7 Day Lockdown Political Winners & Losers 

1. What’s coming down the line will reveal Covid-19 to be what it really is -a minor inconvenience on the road to worldwide collapse of existing systems, leading to mass impoverishment, mass starvation and then probably extinction of the human species.

   None of those will be consequences of Covid-19 but WILL BE the consequences of the abysmal failure of a succession of governments over many decades to plan for the REAL future.

   Indeed, it can be argued that the Covid-19 pandemic is symptomatic of the collapse that is underway as a consequence of failures of governments around the world.

   ‘Why Collapse Occurs; Why It May Not Be Far Away’

   https://ourfiniteworld.com/2021/02/25/why-collapse-occurs-why-it-may-not-be-far-away/

   • Covid 19, a minor inconvenience, for who, the dead?

2. Losers

   Auckland, again.

   The NZ economy, because Auckland is out of action, again.

   Government credibility. The decision to lift the last lockdown so quick was because they knew Auckland’s citizens were not happy because of government intransigence.

   Because they insist we must let as many people with the virus in as facilities can hold and use Auckland as that frontline for the virus in defiance of common sense over penny pinching, indecision and pig headedness by decision makers.

   Auckland should be too big to fail. But four big lockdown’s in less than a year is sure setting it up to fail.

   Expect more because Auckland remains the front line.

   • Auckland will fail anyway, whatever silly games the acolyte of Tony B Liar plays.

     It’s just a matter of time because Auckland produces next-to-nothing, (are there still a handful of sheep in Cornwall Park?) other than human waste, CO2 emissions and other forms of pollution.

     Practically everything the great consumption machine needs to keep consuming comes from outlying regions of the Auckland district (like water) or, more commonly, from a long way away (like food, electrical energy, oil, gas, timber concrete etc. from other regions of NZ, plus the humungous amount of crap imported daily from China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, India etc.. Auckland even imports some stuff from the US ).

     Large amounts of energy are expended transferring all the essential plus the crap to Auckland, where they are squandered at a phenomenal rate -‘to keep the Auckland economy going’.

     Of great concern to many, but apparently of no concern to the B.Liarite, is the fact that some of the best agricultural land in NZ, to the south of the city proper, is being sacrificed to the great consumption machine, which requires land for houses and shopping malls etc. to keep teh Poni scheme going just a little longer.

     Never mind the food-generating value of the land, “We’ll get the food from somewhere else, like China or Australia [and pay for it using fiat currency that has no inherent value].”

     • Yeah Auckland is actually a giant leech on the economy. The nonsense that “it’s the GDP engine of New Zealand” is utterly meaningless. When one hairdresser cuts the other hairdressers hair and both charged each other $50 to do it, that is $100 of of “GDP” created out of thin air. And that is essentially the bulk of what Auckland GDP is: a giant circle jerk of people buying things off each other but creating almost nothing of actual value for anyone. It’s a near useless city, and the sooner it dies the better.

     • There’s a tiny bit more to Auckland than just a city that imports essentials and crap and shopping malls to squander, whatever that means, just because? Although it surely must benefit the rest of this country that Auckland buys its goods.

       You do realise in Auckland there is manufacturing, commerce, e commerce, multiple tertiary education providers, agriculture of all types, fishing, forrestry and 1.7 million people, the majority of whom go to work and pay taxes?

       It’s makes up around 40% of NZ’s GDP yet makes up about only 34% of our population. Research also shows Aucklanders get a bit less government spending per person than residents of other regions – not more. I think Auckland not only pulls its weight but props up the country well and truly too.

       But shut it down or at least throttle its economy regularly as we do nowadays, because our government wants Auckland to be and remain the foremost destination point for Covid and the all the risks that brings and NZ’s economy haemorrhages. Jacinda knows it, hence the badly flawed 3 day level 3 lockdown. To cover the mismanagement up.

