skip to main | skip to sidebar
Breaking Views

The Breaking Views blog is administered by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research at NZCPR.com. The views expressed are those of the author alone.

Pages

  • Home

Thursday, December 22, 2022

Bob Jones: Years of shame

Labels: Bob Jones: Covid, Hermit kingdom, Rip Van Winkle, Sweden

Periodically, following an accident, we read of someone falling into a coma then coming out of it a year or so later. Imagine such a Rip Van Winkle situation now with someone who say fell into a coma in mid 2020 and waking today.

When this hypothetical R.V.W lost consciousness the nation was under a Stalinist totalitarian control with daily Great Leader TV broadcasts, infantile nonsense about the team of 5 million, a cringing fat woman ringing her hands on television urging us to be kind, all socialising, working (unless a critical service), public gatherings, sport playing and watching, swimming, restaurant patronising, etc, etc, etc, forbidden; in total an unbelievable Orwellian situation enforced on a compliant public at a level not even attained in war-time.

But the nation weakly obeyed because the great Leader knew best and would save us, just as she allegedly had making White Island behave itself.

So our hypothetical Rip Van Winkle emerging from his 2 years long sleep, reads the newspapers and is bewildered. The great Leader as always is there, only advising she’s looking forward to the holidays and playing with her child in the sea. And a small space alongside mentions that currently circa 40,000 citizens are to various degrees from a down-in-the-dumps day or so, hit with Covid and 13 Covid deaths occured in the last week. It’s a miracle. Grown-ups are seemingly now in charge.

In my view those years marked the most shameful period in our history. That’s not being wise after the event.

On this site in March, 2020 I forecast that when it’s all done and dusted the world will acknowledge the virtue of Sweden’s living with covid approach, with of course appropriate cautions.

That is precisely what eventually occurred, including here in New Zealand. As Britain’s Daily Telegraph editorialised, the world owes Sweden an apology.

But there’s a difference. Most of the world came to its senses after a few months. Here we stretched the disgraceful Stalinist control out for almost 3 years.

When John Key condemned our hermit kingdom a year back he was borrowing from that week’s Economist. In a feature article on dealing with covid The Economist raised the two options, namely live with it and get on with life or go to the other extreme like New Zealand and create a hermit kingdom, which we alone did.

We’re in for a tough few years with hyper-inflation, surging crime (given the unsurprising current passive Government and judicial approach) and coping with the massive debt taken aboard to cover the nation’s close-down for 2 years. Thank God for sport to liven our lives.

Sir Bob Jones is a renowned author, columnist , property investor, and former politician, who blogs at No Punches Pulled HERE.


Print Friendly and PDF
at 10:56 AM
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Damn right, calling it the most shameful time in NZ history. Democracy thrown out the window.? The big question is why the judges and law makers just stood back and let the power hungry Stalinists take over?
We need an upper house in Government to prevent this unbridled abuse of power

December 22, 2022 at 11:38 AM

Post a Comment

Newer Post Older Post Home

Featured Post

NZCPR Newsletter: Budget 2025

The 2025 Budget is done and dusted. While the Government claims growth is their priority, there was little within the budget to suggest it ...

Welcome to Breaking Views

Breaking Views brings you expert commentary on topical political and policy issues. The views expressed are those of the author alone. The blog is administered by the New Zealand Centre for Political Research, an independent public policy think tank at NZCPR.com - register for the free weekly NZCPR newsletter HERE.

NZCPR.com Featured Articles

Loading...

