National – let the virus rip

Written By: - Date published: 8:29 pm, November 24th, 2021 - 21 comments
Categories: covid-19, health, labour, national, same old national, uncategorized - Tags:

There is no other explanation, and this week Paul Goldsmith gave the game away, National thinks that we should let the Corona virus rip through out population.

After all according to them people who are not already vaccinated can only blame themselves and the rest of us should be allowed to get back to normal life like weekend shopping trips to Melbourne and Christmas holidays overseas to the destination of our choice, presuming we can afford it.

Here is the video proof:

And here is the Hansard report:

If we step back and ask ourselves, having got vaccinated—we’re nearly 90 percent; over 90 percent of first doses. Our simple view is that we don’t need any of this at all anymore. We can move on to a stage where the vaccination rates are high, we don’t need traffic lights, we need to just open up and accept that people have had the opportunity to get vaccinated—most of them have—and let’s get back to a semblance of normality. So that’s why we oppose the bill. Full stop.

National is operating a full court press of a publicity campaign.  When you cut through all the words the basic premises are that Labour should have handled things better and vaccinated earlier to make sure that everyone is safe.  And at the same time Labour should have let people from overseas return to the country without MIQ, even though they may be returning to parts of the country that does not have Covid.  And the restrictions on movement within the country, which have very well founded public health justifications, are unwarranted.  Let the poor and the unvaccinated burn.

Their positions and statements have been contradictory, irrational if taken together.  They have opposed and sabotagued the collective response to the virus incursion all for political advantage.

Their opposition to the traffic light bill is hypocritical.  In the past they used urgency for much less important reasons than the handling of a virus outbreak that may overwhelm our health system if it is not handled properly.

Playing politics and undermining the collective response to a virus that has brought the most advanced nations to their knees is beneath contempt.  National should be ashamed.

21 comments on “National – let the virus rip ”

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  1. Tricledrown 1
    24 November 2021 at 9:01 pm

    Once again Seymour came across with the best lines.Collins desperation showing through.

  2. In Vino 2
    24 November 2021 at 9:32 pm

    From a pedant – no 'u' in sabotaged.

  3. georgecom 3
    24 November 2021 at 9:38 pm

    I found the perfect venue for the next National Party regional conference in Wanganui. Lots of room for all attendees.

    Heck, given how Judith is going, might even be for their National conference

    Image preview

  4. DS 4
    25 November 2021 at 12:07 am

    I am less interested in National (they're the Opposition. They can't do any harm for at least two more years) than in Labour's newfound enthusiasm for liberalising the border. Caving to the media is not a good look.

  5. Phil 5
    25 November 2021 at 12:15 am

    Let's be honest labour with the let's open up fully in April isn't ideal either. The opportunity for new variants is still quite high and ditto for breakthrough infections even with boosters which to be honest are better deployed in the developing world than us bogarting them.

  6. roblogic 6
    25 November 2021 at 12:40 am

    Just because National are a pack of useless wallies, doesn't mean that everything Labour does is sweetness and light.

    The Covid plan is descending into farce. The timelines and stages for re-opening are completely arbitrary. It's like "security theatre" at airports. A bunch of rituals that don't actually make anyone safer. The re-opening plan is above all political. Not about public health or compassionate, coherent policy. It's designed to give the public the appearance of good governance, but in reality they know Auckland is a pressure cooker about to blow, MIQ is a shit show, the rest of NZ are in the grip of selfish anti Auckland paranoia, and they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

    • Maurice 6.1
      25 November 2021 at 1:35 am

      … and the "answer" is to let the virus rip its way down through the country – while trying to control the progress with a shonkey set of traffic lights!

    • Pete 6.2
      25 November 2021 at 7:45 am

      Surely everything was totally arbitrary from the start. Someone had to make decisions. people had to do things.

      Some wanted open borders from the beginning. Some wanted no lockdowns. Some wanted no MIQ. Some wanted totally unfettered entry for NZers back into the country all the way along the line. Some wanted no mask mandates. Some want no vaccine mandates.

      Some had it that every decision made by Ardern's government was wrong.

      Some had it that all advice from officials was the wrong and Ardern's government shouldn't have accepted it.

      Some think that decisions should have been made from the beginning and stuck with. Some think that decisions shouldn't have been changed to meet changing circumstances.

      Some think that everything Labour does is sweetness and light. Some think everything Labour does is shit. Some think that everywhere along the line, every single thing done around everything to do with covid would have been done perfectly by all the human beings involved and should have been done perfectly.

      Some think that no mistakes at all should've happened or been expected with 190,000 going through MIQ. More than 8,000 individuals every week for 21 months, all in unique circumstances, all unique individuals with their own perspectives on the world.