       Just a damn pity the government can’t be bothered spreading the Covid risk by moving the border elsewhere and minimising the damage an outbreak causes.

       • Despite all the crap in the recently-released Climate Commission report, it does get one thing right. GDP is a load of bollocks and needs to be abandoned, and replaced with something meaningful.

         GDP rewards and encourages mindless consumption and shuffling resources and people from one place to another., whilst destroying the future via totally unnecessary emissions.

         • Further to the point about GDP being a load of bollocks, I have just read an article published by CHS on exactly that point! (It is something I have been pointing out for over two decades, by the way, and have obtained ZERO traction because the mass indoctrination system is SO effective.

           ‘About That +6.8% GDP Forecast: Remember That GDP = Waste
           March 2, 2021

           Any economy stupid enough to rely on the insane distortions of GDP “growth” as its primary measure will richly deserve a Darwin Award when it inevitably collapses in a putrid heap of squandered resources and capital.

           We’re told the gross domestic product (GDP) measures growth, but what it really measures is waste: capital, labor and resources that are squandered and then mislabeled “growth” for PR purposes. If we only manage what we measure, then we’re mismanaging our economy by promoting waste as the only metric we measure and incentivize.

           Forecasts now predict a rousing 6.8% “growth” in 2021 GDP. In other words, the amount of resources and capital being squandered is going parabolic and we love it!

           50 million autos and trucks stuck in traffic, burning millions of gallons of fuel while going nowhere? Growth! All that wasted fuel adds to GDP. Everyone who works from home detracts from “growth” since they didn’t waste fuel sitting in traffic jams. That’s bad! Wasting millions of gallons of gasoline is “growth”!

           Repaving a little-used road: growth! Never mind the money could have been invested in repairing a heavily traveled road, or adding safe bikeways, etc.–in the current neo-Keynesian system, building bridges to nowhere is “infrastructure growth.”….

           https://www.oftwominds.com/blogmar21/gdp-waste3-21.html

           The economic system is completely nuts. But it does serve the short-term wants of banks and corporations, even if it ultimately results in an uninhabitable planet. And our cowardly, stupid so-called leaders would rather render the Earth uninhabitable than change the system!!!!!!

3. Can a Labour supporter please tell me why Jacinda flatly refuses to introduce a Capital Gains Tax? Why are the Labour members not demanding that she change her mind? Does she know what damage she is causing and how much poor Labour supporters are starting to despise her? Why is she solely focussed on enriching National supporters? She has become a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but why?

   • Could it be that she has a stubborn streak that she confuses with holding a principle, and now that she made a remark about no CGT in her political lifetime – possibly a spur-of-the moment- remark under pressure from one or two gotcha john&janelists, she has to “stay on message”; “stay the course”?
     Only she knows. All I know is she’d be up for a job in comms/spin and marketing when it all gets too much.
     Bit of a shame really because I hear she’s a really nice person.
     Hopefully some focus group somewhere are starting to realise there are a few trad Labour voters out there that are getting a bit pissed off – not to mention a number of new eligible voters coming “on stream”, or those that’ll never own a home, let alone rent a garage somewhere.

   • Labour supporters? They seem a bit thin on the ground at the moment, Gremlin. But I will confess to being one, a default position as what’s left is pretty dismal. Despite my unwavering support I have voted strategically in the past – but that’s my business. Back to your questions, most of which have been well discussed previously on TDB. Others no doubt will have their own interpretations. Others not supporting Labour theirs.

     …. why [does] Jacinda flatly refuses to introduce a Capital Gains Tax?
     Jacinda is only the face of the Labour party. She promised not to but it is Labour promise. But the CGT Its argued to be a blunt instrument, complex and if not well thought out would penalize homeowners, ie, including a good many who vote for Labour .

     … Why are the Labour members not demanding that she change her mind?
     Its not her mind alone that needs changing.

