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G versus Chris Bishflap
Chris Bishflap
COVID-19 has changed New Zealand in many ways, some good and some bad. We have become more insular and inward looking as a country; probably more aware of the benefits of science and scientific advice (think vaccines, masks, etc); and also probably more judgmental about our fellow New Zealanders.
G
One positive change Covid-19 has brought to New Zealand is we are now better prepared for future pandemics after decades of under investment in our Public Health System. Another positive transformational change driven by Covid-19 is the way so many New Zealanders are now able to work at home. Covid-19 has also highlighted how the majority of New Zealanders value saving lives of their fellow kiwis more than the absolute freedom to travel immediately without delay in a pandemic. I agree that the majority of us who value saving lives have had to endure much judgemental criticism from a small minority of anti-vaxers and the constant carping, bleating and moaning from greedy business people and opposition politicians who have milked suffering in a pandemic for votes.
Chris Bishflap
One of the most unpleasant side-effects of the pandemic has been a view, frequently expressed by many, that the government is simply beyond criticism; and that to critique government decision-making is sacrilegious or even treasonous. Sadly, the government itself seems to think this too.
G
Do you have any polling data that quantifies what proportion of New Zealanders believe the Government is beyond criticism? Perhaps this is just your personal experience and your hyperbolic opinion? Perhaps the criticisms the National Party have made of our covid Response have been consistently factually incorrect and people are pointing out where and why to you? Perhaps your fact poor criticisms threaten human lives in a pandemic and people are speaking up for their values in our Democracy? Just a thought Chris. I have certainly never heard anyone express the view the Government is perfect - instead I have frequently heard world famous PM Jacinda Ardern say she does not claim perfection. Nobody in the Government claims to be perfect and I hope you'll provide examples of this if I am wrong. Maybe you are just not very good at factual, open and honest opposition and instead resort to using vague language like “ expressed by many” and "some companies" and you conceal the true context with half truths?
Chris Bishflap
A couple of weekends ago I had some companies contact me to tell me that the government was basically nicking the rapid tests that they’d ordered.
G
A few nameless companies made erroneous claims to you? Why don’t you name them? Were these companies selling RATs to make a buck? You need to be more specific and honest with voters Chris. Why hide the facts from your readers?
Chris Bishflap
The story in almost all cases was the same: the companies had wanted rapid tests for ages; and eventually the government had allowed them to order them (they were banned for most of 2021, remember).
G
Ah yes most of 2021 we were in elimination settings where RATs had only a very small role to play and the widespread distribution of them would have been counterproductive as a diagnostic tool. The price we would have paid ( especially the vulnerable ) by allowing even one case of Delta through before we were vaccinated was way too high. RATs were not suitable under these settings. Again this is about valuing saving lives Chris. Nobody can tell you what to value - but don't judge New Zealanders for saving lives.
Chris Bishflap
Then out of the blue they were told by the distributor companies that their orders could no longer be fulfilled, because the government had “requisitioned” them, or “commandeered them.” The companies were outraged – here they were trying to do the right thing for their employees, and the government was stopping them because they had been too incompetent to order enough themselves.
G
When you say "out of the blue" - do you mean - while about a hundred Australians died of Covid each day from omicron - our Government asked for its “all of New Zealand approach” to be prioritised with our main suppliers? No Rats were commandeered from companies who had taken possession of them and the Government immediately started working with companies who had their orders delayed to ensure they got what they really needed. There was no incompetence about any of this. Instead the whole world failed to anticipate the demand for RATs as omicron exploded across the globe. It's all solved now though Chris...so turn that frown upside down.
Chris Bishflap
In every case I said to the company – you should go to the media and speak publicly about this. In every case, the company said no – they were outraged, wanted the situation exposed and stopped, but they didn’t want to go public. Why? Fear of government retribution.
G
That is a conveniently fact poor and unverifiable story about a few companies out of over 500,000 New Zealand companies Chris. I am sure if these companies had a real need for RATs they would pursue the matter through the appropriate channels and as per usual ( refer to Government track record in OIA requests ) they would get a fair hearing. Citing some irrational fear as a reason to withhold the facts is not a strong argument. You need verifiable examples and more transparency if you want to be a credible Covid-19 spokesman. Otherwise people just laugh at you and your "few secret squirrel companies" that contacted you.
