Labour Thus Far....

[Ab]

Labour is rushing through the prisoner-voting law.

https://www.facebook.com/honnicksmit...4433?__tn__=-R

[Lightspeed]

That it's Nick Smith telling us it's a problem via Facebook tells me it's not a problem.

[Ab]

Maybe he just chose a media outlet that Labour couldn't make illegal?

[Lightspeed]

That, or National trying to speak up about something it has no moral authority to give voice to...

[pxpx]

lol

as if moral authority is a real thing

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Ab

Maybe he just chose a media outlet that Labour couldn't make illegal?

What's this in reference too? Bauer rejecting the wage subsidy?

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by pxpx

lol

as if moral authority is a real thing

The fact that Dr Smith has to make his point on Facebook and not on more legitimate platforms tells me it is. What tells you it isn't?

[Lightspeed]

Maybe legitimacy isn't real either...?

[Ab]

Originally Posted by fixed_truth

What's this in reference too? Bauer rejecting the wage subsidy?

The government literally banned the thing that Bauer sold. It defined magazines as a nonessential service under the level 4 lockdown rules.

Remember, the Labour party of Jacinda Ardern (B. Communication Studies in Public Relations and Political Science, Waikato) has massively improved in one key area: it communicates better. That's not to say that it DOES anything better, but it says things more effectively. Like, "Stay home save lives". Brilliant. Best bit of coronavirus govt messaging I've seen anywhere.

Another bit of great govt messaging was Kris Faafoi's announcement that no-one from Bauer lobbied him for relief to keep the magazines going. It leaves the recipient of that message (you and me) with the impression that Bauer decided not to do something--something that could have saved it--with the man who could have saved them. It leaves you and me with the impression that that nice Labour Minister Kris Faafoi COULDA WOULDA helped if only he had been asked, oh dear never mind, back to lockdown.

The true genius of that bit of govt messaging is only evident when someone points out that Kris Faafoi is Minister of Broadcasting, Communications and Digital Media. Printed publications, newspapers and magazines are nothing to do with Kris Faafoi's Ministry - they fall under the purview of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage. I suspect that the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Climate Change weren't lobbied by Bauer either, because just like Kris Faafoi it's not their fucking problem. But by the time a tiny percentage of the people who actually care about media stuff realise that their perceptions of an important issue are being "managed", everyone else is already at that nice Labour Minister Kris Faafoi coulda woulda helped if only he had been asked, oh dear never mind, back to lockdown.

It's very very clever. Like really slickly done.

Hey who's the Minister of Culture and Heritage again?

[fixed_truth]

Originally Posted by Ab

The government literally banned the thing that Bauer sold. It defined magazines as a nonessential service under the level 4 lockdown rules.

Based on conventional definitions of essential rather than a means to silence dissenting opinion.

Originally Posted by Ab

Another bit of great govt messaging was Kris Faafoi's announcement that no-one from Bauer lobbied him for relief to keep the magazines going. It leaves the recipient of that message (you and me) with the impression that Bauer decided not to do something that could have saved it with the man who could have saved them. It leaves you and me with the impression that that nice Labour Minister Kris Faafoi COULDA WOULDA helped if only he had been asked, oh dear never mind, back to lockdown.

Yeah there probably was some politicking in response to Bauer trying to pin the blame on the Govt. I've got no sympathy for an already struggling company whose idea of lobbying was turning down wage subsidies and a last-minute attempt to sell its magazines to the government for $1; all while not following usual process in a rush to lay off employees.

[Lightspeed]

Bauer can fuck right off. Any apparent serious journalism isn't justification for the rest of the trash they publish.

Journalism was dead as soon as it got embroiled with advertising. You can't both make out to be informing people, while also working hard to misinform people.

[Ab]

I don't have any strong feelings about Bauer - I'd never heard of them until last week. I have strong nostalgifeels about The Listener, and to a lesser extent Metro and North & South.

I have very very strong feelings of suspicion when a Labour government whose current leader fetishises Michael Joseph Savage does anything to do with influencing media channels.

[xor]

Originally Posted by Lightspeed

Bauer can fuck right off. Any apparent serious journalism isn't justification for the rest of the trash they publish.

Journalism was dead as soon as it got embroiled with advertising. You can't both make out to be informing people, while also working hard to misinform people.

Traditional media/journalism is dead. There's a lot of good online platforms around nowadays and podcasts to get into. How many people watch broadcast tv nowadays or listen to the radio when compared with digital media.

[Lightspeed]

I do wonder how strategic this is:

Essential workers deserve to keep spotlight once lockdown is gone

Toward the end of her prepared remarks at Wednesday’s daily briefing on Covid-19, Jacinda Ardern turned her attention to a group of essential workers.

...

She mentioned ‘Rose’, a cleaner at Otāhuhu police station, who “currently works 13-hour days”.

“Thank you for keeping us safe,” she said.

Newshub tracked down Rose - full name Rose Kavapalu - later that day, and asked what she made of Ardern’s appreciation.

Kavapalu was grateful, but said that she had no choice but to work to support her four children, sick husband and two elderly parents at home.

She wanted to ask Ardern for something on behalf of herself and all other cleaners.

"One more favour to ask - the living wage. We have been crying out for so many years.”

Jacinda dangling this for the media to pick up, keep this kind of story in the public eye.

[Ab]

Jacinda is so good at this stuff.