     … Does she know what damage she is causing and how much poor Labour supporters are starting to despise her?
     Yes, on both counts. But she and the Labour party are between a rock and a hard place. Its called politics. One reason = some would argue the only reason – why Labour are back in power is that thousands of National supporters voted for Labour. And they’re not the poor.

     … Why is she solely focussed on enriching National supporters?
     Because a good many National supporters voted for Labour this time.

     … She has become a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but why?
     I had to look this idiom up to refresh my memory: an idiom of Biblical origin used to describe those playing a role contrary to their real character …. Much later, the idiom has been applied by zoologists to varying kinds of predatory behaviour. I suspect it’s the first one. On the face of it she does come across as a nice person doesn’t she (a bit impatient perhaps and doesn’t suffer fools all that well but caring, nurturing, kind, honest, moral) – some will disagree. But she’s probably no different to thousands. My guess is that she’s been corrupted by politics. And stuck in the middle of a global pandemic.

     • Bozo. I’m National and she nearly had me. As a Land owner in the past I had already paid a death duty tax. (CGT). ICAN see how it would send a message that the government was serious about sharing wealth even though that wouldn’t be the silver bullet. Her bullshit response was laughable with Winston to blame. She’s a politician first second and third. Anybody impressed by the lovely kind thing should grow up. This will be a very tough year for labour but like the trump supporters who only see what they want Jacinda supporters only see what they want. National is always the bad guy but when compared. Are they.

     • Actually it’s origin lies in Aesop’s Fables so pre Biblical.
       https://fablesofaesop.com/the-wolf-in-sheeps-clothing.html
       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesop
       The God botherer’s like the Roman’s stole everything they could from the Greeks.

   • Because essentially CGT is an envy tax. Yes it will punish the rich, yeah let’s sock it to them!! We’re all happy now but still no houses! You show me one shred of evidence that CGT will use that money to increase the housing stock? It won’t happen, but that is the only solution. Avos are cheap when there are lots and expensive out of season, why can’t you all get that?
     More people means more houses needed. Tax won’t fix that. What will fix it is:
     1. Make the whole building process easier and cheaper – that means a lot of Wellington grey-suited layabout clipboard warriors won’t be needed any more. So that cancels that idea.
     2. Override councils to allocate and claim land. Boom! Jacinda said she won’t upset councils. So that cancels that idea.
     3. Underwrite the deposit for genuine 1st homers. Many can afford the mortgage. Just not the deposit.
     4. 1st homers cannot sell for at least five years if they had their deposit underwritten.
     5. Encourage investors to build multiple dwellings per section…no…almost force them as the only option for doing up old houses on big sections. That increases the stock.
     All of these ideas are better than any tax.Tax tax tax tax…Left wing yap yap yap….we have no better ideas than tax…tax tax tax….

     • Well said and good ideas.

       Unbelievable to believe that the govt thinks a 20 something year old can save $200,000 for a deposit…on top of student loans.

   • yes yes yes

     • Write to her or email. Its free postage !

   • “Ardern made what would be a much more consequential decision all by herself – that a party led by her would never again campaign on or implement a CGT. She might support it herself but had clearly decided it was never going to be worth the pain.” STUFF April 17 2019

     Other than myself, yourself and thousands of others, the majority of the country did not have an appetite for it. And the ultimate goal for any party is to be voted into government to implement a raft of policies, you can’t do that if you aren’t elected.

     Worthwhile noting, the only party wanting a CGT, the Greens. Would you like them as a majority Government.
     People will continue to debate a CGT but given no party other than the Greens have a desire to do this the best you will get is Labour increasing wages and benefits whilst raising the tax top rate, something a right wing coalition of ACT and National would NOT do.
     I believe a capital gains tax may curb investors in the housing market however many others dispute this by quoting other countries where this has had no benefit at all. So demanding that we change her mind, stating that she has become a sheep in wolfs clothing and enriching National supporters may be your thought’s but that is certainly open for further debate.

   • Not a Labour voter but I’m sure I can answer the question.