Search This Blog

Blog Archive

  • ►  2025 (1879)
    • ►  June (116)
    • ►  May (372)
    • ►  April (358)
    • ►  March (373)
    • ►  February (341)
    • ►  January (319)
  • ►  2024 (4487)
    • ►  December (346)
    • ►  November (379)
    • ►  October (380)
    • ►  September (415)
    • ►  August (431)
    • ►  July (403)
    • ►  June (368)
    • ►  May (389)
    • ►  April (402)
    • ►  March (407)
    • ►  February (367)
    • ►  January (200)
  • ►  2023 (3772)
    • ►  December (302)
    • ►  November (380)
    • ►  October (352)
    • ►  September (392)
    • ►  August (424)
    • ►  July (397)
    • ►  June (366)
    • ►  May (319)
    • ►  April (262)
    • ►  March (242)
    • ►  February (191)
    • ►  January (145)
  • ▼  2022 (1954)
    • ▼  December (161)
      • Bruce Moon: Research in New Zealand Universities –...
      • Peter Winsley: Science, mātauranga Māori, and the ...
      • Bryce Edwards: Labour’s terrible 2022 has been Nat...
      • Chris Trotter: Annus Horribilis.
      • Breaking Views Update: Week of 25.12.22
      • Karl du Fresne: The cautionary tale of the Woodvil...
      • Clive Bibby: You can't fool all of the people all ...
      • Guy Hatchard: How Far Down the Road to Tyranny Hav...
      • Net Zero Watch - 2022: The year ESG fell to Earth
      • Tony Orman: the Environmental Disaster of carbon f...
      • Bruce Moon: Satire - A great opportunity to do som...
      • Brendan O'Neill: The year we finally rose up again...
      • NZCPR Newsletter: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
      • John Franklin: “One People, One Language”
      • John Robinson: Escape the guilt trap - who really...
      • Sarah Taylor: A wolf in sheep’s clothing - disastr...
      • Guy Hatchard: New Zealand Government Report Admits...
      • Breaking Views Update: Week of 18.12.22
      • Denis Hall: I can tell already - this is going to ...
      • Chris Trotter: Making All Kinds Of Assumptions.
      • Point of Order: Another Green MP to retire next ye...
      • John Porter: Labour’s Court Jester Is Willie Jackson
      • Bob Jones: Years of shame
      • Reynold Macpherson: Why Scepticism Greets the Roto...
      • Ian Bradford: THINKING OF BUYING AN ELECTRIC VEHIC...
      • Mike Butler: Prosecutorial sin and Titford
      • Chris Trotter: A New Government, But No Change, In...
      • Net Zero Watch: Europe's energy crisis may be even...
      • Bob Jones: Fashionable silliness
      • Cam Slater: I Thought Maori Invented Swimming?
      • Bryce Edwards: Threats to politicians and co-gover...
      • Point of Order: Hipkins enthuses about the Fourth ...
      • Graham Adams: Mainstream journalists smell blood i...
      • Point of Order: Secrecy shrouds details of RNZAF p...
      • John Robinson: Escaping the guilt trap: who really...
      • Don Brash chats to Sean Plunket on the banning of ...
      • Point of Order: Govt serves good news by helping s...
      • Bruce Moon: Challenging Charters
      • Garrick Tremain: Weapons training
      • Lindsay Mitchell: NZ's rarely-reported plummeting ...
      • Mike Butler: $681m for Waikato, meter running
      • Net Zero Watch: 21st century warming may not be du...
      • Guy Hatchard: The Political Science of the Unbelie...
      • Oliver Hartwich: The most exciting breakthrough of...
      • The Platform: Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger tal...
      • Breaking Views Update: Week of 11.12.22
      • Point of Order: Greens are cheered by renewable en...
      • Graham Adams: Report into Mahuta family contracts ...
      • Garrick Tremain: Obedience
      • Mike Butler: Common sense on emergency motels
      • Cam Slater: Three Waters Flushing Millions Down th...
      • Bryce Edwards: National is failing to inspire voters
      • Point of Order: Take that, Iran......
      • Viv Forbes: The Coming Crash of the Climate Cult
      • Don Brash: I admire Craig Jepson
      • Brendan O'Neill: The woke war on truth
      • Chris Trotter: Kaipara: A Struggle For Political L...
      • Bryce Edwards: Why Labour is putting up public tra...
      • John Porter: It Is Really Simple: One Man One Vote
      • Frank Newman: A great day out at the Kaipara protest
      • Peter Dunne: The Ombudsman, The Controller and Aud...
      • Point of Order: We know what the PM thinks of Davi...
      • Tim Dower: The cracks are beginning to show in the...
      • Garrick Tremain: Lying
      • John McDonald: All I want for Christmas is a new L...
      • Clive Bibby: “To be or not to be”
      • David Lillis: Another Comment on the Media, Educat...
      • Point of Order: Public service review finds procur...
      • Cam Slater: Bet You We Never Hear an Apology
      • Bob Jones: David Clark, first of the mark
      • Point of Order: Does Sir Ian Taylor’s elegy for th...
      • Point of Order: Lights, cameras, action.....
      • Garrick Tremain: Kids and ram raids
      • Geoffrey Miller: What to expect from Volodymyr Zel...
      • NZCPR Newsletter: Labour's Decline
