Last week Don Brash detailed the massive rise in bureaucrats since 2017. Today Andrea Vance has broken that down further with data about just how many spin doctors the Ardern govt employes:
From the moment she took office in 2017, Jacinda Ardern promised her government would be the most open and transparent New Zealand has seen.
In her first formal speech to Parliament she pledged: “This government will foster a more open and democratic society. It will strengthen transparency around official information.”
Since then the numbers of faceless communications specialists have skyrocketed. The Government’s iron grip on the control of information has tightened.
This year, I have made more complaints to the Ombudsman than in any previous year. So far, every one has been upheld.
In my 20-year plus time as a journalist, this Government is one of the most thin-skinned and secretive I have experienced. Many of my colleagues say the same.
Speaking of 'Artfully Crafted Mirages' perhaps someone could help me out with this one. A couple of days ago I inadvertently subscribed to a rather strange website, which you may already be aware of. If you are, perhaps you could Comment as to what its objectives are. If you haven't seen it, and like me you have a decent understanding of what normally constitutes "News" reporting I recommend you take a look. https://nzwn.co.nz
The website was apparently founded by a person named Shailesh Bagwe and it makes the following claim:- "As an excellent addition to the New Zealand Media industry, we take pride in being a fully digital news company that is based in Auckland and is determined to bring…
At Christmastime a friend of a friend said he loved the PM, because, he twittered: "She saved lives!" Can anyone tell me how you can prove a negative? And what about all the lives she's ruined through her illegal lockdown? The woman is a menace.
Lets hope David and the Act party can save us, I lost all faith in Judith and National the minute I realized there was no support for Paul Goldsmith and his educated and true comment that maoris should be thankful for colonization --- My words not his ---
"on balance" had been a good thing for Māoris. Absolutely,
Law and order saving them from themselves was a big one.
New Zealanders no longer recognise communication as the transmission of information. Instead, the word has come to refer to baffling and dazzling and diverting and deflecting. That's on us, it's epistemological. Now with the (expropriated) term well in hand we award praise to the Prime Minister for being a master "communicator." We lower our boundaries and politicians sweep in and take advantage of the opportunity. That's their means of production, their species niche. "They see a prime minister that has captivated the world with her ‘authentic’ communication style.."
The faithful acolytes are despondent. The promised land has turned out to be ashes. We should allow pity. But realise that there is nothing so bad, that it can’t get worse. Evil is a bottomless pit.