Privatisation by stealth is the guts of what most kiwis are seeing this morning as they watch Luxon and Bishop holding the truth behind their backs and with the other hand waving a report done by "independent" crony Sir Bill in voters faces, crying "look at the debt, this is about fiscal discipline".
The Bullshit-O-metre is off the scale as everyone sees through the cheap parlour trick from the two bit actors trying to sell us their neoliberal nonsense once again.
"What you got in the other hand Mr?", asked a pesky kid.
"That's not the focus" said Luxon.
"That's not what this is about", said the owl faced Habsburg Jaw with the tiny sphincter mouth.
Yes this was Bill and Ben the bullshit men - the same pair who doubled down trying to tell us all that - if we carry on with smoke-free laws there will only be one store selling ciggies in Northland.
Still many gullible idiots swallowed everything the two con men had to say to them in their travelling Neoliberal sideshow, selling austerity for the poor, small government, limited democracy, tax cuts, strong state crackdowns, privatisation and cronyism - the elixer of life for every greedy ill.
Yes it was more spit on the ground and walk away stuff from the same Beagle boys - the change we voted for sign looked covered in reality now - and pointed to oblivion.
At least Kieran had nailed it in a few choice words and I wondered if TVNZ will invent a new topic to ask Chippy in tomorrow's media rounds - so there is only limited scrutiny about this Kāinga Ora "behind the back" sales pitch routine.
Parliament may provide the opportunity in Question time today - but media tend not to report that much cos - well that would be too much democracy creeping into newsrooms.
Looks like the media have even "blacked out" the Talbot poll while secret hands adjusted the results on Wikipedia - and the public shakes its head - and sticks to the knitting here on G News.
Over at the NZ Herald Shayne Currie is gloating at rumours that the F Bomb was used by Stuff executives to Warner Bros Discovery - as they realised TV News costs money - and of course nobody is writing headlines about the cost of Sir Bill's report - written at $2,500 per day over a period of a few months.
The only headlines that sum the costs are about Green Party female MPs...especially ones enduring natural justice on full pay.
You can quibble over who pays - but the media treatment is starkly different for the Greens than it is for National.
In an opinion behind a paywall - one of the good guys - Simon Wilson thinks Luxon and Simon Watts were surprised that other nations think Climate Change is a top focus after their jolly in South east Asia recently and that explains why Luxon included a line or two about climate change in his "fiery" speech on Sunday.
"Some of the businesspeople on the trip went further. They told Newsroom that Luxon and Watts “were surprised that emissions reductions and the green economy were the top focus in every country they visited”.
The top focus in every country. Is National rethinking its approach to the climate crisis? If so, how does that square with the cancellation of subsidies for EVs and businesses moving from coal to renewables? With its eagerness to allow new mining for fossil fuels? With its mantra that more roads will fix our transport woes?" - Simon Wilson.
Wilson has a theory Luxon got it wrong - Climate Change actually matters and he compares Luxon's "vision" for 2040 with what Chlöe said, "“Any politician who pretends we can have a thriving economy on a burning planet is a liar".
No doubt Luxon's economic adviser Matt Burgess from the Atlas Network NZ Initiative - has been scoffing for years at how the free market ETS will solve it all without any complimentary climate emissions reduction - but as you know - if the Climate Commission can set the number of units in the ETS - all of the Atlas Network theories about not intervening crumble into dust.
I imagined the face of Roger Partridge slipping like porridge dribbling down a wall - at how stupid his ongoing public positions now look. Just let the Climate Commission control the number of units in the ETS Roger - simple as that.
Back to Hayek for the eternal neoliberals who can't stand their flawed ideology being exposed as a crock.
I doubt Luxon realises anything on his own - and willingly sells a shit sandwich according to talking points he is provided with. That's his job, to bat away media objections, and bungle on through, like a foot in the door vacuum cleaner salesman with a set of neoliberal steak knives.
The whole thing about Sir John has the left bloc smirking this morning too as memes will circulate today on X - and his good pal Luxon - who sees Sir John every five or six days - is now playing the "Don't stand so close to me John " routine as the cock crows three times and Luxon runs away weeping in the garden of plausible deniability.
Yes Sir John issued a scooby doo statement - about getting away with it it if it weren't for those three shareholders - and then he went to ground as his head was pushed into the court car.
Of course Sir John is dismissing it and claiming he and his mates are all perfect angels - after all Sir John was named in the Panama papers as being at the centre of a world wide tax avoidance scheme - and so - why would anyone doubt his clean teflon slate?
Over at DumbTown - National Voters think everyone sues everyone in the USA so this too shall pass - and they have great reverence for Sir John as some light a candle and others kiss the ground where Sir John once said "Atchually, at the end of the day.." but that's not stopping us smiling wryly at the poetic justice and imaginary images of "book him Danno" running all through my hair.
Lastly Bryce Edwards has written a round up that amplifies Chris Trotter ( Bomber's tag team mate ) who says Willie should replace Chippy as Labour leader and Bryce describes Chippy's speech as " a mild and bland speech" and Labour as standing for the "woking class" not the "working class".
It's all so head shaking obvious that Bryce is trying to drive a wedge quoting Audrey that Labour's has a leadership problem - but the real leadership problem is National's.
Time Bryce showed us who pays him and why the long Nat face over on the NZ Herald?
They say money is the root of all evil and hell is empty cos all the devils are already here.
Truth is the Atlas Network are running scared of the big red wave returning in the polls as the Greens hold steady as the nation recoils and scales fall off eyes as the old propaganda tricks that used to pass unseen, now stand out like dog's balls.
"That's not what this is about" barked Bishop as Luxon tried to adjust the focus with one hand behind his back.
Tuesday Morning Coffee
Morena
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