Dear Editor
When the Director of Health recommended that the Government go to Level 2 for 4 weeks, Ardern ignored his recommendation and went to Level 4. That is turning out to be a disastrous decision. So much for her assertion that she followed the science. That’s a straight lie.
Without a Cost-Benefit analysis, the country was thrown into a 16-year debt cycle. She said Venezuela was the country she admired and now a 56% of GDP debt repayment is expected in 2026.
Level two would have had the economy continuing, with restrictions on travel and protection of the elderly and Rest homes which would have meant a $10 billion hit, not a $50 billion initial hit with $150 billion to come later.
PM Ardern cannot blame it on COVID. She set the Level 4 restriction against the Health recommendations, with almost no notice. Many of the rest home deaths were caused by her sudden Level 4 restrictions. How on earth could a Rest Home, with many workers in the 60 plus category, who were kept at home, be able to look after the residents? Sheer madness. One Auckland Rest home had a part of a weekend to re-arrange its staff, but the owner was himself restricted.
Talking “hard and early” is a Goebbels like propaganda move that is totally false. Trump had restrictions on air traffic from China in January. New Zealand didn’t even get that in March.
The current adulation is amazing, for a Prime Minister that has failed on every policy promise she made. She ridiculed National who had the RMA restricting them building houses but took over two and a half years as the Government, to admit that the RMA needed changing. Labour had refused to assist in changing it during their 9 years of coasting. They then in government turned down National’s offer to assist them in changing it.
Labour had three years of promises of 10,000 houses a year and we got less than 600 instead of 30,000. What a record.
Getting rid of poverty was a great slogan for them last election. PM Ardern has made a hash of that too, with nearly 4 times the numbers of kids in poverty today.
Could you expect to trust their promises again? Light rail was another wild assertion. A disaster in the making with the cost of operating their light rail likely to cost all properties within 500 metres of the lines, anywhere from $4000 to $16,000 extra ’tax’ every year, because they will get a ‘benefit’ from it. See the coalition’s as-yet unused Infrastructure Benefit Taxing body now approved by the crown.
Closing Charter schools was the most stupid decision that the Coalition made. They have splurged, giving over $1 billion extra COVID support to Maori, but removed the greatest chance to lift Maori kids out of poverty by closing the Charter schools which obtained the best learning records for their children. Maori should be voting in droves for Act, National or New Conservative parties. They will really help Maori youth.
This election is not a COVID election. It is an Alice in Wonderland’election where everything is upside down. Promises unkept are claimed as kept. Facts outlining non-achievements are not accepted over political promises. Targets are considered met when evidence shows otherwise. Management of the hospitals by actual operations is kept secret! No numbers kept. No record of monthly houses built, but claims of meeting all the promises. Ardern actually admitted that their last election promises were just “aspirational hopes“.
This election is becoming the John Cleese election of the century. An example to every country of a smiling Pied Piper leading a country to ruin with 16 years of debt, the loss of a chance of wealth with the unintelligent ‘No Drilling’ dictate and the amazing attack on the farmers when the UN said food-producing parts of economies should be exempt from climate control regulations.
Smiles will not make New Zealand better. It’s hard work that’s needed and promises kept. Vote for a better New Zealand from proven workers, not another batch of aspirational hopes.
Hugh Chapman.
Auckland
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