     The Labour supporters did not put Jacinda into power. It was the National supporters who did. Why does Jacinda even need to bother with Labour supporters; they’re going to vote for anyway not matter what come hell or high water. If not they’ll vote Green, which is just Labour by proxy. It was the dis-infranchised National voter who put her in power. And those voters will also leave her at the drop of a hat if they feel that she shows too much of her socialist tendencies.

4. Jacinda Ardern – for failing everyone in South Auckland and blaming a 21-year-old ffs what planet is she on? On the planet of teeth and horse smiling, more kindy talking and bs about the team of 5 million that no one wants to be apart of pft …..remember EVERYTHING IS FINE IN JACINDA’s WORLD and that’s all that she gives af about.

   • Wow personal insults, you have nothing to offer. Can I suggest that you look into the election results and you”ll find a number want to be part of the “5 million”. Your generalisations are appalling.
     Look closer and you”ll find it was Chris Bishop wanting to attack and prosecute those that don’t obey covid protocols. Come on Tuibelle prove me wrong.

     • So if you’re caught speeding you shouldn’t get a ticket…

   • Whilst you judge our P.M physical appearance, I would suggest internally you are hideously ugly!

     • Be kind Bert it’s what Jacinda would want you to do remember. Now go take your meds and wait for Jacinda’s daily reminder.

       • Control denied, this forum is for grown ups, make sure you’re in bed by 7pm with your bottle, it’s what Judith would want..

   • Even being more than a tad disenchanted with Jacinda Ardern, one has to ask, what the hell did you expect her to do? Should she have found out who the 21 year old was and have had an adult word with him BEFORE he did $240M worth of damage to the economy? There are limits! As for your notion that no-one wants to enjoy some semblance of a pre-covid lifestyle by being one of a team almost 5 million (yourself excluded) – Come on! Get real!
     As an additional observation, your abusive talk sounds as though it was the product of a very dysfunctional pre-school facility. Which one was it? Most adults would want to know so as to avoid sending their children there.

     • She should have said and done this:
       “You fuck with our rules you pay the price, and to show you I mean business I have thrown this 21year old in jail….anyone else wanna try?”
       Simple. That’s what she should have done.

       • Lynch mob to the rescue

   • If a 21 year old does something dumb in Westport or Whanganui has Ardern failed everyone on the West Coast and everyone in the North Island? And if she makes comments about being disappointed is she blaming them and ‘throwing them under a bus”?
     You ask what planet is she on? What planet are you on?

5. Winners:

   None. This paints the whole country as a clown show. Except:

   M Morrah – again showing up the rest of the feckless 4th estate by doing some digging on the cluster. Expect more to come out – hungry dog looking for a bone.

   Losers:

   The Blairite – moved from kindness to traditional Labour nastiness in less than 24 hours. Looked haggard when under the pump for the first time in 12 months. Started throwing everyone under the bus when the blowtorch was applied.

   St Ash/Woke Andy – the “no its yours; no it’s yours” shit show when both thrown under the bus by the Blairite over the past couple of days has been entertaining to say the least. Neither seem prepared nor had any contingency plan to deal with the flip flop or infringement. I say this from experience of having to go through the checkpoint on Sunday.

   South Auckland – yet again thrown under one big umbrella of inability and limited mental capacity. A 21yr old that can get married, join the police/army, vote etc yet doesn’t have the ability to understand basic isolation rules/processes. Really? Communication by Tik Tok – really? If you treat a group like 6yr olds you shouldn’t be surprised they act like ones. If you go to MIT you clearly have the mental capacity to understand what was expected of you. This was by choice not due to limited understanding/capacity.

   Grunter – Picking fights with Beetroot over your inability to build houses combined with now looking like having no plan outside of cranking his Zimbabwean printing machines up further. Starting to look like a dribbler in the eyes of the business community.

   Global Optics – the carefully constructed narrative of the little country that could now appears to fraying around the edges.