      • Derek Mackie: Sale of the Century
      • Stuart Smith: Local Governments’ Natural Hazard In...
      • Net Zero Watch: Vanguard quits climate alliance in...
      • Guy Hatchard: What is Science and Who is an Expert?
      • Chris Trotter: Willie Jackson’s New Network Will G...
      • Bryce Wilkinson: Three cheers for the auditor-general
      • Point of Order: Princess in fairy tale but happy e...
      • Eric Crampton: Enquiring into covid inquiries
      • Michael Johnston: Bullsh*t detectors are the answer
      • Cam Slater: Has She Run Out of Schools to Visit?
      • Breaking Views Update: Week of 4.12.22
      • Karl du Fresne: Why no royal commission on the Wha...
      • Point of Order: Mahuta is back in the swim....
      • Bryce Edwards: Labour was meant to save public bro...
      • Graham Adams: Ardern’s disregard for democracy on ...
      • Garrick Tremain: Tree brought down
      • Mike Hosking: Hamilton West's result is likely the...
      • Point of Order: Mahuta’s Three Waters bill flows t...
      • Roger Partridge: Country may not have Royal Commis...
      • Bryce Edwards: Labour needs Mahuta to go, but she’...
      • Cam Slater: Who Is the Real Prime Minister?
      • Garrick Tremain: Chopping days
      • John Porter: The Maori Power of Veto
      • Wendy Geus: Gaurav Sharma Co-stars as Potaka’s Luc...
      • Mike Hosking: Marsden Point's shutdown meant this ...
    • ►  November (246)
    • ►  October (201)
    • ►  September (200)
    • ►  August (242)
    • ►  July (236)
    • ►  June (177)
    • ►  May (150)
    • ►  April (106)
    • ►  March (102)
    • ►  February (78)
    • ►  January (55)
  • ►  2021 (888)
    • ►  December (63)
    • ►  November (88)
    • ►  October (97)
    • ►  September (80)
    • ►  August (91)
    • ►  July (71)
    • ►  June (80)
    • ►  May (77)
    • ►  April (58)
    • ►  March (73)
    • ►  February (67)
    • ►  January (43)
  • ►  2020 (593)
    • ►  December (46)
    • ►  November (54)
    • ►  October (63)
    • ►  September (51)
    • ►  August (49)
    • ►  July (47)
    • ►  June (48)
    • ►  May (57)
    • ►  April (58)
    • ►  March (43)
    • ►  February (45)
    • ►  January (32)
  • ►  2019 (480)
    • ►  December (30)
    • ►  November (47)
    • ►  October (37)
    • ►  September (46)
    • ►  August (48)
    • ►  July (38)
    • ►  June (37)
    • ►  May (52)
    • ►  April (38)
    • ►  March (38)
    • ►  February (35)
    • ►  January (34)
  • ►  2018 (435)
    • ►  December (27)
    • ►  November (39)
    • ►  October (35)
    • ►  September (45)
    • ►  August (39)
    • ►  July (39)
    • ►  June (40)
    • ►  May (38)
    • ►  April (35)
    • ►  March (38)
    • ►  February (31)
    • ►  January (29)
  • ►  2017 (429)
    • ►  December (31)
    • ►  November (30)
    • ►  October (39)
    • ►  September (43)
    • ►  August (39)
    • ►  July (42)
    • ►  June (35)
    • ►  May (34)
    • ►  April (37)
    • ►  March (33)
    • ►  February (35)
    • ►  January (31)
  • ►  2016 (316)
    • ►  December (25)
    • ►  November (38)
    • ►  October (27)
    • ►  September (32)
    • ►  August (28)
    • ►  July (28)
    • ►  June (34)
    • ►  May (23)
    • ►  April (18)
    • ►  March (26)
    • ►  February (23)
    • ►  January (14)
  • ►  2015 (267)
    • ►  December (14)
    • ►  November (22)
    • ►  October (25)
    • ►  September (22)
    • ►  August (24)
    • ►  July (23)
    • ►  June (22)
    • ►  May (24)
    • ►  April (19)
    • ►  March (25)
    • ►  February (24)
    • ►  January (23)
  • ►  2014 (255)
    • ►  December (14)
    • ►  November (23)
    • ►  October (22)
    • ►  September (18)
    • ►  August (18)
    • ►  July (23)
    • ►  June (20)
    • ►  May (28)
    • ►  April (23)
    • ►  March (28)
    • ►  February (19)
    • ►  January (19)
  • ►  2013 (229)
    • ►  December (13)
    • ►  November (20)
    • ►  October (21)
    • ►  September (22)
    • ►  August (22)
    • ►  July (21)
    • ►  June (18)
    • ►  May (18)
    • ►  April (20)
    • ►  March (19)
    • ►  February (21)
    • ►  January (14)
  • ►  2012 (243)
    • ►  December (9)
    • ►  November (22)
    • ►  October (20)
    • ►  September (23)
    • ►  August (21)
    • ►  July (21)
    • ►  June (22)
    • ►  May (21)
    • ►  April (19)
    • ►  March (21)
    • ►  February (23)
    • ►  January (21)
  • ►  2011 (215)
    • ►  December (17)
    • ►  November (19)
    • ►  October (17)
    • ►  September (16)
    • ►  August (23)
    • ►  July (19)
    • ►  June (17)
    • ►  May (20)
    • ►  April (20)
    • ►  March (17)
    • ►  February (17)
    • ►  January (13)
  • ►  2010 (201)
    • ►  December (9)
    • ►  November (17)
    • ►  October (18)
    • ►  September (18)
    • ►  August (18)
    • ►  July (18)
    • ►  June (18)
    • ►  May (18)
    • ►  April (24)
    • ►  March (19)
    • ►  February (16)
    • ►  January (8)

Links

  • NZCPR Website
  • NZCPR Facebook Group
  • NZCPR Twitter Account

Followers Breaking Views