mockoblog

Open your eyes, New Zealand!

We are not yet out of the woods, like dear PM Jacinda Arden and her lapdogs are self-congratulating themselves for.

Ponder these facts:

1. Medical Stats Manipulation – New Zealand’s TV leaders of the day pretend that we are “flattening the curve” and we are leading the World with our swift and tough measures, that we acted earlier and more decisive than any other country. I beg you pardon?! Just merely over one month after our first confirmed case of Covid-19, today (06/04/2020) we have over 1100 cases. And we are proud with this result. Taiwan, more then TWO months after their first case, now have less tan 400. And their population is five times larger than ours. Not to mention their proximity to the point where the pandemic exploded from. Compared to Taiwan, New Zealand has been at least 20 times more exposed. And this is without taking into account that we had plenty of warning and they didn’t. There are a few other countries much better than ours on the stats, including some in the heart of Europe.
2. Real Response to Covid-19 – This weird coalition Cabinet that runs New Zealand after the last elections had no clue of what was going on. But they can’t be blamed, as other countries acted even slower. However, other countries had multiple interests to save and few possibilities to lock down. Us, as an island nation, could have easily instituted two simple measures: A. Close the borders to all non-nationals; B. Place all returnees to the country in mandatory supervised quarantine. I don’t have the figures, but I bet 99% of the current cases in NZ are related to people who came in through this soft border system. This amounts to criminal neglect, as we could see at that time the ravages Covid-19 was inflicting on other developed countries.
3. Business Relief Package? At What Cost? – It was great to see our country’s leaders, especially Mr. Finance Minister, being so generous with a business/worker (and beneficiary???) relief package. This came even before most of the country realised we could be in trouble economically. But where do you think this money is coming from? The answer has two parts: A. the money comes from the money printing press, and much more will need to be manufactured, to be released, and to generate inflation, which is a state of the economy when the ruling class has the working class by the throat with just two fingers; B. the backup for this money is not in gold reserves, but in tax you and I pay. If you are an “essential” business which can keep on operating, you pay tax, real tax money resulted after real work. If you are a worker really working during these times, you pay tax on your income. If you are an investor, you pay. If you are anyone who is successful or just want to go about normal business, YOU pay. The state takes your real money, prints some more and creates this communist environment where everyone should be happy. Only it needs more and more money from the ones who work to pay for the voters who don’t. 
4. Monetary & Banking Outcome – The slow uptake on the real planetary situation with this pandemic created a great opportunity for speculators and money launders. The NZ Dollar dropped significantly in relation with currencies form much more engendered countries & economic zones, like versus Euro, USD, Pound. Why??? We are in a more protected “bubble”, aren’t we? We produce food for the rest of the World, aren’t we? First of all, by dropping the value of our currency, our individual international buying power is dropping. We won’t have overseas holidays in a hurry, I take that. But if you want to buy online a pair of Italian boots for your wife’s birthday, you have to pay about 17% more because our currency has dropped by that much in relation to the Euro. I bet your company is not increasing your salary by 17% to compensate for this. As for the banking equation, if you have a mortgage or any other loan, any delay in paying it on regular terms will be welcomed by your creditor, as it is going to cost you larger in the long term. This government just established the framework in which you can be screwed. And don’t get me started on your retirement savings…
5. Media in Survival Mode – I am disgusted to hear a relentless choir of media praises to our PM and her great visionary guidance through this crisis. Some media outlets simply belong to the Government, as their money solely come from us, the tax payers. But other media outlets are either scared, or simply deceased by now. No media, no democracy.
6. Democracy Setback – We are, no doubt, in unprecedented circumstances. But is this crisis worth losing about 150 years of advance in this home of democracy? Is this bug enough to kill most of our freedom? There is no acting Parliament and, when a generously-established scrutinising opposition-lead committee wants to maintain balance, its leader is accused of breaking the lock-down to attend sessions, while the Health (I repeat: HEALTH) Minister is OK to go mountain biking and not reply to requests for interviews. Ms Jacinda Arden has not fired her idiotic lapdog. She wants him quiet, so she can have centre stage for herself, with her daily crafted speeches.
7. The Elasticity of the Lock-down – I look out the window as I work from home. It appears to me that more cars, motorbikes, push bikes (with Lycra-dressed folks in competition mode), babies alone, mothers searching for their babies, pushchairs, gang members, dogs dragging gang members, the whole social menagerie has exploded on our streets. Why worry? After all, we did not quarantine likely infected returnees to New Zealand, instead we kindly send them home, to a happy place of potential isolation. How many of them? Maybe 250 thousand? Ore more? How many of them carrying the infection? 1%? So, only 2500 potentially spreading this for over a month in every part of the country?
8. Parking Democracy for the Sake of Spin – It is great to be in control! Imagine having one remote on which you can push a button and make the whole country obey, plus ensure you win the next elections. It is OK to introduce a bit of fear in the game, so people will really love you when you push that button which denies them essential human rights. Why? To better protect them from themselves. Because you were late in introducing significant measures and this delay gave you more power.
9. Worst Case Scenario Is Still Very Likely – Judging by the statistics we are being fed with every lunchtime, consolidated by the official state propaganda, we are doing well. We may come out of the lock-down late April. Great stuff, we can’t wait for it! But WHAT IF? What if this pandemic is a bit like other pandemics and has a second, maybe a third wave? 
10. Am I Wrong??? At the moment I am writing this, we have about 1.3 million confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide, with about 70 thousand people dead. These stats are likely well under the real reality. But even so, we have now about 1 person killed for ever 10 thousand people alive on this planet. And the pandemic is growing, it would be fair to accept that 3-5 per 10,000 will die. That means millions in hospitals or not even able to get in. I hope I am wrong. But is this the time to politicise or to unite? Am I wrong? Is this the time to let democracy slip away? Am I wrong? Is this the time to allow economy to be controlled by the state? To let this Covid-19 infection destroy the best in mankind? Do we want anarchy after pandemic?