OK. People everywhere are banging away on their keyboards (especially on KiwiBlog) and that's fine. But all the angry frustrated commenting does is dissipate the anger and frustration.
The economy is dying in front of us.
The modelling that caused the move to level 4 has been subsequently discredited.
There is enough evidence now to convince that the cure IS worse than the disease.
Every day business cannot operate their prognosis worsens.
I would go and stand on the lawn at Parliament with a banner conveying any one of these messages (and there are more) but I'd be swiftly removed under the new laws the police have been given (though the sole climate change protester stayed there for weeks).
Three people made sense to me yesterday and none was the PM. Sir Ray Avery (we cannot eliminate Covid), Oliver Hartwich (the economy is getting sicker by the day - exponentially) and Ian Harrison (the modelling the govt relied on was flawed.)
We should be moving out of Level 4 right now and to 2 if not 1.
If you are in the Wellington area and feel like I do email me.
David Farrar: Hysterical Hipkins
1 minute ago
11 comments:
You are tilting at windmills Lindsay
There is a massive storm on the way an irrational panic has gripped the world and the systems that have given us the richest and most fulfilling lifestyles in human history are collapsing
There is only one world leader who has stood up to the panic and that is Alexander Lukashenko, an alpha male, who sends BBC types into a tailspin who has openly mocked the fear in face of the virus and kept his nation functioning as normally as possible without so far disasterous results.
He asked the right question of his health authorities and that is are the number of deaths we are seeing different at statistically significant level from the number we have historically observed at this time of year and when the answer came back no he said we will just carry on with minimally intrusive precautions to minimize the spread
And they have
You say I am tilting at windmills (fighting imaginary enemies apparently) and then pinpoint the enemy - irrational panic.
A conventional protest would be paltry. But a movement of people who simply said, that's it. I'm going back to work. I've been lied to, manipulated and I'm not going to accept it anymore. I refuse to participate in the panic.
I come back to the fact that every day we stay compliant more businesses will go under, more jobs will be lost, more debt - both micro and macro - will be accrued, and more assets will be losing their value. By no means an exhaustive list.
SorryLindsay perhaps I used the wrong metaphore - you are most definitely not fighting an imaginary enemy.
The battle we are fighting is on against ignorance irrationality and an entrenched political class who will never admit a mistake and even double down on their errors when it becomes apparent that they are errors rather than admit their mistakes
I will share a video with you - a distinguished very epidemiologist giving his views. The problem with this video is that this man is very careful, precise and polite. So the video does not reduce to sound bites or great drama (e.g. "we are saving lives") but requires an investment in time and the use the brain to digest.
It is well worth your time if you want to gain understanding of what is going on, what is known and what is not about this particular disease but not overly useful for a twitter post
https://youtu.be/cwPqmLoZA4s
In a little way we are already doing this. The amount of traffic on the roads is increasing. More people are mixing more widely. There are groups who never fully obeyed "the rules". Some are starting to question what we are being conditioned to not question. Grant Robertson has stated 400 thousand will go to work on the 28th. Although if they don't how can we verify?
Ardern has said we were first or best at things that when checked we were 17th/38th at.
400,000 is only a quarter of those on a wage subsidy. Level 3 - 1.2 million people still being forcibly kept non-productive.
Some of those on wage subsidy are working. 2 New World stores initially claimed but they are no longer on the list. The 12 weeks were allegedly paid upfront. Not all businesses would have been eligible as less than 30% loss on previous year - some had lean first quarter due to concern re CGT. But your point still stands - more could be working - WHO guidelines would have our panic-demic level much lower.
I do not think I would get far, go to McLeans Island Caravan club, closed, to get the Van then attempt to make it to Picton for Bluebridge to take us to the darkside.
Did make a protest last Century when we joined hands around the Masterton Hospital to prevent its closure.
One Moron amongst the Wellington mob who were handed our facilities by Jenny Shipley, when asked what about those over an hour beyond Masterton being denied their Golden Hour. Response well we will make it a golden two hours, you cannot make such sh#t up.
Will stand outside in what ever weather is current in solidarity Lindsay, you, Harrison, Avery and Hartwitch are voices of reason and I am one well into the at risk category, and agree totally.
Thank you Gravedodger. I know you mean it. Maybe I am off at the deep end but for my own sanity I needed to say this is enough. And if I didn't at least put my hand up to go beyond the keyboard I'd be ashamed of myself. I'm still willing and able to join forces with anyone who thinks we can somehow get the masses moving.
Someone managed to get people to put teddies on their windowsills en masse. What does that say about our priorities??
Surely there is a sleeping giant festering. Or as the commentor above says, perhaps people will just quietly start resuming their lives regardless.
I wish I had your conviction *and* the courage to display it.
From reports tonight
Arden said today she disagreed with the comments.
"We are seeing businesses struggling after only a few weeks in a pretty bad situation, which must speak to the strength of those small businesses going into this lockdown."
She said she was worried that people had started a small business without understanding "how to survive a setback".
Rather than learning "how to survive a setback". Small business must try and figure out how to survive an attack from from a nationwide monopoly which has set up business next door selling the same product for half the price?
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