   Team of 5 million – Like a bunch of post-cultists starting to wake up and realize the next 24 months are going to like Groundhog day the movie without any Bill Murray comedy. The jokes on you – you voted for this this shit show of inability. No point blaming South Auckland when you voted in the “dream team”. NOTE: National would be doing the same just with a little bit more competence.

   • Cum on Frank the Wank, become PM and show how it should be done. You might it hard to find any support for your party of one though.

     • Really?.You may be very wrong there.

       • No 100% correct.

   • couldn’t have said it better Frank T T..

6. Winners…Jacinda and the government

   For the most part…

   We can go for a walk
   We can go for a drive
   We can shop
   Children can go to school
   People can work and those that can’t, good employers use the government’s wage subsidy.
   We can wine and dine
   We can travel domestically for our holidays and above all else..
   We are alive.

   A small minority will disagree but to them I ask, if you could live anywhere else in the world right now, where would that be?

   • Hey Bert – your comments in response to Tuibelle are spot on and excellent. You too @aom.

     I find it unbelievable that personal attacks and snide filthy comments about a person’s appearance, especially a high profile person like Jacinda, should form the basis for an opinion about that person’s ability. It seems to be the norm of small-minded, unintelligent, uneducated nasty individuals who should really be looking at themselves in the mirror and seeing how ugly they are in terms of their own characters as opposed to their physical appearances. I feel sorry for their wives/partners/daughters if this is the attitude that people who make these comments have about women.

     @Tuibelle – read Bert’s last comment. He is so right. We can do things in this country that people in many other countries can’t do. We can do these things because Jacinda has handled the COVID-19 issue in this country magnificently, so-much-so that she is lauded by leaders of other countries. Our economy is on the up and our unemployment figures are down. We are also allowed to express our opinions (not like people in many countries – read Myanmar). You have expressed you opinion, as ugly and distasteful as it is, but remember this – when you next look in the mirror and see that angry scowl and sneer on your face, be careful because the wind might change.

   • A large component of the world enjoys those same freedoms right now (i.e. most of Asia, some European countries such as Greece, some US states etc). There is nothing outstanding in that list you provided and a number of those will go during these flip flop level movements.

     Despite what our feckless 4th estate dribbles on about there are a number of countries/states managing Covid as well as us. I’d argue NSW, Taiwan and Singapore have far more effective systems/processes in place

     • Where do you get your figures from FranK? Maybe most of China enjoys some freedoms from Covid that we have but most of Asia? Tell the Sub-continent they are doing as well as New Zealand. Greece – they would dispute your claim with their continued lockdowns. Where in Europe and which US states would equate to NZ’s levels of freedom?? Admittedly, Taiwan and Singapore may have more effective systems but would NZers be happy with the sorts of systems they have? Both can be pretty repressive. NSW is doing OK but better than NZ? Its stats wouldn’t suggest so. Keep arguing though. You provide some interest to you fans.

     • Hi Frank – I don’t necessarily disagree with your comment about freedoms enjoyed by other countries but my comment was about my disgust that people, apparently adults, disparage peoples’ abilities based on what they perceive to be a physical appearance that they like to mock, especially the inane unintelligent and completely unwarranted comments about Jacinda made by the commentator I criticised.

     • This is your problem Frankie, you want outstanding. Where do you get this from National, ACT?
       NSW, Taiwan and Singapore are still accessible to migrate too, see you.

     • FFS Frankie it’s the rest of the world that states N.Z. is gold star…keep up!

7. Is it not Counties Manukau DHB that should be a loser here? And as a DHB supposedly dedicated to South Auckland, does that make it even worse?

8. Heck yeah…..so looking forward to seeing Jacinda eat a kitten on the Hosking show. That would be awesome.

9. How about all flights into AO/NZ go to Ohakea, and people bused to Linton, Waioru, and Trentham for isolation at those bases. The whole operation would be run by the military, and perhaps be more secure. I have heard the idea a couple of times, but can’t recall it being mentioned on TDB. May put some people off but at least Auckland would be less at risk of another outbreak and therefore less likely to be put into lockdown again. Could be good diverting most of the arrivals away from Auckland seeing as how almost half the population and economy is there.

