Nats in the bunker of stupid

Written By: - Date published: 11:22 am, November 13th, 2012 - 16 comments
Categories: accountability, feminism, john key, sexism, wages - Tags: , ,

The bunker of stupid is where you go to hide from facts you don’t like. It’s a bit crowded in there at the moment, what with all the climate change deniers, Republican commentators and the like. But somehow there’s always room for one or two more in the bunker.

Take John Key, for example. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the latest record unemployment figures. He reckons his “anecdotal evidence” is more reliable than the official statistics. Welcome to the bunker John!

Joining Key today, take Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew. Jo doesn’t want to acknowledge the widening gender pay gap:

Gender pay gap widens in New Zealand

The gender pay gap is the biggest it has been in 10 years, according to new data from Statistic New Zealand.

The quarterly employment survey shows the gender gap has increased in the year to September by 1.3 per cent, from 12.85 per cent to 14.18 per cent. Pay Equity Challenge Coalition said it was the biggest gap it had seen in a decade. “It’s a huge jump,” said spokeswoman Angela McLeod.

See Julie at The Hand Mirror for more. The Nats are responsible for this widening gap, but Minister Goodhew doesn’t want to know. At time of writing Newsroom has the following headline:

Govt Disputes Worsening Gender Pay Gap Stats

Women’s Affairs Minister Jo Goodhew says the pay gap between men and women is getting smaller despite new figures showing it is widening.

I haven’t seen coverage elsewhere yet, but if the reported comments are accurate then Jo Goodhew has fully earned her comfy seat in the bunker of stupid.

16 comments on “Nats in the bunker of stupid ”

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  1. TheContrarian 1
    13 November 2012 at 11:23 am

    Is this bunker found under Bullshit Mountain?

    (hat-tip to Jon Stewart)

  2. karol 2
    13 November 2012 at 11:34 am

    The difference in stats behind Goodhew’s claim is discussed under Julie’s post at the hand mirror.  It relates to 2 sets of stats from stats-nz.  There was an earlier report by 3 News in October about a decrease in the gender gap. From Julie, in a comment under her post:

    The October story looks at the 12 monthly income survey, whereas the November one I mentioned examines the quarterly employment survey. What the difference is between these two measures I am not sure! Have asked a stats person of my acquaintance and will share if I can.

     

    • r0b 2.1
      13 November 2012 at 11:39 am

      I don’t think Goodhew’s claim relates to these older figures – or rather I think she has made some new claim today – because the headline is new today on Newsroom. But I can’t yet find details on what she said anywhere else, which is why the post contains the cautious caveat.

      • ianmac 2.1.1
        13 November 2012 at 11:47 am

        This Government is good at Not Commenting. “The Minister was unavailable for comment.” A sort of “least said least mended” mentality. So Jo Goodyear would wisely say little so as to avoid negative responses.
        Except to be accountable they really should front up.

  3. Dr Terry 3
    13 November 2012 at 11:50 am

    Exactly how is any intelligent being supposed to interpret Key’s use of the phrase “anecdotal evidence”? It seems that he throws together any fancy words that occur to him and that will suffice for his supporters. (“anecdote”: “a short usually amusing account of an incident”) Firstly, though short, I find no humour in this instance. Secondly, what is the “incident or incidents” here referred to? Again, totally meaningless and pathetic words, idly employed.

    • bbfloyd 3.1
      13 November 2012 at 12:36 pm

      And yet, the “highly experienced, and principled” parliamentary press gallery journalists don’t even make a pretend play at getting a clarification of what these “anecdotes” may be…..

      How surprising!!

  4. Craig Glen Eden 4
    13 November 2012 at 12:49 pm

    The Nats are not the only ones seeking refuge in the bunker, all squeeze together a little closer please Labours David Shearer wants in

    ” Labour leader David Shearer is brushing off a crescendo of calls for him to step down by left-leaning bloggers and commentators, saying it is “nonsense” and should be ignored.”

    “Mr Shearer said the spate of calls consisted of “a small circle of bloggers feeding off each other and I’m surprised the media is taking it seriously. It’s nonsense.”
    http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10846967

  5. Pete 5
    13 November 2012 at 1:00 pm

    Unemployment really is at 7.3%. The Department of Statistics was not making it up. And there really is no proven correlation between the minimum wage and the unemployment rate. And we really will lose money by selling state assets. And there is a housing bubble. And anthropogenic climate change is a thing. And people aren’t driving as much as they used to. And there really are children going to school hungry. And kids need qualified teachers. And there’s a limit to the efficiencies that can be drawn from the public service. And privacy is important. And we’re coming up on 2 years since the Christchurch earthquake. And government oversight of health and safety is not the nanny state. And “gay” as a derogatory expression is offensive. And increasing the scope of the Governor of the Reserve Bank has to consider is not the same thing as Communism.

    Come on, National. Join us in the reality-based community.

  6. leftriteleft 6
    13 November 2012 at 3:32 pm

    Key (note, no respect) has been there since 2008 – when the diatribe of bullshit first started pouring from his mouth.
    Example:
    29 January 2008
    John Key announces in speech, “A Fresh Start for New Zealand”,
    “The National Party has an economic plan that will build the foundations for a better future.
    * We will focus on lifting medium-term economic performance and managing taxpayers’ money effectively.
    * We will be unrelenting in our quest to lift our economic growth rate and raise wage rates.
    * We will cut taxes, not just in election year, but in a regular programme of ongoing tax cuts.
    * We will invest in the infrastructure this country needs for productivity growth.
    * We will be more careful with how we spend the cash in the public purse, monitoring not just the quantity but also the quality of government spending.
    * We will concentrate on equipping young New Zealanders with the education they need for a 21st century global economy.
    * We will reduce the burden of compliance and bureaucracy, and we will say goodbye to the blind ideology that locks the private sector out of too many parts of our economy.
    * And we will do all of this while improving the public services that Kiwis have a right to expect. “

  7. tracey 7
    13 November 2012 at 4:21 pm

    Unless its anecdotal evidence from the city missions around the country, and then hes keen on his stats again

  8. tracey 8
    13 November 2012 at 5:37 pm

    Thanks frank. Send it to all the papers and newsrooms

  9. kiwicommie 9
    13 November 2012 at 9:27 pm

    They will only come out if their party is on the death throes, National would rather just ignore reality and trample people, just like Mrs Ruthanasia when they had the reigns last time.

    Sound familiar? (taken from wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthanasia
    “Ruth Richardson was very clear, very blunt, very honest about (the ECA’s) purpose. It was to achieve the dramatic lowering of wages, very quickly, by allowing the high levels of unemployment to pull the cost of labour down; that the market would determine and an oversupplied market would reduce the price. The other reason, of course, was to de-unionise and that’s why the government is in trouble with the International Labour Organization because the ECA doesn’t enhance or promote collective bargaining.”

  10. Tracey 10
    14 November 2012 at 7:27 am

    good catch kiwicommie…