Labour govt 2020-23

[Balance]

The Government has learned nothing.

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) is still giving out contradictory advice. Why are butchers, bakers and greengrocers closed? How are supermarkets with unvaccinated workers safer?

For almost 30 years Pharmac has purchased the nation's vaccines. Yet ministers appointed MBIE to purchase Covid vaccines. The ministry has never bought an Aspirin.

Officials spent half a million dollars on consultants and lawyers. Wasting time, MBIE lost our place in the queue.

[Balance]

The Simpson/Roche report last September recommended: "All efforts should be made to introduce saliva testing as soon as possible".

Unbelievably, Cabinet has issued "Covid-19 Public Health Response (Point-of-care Tests) order 2021" banning the unauthorised importing of rapid Covid tests.

The Ministry of Health has totally botched obtaining rapid tests. Instead of expressing frustration, Andrew Little should accept that he is the Minister and is responsible.

[Balance]

From another thread:

‘Don Braid of MFT said on radio yesterday that due to L4 restrictions on loading export containers under the current lockdown, export volumes are down 30% compared to what they would be in L2. He also fears the fact that there have been NO communications from Ministry of Transport with the transport industry on how they will operate to move freight if the country will go into different levels in different areas. Has been trying to contact the ministry but no response. Incredible.’

Cindy & her team of incompetent nincompoops too busy chasing Covid votes to properly run the country.

[Balance]

The former Labour Minister of Health, Dr Michael Bassett, made this prophetic post: "If the Delta Variant creeps in, that will provide a platform for daily press conferences where the Prime Minister can look concerned and wave phony solutions, and fill the TV news programmes".

To command both TV news channels, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern waited until 6pm to tell us that Covid was in the community. Then we had to wait 10 minutes for an announcement that was largely self-congratulatory.

Ardern is exploiting the lockdown for publicity. Ministers knew last Friday that the lockdown would not end last night. Announcing short extensions enables Ardern to dominate the news.

[jonu]

The former Labour Minister of Health, Dr Michael Bassett, made this prophetic post: "If the Delta Variant creeps in, that will provide a platform for daily press conferences where the Prime Minister can look concerned and wave phony solutions, and fill the TV news programmes".

To command both TV news channels, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern waited until 6pm to tell us that Covid was in the community. Then we had to wait 10 minutes for an announcement that was largely self-congratulatory.

Ardern is exploiting the lockdown for publicity. Ministers knew last Friday that the lockdown would not end last night. Announcing short extensions enables Ardern to dominate the news.

It does my head in that her Labour acolytes can't or refuse to see it. She is beyond contempt.

If you are a "large landlord" as one of her most strident defenders here self described, or in the PR industry, I guess you have a vested interest in seeing she governs.
For anyone else concerned for the long term good of this country she will be a black stain on our history and will doubtless only have Muldoon for company in terms of notoriety.

[fungus pudding]

It does my head in that her Labour acolytes can't or refuse to see it. She is beyond contempt.

If you are a "large landlord" as one of her most strident defenders here self described, or in the PR industry, I guess you have a vested interest in seeing she governs.
For anyone else concerned for the long term good of this country she will be a black stain on our history and will doubtless only have Muldoon for company in terms of notoriety.

Don't be too sure. She's still riding high with Too many of the hoi polloi.

[Balance]

A fix-it Minister would:

• Put Pharmac in charge of purchasing

• Buy rapid DIY Covid tests. Airfreight the kits. Distribute them through supermarkets. We could be self-testing in 48 hours

• Buy more vaccines, especially the one-dose type

• Give everyone their first dose in 30 days. Use every available health resource - GP clinics, pharmacies, district nurses, Plunket, the lot. Keep the vaccination centers open 24/7

With DIY tests and rapid vaccination, this lockdown can succeed. With vaccination this can be the last lockdown.

Instead, we have a control obsessed inexperience government, putting NZers and NZ economy at risk unnecessarily.

[Logen Ninefingers]

Another massive debacle by this government. Going from the ‘front of the queue’ to somewhere near the back - this ranks alongside KiwiBuild as another catastrophic failure to deliver on a promise.

[artemis]

Don't be too sure. She's still riding high with Too many of the hoi polloi.

She is very popular, certainly. But there are cracks appearing on several fronts. And cracks don't magically patch themselves. On the contrary.

Ms Ardern may well step aside at some point (do a John Key) in good time for a successor to bed in before the 2023 election. She will have plenty of attractive offers.

[iceman]

She is very popular, certainly. But there are cracks appearing on several fronts. And cracks don't magically patch themselves. On the contrary.

Ms Ardern may well step aside at some point (do a John Key) in good time for a successor to bed in before the 2023 election. She will have plenty of attractive offers.

Lets hope so. I bet you the "attractive offers" will not be from private businesses. More likely in NGOs , UN, or something similar, like previous Labour Leaders Mike Moore & Helen Clarke. Mind you she probably won't be appointed as an Ambassador like Moore, as she hasn't got the skills for it.