There have been a number of people in key leadership positions during the COVID-19 event who have come up well short of what we would expect in terms of job performance. Some of them have conned us, deliberately or otherwise, some have shown their true colours and some appear to have forgotten what responsibilities their job entails. Some could be accused of all three. These people deserved to be named and I intend to do so.
JACINDA ARDERN
Prime Minister, in name only. Her first mistake was to, in her own self interest, put the anniversary of a heinous crime committed by a trans tasman lunatic ahead of the closing of the borders. As it turned out the regalia she was intending to adorn herself with remained in the cupboard. She would have done us all a service if she’d joined it. The result of that misconduct has had far-reaching consequences which we are all bearing the brunt of. In the ensuing weeks, rather than in any way infer her selfish blunder is to blame, we are regaled with the claptrap she went hard and early. We are told that if we are not confined to barracks it would effectively be “could the last person breathing please turn out the lights?”
Having got the population compliant she turned her sights on the media and wasted fifty million of our earned money buying them off. One can only assume this was the case as any who use material critical of her or the Government get a communication from her office to tone it down. This is far from what should be acceptable in a democracy but with money dangling in front of them a carrot and stick approach can be used, probably to great effect.
Worst of all has been her blatant attempt to use the situation to foist her Venezuelan type doctrine upon us. We are all in this together comrades. The further the country descends into economic chaos the easier it is for the Government to take control. What we have seen over the past few weeks is something akin to a dictatorship. No Parliament, instead a little cabal of like-minded socialists make all the decisions.
GRANT ROBERTSON
He stands accused of singing from the same song sheet as Jacinda. He has used money in a way which proves he has little idea of where the real needs are. Increasing welfare payments and increasing the minimum wage are hardly where the priorities lie. Buying off the media is also not a good look. In economic terms, those who should have been at the front of the queue appear to have been at the back. He will no doubt use his socialist monetary theories to try to get the country out of the mess he has got us into. All that means is that we’ll be so far up to here in you know what, we’ll need ten long drops rather than one. It is feared our drop in GDP could be 13 percent compared to 5 per cent in Australia. I wonder if Grant is capable of working out why that might be.
ANDREW COSTER
The new Police Commissioner but appears no better than the old one. The Police overall, while they must continue to have public support, are a concern. Decisions have been taken by the Government that are not in line with a democratic country and the Police, rather than voicing opposition, have appeared to have almost enthusiastically gone along with what has been pronounced. The Police Commissioner might deserve a bit of slack being cut as he assumed control part way through this fiasco. However, I fail to see what is legal and safe about iwi roadblocks. Racist yes, legal and safe, no. It is not the job of the Police to support the Prime Minister’s voter base. As for the the nonsense of people running around dobbing others in, that is not done in a democracy either. I would like an explanation as to the basis on which the Police find this acceptable. COV-19 is not an answer. Adherence to the rule of law is.
MENG FOON
The Race Relations Commissioner, Mr Foon wants to flatten the racism curve. Don’t we all! The problem he has, like those who have gone before, is the curve he wants to flatten is not the one which most demands attention. In terms of COVID-19 he is concerned at the amount of abuse the Asian and Chinese population are getting. He has figures to prove the amount of abuse they and other ethnicities are receiving. Fair enough. But I searched in vain for any comment on the illegal iwi roadblocks. Not one word. Nothing. For far too long this country has had to endure a lopsided view of what constitutes racism, particularly when it involves Maori. This has been very apparent during this event and it is not acceptable. Either employ someone who ensures everyone is treated the same or scrap the position.
Dr DAVID CLARK
A man who should thank his lucky stars his boss is a wimp. Three strikes and you’re out obviously doesn’t apply to Ministers of the Crown. He’s been missing in action throughout and his Health Department is in disarray. It was before COVID-19, which has only served to highlight the problems. He was off to the beach, on his bike and moving house before going into what appears to be splendid isolation. How can anyone this incapable be a Minister? I think you can answer that question for yourselves.
Dr ASHLEY BLOOMFIELD
Director-General of Health. I was somewhat reluctant to include this man on the list but I have come to the conclusion that he and Jacinda are, to coin a phrase, joined at the hip. I’m not too sure, in respect of the almost daily Ardern- Bloomfield show, just who is aiding and abetting who. I am of the opinion that Dr Bloomfield has adjusted a little too well to the limelight and has somewhat overplayed his hand. Time spent at the WHO does not endear me to him, nor do his threats that if we don’t behave he could slow a move to level two. This sort of rhetoric pays no attention to the economic consequences of behaving in such a manner when there is no need.
Democracy is the most important tool in the box when it comes to determining how we choose to live. For what it’s worth the definition of democracy is a form of government in which the people hold political power and can rule either directly or through elected representatives. The question is, has this been the case during COVID-19? The behaviour of some people in authority has given the impression that we might have been better off under direct rule.
Have I left anyone off? Well, using a broad brush, how about the rest of the Coalition Government and the rabble of sycophantic journalists? We can do without the mutual admiration society. The position the country has been put in means we are in urgent need of true leadership on a number of fronts as opposed to the daily lectures and threats we have been getting.
Any ideas?
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