never be part of the real plan where the 85% majority give a free ride to the 15% minority. By the time the average voter wakes up to the biggest con in NZ history our county will be down the gurgler. Kiwialan.
"It’s unjust to the majority. It’s handing the power to the few. The one percent who won’t, can’t, or don’t want to vaccinate. "
What rubbish. There are about 20 in my immediate family not taking this CLOT Shot. From a Biochemist/organic chemistry background you have no comprehension of the difference between this and other vaccines like the Novavax or Valvena. Totally clueless. These are normal protein vaccines - totally different. When and if they bring them into the country, I and my family will be first in line.
Are you even aware that with these Clot shots are going to be required every 6 months. Are you aware of the Moderna one is already beaned in some countries. The Pfizer and Moderna are similar.
The government has come up with the perfect system to deflect blame from all the cock-ups they've made over the past few months with Covid.
Pick the highest vaccination rate in the world, based on nothing more than it's a round number and will look good on JacUNda's CV for her next job. Then lock the whole country into a traffic light system - God knows how much they paid a marketing consultancy for that brilliant idea - where everyone stays at the lights until the very last person, in the very last DHB, is vaccinated and the whole country crosses the 90% barrier.
Break out the bunting, have a street party....whoa, slow down. You're still stuck at red.
In the meantime the Kindness Queen can smile, shake her head and blame all those terrible Kiwis who have chosen not to get vaccinated.
In reality, we should be blaming the government for implementing a plan which no other country has tried to adopt and which keeps us locked up, or down - either way it doesn't matter.
In some way, we have ourselves to blame for where we are. By that I mean we have taken every statement, every instruction and every edict from the pulpit of truth in Wellington and just rolled over and taken it. Although I suspect the compliant numbers are getting smaller and smaller every day.
The traffic light system is a bit hard to follow, particularly when politicians are not sure either and just stand around waiting for the lights to turn green.
The latest announcements of "mandated" vaccinations raises some questions for me, particularly the impact on individual and collective employment contracts. Do government edicts make employment contracts redundant?
Four weeks notice if one refuses the jab. A golden opportunity for employers to right size their operations.
All of the pontificating coming from the pulpit of truth will continue long after we have achieved some sort normality. But by then, the big bird will have flown to richer pickings.
A favourite author of mine had an oft used expression, BOHICA.
Translated to" bend over, here it comes again"
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