Raewyn Kavermann owns Fuschia Boutique in Newmarket in Auckland. They have been there for 25 years.
They will no longer be opening their doors on Saturdays because of what happened last Saturday with the anti-vaccine/anti-mandate protests. Kavermann makes a mistake. But in making the mistake, who can blame her?
She is yet another victim in what is an increasingly angry, angsty, and ugly city. The Saturday protests whereby entire streets were taken over, the police did nothing, the shops are closed, and people who wanted to enjoy the first day of "sort of” freedom in the light system went home.
Hundreds of thousands of desperately needed dollars were lost, and the fears are, for some, that they will clearly extend into next weekend and beyond.
The Newmarket Business Association called the protestors utter dickheads, and I am not sure many would disagree. It's hard to tell in these gatherings how many are anti-vaxxers versus how many are the “I don’t like to be told what to do.” I think more of us have sympathy for the latter than the former.
But the trouble with too many protest movements is they cross a line. And in crossing that line, they lose the support they might have hoped for. Greenpeace did it when they started gluing themselves to walls, scaling fences, and tying themselves to things. It went from an environmental group to a bunch of law-breaking thugs.
The Insulate Britain movement lost all hope of public support when they sat down on one too many motorways.
The moment you impede normal life, whether it's shopping or street access, your cause is over. You grow support by arguing your case, making a headline or two, and hope that others see it, get it, and get onboard.
To put it bluntly, pissing people off, it doesn't work. Being loud, aggressive, and at times violent, doesn't work. Thumbing your nose at the law doesn’t work and damaging businesses doesn’t work.
Goodwill is your key. And when all you have left behind in places like Newmarket is fear, you’ve lost.
Mike Hosking is a New Zealand television and radio broadcaster. He currently hosts The Mike Hosking Breakfast show on NewstalkZB on weekday mornings.
6 comments:
"The moment you impede normal life, whether it's shopping or street access, your cause is over"
Seems to be working just fine for this government.
I am continually stunned and dismayed at just how pliable over half of the adult population have become. Seriously, if a bit of protest action is needed to get this Apartheid weilding government to be held to account then thats the cost of freedom.
You might like to take a look at history to see how well "arguing your case" works in the face of sustained propaganda campaigns by authoritarian governments. True to form, Jacinda Ardern's ears appear to be painted on. I would imagine a few pissed off retailers are going to be the very least of the country's worries soon
Totally disagree. The country needs as many protesters as we can muster to try and change the sad direction our beautiful country is going. The MSM never portray the protesters as they really are. I suspect this shopowner has been hit hard by the lockdowns and has decided to call it a day.
The lockdowns were not caused by covid, they were caused by our present governments policies.
I support any protest against a politicised pandemic.
Yes, protest as much as possible. The comments above are correct.
The loss of some income on one Saturday compared with the other losses already incurred caused not by protesters but by the lockdowns.
Covid has not inconvenienced, changed our democracy or caused people to protest. The Governments policies using Covid as the excuse are the real reasons.
Look to the statistics, look to the research, look to other opinions and weigh up where you come out?
The vaccine was probably a good idea at the time but when the PM comes on TV and states categorically that she can see no end in sight for the roll out, what message is she conveying?
Simple, with 88%+ vaccinated when compared with other countrys it is no longer a health issue (if it was in the end anyway)it is now a political control issue.
I am afraid you are listening to a few too many politicians Mike and being side-tracked.
“It's hard to tell in these gatherings how many are anti-vaxxers versus how many are the “I don’t like to be told what to do.” I think more of us have sympathy for the latter than the former.”
Are not “anti-vaxxers” part of the latter?
“Thumbing your nose at the law doesn’t work and damaging businesses doesn’t work.”
I do not go along with damaging businesses, but the government started the thumbing their noses at law by undermining democracy.
“Goodwill is your key.”
“GOODWILL” and this authoritarian labour cult would be the ultimate oxymoron.
Malo periculosam, libertatem quam quietam servitutem.
"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery"
Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs.
I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.1
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, January 30,1787.
It would appear that politicians back in those days had a little more between their ears than this present shower in the labour cult.
That really is the problem Mike- that you appear completely unable to see through the government mandating of this potentially damaging vaccine and simply blame the protesters. People driven to the wall don't have a big range of choices.
I can't help thinking that you have have done little or no research into the vaccine and its effects and haven't considered that it's a moving target with more information and new opinions evolving almost daily - I could recommend some pieces of published information but I think it would frankly be a waste of time. Pearls and swine....
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