[blynk]

Hook, line & sinker

[pxpx]

Helen Clark putting in work with her international profile to keep a steady stream of Jacinda The Leader puff pieces in foreign media (not saying thats a bad thing to be honest, just an observation).

[StN]

Putting that BCS from Waikato to good use.

[Ab]

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...navirus-claims

[Lightspeed]

Glad that's the extent the media needs to "hold power to account".

What the PM meant was clear: "Our goal is to eliminate Covid-19 from New Zealand, so that we can live and work free from this disease."

It's a tepid argument "aw, but maybe people thought everything would be locked down until they were 100% safe from everything!"

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Ab

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pol...navirus-claims

To be fair to Elers, he's right: "Elimination" to most people = completely gone.

Doesn't mean the PM & cabinet isn't taking the right approach. Yes things like this need to be questioned and the detail teased out - the media SHOULD definitely be doing this (note that Elers is not himself a journo despite his opinion pieces for Stuff).

However this is such a nothing article; I wonder why he bothered?

[Ab]

At the same briefing, the prime minister said: “Our testing has scaled up and we have now tested over 85,000 New Zealanders, one of the highest testing rates per capita in the world.” Wrong. At that time we were 31st in the world for testing rates per capita. I don’t think 31st can be considered “one of the highest” in the world, unless, of course, we have turned into a society where we believe everyone is a winner.

[StN]

Wait - he moved house? How could he fit that in between mountain biking and beach walks???

[Lightspeed]

Originally Posted by crocos

However this is such a nothing article; I wonder why he bothered?

While reading it I was wondering why he wrote the article. Like, had it been awhile since he turned something in?

Seriously though, I am glad this is the extent of the concern we have over the government's performance with all that's going on everywhere.

[pxpx]

I wonder if the successful response to the pandemic may be Labours undoing. I know its a very cynical viewpoint - but one of the outcomes of a successful pandemic response seems to be a massive bollocking of the economy.

Come election time, if Labour can't put together a recovery package good enough and quick enough, will people (because people tend to vote selfishly) vote them out based on a likelihood that they are much worse off than they were?

Have Labour seen this coming, and are preparing to extend these lockdown levels all the way up to election time? I wonder when the economic pressure will overcome fear (i.e it's valid to fear 2nd and 3rd COVID-19 waves) and rationality?

[Ab]

what the hell does this guy have to do to get fired? Does he have pictures of the PM in bed with a dead hooker or something?

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/a...ectid=12328085

[Lightspeed]

Clark was reportedly seen repeatedly taking boxes between two properties during the lockdown.

[Ab]

Originally Posted by Ab

This is the Minister of Health. What the fuck is he doing mountain biking in the South Island? Why the fuck is he not at work?

Just pretend I said "moving house".

WHY WAS HE NOT IN WELLINGTON BEING THE MINISTER OF HEALTH.

[fixed_truth]

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister said based on what Clark had advised her he moved house prior to lockdown, and based on his description of events, he had not breached lockdown rules.

Him having a young family was probably a big factor in him staying down south.

[crocos]

Originally Posted by Ab

WHY WAS HE NOT IN WELLINGTON BEING THE MINISTER OF HEALTH.

PM didn't want him in her bubble either

[pxpx]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political...mkGNcPUCn6o4rQ

Thou shalt not question our dear leaders

[Ab]

http://economicsnz.blogspot.com/2020...od-enough.html

Thou shalt not question our dear leaders, continued

[madmaxii]

The words "Open and Transparent" are going to come back and bite them in the bum

[Ab]

The racing industry will get a $72.5 million emergency support package, Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced.

"We can't guild the lily. The racing industry has been hit by the perfect storm of Covid-19 while in a weak financial state and in the midst of a reform programme," Peters said.

"As a result, there is a genuine risk of insolvency and the industry losing the future gains of its reforms.

"The Government has a respond, recover, and rebuild strategy for Covid-19. This announcement is the first step towards a long term restoration of racing," Peters said.

Winston looking after his donors, Jacinda and Grant nowhere to be found.

[Nothing]

Originally Posted by madmaxii

The words "Open and Transparent" are going to come back and bite them in the bum

Nah. In general their response to covid has been so successful that nobody is going to be upset about anything much unless there's a massive backslide, a balooning number of cases, and a whole bunch of deaths. Short of that, this coming election is going to be:

ALL ABOARD THE JACINDA-TRAIN! NEXT STOP NATIONAL-GETS-FUCKEDVILLE!

[The Edge]

Simon Bridges is hardly an opponent to worry about though. I did see a poll a few weeks ago that showed National polling below Labour - but a poll is merely a snapshot in time of what voters think. A lot can change between now and the election.

[Nothing]

Well yea, but "Simon Bridges is hardly an opponent to worry about though." just sort of makes my point. Like, who do you think they'll replace him with? Bene Basher Bennett? Crusher Collins? National's prospective leaders in waiting are all just as unappetising as Bridges. I mean, at least Bridges is kinda cute in that labrador "I have no idea what I am doing" way. Bennett and Collins don't even have that going for them - they're just repulsive.

[blynk]

I wouldn't take any notice of polls right now.
They will be swayed by Covid, where a lot of middle ground voters will swing to Labour.
Once we've been in lockdown 2 for a while, then we can see what the polls say

[Ab]

Jacinda is teflon right now. Let's see how unemployment and economic indicators are going closer to election time.

[StN]

Originally Posted by Ab

Jacinda is teflon right now. Let's see how unemployment and economic indicators are going closer to election time.

"It's a jobs budget".