      • roblogic 6.2.1
        25 November 2021 at 10:50 am

        I appreciate that Labour has stepped up and got us thru these tough challenges with some draconian and often clumsy responses, that really need better scrutiny. There are inequities and irrationality in parts of the Covid framework, that need calling out and fixing.

        This is the most radical Labour government since Lange's razor gang in 1984. They are making some pretty fundamental changes that will affect the future of NZ. Overall I think they are doing a good job, but they also overstep and aren't above political manoeuvring. NZ needs a decent Opposition to keep them honest.

        • AB 6.2.1.1
          25 November 2021 at 2:36 pm

          NZ needs a decent Opposition to keep them honest.

          Yeah – but that opposition doesn't need to be National. And it shouldn't be. An actual socialist party doing that would balance our political spectrum properly.

  7. GreenBus 7
    25 November 2021 at 7:40 am

    The virus will show us all who is the boss. This may be the end of lockdowns for Jacinda, but for how long? If the vaccine doesn't suppress the virus then welcome to UK version 2.

    • Tricledrown 7.1
      25 November 2021 at 9:09 am

      New variant B1.1.529 found in Botswanna ,South Africa. Able to avoid bodies immune system making the vaccines irrelevant.

      We need to be extra careful with opening our borders.

  8. tc 8
    25 November 2021 at 7:42 am

    A dog whistling grab for votes as usual from the haters and wreckers.

    You need a certain level of humanity to feel shame mickey. A quality we know from experience is missing in national.

  9. Julian Richards 9
    25 November 2021 at 10:17 am

    With borders due to open in the new year, the virus WILL RIP through the country… This is guaranteed. And what is also guaranteed is the non-vax will be blamed for the spread and used as justification to vax those that clearly do not need the vax, the majority of children (by government definition, 12yrs and below). The fact that the vaccinated do and ARE spreading the virus will be dismissed and a convenient denial (yes it slightly reduces, but not stop) will be in order to justify vaccinating children to protect those 'mostly at risk (immuno-comprimised, elderly and those with co-morbitities). Not saying that non-vax individuals have no responsibility for the spread/transmission (calm your emotional response) as they clearly have responsibility and an elevated risk of contracting and spreading… But that EVERYONE, vaccinated or not, we're all responsible! I'm simply pointing out that they (non-vaxxed) will be blamed/hated for what the vaxxed have responsibility for also, what the vaxxed are supporting and advocating because of their own 'cultivated' fear and anger.

    And still there will be no recognition of breakthrough infections (rising) in vaxxed elevated risk of death , naturally induced immunity (approx 1-2% mortality) benefits. The technological quick fix will continue to be the advertised as the only way out.

    Lock downs will be back, just named something else (red, amber, green). And the freedom or normality as proclaimed with vaccination is a distant memory. We've (NZ) made a collective and conscious choice at the cost of our childrens future, to protect older-selves, not the majority of the youth and future generations.

    Without vaccinating the children (12yrs and below) the best NZ can achieve is approx 83% of 'ELIGIBLE', and we know that is not high enough choosing the quick technological fix (Israel, Ireland, UAE, Portugal etc etc). Add to that that there will be some who will choose not be vaxxed no matter how cruel and dangerous the doors opened to push it on them will be, we're looking at approx 75% vax 'temporary' protection at best, which clearly wanes after 5-7 months. Again who'll be blamed? And why?

    "oh, won't somebody think of the children"

    All you need to do is look ahead at WHAT IS HAPPENING around the world in countries further down this path than we are here… Or you can choose to stay in denial that technology will fix all of this for you and that you have no personal responsibility once you've taken the medicine.

    Not #antivax (popular angry slogan).

    Wash your hands, wear a mask, social distance, get tested…. Regularly! Both vaxxed or not!!! This thing of letting the vaxxed spread the virus (don't deny they wont/do) is absolutely bonkers! The virus will rip through the country over the next 12 months, but who will be blamed will be misinformation, WE'RE ALL RESPONSIBLE.

    • roblogic 9.1
      25 November 2021 at 2:45 pm

      NZ is a unique place. The virus loves massive clumps of people but overall Kiwis are pretty spaced out and socially distanced compared to the rest of the world. The virus waves are still somewhat inexplicable, but it appears to be seasonal, just like the flu virus. Summer is probably the safest time for us to be opening up. We will be outdoors a lot more than usual and not stuck in our damp cold hobbit holes.

  10. Tricledrown 10
    25 November 2021 at 10:28 am

    Europe even in countries with very high vaccination rates are struggling with huge numbers as the 5th wave hits.

    Mainly younger unvaccinated clogging up ICU beds.

    Mask wearing should be compulsory. A 53% reduction of spreading that combined with vaccination ,social distancing and isolating cases is needed.

    Better financial assistance for job losses and those isolating.

    Austria is locking down the unvaccinated .

    National well out of touch with what's happening in countries with much better health systems than us.