Chris Bishflap
More than one company mentioned that they didn’t want what happened to Rako Science to happen to them. (For those who missed it – Rako Science is a private sector provider of saliva PCR testing which the government has continually refused to engage to help with the pandemic response. Rather than contract with them to increase testing capacity the government rammed a law through Parliament to give itself the ability to seize their assets).
G
On 10 July 2021 Rako Science director Leon Grice said “Rako Science has tremendous sympathy for Minister Hipkins having to base his decisions on inadequate advice from expert advisers, fixated on trying to develop and deploy their own saliva test." When it comes to Rako Science you are talking about a contest for business contracts being fought out in the media by a potential supplier. I think you should at least divulge whether these “secret few companies” you refer to are also suppliers of RATs trying to make a profit? If they are suppliers then they do not represent the vast majority of New Zealand businesses and it would very disingenuous of you - to project that they do.
Chris Bishflap
So what we effectively have is self-censorship by New Zealand businesses for fear of the consequences of speaking up.
G
QED. Stop being so disingenuous Chris.
Chris Bishflap
I was reminded of this episode and prompted to recount it when I read Sir Ian Taylor’s Herald article this morning. He writes about his experience being told by government Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall that “only the Government or a Government-approved agency could communicate anything to do with” the self-isolation proposal, and that he must cease his “bad faith” articles. In other words, the government wanted to control the comms and the criticism of the government had to stop.
G
The salient part of what Sir Ian Taylor misreported to the press were the words “anything to do with” versus the more factual “anything commercially sensitive” that was actually said by Dr Ayesha Verrall. Air New Zealand accepted the standard confidentially terms that applied to anything commercially sensitive in that exchange - without running to the NZ Herald and wetting their nappies. Sir Ian Taylor took great offence for some reason and acted like a drama queen over it. This was the same Sir Ian Taylor who misquoted the PM when she wished all New Zealanders a happy holiday because they bloody well deserved it late last year before Christmas. I think Sir Ian has demonstrated he’s very easily triggered by the slightest thing and now running to the press over each of his emotional overreactions has damaged his credibility with the majority of the public. Perhaps the most notable fact here - was that Sir Ian said he and Dr Verrall worked on solutions over the Christmas break. A time when you were goofing off with Griffins Sampler Biscuits, going to cricket games and wondering what to do with your time because Australia thrashed England early in the Ashes. Do you deny it?
Chris Bishflap
Combine the above attitudes with the constant Prime Ministerial addresses from the podium and to state the obvious – this does not a healthy democracy make.
G
Democracy is better off for the podium because it provides the public with direct access to the voice of the Government instead of it being edited and altered by media. Otherwise we’d only have their takes and opinions and we've all seen how these distort the facts along with the omissions necessitated by concision. I think our democracy would also be better served if you were more factual, did not avoid talking about elimination settings when referring to RATs in 2021, spoke openly and factually about any cases of “requisitioning” landed assets, made verifiable criticisms of the government instead of offering veiled conjecture, and referred to actual evidence and data about public attitudes. You see that’s what a Government in waiting should be able to do, but clearly National have a very long way to go before that is the case. "A few companies" ha ha ha.
Chris Bishflap
The government has got a lot of things right during the response to COVID but they have also got a lot of things wrong. We were slow to get going on vaccines, slow to develop a back-up plan for when elimination failed; we still aren’t using saliva testing properly, we have been slow on rapid testing, and the list goes on. Pointing these things out isn’t treasonous; it’s the opposite.
G
Everyone knows that Pfizer constrained supply for both Australia and New Zealand in the first half of 2021 based on medical need so complaining about slow vaccine rollouts without being honest about the reasons behind it just does not cut it Chris. Elimination was phased out as vaccination rates climbed and we all made a very good effort at eliminating Delta - but it got into communities who did not obey the rules and we could not sustain Level 4 for much longer. We’ve covered why we have not used RATs under elimination settings for most of 2021 and the list does go on as this Government leads the OECD with our Covid Response.
Chris Bishflap
As we transition to living with COVID, it'd be great to also transition back to when open debate and criticism of the government was not just tolerated, but welcomed.
G
I think you should try some open factual debate Chris instead of hiding the facts in your criticisms and hoping people will swallow your false narratives. That would be refreshing rather than inventing the ridiculous notion that facts are not tolerated. It’s the absence of facts in your criticism of the government that is not being tolerated. People are sick of you trying to manipulate them and media letting you get away with it.
G versus Chris Bishflap
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