10. LOSERS: Garner, Stewart, Hawkesby, Hosking, Williams, Duplessie, Soper, Herald, other right wing media, Natz and Act. All uneducated, proven wrong and talk a lot of shit. Jacinda and Ash are heroes and true leaders. I would rather listen to them than the losers above. Lucky Natz, Act and their qnon advisers aren’t the government as the borders would have been opened and we’d now be in a 9 month recurring lockdown, unemployment out of control, business and the economy ruined, 10,000 dead and everyone locked in their homes. Instead NZers were kept safe and had a super summer with the economy booming. Thats why Natz voters voted for Labour (women) and Act (old men). The odd community cases that have been well contained have been like sunday school picnics compared to overseas. So I say to all those sad right-wing tories – RE-JOICE and enjoy the environment that Jacinda and Ash have created. If you hate Jacinda and Ash and dont like it under labour go back where you came from (160 years ago).

    .

    • How much longer are we going to keep hearing all this crap about the economy, as if the economy is something that actually has merit?

      The economy is a very short-term aberration in the grand scheme of things, a fabrication based on an arbitrary set of rules and procedures that bring about the conversion of fossil fuels and other precious resources into wastes that endanger almost all life on Earth, and which will render the Earth uninhabitable for most vertebrate species (including humans) in the near future!!!! (i.e. a few decades).

      As well as that dire scenario -totally ignored by the cretinous politicians who pretend to lead- the economic system rewards and encourages all the forms of behaviour that ensure the economy will collapse in the near future.

      The economy is what is creating the so-called ‘headwinds’ that are stymying the economy and which will demolish ALL current economic arrangements in the near future, leaving most people with nothing of value.

      This has been discussed for decades outside parliament, and numerous attempts have been made to get politicians to see sense -all to no avail, of course. That is because politicians are SERVANTS of banks and corporations, and banks and corporations are only interested in the short-term management of computer digits to keep their Ponzi system running just a little longer. (Look up Ponzi if you don’t know the meaning,)

      I cannot tell you whether the economic system will fall over next month, or later this year, or whether central bank ‘printing presses’ will keep the system running through 2022. But you can be absolutely certain current economic arrangements will be toast before the end of 2025 because the energy and resources necessary to keep it going beyond 2025 do not exist! And the financial side of things is already on ‘life support’; it has been since 2007.

      This was all worked out in the 1960s and made public in the 1970s. And the game played by economists and politicians has been to pretend it just ain’t so when it is.

      I am personally planning for collapse by the end of this year. And I regard every day collapse doesn’t occur as a bonus, giving me a little more time to prepare.

      Never forget that we have already gone through a series of crises -the oil shocks of the 70s, the 1987 sell-off, the 1997 mini-repeat of 1987 with the accompanying Asian crisis, 2000/2001 tech bubble and meltdown, the 2007/2008 sub-prime fraud meltdown and the 2019 repo crisis.

      Each time there is a crisis there are fewer resources and more people chasing fewer resources, along with much higher levels of pollution and increased climate instability that leads to infrastructure failure. And unrepayable debt, predicated on expansion of the economy on the back of resources that do not exist.

      Modern economics is both fraud and fantasy.

      I’m not holding my breath for the government to introduce sane economic policies. The insanity promoted by American corporations after World War Two has become institutionalised, and the general populace has been carefully indoctrinated into believing absolute nonsense with great success.

      People will become victims of their own ignorance and their own refusal to become informed. Quite soon, if not already.

      Posting this again for the benefit of those not too stubborn to look beyond the end of their own noses.

      https://www.oftwominds.com/blogmar21/gdp-waste3-21.html

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