Good as gold
A fascinating expose from Michael Hudson on the causes and implications of the recent rise in the price of gold. When Nixon took the US dollar off the standard in 1971 you could get an ounce for $35. Not now; Hudson explains why.
Social issues
health
Costello hands out free vapes
The Government has announced that it will be supplying vaping starter kits to stop smoking services. It is not known who will be the suppliers of these kits or on what terms.
Much ado about nothing
There has been recent controversy because a District Court Judge and a renowned surgeon in a private setting chose to criticise NZ First policies.
Are Lester Levy and Shane Reti “cooking the books?”
See for yourself.
Luxon Takes A Beating
Five recent polls show that Kiwis are tired of the Coalition government, but will the trendline hold?
Reti secretly wants to privatise Health
Shane Reti has said publicly that privatising health is not his overt policy. Which suggests strongly that it is his covert policy, especially given that he wants to increase the relationship with and outsourcing to private operators.
National’s dodgy health announcements
National yesterday made great fanfare about an extra $30 million being spent on doctors and nurses. But news today of 1,500 health job cuts in the pipeline clearly shows how the extra funds are to be sourced.
A Heavy Day
This short excerpt represents a respite from the US election. Christopher Luxon apologises to Opposition leader Chris Hipkins and more. TPM ask Luxon about using force in boot camps. Plus a quick reminder on what we shouldn’t forget here in NZ either.
Who is undermining the Government’s approach to reducing smoking rates?
The Government’s offensive on public servants who express privately held strong views continues with Casey Costello attacking a public servant who alleged that her private research had come up with some papers that were “crap”.
What’s up with Matt Doocey, Mike King & the $24mn of taxpayers money?
Mike King calls alcohol a solution to mental health anguish. But evidence shows alcohol is linked to a 94% increase in suicide and has links to family violence. So what is happening with King and the $24m this government handed him in a highly “irregular” contract process?
Tobacco product investigation is requested and warranted
Welcome news from yesterday was the request to the Auditor General under the Public Audit Act on the arbitrary and unsupported by evidence decisions on tobacco products by the Customs Minister Casey Costello. As the request stated, Labour’s health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall had reached the limits of the information that she could seek using the Official Information Act.
Where’s the “Oomph”?
Join us to protest privatisation of health on the 23rd October. But can we have more oomph and co-ordination please?
She did her own research
It has been revealed that Casey Costello bypassed and second guessed official advice by an internet search and reading a collection of articles that do not way what she thought they said.
Inventing a crisis to privatise NZ healthcare
Yesterday a former Health NZ Chair said the government is intentionally manufacturing a crisis to privatise healthcare. However privatisation will not solve anything and will only lead to worse financial and health outcomes for all Kiwis as confirmed by Lancet Medical Journal and case studies around the world.
NZ Right Wing Government Moves to Privatise Health
The National-ACT-NZ First government have signaled they want to privatise our health system. It’s a now or never moment.
When will Costello be sacked?
Casey Costello’s decision to give Phillip Morris a $216 million tax cut was based on alternative advice that she has received but which she is not disclosing. And Christopher Luxon is comfortable with this.
The Hospital Dunedin needs?
The question has to be asked, can we trust National to do anything that it has promised?
Bye, Bye Health!
NZ has already spent $1bn on thin air (Kiwirail ferries), $70bn on roads, and $35bn on tax cuts so no to your hospitals and investments!
Lester Levy, $320,000 Part time Health NZ Commissioner: “It’s not for me to fix everything”
Lester Levy claims he is working so hard it’s probably not good for his health. Meanwhile, he failed to bring financials to the Health Select Committee while explaining he was doing well on cutting costs – and would continue to do so.
Is Casey Costello Corrupt?
Casey Costello and the Coalition government have already halved tobacco excise at a cost of up to $216mn. Today RNZ reports there remain more questions on who wrote her Ministerial papers begging for tobacco industry benefits.
Lester Levy Asks Kiwis To Pray For Him – Again
Lester Levy again asks Kiwis to pray for him. But who will pray for us, Dr Levy?
Lester Levy: “Significant, Not Painless” Changes Needed
Lester Levy gave a keynote address this weak signalling painful, strong medicine is needed for Health NZ. But his claims contradict frontline staff and experts.
Mountain Tui: New Zealanders are now dying from an underfunded health system
After months of warnings from doctors, nurses and hospitals, a Northland patient is dead after no doctors were present at the hospital. The budget cuts and chosen austerity measures are hurting us all. Here’s more.
Luxon is accused of spreading “disinformation”
The PM of NZ is accused of spreading intentional disinformation on Health NZ as the evidence piles up against the Coalition government. Here’s how it went down.
Woefully misinformed or intentionally mangling the truth?
Senior medical figures have questioned the accuracy of what the Government is saying about the health crisis in Northland. And in an example of unbelievably bad timing it has been revealed that the Goverment put aside $216 million to fund a exise duty reduction for Phillip Morris.
Mountain Tui: Who will hold Chris Luxon and Shane Reti accountable for the Health NZ deception?
Since Shane Reti and Christopher Luxon announced the Health NZ cost “blowout” and an unexpected deficit, the truth has emerged, and it’s all becomes stranger than fiction. Which claims were accurate? And which seemed to be a case of misrepresentation?
They are going to privatise health, aren’t they
This Government continues its trend to resembling something akin to Liz Truss’s rule of England. And Health is clearly among its targets.
Mountain Tui: Can we talk about New Zealand’s health system?
Christopher Luxon and Shane Reti took the extraordinary step of removing the Health NZ Board and replacing it with a Health Commissioner. Why did they do that and will it help the real issues facing our health system?
Mountain Tui: Crashing New Zealand’s health system is not the way to prosperity, Prime Minister
The drumbeat of health warnings continues from hospitals, doctors and nurses. But is the Government prepared to listen?
Remember that time we had a global pandemic?
how’s it going five years on?
The great Pharmac backflip
The focus groups have spoken and the Government has completed its 360 degree backflip and decided to fund Pharmac so that National can meet its pledge to introduce 13 new cancer drugs.
The Big Budget Backflip *
* or is it?
Celebrating the ending of a policy that no longer exists
As part of its coalition agreement NZ First is wanting to end a policy that has already ended. And the Government is struggling to work out what to do.
A one term Government?
The Government is less than 12 months away from a change in the Deputy Prime Ministership and the transition will be a smooth one. Labour needs to be getting ready now. Because for the first time in this Country’s history this could be a one term National led Government.
The Cass Review reader: investigations into the treatment of gender dysphoric children and youth
The final report is a carefully worded document designed particularly for the systems of power in charge of child health, wellbeing and safeguarding: health systems and their managers, medical practitioners and their professional bodies, MPs and government departments, and NGOs.
It’s also a damning indictment of the poorly evidence medical experiment that has been done on gender non-conforming children in the past decade. It’s likely to be the biggest medical scandal many of us will see.
Back on Track?
National campaigned on the promise of getting the country back on track. How is it going?