51 Comments
Mar 9, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Thank you once again Bernard. I struggle for an answer. It has to be political but the opposition ACT are disgusting free marketeers who will happily let people starve if it is in the interests of “the market” which they worship as a deity.National are using 20th century failed economics arguments which make no sense . Tax cuts , Really! Wealth must be taxed to redistribute the huge unearned windfalls of the landed gentry or property classes but the problem is they are the voting classes!! I belong to the upper 10% and being semi-retired my house makes more than I do. We need answers from Labour and Greens. Lets do it , damn the “deficit” and the nonsense opposition politicians who would only take NZ backwards into 20th century failures.

Patrick Medlicott

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Dickensian. How will these children fare if their Mothers are treated this way? Even separating them all is in humane simply through a lack of duty of care and fulfilling obligations. Sick.

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

I'd like to point out that the only entity that can solve the housing catastrophe is the government. No ngo, no ceo, no billionaire is capable of doing it. Only the gov has the power to legislate and regulate. But instead, it is actively refusing to use its powers and instead is continuing the policies that are directly responsible for this despicable situation. So let's dispel the fiction that NZ is a democracy. The glaring evidence is in, NZ is just another raging capitalist state with a government that maintains a tyranny of underfunding of desperately needed social supports. And this while NZ has its own sovereign currency and owns its own bank. So increasing numbers of Kiwis have no shelter, or are having to ask whether to feed the kids or pay the rent? Is that "kindness"?

Every day, I am blown away by what the government is getting away with due to public ignorance, misinformation, and apathy.

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For Hipkins: Did the MoH ever discover the source of how MIQ let Omicron into the community?

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Mar 9, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

How is Covid and rising food prices going to impact on foodbanks?

With talk of stressed supply lines because of people off work with Covid where will foodbanks be in freight company decisions of what needs to be moved? Behind the supermarkets, butcheries, bakeries, etc no doubt.

And will the food manufacturers themselves be cutting back on production levels because of Covid absenteeism and/or ingredient shortages? Less available food for the foodbanks.

If the foodbanks start turning away large, or even huge, numbers in need then that is going to play out so badly for the government that maybe they'll turn 180 and do a helicopter drop of cash to everyone.

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Actually there are some very important legal (Properrty Relationship Act, Family Proceding Act, Bill of Rights and Human Rights principles plus obviously Child Support Act as well as many other very long held legal obligations to women. their children or Governments by fathers and all families. It seems there is no rule of law for the vilnerable for their needs and right to safety in New Zealand.

It’s been a sore and blight on our society and a dreadful blind spot I don’t think any parties have gotten a grip on.

It relies on some human decency but I think it’s obvious the policies in place have failed.

One person is worth between 4 and 11 million to the economy not counting unpaid or reproductive labour do wouldnt it pay to raise the people to be as pro social, healthy and productive as possible?

That’s only the dollar figures and doesn’t count the costs of communities having to pay for the extra health and Justice costs if they’re not? I believe one prisoner costs $100,000.00 per year. There’s the priority right there.

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Provoking thought.

Is Aotearoa-NZ democracy going through its ultimate test right now in 2022?

Could we run the potential risk of shifting into an autocracy (of a political red or blue party) and/or oligarchy (of business and homeowners, oppressing workers and renters) from the current actions and lack of action, by the government?

As this is not a government for the people, by the people, when we have an increasing amount of kiwis who are struggling more and more every day.

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Mar 10, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Herein lies the big swindle. Ardern generated an uptick in votes for Labour because she was an antithesis to Key/English. Young, progressive, articulate, full of promises for change. But those promises have not materialised into a better life for those most in need, Ardern’s core constituents. A fact Bernard regularly illustrates with cold hard facts. Kiwis I fear will continue to sleep walk into a bleak social and economic future because they do not bother to look past the smile and kind words to see Ardern’s policies are not working for them.

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Feels like the sort of issues we should be marching off to Parliament to highlight, shame that course of action is somewhat tarnished now

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Mar 10, 2022·edited Mar 10, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Can’t see this crisis being down to the small policy differences between our political parties. This is where neoliberal economics has been taking much of the world for a long time now, and the inevitable consequences have been given a big nasty nudge by Covid pressures. We lack the deeply entrenched social support infrastructure and assumptions that have mitigated the effect somewhat in some European countries, so our health system, for example, was stretched thin long before Covid erupted.

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Mar 10, 2022Liked by Bernard Hickey

Hey Bernard, great work once again. I 100% agree the only entity capable of solving this is the Government. There are many different angles to this, but it comes back to the government being the enabler. In my opinion we're experiencing the outcomes of 30+ years of underinvestment from all Parties. Unfortunately this isn't going to solve itself overnight, but by jingoes, we better get started.

Some of the stories you have highlighted are absolutely heartbreaking - I hope politicians from ALL spectrums are reading it.

To finish on a brighter note, we don't live in a war zone, and may we never end up in that position.

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Awesome podcast as to what is really happening on the ground.

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